What does consciousness actually mean? And what does it specifically mean for us to become ever more conscious?
Although there are many definitions of consciousness, I will quote Jung once again, because it was thanks to him that I was able to see the connection between the two levels of intelligence – emotional and spiritual. According to him, the essence of consciousness is the act of making distinctions, that is, differentiation:
“Differentiation is the essence, the sine qua non, of consciousness.” (1)
And the condition for being able to make distinctions is the presence of opposites:
“There is no consciousness without discrimination of opposites. This is the paternal principle, the Logos, which eternally struggles to extricate itself from the primal warmth and primal darkness of the maternal womb; in a word, from unconsciousness.” (2)
The irony is that the presence of opposites is also the condition for the emergence of energy itself, which exists thanks to the tension between them:
“But there is no energy unless there is a tension of opposites; hence it is necessary to discover the opposite to the attitude of the conscious mind… But the repressed content must be made conscious so as to produce a tension of opposites, without which no forward movement is possible… Life is born only of the spark of opposites.” (3)
In other words, the opposites – the duality of the world we live in – are the condition for the arising of both desire and consciousness. These two are closely linked, because they are two sides of one and the same thing: the human soul.
On one side is desire, which connects us to the world of phenomena and forms through the energy of attraction. When that desire is thwarted, pain arises, and pain channels the energy in the opposite direction – toward repulsion. I believe it becomes clear why, according to Jung, the soul’s progress is due to its suffering: the energy for differentiation – that is, for the emergence of consciousness – comes from the forces of repulsion, not attraction.
“Identity does not make consciousness possible; it is only separation, detachment, and agonizing confrontation through opposition that produce consciousness and insight.” (4)
The psychological work with this Program helps you transform your painful emotions into a means of differentiation and the generation of consciousness, allowing you to use them for their true purpose – as fuel for the development of your soul.
References:
(1) C. G. Jung, CW 7, §339
(2) C. G. Jung, CW 9i: The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, §178
(3) C. G. Jung, CW 7, §78
(4) C. G. Jung, CW 9i, §289
