Dr. Murray Stein discusses initiation, directed vs. nondirected thinking, and the tension of opposites. He highlights the emergence of images beyond conscious control and the disconnect from the immaterial due to the growth of rational thinking. The conversation explores the impact of blending rational and imaginative thinking, the symbolic aspect of religion in Protestantism, and the transformative power of symbolic experiences.
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Two Types of Thinking
Jung distinguished between directed, logical thinking and non-directed, imaginal thinking.
The former helps navigate the physical world, while the latter unlocks symbolic meaning and a sense of meaning.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Sign vs. Symbol
John Price asked Murray Stein to differentiate between a sign and a symbol using the cross as an example.
Stein explained how a cross on a building signifies a church, while a true symbol evokes a numinous experience, connecting to the invisible world.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Analyst's Experience
Murray Stein shared an anecdote about a Kleinean analyst who had a spiritual experience with his deceased mother.
This illustrated the realness of imaginal experiences, even for those skeptical of spirituality.
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We begin our conversation with Dr. Stein explaining initiation and “The Spirit of the Depths,” as the dance between reason and the inevitable call that each of us hears from our soul – that unique part of us that is outside of culture. Dr. Stein differentiates between directed thinking and nondirected thinking – causality-based, rational thinking and the spontaneous emergence of images that seem to come from beyond our conscious control. The former helps each of us “get from A to B,” while the latter operates with imagination as the presenter of the subjective content. He locates the consequence of the growth of rational thinking, as pushing out the relationship we each have with the symbol and the imagination. Noting that this produced a materially dominant culture, although the sacrifice is our disconnection from the immaterial. We conclude by discussing the tension of opposites.
Bio:
Dr. Stein is a graduate of Yale University (B.A. and M.Div.), the University of Chicago (Ph.D.), and the C.G. Jung Institut-Zurich (Diploma). He is a founding member of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and of the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts. He has been the president of the International Association for Analytical Psychology (2001-4), and the President of The International School of Analytical Psychology-Zurich (2008-2012).
http://murraystein.com
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