[jamesn.]

Mars; why don’t you select a piece you like to add to the fun if you are a mind. All are invited here to contribute; and from your post it sounds like you remembered something very special!

[jamesn.]

Yes Mary; I love Autumn because it asks that you stop for a moment to appreciate the magic you are immersed in. The piece above was recorded live in a club in Washington DC by “Eva Cassidy” in 1996 who died of cancer shortly after never knowing she would become a phenomena on the internet. Over the years her album became the top seller on Amazon with reviewers calling her a voice of the age. “Over the Rainbow” is probably her most popular with over 17 million likes and still counting. That above piece had 10 million before the London Symphony overdubbed their arrangement; plus those stunning visuals were added as well. Her fan base and work continues on with her parents managing her copyrights. There is an amazing backstory all about this on Wikipedia.

I’m now going to add a different song about Autumn from another artist you might be familiar with; Sarah Vaughn; but the song itself has become a jazz standard with recordings by multiple artists. It always puts me in that same reflective state of mind:

[jamesn.]

How we read a symbol and a sign come from 2 different points of emotional interpretation as Joseph points out; one usually has to do with information of what one might call an ambivalent nature; whereas the other is much more emotionally connected. Jung states emotion is the pathway to making the unconscious conscious; so that what had previously been interpreted one way is now seen or interpreted in a completely different one. (Joseph points to the difficulty involved when he says “concretizing” a symbol as a “fact” instead of seeing it as a “metaphor” pointing past itself gets in the way of how we emotionally interpret something. In other words: “God thinks he is a fact; instead of realizing he is a metaphor.” Or in Jungian or Campbell speak: “these are categories of thought”.)

The Shadow resides in what Joseph called the landfill of the psyche so that this neglected unrealized aspect has been interpreted from a unrealized or uninformed point of view. The dark side of emotion as Jung and Joseph points out contains terrifying potential as well as tremendous potential for realization if properly understood within the right context. For instance if one says you and the other are one; this is the Jesus in you coming into realization instead of seeing the other person as someone you dislike, fear, or hate; much less disagree with.

In the above clip is a set of symbols in a cigar box that conjure up a certain context theme that the movie represents of Scout’s childhood from which the story evolves concerning Boo Radley and his relationship to her as it evolves thoughout the film toward realization to which I will refer to in a closing clip that it returns to at the end! This juxtaposition between fear of Boo to tenderness and compassion against the back drop of tremendous social upheaval concerning Tom Robinson’s trial and racial animosity provides a life lesson concerning these above Archetypal influences and the way her point of view is forever changed. So therefore this Shadow archetype can now be re-interpreted in a completely new way as a vehicle of consciousness.

For me personally the scene resonates deeply from personal experience so that every time I see this clip it pulls up certain memories that hold powerful childhood experiences that can now be re-interpreted in a completely different context that unlocks what had previously been extremely painful can now be seen as transformative within the context of my own story.

Now more than ever I think Joseph’s understanding of Jung’s thoughts concerning the threat of man’s Shadow side to his very existence hang on understanding how integrating this neglected and unrealized side of man’s animal nature hold the key to his survival! And by understanding man’s vulnerability to Shadow stimulation within emotional manipulation; and this relationship to society as witnessed now through social media; this toxicity concerning conflict is now becoming apparent in full view through the duality that you mentioned above. In other words: “one side wins and the other side loses without seeing the other in you”; so that the humanity is lost within the context of the struggle and the outcome can become an all or nothing; or even worse a complete disaster where both sides lose taking out the support structure as well; as in the environment that holds everything together.

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(An Addendum change): I hope my explanation makes the necessary connection between these various dots or attempts at description. I have substituted a different closing clip which I referred to that should better illustrate my point which goes into further depth concerning the symbolism used in the cigar box and it’s relationship to the understanding of who Boo Radley is and the difference between shadow projection of the collective unconscious and Stephen’s point concerning projection of the personal unconscious.

Scout experiences the collective projection that Boo is considered crazy and a madman and to be feared. In the climax she then discovers that Boo has saved both her and her brother and is actually a shy, gentle, kind, and sensitive person; much like the Mocking Bird described by her father earlier in the film; that has been misunderstood and her understanding is transformed by this realization involving her personal unconscious which is brought to fruition in the closing scenes of the film:

[jamesn.]

