Sharing an article by first generation Jungian and colleague of Jung's: "The Destiny Concept in Psychotherapy" by Edward Whitmont
Whitmont writes,
Destiny, in this sense, may be experienced merely as meaningless bondage and pointless suffering or it may be experienced as the fulfillment of one’s own deepest, but as yet unknown, identity; that is, as creative freedom. This will depend largely upon the individual’s capacity for awareness, his ability to expe- rience symbolic significance, and to attempt a cooperative acceptance of the trag- ic as well as the joyful patterns of his life.
He calls for a re-evaluation of some our clinical assumptions regarding the source of psychopathology and recommends a look at life-patterns instead....
Replies
It is hard to see that there might already be a plan for the future within the Self when it is not known consciously, yet what else can these symbols and motifs of wholeness mean if the unconscious is wandering as aimlessly as the conscious attitude? The answer is that it is not. Trusting in the spirit of the depths, we can continue on knowing that the plan of our destiny will work out. The future is contained in the seeds of the present anyway and cannot unfold without it.
I like the analogy that act two cannot play out without the first act, leading to the final resolution in act three, which could not happen or would stand as meaningless if not supported by the preceding acts, or history. It allows me to accept the concept of destiny and still feel that I am in control of the events of my life, as I accept that I must work with the unconscious to live.
I knew this one looked familiar to me and here it is: http://www.depthpsychologyalliance.com/forum/topics/edward-whitmont...
It is an important subject, similar to something Jung tried to deal with in Aion. There is a proverb in Serbian: "Who knows what that is good for". I doubt that sometimes "that" is good for anything. There have been slaves and abused people for a very long time, but it has nothing to do with initiation or wounded healers. It's just that it's easier to destroy than to make something. Violence and herd mentality are deeply ingrained in who we are, but injustice isn't a call to any kind of journey.
Reading: Empire by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/negri/HAREMI_unprintable.pdf