I had the honor of speaking at the International Alchemy Conference in Long Beach in September of this year. The topic was on the Union of Opposites. Carl Jung, M.D., noted that this process of uniting opposites was the means to expand consciousness. He further noted, that it was rarely performed because of the general effort involved. His process related to identifying unconscious aspects of the personality and allowing them to actively interact with conscious awareness in his method of Active Imagination. The ego rarely enjoys being unseated, though, and unless these opposites are given energy and allowed time and interaction, typically the unconscious attempt at representing wholeness will be lost to the ego’s attempt to regain control. Of course, this merely leads to further and more intense attempts by the unconscious to be heard, demonstrated in life by the repetitive patterns and mistakes we all find ourselves within.
Jung further noted that the opposites can never unite on the same plane or the same level in which they interact. This creation of a new “third” or the synthesis from the thesis and anti-thesis forms the mark of rapid psychospiritual growth. Some of the more common phases of this path will be explored in upcoming posts.
