By definition, the part of us that we are unaware of is the unconscious. What I become aware of is no longer unconscious. I may think of the unconscious as full of nothing but wild beasts and other evil -- Freud called it a seething cauldron, Jung called it the shadow -- but it's all me. When I was a kid, I was convinced there was a boogeyman that I desperately feared in the attic of our house, and sometimes I could see him through the attic window. One day I went into the attic, with the protection of my mother of course, and saw that my boogeyman was a dressmaker's form, really harmless and something that had its use. What we fear as wild beasts are the inner treasures. The wild beasts are the unknown, and the more I fear and separate them from myself the more they become wild beasts. As I meet and become aware of what I fear and keep unconscious, I can incorporate in ways that are healthy and constructive. I never become aware of all of the unconscious any more than I become aware of all of the universe, but the more of me I become aware of the more of me I become, and I gain freedom from compulsions, cravings and fits of emotions that had control because I feared them and lacked awareness. The only exile I'm in from my unconscious is the exile I (with help from family, cultural and religious conditioning) keep me in. What helps me live in freedom is ongoingly being open about myself, becoming more aware of myself, owning and becoming more of myself. My freedom is limited because I never become aware of all of my unconscious and become all of me, but the more of me I become the more freedom I enjoy.
On May 20, 2017 david doane wrote :
By definition, the part of us that we are unaware of is the unconscious. What I become aware of is no longer unconscious. I may think of the unconscious as full of nothing but wild beasts and other evil -- Freud called it a seething cauldron, Jung called it the shadow -- but it's all me. When I was a kid, I was convinced there was a boogeyman that I desperately feared in the attic of our house, and sometimes I could see him through the attic window. One day I went into the attic, with the protection of my mother of course, and saw that my boogeyman was a dressmaker's form, really harmless and something that had its use. What we fear as wild beasts are the inner treasures. The wild beasts are the unknown, and the more I fear and separate them from myself the more they become wild beasts. As I meet and become aware of what I fear and keep unconscious, I can incorporate in ways that are healthy and constructive. I never become aware of all of the unconscious any more than I become aware of all of the universe, but the more of me I become aware of the more of me I become, and I gain freedom from compulsions, cravings and fits of emotions that had control because I feared them and lacked awareness. The only exile I'm in from my unconscious is the exile I (with help from family, cultural and religious conditioning) keep me in. What helps me live in freedom is ongoingly being open about myself, becoming more aware of myself, owning and becoming more of myself. My freedom is limited because I never become aware of all of my unconscious and become all of me, but the more of me I become the more freedom I enjoy.