At the Japanese Garden of the Chicago Botanical Gardens there is an odd shaped bridge. It consists of two large, rectangular granite slabs laid end-to-end over a small stream. What makes the bridge intriguing is that the slabs are offset from each other forming a zigzag walkway. According to Japanese folklore, the devil always travels…
Separation is an important process in life. We separate the wheat from the chaff in order to make flour, and the cream from the milk to make butter. We separate the metal from the rock to gather gold, and the truth from the lies and illusions in order to see reality. We separate things because…
In the story of King Midas, everything the king touches turns to gold. At first this seems like a boon, for this power would make him the richest man in the country. But turning everything he touched to gold would eventually make the king the most spiritually and emotionally poor man there can be. How…
They say that if the groundhog sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, there will be another six weeks of winter. The classic movie, “Groundhog Day,” weaves this playful theme into the story of a man emerging from the winter of his own life. The movie is full of psychological insights that can help turn winter…
As the gatekeeper of consciousness, the ego has a profound effect upon the expression and health of the larger personality. Like the iris, which regulates the amount of light entering the eye, the ego regulates the sensory data that reaches the “retina” of your inner mind. For example, if you believe that a certain drug…
“Care of the soul” is a phrase you don’t hear too often. Its heyday was in the 1800’s and before when it was used to describe the religious instruction, guidance, and healing conversations between a pastor and his parishioner. It is a root of what later became psychotherapy (literally, healing of the soul) through the…
Sarah thought that knowing the solution to a problem was the same thing as solving it. “I know I need to be more tolerant and accepting of my husband,” she stated, “so I’ll just do that. I’ll be more patient and accepting of him.” But Sarah didn’t succeed. She would forget her resolution or, when…
Have you ever been in a group of people and noticed changes in your attitudes or perspective that seem inconsistent with the way you usually are when alone? Do you find yourself becoming more like the people around you, as if your consciousness has merged with theirs? This tendency to unconsciously adopt the prevailing viewpoint…
“Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment and especially on their children than the unlived life of the parent.” Carl Jung Whereas a child’s physical birth is often measured in hours and minutes, its psychological birth is measured in years. Though the seed of individuality is present in infancy, the newborn’s ego is…
A woman who was feeling disconnected from her soul had the following dream: “I see a porpoise, but it’s on land instead of water. I am concerned because I know that unless it gets some water it will die. I find a container which, strangely, opens up into a large bag filled with water. I…