HEALING the RIFT: Anima Mundi in a Disenchanted World

Published: July 6, 2023, 8 a.m.

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Is every object alive? Are wind, oceans, and mountains sentient? Jung, inspired by Anima Mundi or world soul, believed so. This concept, rooted in ancient philosophy, originates with Thales of Miletus, who envisioned the universe as interconnected and alive. Plato furthered this, proposing the World Soul as a bridge between ideal and physical realms. Born into a religious family in 1875, Jung strived for a fusion of science, psychology, and esotericism. He lamented that excessive intellect had stripped humanity of meaning. Although ancient beliefs might not resonate with modern minds, he felt that dreams could reawaken our world and called this spirit Anima Mundi. Jung moved the gods from external to internal realms, calling them archetypes. He associated the disconnection from these myths with societal ailments. \\u201cThe gods have become diseases,\\u201d he stated, suggesting that disregarded psychic content still governs us, appearing as neuroses. The quest for soul in matter inspired alchemists. Jung proposed that merging ego with the imaginal spirit or anima/us yields a new personality type, the alchemic Lapis. Ian McGilchrist defines this as \\u201cunity of the hemispheres.\\u201d Reenchanting the world involves seeing ourselves within a responsive life web and resisting the view of nature as an object. This reawakening symbolically reflects our actions, revealing our interconnectedness. Understanding that our actions \\u2018sing into\\u2019 objects reinstates feelings. It is indifference, not evil, that fills our relationship with nature. This indifference permits destructive actions. The world soul isn\\u2019t a belief, but an inner response, always communicating with us. It provides a mirror to our actions, enriching our lives with feelings that urge us to pause and reflect.

\\xa0HERE\\u2019S THE DREAM WE ANALYZE:

\\xa0\\u201cMy husband was offered work by his older brother and agreed against my judgment and advice. They had a contract to refurbish the tour bus of an esteemed opera singer. She was glamorous and bohemian but haughty. The bus was dilapidated and strangely decorated. There was a sense that much debauchery had happened there. It even smelled of sex. The job finished without issue, and my husband was told by his brother to call later regarding payment. When my husband called, somebody told him that his brother was not home and he was working late, an obvious lie as both finished work early. I was frustrated at my husband, but he remained hopeful that his brother would pay up.\\u201d

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