Yes to both Stephen; and I’m going to offer another YouTube clip as an example to illustrate my point concerning symbol stimulation of the Archetype and it’s connection to Shadow through the vehicle of emotional connection.

[jamesn.]

It is September and Autumn is upon us turning the leaves to gold and the air is now turning crisper with the promise of Winter to follow. Fall is a beautiful and reflective time for me revealing nature’s wonder with the birds migration and the seasons cycle of change of which we all are a part. The exquisite version of this song below has a great back story but I will wait till after I post it:

[jamesn.]

Stephen; I just spent over 2 hours putting a post together on this thread in answer to yours and added this YouTube  clip from the foundation website and this same problem blocked it as before; this is a test to see if it happens again. (Okay; now I’m going to see if this stays up after an edit.) (First it blocks it; then it doesn’t; then it does it again.) I have no idea what is going on with “wordfence”. One more try.

[jamesn.]

Here is a clip from a documentary that describes a teachers journey with her students back in the 1970’s in a rural southern school immersed in poverty. She movingly tells what she found when going back to see how their lives turned out. What she did was use photography as a vehicle of discovery for her students to find out what their dreams were and then go about using this knowledge to unlock their vision of their own futures. She wrote a book chronicling her experiences using her students pictures to reveal their inner worlds and the documentary then ends with a showing of their work. This is yet another way of finding and telling one’s story:

[jamesn.]

Stephen I’m working on an addition to this post but I want to leave a link about Social Media that I feel definitely relates to this topic. The Shadow responds to emotional stimulation and this interview has major concerns about social media’s impact on human behavior. I’ll be back to pick this up later but I thought you might want to view this first.

[jamesn.]

I really like your reflective mood and tone with this post Mars; yes; an air of Autumn indeed. Thank you for sharing your personal perspective and opening it out more. One of the things that Carl Jung said was: “we are in a constant state of becoming.” And your thoughtfully rendered addition compliments this thread beautifully.

[jamesn.]

I really like your reflective mood and tone with this post Mars; yes; an air of Autumn indeed. Thank you for sharing your personal perspective and opening it out more. One of the things that Carl Jung said was: “we are in a constant state of becoming.” And your thoughtfully rendered addition compliments this thread beautifully.

[jamesn.]

Stephen mentioned the “Shadow’s” part within society’s: “Collective Unconscious”. Today is the anniversary of 9/11 here in the US; so I thought I would share some thoughts I offered in a seperate Facebook post:

“This is a great topic to reflect on this country’s: “Collective Shadow”. By that I mean the Anniversary of this event always refers to “what” they did to us instead of asking “Why?” When 9/11 conjures up hatred of: “Us against Them” – are we asking: “Why did they hate us so much that they would even consider doing such a thing? The answer is we have become an “it” that to them represents all that is evil and must be attacked in an act of retribution but against: “What?” we might ask! So consider this: “are we asking the right questions from a point of view that offers only the perspective from one side?”

In other words; no one asks the Native Americans how they felt when a bunch of Europeans came over and took their land away from them; who dispossessed them of their homeland and put them on reservations and have yet to acknowledge their guilt in this travesty they “still” must continue to endure! When white landowners built their fortunes on the backs of the African Slave Trade are we truly understanding why African Americans feel so bitter about: “Black Lives Matter”? And when Asian Americans think about inductions into Internment Camps during the Second World War do we ask how they feel about their national identity as citizens of the US?

It would be far too easy to just blame: “all white people”; and say these events happened back then and that our society has now evolved and moved on when just last night one could watch a professional sporting event with both teams locking arms in protest of the current racism that is gripping this country and causing riots where people are getting killed.

(Yes): we definitely have a: “collective shadow dark side” that has come roaring into the daylight from this nation’s “collective unconscious” demanding to be heard! And this virus pandemic is exacerbating the intensity of it’s vehemence!”

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(Btw; there is also the separate areas related to this topic such as: Conspiracy Theories; Fake News; and other types of “Shadow Projection” that might fit here; but for now the self-awareness of any society’s identity and how that is projected onto others is probably enough to suffice for the moment.)

[jamesn.]

