What moderation is really about

What moderation is really about

Even a mountain can be brought back down to earth.

That is the image of Hexagram 15 in the I Ching: the earth and mountain balancing each other out; the valleys are filling up and the mountains are wearing down.

This is a reminder to bring ourselves back down to earth when we are caught up in the heights, so we can better fill in our own depths.

We can all probably think of times when not attending to a small issue in the physical world led to a bigger problem, such as an expensive repair. That is certainly true of me with my inferior sensation function! (INFJ, INTJ, ENFP, and ENTP types all have inferior sensation).

If nothing else, the inferior function will help do the job of bringing us back down to earth. Author Michael Pierce correlates introverted sensation to the Mountain trigram and extraverted sensation to the Earth trigram. So there is some serious sensation energy in this hexagram.

What is especially intriguing is the idea that moderation can come through experiencing something new; it isn’t just about restriction.

As R.L. Wing says in his I Ching Workbook: “It must be understood that acting with MODERATION means not only limiting the obvious excess, but also exposing yourself to new areas of experience. Through MODERATION you can now gain some real control over your destiny. In this way you use the balancing tendency of the current forces to center yourself.”

Which reminds me, the Sun entered Cancer today, but this hexagram also applies to the last few days of Gemini*. Gemini is curious and loves new areas of experience.

The rhythm of our Gemini journey was as follows:

Hexagram 20 – Contemplation
Hexagram 16 – Enthusiasm
Hexagram 35 – Progress
Hexagram 45 – Gathering
Hexagram 12 – Stagnation
Hexagram 15 – Moderation

This moderation now carries us into Cancer season. It’s interesting how we hit the brakes a bit with Stagnation and Moderation before entering the feminine water sign of Cancer.

When we are talking about Cancer we are really talking about the Moon, its planetary host. The Moon prefers the comfort of Cancer, which is conducive for moderation.

The last gasp of Gemini, especially with that recent Gemini New Moon, and Mercury being in Gemini for a couple more weeks, hopefully has us thinking about and experiencing new things, which we can now more quietly actualize as we center ourselves in Cancer season.


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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

References:

Motes and Beams by Michael Pierce

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingWhat moderation is really about

How stagnation can ease our psychic indigestion

How stagnation can ease our psychic indigestion

If there is one thing that Gemini has a hard time with it’s stagnation.

If you have Gemini rising, Moon, Sun, or other natal planets in Gemini, you know what that’s like.

Mercury is the planetary host of Gemini, and is at its the most swift and curious in Gemini, so it doesn’t like to stagnate.

But, Gemini or not, we all go through stagnant periods.

Per the image of Hexagram 12: Stagnation, which correlates to this period of Gemini,* heaven and earth are not united.

As above is NOT as it is below.

Workplaces, schools, relationships, religious groups, fitness routines, are some of the main places where we can feel stagnated.

There is likely at least one of these areas of life at any given time where we feel that there isn’t a larger cosmic purpose and the energy feels dense all the time.

As we enter the final stretch of Gemini season, it seems appropriate to ponder stagnation before moving on to Cancer. We kicked off Gemini with Contemplation and then have had Enthusiasm, Progress, and Gathering. As wonderful as those last three activities are, they might have our wheels spinning a bit, and needing a kind of forced return to contemplation via stagnation.

As James Hillman says in Healing Fiction, having more events than we can experience (a common Gemini thing) gives us” “indigestion,” so to speak. When we stand still and process our events through an “imaginative process” we can ease “mental turbulence.”

The New Moon in Gemini on June 17 should help alleviate any psychic indigestion. New Moons represent new beginnings in that area of life in your chart. This isn’t an eclipse, so it won’t be dramatic, but it offers a little bit of an energetic boost.

Working with your typology can also be helpful and narrow down the types of things to help you work with this New Moon. If you know your personalitly type, tapping into your inferior function offers an opportunity to see things from a fresh perspective. For example, for an ENFP type, introverted sensation (Si) is the inferior function. Taking a break from the dominant extraverted intuition (Ne) activities by cooking, organizing a closet, indulging in some aromatherapy, and other Si pursuits could you help break through stagnation.

By focusing on the Below, we can start to feel the Above again.

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

References:

Healing Fiction by James Hillman

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingHow stagnation can ease our psychic indigestion

Gathering together with caring detachment

Gathering together with caring detachment

There is much gathering together during this time of Gemini season, at least here in the northern hemisphere.

Cookouts and parades.

School concerts and other end-of-the-school year activities.

