I Am the Way

David T. Johnston

Description

I Am the Way is an art book based on paintings that I have produced over the years as a meditative exercise, what C. G. Jung calls Active Imagination. The images are symbolic, and their meanings are not evident, unless, perhaps, if one has a background in the nature and meaning of universal symbols. In the book, I amplify the meaning of each of the images, which helps the reader understand and relate them. Amplification is a way of working around the image by referring to the universal meaning of similar historical images.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Religión
• Spirituality
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Stratton Press
• Date de parution: 28 juin 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781648954498
• Langue: English

Extrait

David T. Johnston
 
 
 
I Am the Way

 

 
I AM THE WAY
Copyright © 2021 David T. Johnston
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
Stratton Press Publishing
831 N Tatnall Street Suite M #188,
Wilmington, DE 19801
www.stratton-press.com
1-888-323-7009
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in the work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-64895-448-1
ISBN (Ebook): 978-1-64895-449-8
 
Printed in the United States of America 
The cover design is based on an image of a painting by the author.
 
The Descent of Light
 
The principal image on the cover is based on a painting called The Descent of Light . The image consists of three parts: a six-pointed star, a five-pointed star, and a swoosh of descending light. The symbolic meaning of the six-pointed star is the union of fire and water. The upward-pointing triangle represents the fire of aspiration, and the downward-pointing triangle represents the descent of healing water, known in alchemy as aqua permanens , the water of life. Variations of this symbol are well-known as the Star of David and the Seal of Solomon, which point to its significance. The five-pointed star is symbolic of the individual center of being, the quintessence and centered four. Spiritual traditions speak of the descending light of consciousness, in Christianity known as the Holy Spirit. This image, then, symbolizes the Descent of Consciousness that comes along with both the six-pointed star and the individual star.

 
Contents
Preface
Part I: Essays
Chapter 1: Art and the Individuation Process
Chapter 2: The Way of Art The Aesthetic View of Life and Individuation
Chapter 3: The Aesthetic Attitude and the Art of Life
Chapter 4: The Symbolic Life: Life as Creative Process
Chapter 5: The Ecology of the Self Reflections on a Series of Four Paintings Entitled The Turning Point
Part II: Images
Chapter 6: Images and Amplifications of Selected Paintings
Conclusion
About the Author
Bibliography

 
Preface
I put I Am the Way together as a document illustrating the individuation process as articulated by C. G. Jung. Jung put considerable emphasis on the image that come by way of dreams and true fantasy, through which the individual can learn to embrace a transformation of personality and widened consciousness. Jung encouraged not only an active engagement with dreams, but also a process he calls active imagination, which is a dynamic meditation involving a dialogue between the ego and the unconscious, eventually, the archetypes of the collective unconscious. The archetype in-itself is the principle by which we apprehend the world and move into action, which requires ethical considerations. The archetypal image is the form given to the archetype that varies according to individual, culture, and time in history.
Jung’s challenge to the individual, then, is to form a relationship between the ego and the archetype through the image, while bringing in the ethical dimension. This process can be done through any art form, including, art, poetry, music, and dance or, simply, with inner dialogue. I have sought meaning/meaninglessness in the images both by taking account of synchronicities and by amplifying the images not only with personal associations but, more importantly, with archetypally relevant material, which tie the images to universal truths. For this reason, I amplify the images in this book with historically relevant archetypal material, but not personal associations, which are only relevant to me. Along with giving form to the image through painting and clay, this process has helped me become more conscious over time.
My chosen way has been through art, and I have followed Jung and the Jungian tradition in Jung’s belief that the psyche is constituted by images. In fact, I have painted, worked in clay, and used art as a meditative process for some forty-five years now. The images that appear in this book are from relatively early in the process. I have never painted for commercial reasons or to exhibit my work, although, over the years, I have exhibited paintings to selected audiences, who, typically, have had an interest in Jungian psychology.
Beyond Jung, I am following a tradition that dates back some 40,000–60,000 years ago, the testimony for which can be found in an ancient rock and cave paintings found throughout the world. There is a difference, though, in that the approach promoted by Jung concerns individuals and their relationship to the image, even though the images are archetypal with universal value. In contrast, the images found on rock and cave paintings are, typically, part of a collective ritual or rituals that may have taken place repeatedly or as special notations to mark a sacred site.
The images in this book are, for the most part, not predetermined, but they are based on spontaneous outpourings from the unconscious that present themselves in dreams either fully painted or drawn or otherwise given form, or partially completed but inviting completion with the aid of my imagination. As I allude to above, the purpose of an active meditative process is both for the sake of increasing consciousness, living a “meaningful” life and for the realization of the Self. This requires self-reflection and the integration of the material emerging from the unconscious into consciousness. it means reconciling the opposites in the psyche, including meaning and meaninglessness.

 
Part I
Essays
 
 
It is as if we did not know or else continuously forget, that everything of which we are conscious is an image and image is psyche.
—C. G. Jung 1
It is as if something somewhere were ‘known’ in the form of images—but not by us.
—Marie-Louise von Franz 2

 
Chapter 1
Art and the Individuation Process
Introduction
 
The psychology of C. G. Jung emphasizes the central importance of the image to becoming conscious. The high importance of the image for the growth of consciousness is related to the fact that images are intrinsic to life. In fact, according to Jung, becoming conscious involves the transformation of a drive stimulus into consciousness via the image, which he regards as “the cultural instinct par excellence .” 3 Thus, dreams, visions, and true fantasy (fantasiavera) constitute primary sources of images that can potentially enlarge consciousness and the experience of life.
Jung encourages a form of meditation he calls active imagination, which can take many forms, including writing, dancing, painting, and working in other art media. Whereas dreams provide access to the unconscious, even the deeper or collective unconscious in a relatively passive process, active imagination is the royal road to the unconscious. The advantage active imagination has over dreams is that, whereas dreaming is a passive process that happens to the dreamer, active imagination essentially involves a dialogue between the conscious ego and the archetypes of the collective unconscious. It is a dynamic process that engages the psyche according to its actual concerns and involvements at the moment, at least according to what is actually constellated in the unconscious psyche at the time.
The ability and importance given to registering images from the unconscious into consciousness dates back thousands of years, in some places as early as some 40–60,000 years ago, in ancient rock paintings found throughout the world at a time, which Theodor Abt characterizes as the dawn of the human spirit . 4 Art as active imagination is an important way for the contemporary individual to activate the deeper sources within in order to augment individual consciousness and further the process of individuation. When art is based on true fantasy, it can also bring to conscious awareness new aspects and qualities of consciousness for the culture at large.
The meaning of images that emerge into consciousness through dreams, art, or active imagination has its roots in what was formerly essentially unknown and, typically, inaccessible to consciousness. For art in general, cultural distance, reflection, and the study of changing historical art expressions can bring to conscious awareness the meaning of major cultural and political movements and the evolution of consciousness. Similarly, with a self-reflective religious (spiritual) attitude, the meaning of a painting or series of paintings done as a form of active imagination can become more conscious overtime by taking into account synchronicity or meaningful coincidences between the painting, dreams, visions, and life experiences. This process can be aided by amplifying the images with both personal associations and archetypally relevant material. The more functions of consciousness brought to bear in examining the image, the wider the potential understanding.
 
Amplifications