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Cultural Currents
EMBRACING THE OUTCAST: Understanding Homelessness

EMBRACING THE OUTCAST: Understanding Homelessness

Homeless symbolizes a state of disconnection, both externally and internally. It is a complex interplay between unconscious, personal experiences, and societal forces. Resolving displacement involves restoring a sense of security, belonging, and acceptance in the outer world and oneself.

It transcends the absence of physical shelter and ventures into spiritual and emotional displacement. It mirrors the alienation and dislocation experienced in a rapidly evolving society, where individuals feel lost amidst the tumultuous tides of change. In this symbolic homelessness, we recognize our collective vulnerability and insecurity. Homelessness is not a homogeneous phenomenon. It ranges from temporarily unsheltered individuals between jobs or homes to chronically homeless individuals who spend years or decades without stable housing. The psychological implications differ substantially across these spectrums and demand a nuanced understanding.

ARCHETYPAL IMAGES: the soul’s language

ARCHETYPAL IMAGES: the soul’s language

If we envision archetypes as cosmic blueprints, then archetypal images are the tangible expressions that emerge from this transcendental plan. They are the houses built upon the foundation of archetypes, manifesting in a multitude of forms while remaining interconnected through their shared universal design. Separating archetypes and their imagery clarifies how one gives rise to the other yet remains distinct.

MEDUSA’S MANY FACES: the evolution of a myth

MEDUSA’S MANY FACES: the evolution of a myth

The symbolism of Medusa, one of the three Gorgon sisters in Greek mythology, has captivated and perplexed the imagination of artists, writers, and philosophers for centuries. Originally depicted as a monstrous creature with snakes for hair and the ability to turn onlookers to stone, Medusa has undergone a remarkable transformation.

THE DARK TRIAD: tracking wolves in our midst

THE DARK TRIAD: tracking wolves in our midst

Understanding the Dark Triad can help us navigate mysteriously troubled relationships in all spheres of life. Psychologists coined the term to describe a trifecta of malevolent personality traits: narcissism, machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Although less sinister than any one full-blown personality disorder, it still affects the soul plagued by it and those in reach of its host.

SYMBOLIC MEANING of HAIR: what’s your look saying?

SYMBOLIC MEANING of HAIR: what’s your look saying?

In current times it is an expressive medium that each of us shapes to silently communicate our attitudes toward self and others. What do you want your hair to say? Heading out on the town with bed-head might display a carefree indifference to others’ judgments. A carefully quaffed style on prom night might say, “I’m a mature adult now.” Tracing hair’s influence helps us understand underlying psychological patterns that inform our understanding of this powerful symbol.

THE WHALE: a film about trauma, obesity, and the undying hope to connect.

THE WHALE: a film about trauma, obesity, and the undying hope to connect.

We are born with the drive to connect meaningfully with our caregivers and the world around us. When that is thwarted by fate, deprivation, or misdeeds, our psyche rallies to save us. It redirects our instincts to the imaginal world where archetypal forces can care for us, and our intolerable feelings can be hidden in a cast of inner characters. We still long for compassionate connection, but the inner figures of our caregivers are intolerable, so sometimes the divine mother hides herself in food—and we follow.

PAN: the archetypal source of panic disorder

PAN: the archetypal source of panic disorder

Piping through mountains and glens, the great god Pan carries the relentless procreative power of nature. Oldest of the gods, even the Olympians, he symbolizes the archaic level of psyche from which all wild instinct rises. Timeless and universal, his presence was venerated in fields and grottoes to sustain life against all odds, feared during war as his panic could undo even the Titans and attacked in the Common Era as the image of the devil.

CAN JUNG’S HOME WITHSTAND REPURPOSING?

CAN JUNG’S HOME WITHSTAND REPURPOSING?

It seems that an intrepid consortium of impact investors, real estate developers, and the Swiss Tourist Board have created a juggernaut heading for Jung’s home in Kusnacht and his famous tower in Bollingen. The enterprise called Große Böse Wölfe Hinein Unterwäsche has announced its plans to finalize the purchase of Jung’s estate and transform it.

SCHADENFREUDE: Why do we enjoy seeing others fail?

SCHADENFREUDE: Why do we enjoy seeing others fail?

If we’re completely honest, there’s a dark delight in seeing someone embarrass themselves, especially if we think they deserve it. So, when our irritating boss stomps by our cubicle trailing a few feet of toilet paper from his shoe or a controversial politician is caught in a sexual picadillo, we’re likely to stifle a laugh or at least enjoy a self-satisfied sigh. This joy in someone’s shame or misfortune is called schadenfreude.

IRRESISTIBLE INVITATIONS: the powerful seduction of possibilities

IRRESISTIBLE INVITATIONS: the powerful seduction of possibilities

When you receive an invitation, it is a moment of recognition, an invitation to be a part of something greater, to feel wanted, valued, and accepted. In the hierarchy of human needs, the desire to belong takes a top priority, surpassed only by our basic requirements for survival.

APHRODITE’S SHADOW: Drowning in Beauty

APHRODITE’S SHADOW: Drowning in Beauty

When the goddess Aphrodite claims us too fully, over time, our bodies become abandoned temples of physical perfection, sexual allure, and romantic passion. Her seductive archetypal power has captivated us for eons, but in today’s world, the enhancements of fashion, beauty, and physical appearance have intensified veneration of this goddess. However, her enchantments can have profound consequences, particularly when it comes to aging and the pressures of perfection.

Inside the Mind of the Scam Artist: The Trickster Archetype

Inside the Mind of the Scam Artist: The Trickster Archetype

Conned, swindled, or bilked, about 50 million Americans were ripped off by scammers in 2020. What deadens a person to preying on another? Tricksters commit crudely constructed fraud. Jung said they are “not really evil [but do] the most atrocious things from sheer unconsciousness and unrelatedness.”