Robert; those were just outstanding pieces! The first was just stunning in the breadth of it’s historical timeline; and the second was mesmerizing in it’s visual context. Joseph really liked Salvador Dali a lot; and most of us grew up on Disney; but I have to admit I was a bit surprised about Pink Floyd being included with that; but it certainly works! (Glad to have your input on this thread; keep them coming!)

[jamesn.]

As Stephen pointed out there is hardly any aspect of human life the Shadow does not reach. And as this virus continues to unfold the affects it has on individuals; (which is definitely underlined in intensity if one is confined); encourages more than the usual engagement with it; (especially concerning one’s dreams). Why? Because there is no place to hide by outside activity. And the feeling of powerlessness; the loss of control; and the vulnerability to it’s negative dark side influences can conjure up all kinds of threatening and depressive dimensions of the personality from the landfill of the psyche. And because it’s so powerful as one of the most dominant of all the archetypes it’s influence on dreamlife is deep and far ranging. But as Joseph states: “it also encloses values, positive goals – that you have not allowed to come into your life.”

As we were discussing earlier paying attention to it; trying to understand what it is saying so that as Stephen mentioned: we can expand it; bring it into the light; try to make the unconscious conscious; or in Jungian terms to integrate it. This “blind spot of the ego” is difficult to get a grip on because it is directly tied to our emotions; and emotions don’t always respond to reason because they are tied to experience and feeling; not thinking. But in connection to dreaming this is not a conscious relationship; so getting in touch with this aspect of the unconscious and trying to figure out what it’s saying means reading it another way. Images, symbols, and tone and the way they surface in a kind of dance performance may or may not make sense at first glance because they are metaphoric in nature; they point past the image to something else. And what that something else presents is for you to figure out within your own context. But there are other times when the Self is trying to get your attention; and may offer a more specific message with a more insistent tone.

Stephen mentioned some of his latest: “dream noir” series and wonderfully elaborate descriptions.

And one of the preferred methods of deciphering this very personal code is writing them down for later scrutiny.

Sometimes there may be a series where a certain theme may connect their meaning. In my own case they may actually wake me up with a specific image of some sort that ties to another one. I’ve been having a series of synchronistic events; both waking and dreaming; where something will happened of coincidence that is tied to something else I have been directly dealing with of stronger and stronger intensity and insistence.

I’ve been reading a lot of different material lately on Art, Jung, Campbell, and inner work; so much so that I would read, eat, and sleep; with a little timeout for internet breaks with Facebook and the JCF Forums; all in short 3 or 4 hour spurts for days and days at a time. This has been going on for months. Lately I have been having anxiety because of the news reports concerning the virus and our current lockdown situation. Sometimes I would have anxiety about posts I put up and would then take them down. But in my dreams there would be something a little different; the other night I was walking a path and a bright light appeared in the middle blocking my way but the tone was affirmative and supportive.

So yesterday I came across a quote concerning the Gnostic Gospels of Thomas that was one Joseph referred to: “What you bring forth from within you will save you; and what you deny within you will destroy you.” I was stunned at it’s relevance to my situation. Then last night I had another dream that woke me up with one word; that’s all: “Invictus“. I had not read this poem since high school back almost 60 years ago. Like a message in a bottle from some distant shore; perhaps my Shadow is trying to tell me something?

[jamesn.]

Although I’m certainly no authority on classical music I’ve always enjoyed many of the “Impressionist” pieces. This is one of my favorites by Claude Debussy called “Beau Soir” – beautiful evening. Joshua Bell brings a passion and sensuality to this piece that takes me to place that heals my soul when I feel world weary and need to be reminded of the beauty in life when I am tired and feeling low.

[jamesn.]

I switched this out from my earlier entry because this is not a documentary page; (sorry about that). Mary; I love Joni Mitchell; especially her album called: “Mingus”; which I thought was a true breakthrough collaboration for the time. The musicians were some of the top jazz players of the day; and Charles Mingus was one of the great jazz composers of his time. It should be noted she contributed some of the lyrics to the below: “Pork Pie Hat”; as he personally chose her to work on what was to be his last project and died shortly after it was released in 1979. Initially; Joni’s regular fans were not entirely pleased with this work since this was not the folk style artist they were use to; but she was absolutely fearless in whatever she did; and this work was proof. This was not one of her more well known popular marketed projects; and the material was technically extremely challenging; but she was definitely up to the task. (This particular live version of one of the songs was about the great jazz sax player Lester Young.)

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