Family reunions. Weddings.

Softball leagues, baseball games, outdoor pickleball play, and on and on.

So it seems appropriate that Hexagram 45: Gathering Together is the hexagram for this section of Gemini.*

Those of us who are introverts may feel out of sync with this.

Ironically, even though I have a stellium of natal planets in Gemini, I am an introvert, and sometimes wonder if I can just contemplate the people instead of gathering with them?

Fortunately, we can do both at the same time, as R.L. Wing describes it in his I Ching Workbook:

Note the quality of your interactions. Self-observation within a group can speed you toward an expanded awareness. The original Chinese text points out that ‘by observing the way gatherings evolve, we can perceive the inner tendencies of heaven and earth and of all things.’

Well then.

That almost makes going to a family reunion sound appealing.

We can’t individuate – or become more whole – on our own.

We can do this when attuning ourselves to the energy of the group consciousness without simultaneously being swept up in it. I like how Jungian analyst and psychiatrist Ashok Bedi describes this as “caring detachment:”

Caring detachment comes from living life fully, not from avoiding it. The caringly detached person is a very active participant in the affairs of self, family, community, and the spirit, yet detached from the outcome of his or her endeavors. Work and life then become God’s work, not a personal quest.

Path to the Soul by Ashok Bedi, M.D.

Strengthening the groups we are in, and being unattached to the outcomes, is a practical way to experience that ancient concept of “as above, so below.” Or, as Marion Woodman said, “The deeper you go into your uniquness the more you are connected to everybody else. At the profoundest soul level we are one.”

Continue ReadingGathering together with caring detachment

On your way to an enlightened destiny

On your way to an enlightened destiny

Quite often progress is gradual and incremental and most noticeable in retrospect.

Sometimes it’s circular like a mandela and the difficulty of going backwards can be the path to progress.

Kind of like how I recently switched my pickleball serve to a volley serve, which is ultimately a more powerful and effective one, but in the short term I’m now missing a couple of serves each game as I make the transition.

But none of that is what Hexagram 35: Progress in the I Ching, an ancient book of Chinese wisdom, is about.

Here it’s about rapid, easy progress.

We’ve contemplated the people and fostered enthusiasm within them with the intent of creating meaningful change.

Now that change is here.

The image of Hexagram 35: Progress is the sun rising over the earth.

The sun represents clarity and spreads its rays over a large area. The I Ching compares this to the clarity of vision of a leader who is both an “enlightened ruler and an obedient servant” all at once.

That combination isn’t always so present in the leaders of our society today. But we can cultivate it within ourselves.

How so? R.L. Wing gives some practical advice in his I Ching translation: “Communication is now of vast importance during a time of rapid PROGRESS. It is wise for you to stay in close touch with all levels of your social world. Monitor the needs of others and be supportive of progressive improvements. Take an active part in the affairs of society now in order to refine and enhance your inner worth.”

How appropriate that this takes place in airy and social Gemini season.*

Once again this brings to mind the extraverted feeling function, which Dario Nardi calls the “friendly hosting” function: “Empathically respond to others’ needs and values, and take on their needs as your own. Check for respect and trust. Give and receive support to grow closer to people.”

All of us have access, in varying degrees, to extraverted feeling. It is one of the eight energy pathways of our personality types.

We all have a Gemini area of life, too, as represented in the natal chart. It’s being lit up right now by the transiting Sun and will more naturally be an area of focus for you, even if you don’t have natal planets here.

Wing says that taking an altrustic approach and becoming influential with people helps us progress in our inner development. If you can progress in both your relationship with yourself and with others “you are on your way to an enlightened destiny.”


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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

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References:

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingOn your way to an enlightened destiny

Using thunder to find harmony and your inner voice

Using thunder to find harmony and your inner voice

Whenever I hear thunder, I don’t tend to feel enthusiasm. Yet the image of thunder over the earth is associated with Hexagram 16 (Enthusiasm) in the I Ching, an ancient Chinese book of wisdom that is important in the Jungian world.

Thunder is a symbol of sudden change and transformation, while the earth represents stability and grounding. Together, they represent the power of enthusiasm to inspire change and create something new.

This requires getting others on board, however. This is why hexagram 16 is also sometimes referred to as “harmonize.”

How best to generate this enthusiasm and harmony? You could start by “contemplating the people” and then aligning yourself with their values.

