Buffalo seasons Awareness in life
The Self That Holds Us: On Identity, Ego, and Becoming.
We spend so much of our lives trying to figure out who this “I” is—this constellation of stories, habits, wounds, longings, and flashes of wisdom that moves through the world in our name. Some days the “I” feels solid, knowable. Other days it dissolves, slipping through our fingers like water. And perhaps this is the point: the self is not a possession we hold, but a living process we learn to relate to with increasing honesty, courage, and grace. Carl Jung wrote that becoming ourselves is both the simplest and the most difficult task of a lifetime. Individuation, he said, is the work of gathering up the scattered pieces of who we are—the conscious stories, the shadowed memories, the unlived potentials—and integrating them into a coherent enough center from which we can move through the world. “Coming to selfhood,” he called it (CW 7, para. 266).
The Wisdom That Finds Us: On the Importance of Intuition.
We live in a culture that celebrates effort, reason, and productivity. Knowledge is assumed to be the result of calculation, research, or logic. And yet, the most important turns in our lives—the decision to change careers, the recognition of a partner’s truth, the sudden creative breakthrough—often arrive as hunches. Intuition is not the fruit of conscious labor but of unconscious ripening. Something within us, out of sight, gathers the fragments of experience, dream, and feeling, and suddenly pushes forth an insight like a flower breaking through the soil.
Jung reminds us that the work of intuition lies not in producing it but in catching it. The psyche offers; the ego must be attentive enough to receive.
Being in Alignment with Oneself: An Existential Task
In existential depth psychology, the concept of being in alignment with oneself is a central tenet that speaks to the essence of human authenticity. This idea suggests that individuals often live—often unconsciously—in ways that contradict their true nature, acting out of alignment due to external influences and learned belief systems. The structures and values imposed upon us by society, culture, family, and education frequently take precedence over our innate feelings and desires. Consequently, we become estranged from our authentic selves, leading to internal dissonance and confusion about our emotions. This essay explores the process of misalignment, its consequences, and the path toward self-reconciliation through existential awareness and authenticity.
Becoming Your Own Myth: Rewriting Womanhood in the Second Half of Life.
There comes a moment in many women’s lives—quiet or cataclysmic—when the stories we’ve told or been told no longer fit. Roles we played with devotion begin to fray. The pace we’ve kept becomes unsustainable. And the questions we once ignored now rise with urgency: Who am I, really, when I am no longer who I’ve been?
This is not a breakdown. It is the beginning of myth-making.
Communication, Curiosity, and the Power of "Yes, And"
Communication is more than an exchange of words—it is a way of relating, understanding, and co-creating meaning with others. The way we respond in conversation can either open new possibilities or shut them down. A subtle but powerful shift in language, from saying “yes, but” to “yes, and could you tell me more?”, fosters curiosity, reduces defensiveness, and enhances meaningful dialogue. Both Jungian psychology and Dialogue Therapy, developed by Polly Young-Eisendrath, PhD and Ed Epstein, PhD support an approach to communication that prioritizes openness, relational attunement, and the integration of multiple perspectives.
A Jungian Journey Towards Transformation
Jung's analytic psychology is essential for therapeutic healing and unfolds in four distinct stages: Confession, elucidation, education, and transformation. Each stage serves a unique purpose in helping individuals discover their sense of wholeness and autonomy, which leads to integration and individuation. This blog post delves into these stages to explore how they facilitate personal growth and healing.