Friday, April 8, 2011

Post for April 11

As we discussed on the first few days of class, Carl Jung is one of the first to define the concept of archetypes, and Anthony Stevens refers to him throughout Ariadne's Clue, especially Jung's idea of the "transcendent function of symbols [...] part of the autonomous developmental principle operating throughout life, which he called individuation [... which] also imples becoming one's own self. We could, therefore, translate individuation as 'coming to selfhood' or 'self-realization'" (as cited on p. 77).

For this post, describe one symbol that has been a part of your process of individuation.

For example, one symbol that has been essential for me is that of the book, which symbolizes the idea of knowledge, expression, and freedom. I usually take a book with me wherever I go, and it functions as both a spark for my imagination and an extension of my self; one way I have of describing myself is to list the books that are most important to me or, conversely, the books I am currently reading.