I can’t help but notice that these are extraverted feeling kinds of activites. Extraverted feeling adjusts itself to external conditions and social, rather than personal, values. R.L. Wing’s description of hexagram 64 could also serve as a description of extraverted feeling:

If you can grasp the direction of the tendencies around you, you can parallel them and accomplish great deeds. …Penetrate the popular sentiment of society, anticipate what will be needed and supported, and choose able helpers who will be enthusiastically attracted to your compelling inspiration.

R.L. Wing, The I Ching Workbook

All of us have extraverted feeling as one of our eight energy pathways. People with ESFJ, ENFJ, INFJ, and ISFJ tendencies have it as one of the top two, where it is more easily accessible.

This adaptability is also charateristic of Mercury, the planetary host of Gemini.

And speaking of astrology, here is. R.L. Wing again: “Obey your inner voice if you wish to behave correctly in the current situation. If there is a decision to be made, surrender to the impulses of your true nature. Choose the path of least resistance. Move with the rhythm of the moment. In this way you will be relieved of tensions and open to inspired accord with the cosmos.”

Astrology is a practical way to form an inspired accord with the cosmos. Hexagram 16 correlates to these next 5-6 days of Gemini season.* If you have natal planets in Gemini, tune into them this week and access your inner voice. If you don’t have natal planets in Gemini, the Sun is currently in Gemini and lighting up the area of life that Gemini represents in your chart.

We don’t always know when thunder will arrive, but a greater awareness of your extraverted feeling energy pathway, and the Gemini area of your life, will better prepare you for it. Then you’ll experience the joy and relief that follows after the thunderstorm refreshes nature and relieves the tension that had built up.

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

Sources:

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingUsing thunder to find harmony and your inner voice

Contemplating the people

Contemplating the people

At first glance, contemplation doesn’t seem like a Gemini type of activity.

To contemplate is to pause and enter our own center. Through the calm and quiet state of contemplation we can bring our inner and outer lives into balance. We emerge better prepared to face life’s emotional ups and downs with equanimity.

I love how Henri Nouwen described contemplation: “It offers the freedom to stroll through your own inner yard and rake up the leaves and clear the path so you can easily find the way to your heart.”

By contrast, the bright, social, and analytical air sign of Gemini is speedy and curious about what lies ahead.

There’s more contemplative depth to Gemini than one might first realize, however.

For starters, Gemini is ruled by Mercury. Mercury was the only god who could move back and forth between earth and the underworld and is the psychopomp – the guide of souls in the underworld.

Also, Gemini occurs during the time of year where we reach the maximum amount of light in the year, which then hands off to Cancer where the light starts to decrease. Contemplation is especially important during the busy Gemini season where the increase of light in the spring prompts us to be busy and active in our outer lives. Contemplation will help us remember and prepare for the decrease in light right around the corner.

Why am I writing about contemplation on this first day of Gemini? Hexagram 20 of the I Ching, an ancient Chinese text that was a favorite of Jung’s, correlates to the first 5.3 days of Gemini season.* This hexagram is called Contemplation.

The image of Hexagram 20, per Richard Wilhelm’s translation of the I Ching (he was good friends with Jung) is:

The wind blows over the earth:

The image of contemplation.

Thus the kings of old visited the regions of the world,

Contemplated the people,

And gave them instruction

Let’s stay with that image of “contemplating the people.”

Listening is one of the best ways to contemplate the people and of my favorite descriptions of listening comes from James Hillman: “Inquisitive curiosity into the lives of others extends our lives. This is not sharing; it is artful listening.. The other person is a fount of lifeblood, which transfuses vitality into your soul if you can provoke the other with your listening.”

Astrology, typology, and artful listening are just a few ways to contemplate the people. Speaking of astrology, it’s worth noting that contemplation is a lunar activity.  Looking at where the natal Moon is in your chart can show the manner in which you like to contemplate.

A practical application of this hexagram per R.L. Wing in The I Ching Workbook: “Take this time of contemplating to move freely through society. Experience new ideas fully, then offer your advice.”

This sounds like an activity perfectly suited to Gemini, doesn’t it?

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

Sources:

The Force of Character by James Hillman

You are the Beloved: 365 Daily Readings and Meditations for Spiritual Living by Henri J.M. Nouwen

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingContemplating the people

Books to read if new to Jungian psychology

Books to read if new to Jungian psychology

Someone on Instagram who is new to individuation and Jung recently messaged me to ask for book recommendations. I’ve been asked this before so I figured I would put my list in a blog post as well.

