The Self

Lecture Description

The Self is the subject of this lecture by John Van Eenwyk.  The Self is the totality of the psyche. The persona, shadow, anima/animus are parts of the Self. The ego comes to realize that there are unconscious forces active inside the person that are directing the person. It is up to the ego to engage in a relationship with the Self. This is what Jungians refer to as the ego-Self axis. The relationship is off when the ego wants to possess the Self or when it is possessed by the Self.

This lecture is about learning to know what the Self is and its role in our lives. We can see the Self as a continuous presence in our lives that we can get a sense of, oftentimes as a sensory experience. We experience the Self when we feel something is deeply alive in us, when we find inspiration, have a strong intuition, when we experience euphoria, despair, success or failure. Each of these experiences is attracting us towards a certain direction or we are repelled by it. The overall movement is individuation. 

John van Eenwyk explores some symbols of the Self in religion, in dreams and waking life fascinations. He also touches on the concept of the daimon. The call of the daimon is to fulfill our destiny, and to become whole. But the actuality of our circumstances do not always fit with what the Self wants us to do. That’s why it is up to ego to decide how to deal with it. 

This lecture is given by a masterful teacher, John van Eenwyk. (This lecture on the Self is part of a series on the Individuation process, and we also offer the complete bundle of this series on our website.) 

This lecture is ideal if

• You want to understand the Jungian concept of the Self and enjoy explorations
• You want to recognize symbols of the Self in your dreams and waking life
• You want to gain a deepened understanding of the ego-Self axis, and why it's best for the ego to dialogue with the Self.