The book Man and his Symbols by Carl Jung is a book about mainly analysing dreams through their lessons and symbols that reveal truths about our lives through our subconscious and unconscious.
“Man and His Symbols is the last work undertaken by Carl Jung before his death in 1961. First published in 1964, it is divided into five parts, four of which were written by associates of Jung: Marie-Louise von Franz, Joseph L. Henderson, Aniela Jaffé, and Jolande Jacobi. The book, which contains numerous illustrations, seeks to provide a clear explanation of Jung’s complex theories for a wide non-specialist readership.”
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“The general function of dreams is to try to restore our psychological balance by producing dream material that re-establishes, in a subtle way, the total psychic equilibrium.”
Carl Jung
Sometimes I have calming positive dreams but largely I have disturbing traumatic dreams and as Jung says in the previous quote perhaps to restore a psychic equilibrium. I rarely remember my dreams and if I do I forget them a few minutes after waking up. During the time of writing the Man and His Symbols book intellectuals used the term man but since the prevalence of feminism it is replaced with such terms as humanity in recent books.
“A feminist is a person who believes in the power of women just as much as they believe in the power of anyone else. It’s equality, it’s fairness, and I think it’s a great thing to be a part of.”
Zendaya
I agree about the importance of balance between men and women and in my essays, I try to have a balance between male and female energy quotes and references.
“Thunder is no longer the voice of an angry god… No river contains a spirit… no snake the embodiment of wisdom, no mountain cave the home of a great demon. No voices now speak to man from stones, plants and animals, nor does he speak to them thinking they can hear. His contact with nature has gone, and with it has gone the profound emotional energy that this symbolic connection supplied.”
Carl Jung
I love this quote by Jung from his book and I feel humans have a disconnection with Mother Nature and we have a lot to learn about reconnecting with the Earth particularly from indigenous peoples.
“A man likes to believe that he is the master of his soul. But as long as he is unable to control his moods and emotions, or to be conscious of the myriad secret ways in which unconscious factors insinuate themselves into his arrangements and decisions, he is certainly not his own master.”
Carl Jung
This is a very complex quote and I feel that journal writing and drawing with intuitive text is the best way for me to avoid negative emotions and connect my mind with my heart or having a friendly relationship with my unconscious. However, if I have negative dreams and emotions while I am awake then I need to try to turn my negative energy around and replace it with positive thoughts and emotions. This doesn’t just come naturally for me but takes great conscious effort.
In conclusion I think tracking one’s dreams and being creative no matter what your choice in creativity is then one can cultivate positive emotions and have a much more enjoyable life.
