Individuation Process 2

My previous post was unfinished because I pushed the publish button to soon. And therefore I was not even finished  laying down the basic concepts as I wanted to use them in the post.

Those basic concepts are essential because there is no other way for me to get the words and concepts clear to use the zodiac as a language in translating certain theories.

In this case I was trying to translate the individuation process as it was introduced by Carl Jung.

There are several concepts (ego, self, persona, shadow, anima, animus, collective unconscious, consciousness) that Jung uses to describe this process of individuation. And I think that they all have a reflection in the cycle of the zodiac.

But in these blogposts I want to focus on the individual signs of the zodiac (leo, virgo, libra, scorpio) and as I said in my previous post, I have to use certain words slightly different from their normal use.

So leo (5) and virgo (6) are what I call here ‘personal individual’. And libra (7) and scorpio (8) are ‘collective individual’. But all four they are part of the personal and collective ‘inside’.

There are two more signs that are part of the ‘inside’. Those two sign play an enormous role in the transition from one essential phase into another.

One is the transition to become an independent individual and the other is the transition to use that individuality to serve the whole. The first transition, to become an independent individual, is the transition from cancer to leo.

This is the essence of puberty.

The next transition is from an independent and autonomous individual to an individual that is capable to see the bigger whole. That is the transition from scorpio to sagittarius.

This is the essence of midlife.

So both the sign cancer as the sign sagittarius play a crucial role here. And both can be a reflection of certain concepts that are used by Jung.

But as I said, in this blogpost I want to focus mainly on the individual signs and see which concepts of Jung are reflected by those signs.

Jung’s concepts are the following:

Ego

The ego is a complex of ideas which constitutes the centre of the own field of consciousness and appears to possess a high degree of continuity and identity.

Persona

The persona is the mask or appearance one presents to the world. It is not a pose or some other intentional misrepresentation of the self to others. Rather, it is the self as self-construed, and may change according to situation and context.

Conscious mind

In order to be conscious of your self, you must be able to distinguish your self from others. Relationship can only take place where this distinction exists.

Shadow

The shadow is a part of the unconscious mind consisting of repressed weaknesses, shortcomings, and instincts.

It is instinctive and irrational, and prone to project: turning a personal inferiority into a perceived moral deficiency in someone else.

The projection-making factor then has a free hand and can realize its object or bring about some other situation characteristic of its power.

These projections insulate and cripple individuals by forming an ever thicker fog of illusion between the ego and the real world.

As a reservoir for human darkness, or perhaps because of this, the shadow is the seat of creativity.

To be continued…

Annemieke

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *