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“The individual may feel that his dreams are spontaneous and disconnected. But over a long period of time the analyst can observe a series of dream images and note that they have a meaningful pattern; and by understanding this his patient may eventually acquire a new attitude to life. Some of the symbols in such dreams derive from what Dr. Jung has called ‘the collective unconsciousness” – that is, that part of the psyche which retains and transmits the common psychological inheritance of mankind. These symbols are so ancient and unfamiliar to modern man that he cannot directly understand or assimilate them.”
Man and His Symbols, 1968, edited by Carl Jung, page 98
The 12th house is home of what Carl Jung would call “the collective unconsciousness.” I experience that noticing meaningful patterns shifts my attitude to life. But I have never found that I needed an analyst to tell me the pattern. I trust in nothing but my own experience. How could these patterns of symbols be a common inheritance to mankind yet the individual not granted access? A sense of low self-esteem, a lack of faith, a sense of disconnection, is a gift of society. Nature has no self-esteem.
I’ve seen the nightmares of strangers and the repressed memories of friends. I’ve seen other times and social contexts. There’s no personal ownership or shame in them. They are collective experiences. If they weren’t collective, I couldn’t access them through imagination. There is no easy way to talk about them. Yet I have the desire to communicate, to heal. By looking at the shadows objectively, we can first recognize and then losen their emotional hold over us. Like a flashlight under the bed when a child is imagining a monster revealing instead drab dust bunnies. There’s nothing to fear here. Issues that are ignored, put off, held back come out in the form of irrational projections of socially-valued stereotypes, identification with a limited role or sense of self, and repetitive self-destructive patterns that fog the power of personal action. There’s no room for personal shame or guilt when this is collective inheritance. Painful projections keep people guessing as to what the real value is here. Let the secrets out and talk about them. I don’t know what the “right” way is. Perhaps a forgotten bit of information can bring a shift in attitude. Perhaps that information is in the 12th house, where we’re all taught not to look.
I have both my Sun and Venus in 12th house Virgo. Perhaps that‘s why I see the 12th house issues rather clearly, powerfully. Or maybe it’s due to my Saturn in Cancer and Jupiter in Pisces, responsibility and hope in the water signs, emotional, experiential. Or Neptune, ruler of illusion and mysticism, in third house, home of daily communications, in the sign of Scorpio, ruler of the 8th house, home of personal unconsciousness. So, what’s hidden or taboo is small talk to me. I can’t not see the secrets. Maybe astrology is a useful metaphor to understand my makings. Or not. In truth, I have no excuse for the way I am. I don’t need one. Neither do you. I am designed to be what I am, not to question the design. I am here to experience.
There’s a lot of power in every individual. I want to see the light shine in the darkness. I hope healing comes by exposing all the secrets I find. They aren’t the secrets of anyone person, but rather public property in the form of the disregarded and devalued issues of society. Personally, I’ve found it best to invite the fear and discomfort closer, look the monster straight in the eye and ask it what right it has to be there. Then you can stab the dragon with a sword if-needed and set the prisoners free. There’s no power in pretending the monster isn’t in the room. There’s no superhero who will bust down the door and bring order to the situation. Free will is real and even God can’t break into your heart unless you open it. That’s helpful to know because it explains how people are free to be mean and cruel. The path to healing is never in denying the wound exists.
My goal with this blog is to shine a light on 12th house issue and to be as objective as possible in reporting what I see. The content, the curation, is all an act of imagination. To quote Carl Jung “All the works of man have their origin in creative fantasy. What right have we then to depreciate imagination?” I would add, what right do we have to be afraid or ashamed of it? And, for one last Jung quote, always “Follow that will and that way which experience confirms to be your own.” In truth, you can’t do anything else.