First I’ll quick mention that a few months ago I started a monthly email where I give very brief book reviews of the books I read the previous month. This is separate from the emails of my blog posts and the content in those newsletters isn’t posted on my blog. Click here if you would like to subscribe to the book newsletter. It is kind of an extension of my Instagram where I post daily quotes from the books I read.

OK, here is the list of my recommended Jungian books:

Creating a Life by James Hollis (and all books by James Hollis). I can’t think of a better gateway to Jungian psychology. He is a former English literature professor and writes in an elegant way.

Inner Work by Robert A. Johnson. His writing is so clear and he explains the practices of dream work and active imagination in a way that is easy to understand and immediately start implementing.

The Force of Character by James Hillman. I love Hillman’s work. This book is the one to start with if you haven’t read any of his other books. He considered himself a renegade psychologist and taught at the Jung Institute in Zurich early in his career. After you read that book, I recommend The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling and We’ve Had 100 Years of Psychotherapy – And the World’s Getting Worse. Hillman is a deconstructionist so I feel it’s important to read his more accessible books first, and also first gain more of an understanding of the Jungian basics, before reading his other books.

The Way of Woman by Helen Luke. Full of gentle wisdom. I especially like her compassionate take on divorce and her insights on Christianity, the I Ching, and spirituality.

Jungian Spirituality by Vivianne Crowley. This gives a brief overview of Jung’s life and his main areas of expertise, such as alchemy, astrology, personality types, and more. I especially enjoy the chapters about Jung’s insights on Christianity and eastern religions. This is written in a very accessible way.

The Heroine’s Journey by Maureen Murdock. This is a little dated at times because it was written in the early 1990’s, but the insights about mother/daughter relationships alone make it a worthwhile read.

Jung: His Life and Work by Barbara Hannah. Hannah spent a considerable amount of time with Jung and lived near him when she was roommates with Marie-Louise von Franz. This biography of Jung is a pleasure to read and has many behind-the scenes glimpses of his daily life and she shares a lot of the things he said in conversation with her. She also doesn’t shy away from telling some of the details about his relationship with Toni Wolff. She manages to provide a mostly objective take on Jung, although here and there you can see the adulation.

C.G. Jung Speaking is a collection of excerpts from Jung’s letters and speeches arranged in chronological order. It also contains reflections from people who knew Jung and recount conversations with him. I read this slowly over a few months and was enthralled with experiencing Jung in this way. It was like spending time with Jung and I learned so much more about him.

If you read any of these books, feel free to message me on Instagram or via email and let me know what you think of the book. If you’d like recommendations for Jungian books about personality types and astrology, let me know, and I’ll give you some.

Continue ReadingBooks to read if new to Jungian psychology

Your personality type is a verb, not a noun

An important way that Jungian typology differs from Myers-Briggs is that Jung believed that personality types aren’t static:

In Jungian individuation, type can change – for example, ‘the function-type is subject to all manner of changes in the course of life’ (Jung 1937b, p. 230) and type is nothing static. It changes’ (Jung 1959, p. 435).

Myers Briggs Typology vs. Jungian Individuation by Steve Myers

Jung also said that most people are “in-between types” and don’t fit neatly into a type category. This is probably why many people have a hard time figuring out their personality type:

Jung used a related analogy when describing the typological functions as ‘somewhat like the four points of the compass’ … There is an infinite number of locations in the world, but there are only a few landmarks. When we are orienteering, we do not usually describe our location as being permanently at a landmark, Rather, we describe where we are by reference to the closest landmarks … Similarly, our closest psychological type can change over time (Jung 1937, p. 230) as our individual personality changes. And the group of people who are in-between types are ‘the most numerous’ (Jung 1923, p. 516).

Myers Briggs Typology vs. Jungian Individuation by Steve Myers

The John Beebe 8 function archetypal model addresses these “in-between” types well with the use of shadow functions and his belief, also, that the functions aren’t static; our functions are like a cast of characters. Marie-Louise von Franz said that as we develop our functions sometimes we are a different type than our original for 10 years.

As I wrote about before, MBTI is about addressing the need for balance in consciousness, whereas for Jung type is for individuation and the emergence of a unique self that transcends type.

And speaking of balance, I’ll close with this quote from Jungian analyst James Hollis, one of my favorite authors:

I have no vested interest in our becoming saner, or mentally balanced, or even useful to society… We are not here to fit in, be well balanced, or provide exempla for others. We are here to be eccentric, different, perhaps strange, perhaps merely to add our small piece, our little clunky, chunky selves, to the great mosaic of being. As the gods intended, we are here to become more and more ourselves.

