How To Find Your Soul with Plato, Carl Jung and James Hillman
Sep 6, 2023
auto_awesome
Plato, Carl Jung, and James Hillman discuss finding the soul, harmonizing the psyche, the myth of Er, free will and fate in a spiritual reality, and the role of the psyche in shaping purpose and destiny.
Reconnecting with the soul world can bring purpose and free us from psychical demons.
Embracing individuation and aligning with fate allows us to fulfill our soul's agenda.
Deep dives
Understanding the Sickness of the Soul
According to ancient philosophers like Plato, the soul sickness that afflicts humans is a result of our disconnection from the invisible and dynamic soul world. This disconnection has come about as materialist and reductionist worldviews have gained prominence, leaving us with a wealth of data but impoverished in soul. Psychologists like Carl Jung and James Hillman recognized this soul sickness and emphasized the need to put the soul back into psyche in order to find purpose and free ourselves from psychical demons. By harmonizing the three parts of the soul - Eros, Thymos, and Logos - as described by Plato, we can strive towards justice, align with the highest part of our soul, and approach a divine mind.
Exploring the Influence of Plato and Jung
Plato's definition of the soul as the self-moving principle composed of eternal and immaterial substance, and his concept of the tripartite soul - Eros, Thymos, and Logos - greatly influenced Jung's understanding of the soul. While not strictly adhering to Plato's ideas, Jung equated archetypes with Plato's realm of forms and used Plato's myth of Er to explore the process of reincarnation and the soul's journey. Jung's notion of the anima and animus also aligns with Plato's idea of the soul. James Hillman further developed Plato's concepts in his book 'The Soul's Code,' introducing the metaphor of an acorn to represent the potential within each individual. Hillman emphasizes the importance of individuation and listening to the whisper of our guardian or diamond to fulfill our soul's agenda.
Re-insoling the Psyche: Acorn Theory and Fate
Hillman's 'The Soul's Code' expands on Plato's myth of Er, transforming it into 'acorn theory' - the idea that individuals hold enormous potential within them, much like an acorn contains the potential to become a magnificent oak tree. Embracing individuation, aligning with fate, and following our own unique path allows us to re-insole the psyche. Hillman compares the process of creating mandalas, which Jung regarded as a symbol of the wholeness of the self, with the weaving of fate described in Plato's myth. Hillman's ideas mirror the ancient belief that we enter this world with a predetermined fate, yet possess free will to explore and operate within the constraints of that fate, leading to a more meaningful existence.
Mythopoetic psychologists like Carl Jung and James Hillman knew we needed to re-ensoul the psyche if we wanted to find real purpose in life. But what does that really mean? How do we even begin to go about understanding and finding our souls? In this transmission, I’ll attempt to answer those questions through ancient Platonic wisdom, the thought of Jung and Hillman, and, of course, some speculative wonder-dipping.