In 1961, Jung wrote a letter to a man named Bill W. You mighta heard of him. In it, he said:
“I am strongly convinced that the evil principle prevailing in this world, leads the unrecognized spiritual need into perdition, if it is not counteracted either by a real religious insight or by the protective wall of human community. An ordinary man, not protected by an action from above and isolated in society cannot resist the power of evil, which is called very aptly the Devil. But the use of such words arouse so many mistakes that one can only keep aloof from them as much as possible.”
In his writings, Jung constantly struggled to explain his religious beliefs. He knew for a certainty that God existed. But what is the nature of God? Is it a Christian God? Yes and no. Yes, because Christianity is the religion he was raised with. All the images and ideas from Christianity showed up in his own unconscious. And no, because he had been exposed to many religions and respected them all:
“As may be seen, I attribute a positive value to all religions. In their symbolism I recognize those figures which I have met with in the dreams and fantasies of my patients. In their moral teachings I see efforts that are the same as or similar to those made by my patients, when guided by their own insight or inspiration, they seek the right way of dealing with the forces of the inner life. Ceremonial, ritual, initiation rites and ascetic practices, in all their forms and variations, interest me profoundly as so many techniques for bringing about a proper relation to these forces.” (Modern Man in Search of a Soul, p. 119)
He believed in God, but not a particular God. Call it a “Higher Power,” if you will. And the Higher Power is the antidote to addiction. He used the phrase “spiritus contra spiritum,” meaning “spirit against spirit.” You see, Jung’s ideas had greatly influenced the birth of Alcoholics Anonymous, both from his book Modern Man in Search of a Soul and from a patient of Jung’s, Rowland H. Jung’s gift to Rowland H., after a year of psychoanalysis, was to admit that modern medicine could not cure him, but that religious experience had helped some sufferers. Rowland went to an evangelical organization, the Oxford Group, where he along with others were cured by an early version of the 12-step program. In 1961, Bill W. wrote to Jung with appreciation for his influence.
By himself, Carl Jung could not possibly have founded Alcoholics Anonymous. He centered the individual patient. But he understood that limitation and had the humility to tell a patient, “I’m not capable of treating you.” And so a community-based religious practice was birthed. Alcoholics Anonymous is a mutual aid organization based on interfaith. It came out of Christianity, but it didn’t stop and draw a line or count how many angels could fit on the head of a pin.
I said this post was about hope, and right now I do have hope that the resistance movement can embrace not only community but also divinity. Not from any specific deity, but from the religious experience and expression of every culture.
Even — or especially — the ones that Jung mistook for “primitive.” Nonwestern, indigenous, and diaspora religions all have wisdom to share if we will listen. To me, “listening” means looking inward, and also looking outward, and seeing the connections between the two. It means approaching other cultures with my imperfections, in a neighborly sense.
I feel comfortable here. I feel like I can breathe and dance. Could I have gotten here without Jung? Perhaps. He “discovered” the unconscious in the same way that Columbus “discovered” America. Other people had already found it and were living there. But he opened a door, and I went through.
May we all find our doors, and once we do, may we know where to go. Solidarity.
This is the end of my series on “Revisiting Carl Jung.” I have another post in mind, “Beyond Jung,” but first I will take a brain break and do some signal boosts on my blog. The full series is here:
Kristin Ann King 