Grounded in the natural philosophy of the Middle Ages, alchemy formed a bridge: on the one hand into the past, to Gnosticism, and on the other into the future, to the modern psychology of the unconscious.
Carl JungRead
Archetypes, in spite of their conservative nature, are not static but in a continuous dramatic flux. Thus the self as a monad or continuous unit would be dead. But it lives inasmuch as it splits and unites again. There is no energy without opposites!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the dynamic nature of the self and archetypes, suggesting that growth and energy arise from the interplay of opposites.
Carl Jung's quote emphasizes that archetypes evolve rather than remain fixed, reflecting the idea that personal identity, or the 'self', is not a singular, static entity but rather a complex, ongoing process of division and unity. This dynamic aspect of the self, characterized by the tension and interaction between contrasting forces, is what brings it to life and generates energy.
Themes
ArchetypesSelfFluxOppositesEnergy
In practice
Example use cases
In a psychology lecture discussing personal development, you might use this quote to illustrate the complexity of identity.
More from Carl Jung
All quotes →The majority of my patients consisted not of believers but of those who had lost their faith.
Carl JungRead
Complexes are psychic contents which are outside the control of the conscious mind. They have been split off from consciousness and lead a separate existence in the unconscious, being at all times ready to hinder or to reinforce the conscious intentions.
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We are in a far better position to observe instincts in animals or in primitives than in ourselves. This is due to the fact that we have grown accustomed to scrutinizing our own actions and to seeking rational explanations for them.
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From the viewpoint of analytic psychology, the theatre, aside from any aesthetic value, may be considered as an institution for the treatment of the mass complex.
Carl JungRead
I have treated many hundreds of patients. Among those in the second half of life - that is to say, over 35 - there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life.
Carl JungRead
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