What Matters Most by James Hollis

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Sources:

Myers Briggs Typology vs. Jungian Individuation: Overcoming one-sidedness in self and society by Steve Myers

Personality Hacker podcast episode 0364

Continue ReadingYour personality type is a verb, not a noun

Is your personality type a corpse?

Is your personality type a corpse?

Jung said that “if you identify with [a type] you identify with a corpse.”

That sounds harsh, but Jung believed readers missed the point of his book Psychological Types, which admittedly is a difficult book to read. His book was about the problem of one-sidedness and the conflict between the conscious and unconscious psyche. Readers instead focused on chapter 10 and used the book as a way primarily to categorize people.

As Steve Myers writes in Myers-Briggs Typology vs Jungian Individuation, Jung believed that being a type is a problem, not a virtue, because it “helps sustain the split between consciousness and the unconscious.” Type should be viewed as a stepping stone on the path to individuation, not a fixed identity:

One of the criticisms of Myers-Briggs typology is that it lacks a means of ‘changing how we see the world.’ Yet this change of attitude is the gravamen of Psychological Types. In Jung’s original vision, typology is the scaffolding of individual identity. It is not the individual building itself but it a necessary step in the construction process.

[…]

There is great value in the stepping stone of Myers-Briggs typology, but if we linger there too long the danger is that it becomes an obstacle to individuation.

Myers-Briggs Typology vs. Jungian Individuation by Steve Myers

Jung believed the dominant and inferior functions were two important poles between which development takes place. Uniqueness doesn’t come from developing one of the opposites, because that promotes one-sidedness. Jung used the analogy of a hammer, piece of iron, and anvil to describe the individuation process:

It is the old game of hammer and anvil: between them the patient iron is forged into an indestructible whole, an ‘individual.’ This, roughly, is what I mean by the individuation process.

Myers-Briggs Typology vs. Jungian Individuation by Steve Myers

In summary, Jung’s typology is meant to be used in a Jungian context as part of individuation. “It was an an integral part of the foundation of analytical psychology” as Myers says. It wasn’t meant as a stand alone system to be used in isolation, which is the way it is mostly used today.

Source: Myers-Briggs Typology vs. Individuation: Overcoming One-Sidedness in Self and Society by Steve Myers

Continue ReadingIs your personality type a corpse?

From Eastern Orthodox Christianity to Jungian psychology and Hellenistic Astrology: my debut as a podcast guest

From Eastern Orthodox Christianity to Jungian psychology and Hellenistic Astrology: my debut as a podcast guest

My friend Sam Torode, who is an author and an artist, interviewed me for his Living From the Soul podcast. My podcast debut!

Per his description: “First, they talk about their shared history joining the Eastern Orthodox Church in early adulthood, and their reasons for leaving. They discuss the paradigm shift from a literal reading of religious language to a metaphorical, symbolic understanding. Anita then delves into Jungian psychology, the Myers-Briggs personality type indicator, and Hellenistic astrology. This quote from Jason E. Smith summarizes her theme: “Religious institutions should not be seen as repositories of truth, but instead as opportunities for the individual’s own experiments in truth.”

You can find the podcast on your favorite podcast platform, such as Spotify or Apple podcast. Or you can listen to the YouTube version.

The show notes are below, which have links to the books, resources, and people I discussed.

Show notes:

Cosmos and Psyche by Richard Tarnas

Religious But Not Religious by Jason E. Smith

Nate Craddock (see especially his interview on the Astrology Podcast about Christianity and astrology)

James Hillman and the Peaks and Vales essay is from Senex and Puer

James Hollis

CG Jung

Nightlight Astrology classes and YouTube channel by Acyuta-bhava Das (Adam Elenbaas)

As for the personality typology, you can find many posts about that here on this blog, of course.

We didn’t get around to mentioning it on the podcast, but there is a Facebook group called Exodoxy for people who are former Eastern Orthodox Christians, or current members with one foot firmly out the door. It’s a private place to discuss our past struggles with the church and our current spiritual and philosophical interests. If you meet the criteria (there are a series of questions you have to answer to gain admittance to the group) you are welcome to join.

And, finally, please check out Sam’s books. I especially like Everyday Emerson, Living From the Soul, his translation and paraphrase of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and his translation and paraphrase of Tao Te Ching.

Continue ReadingFrom Eastern Orthodox Christianity to Jungian psychology and Hellenistic Astrology: my debut as a podcast guest