The ability to choose and exercise will is a defining characteristic of humans. Only humans have enough energy available to consciousness to escape the rule of instinct. Jung says, “the realm of will cannot coerce instinct nor has it power over spirit,” so ego shall not dictate to psyche but find alignment with instinct and spirit, values, and volition, before springing into pursuit of a goal.

We must first choose to attend to ourselves, consider the size, worth, and cost of the goal—and then practice parenting ourselves through the journey to achieving it. The nurturing inner parent is neither punitive and depriving nor lax and indulgent but helps us chart a course between immediate gratification and long-term fulfillment. Willpower is in service to harmony and wholeness.

Here’s the dream we analyze:

“Scene 1: I received a huge certificate/invitation that said I had been chosen for special study among others in my class. It was a big 30×40” purple and white piece of sturdy paper. At first, I thought I wasn’t going to get it but I did. Although I felt like someone had given it to me just because I was upset that I didn’t get one and it probably showed. The rest of the people who got it were the quiet, timid ones in the class. So this extra invitation or opportunity to learn presented by the certificate ensured this was their opportunity to shine. I was with a young guy carrying stuff in an elevator that descended past the ground floor to levels A, B, C, D, E. We stopped at Level E. That’s where the training (from the certificate scene) would take place. I was eager but also anxious about going so far down beneath ground level. We walked out of the elevator into a corridor that was of concrete blocks and there were lights spaced out along the walls in equal distance. I had the feeling it was damp like a basement. I don’t remember if we went anywhere past that.

Scene 2: I saw different size bodies of water from above. I wanted to picnic by one of them. All of them had alligators in them so kayaking or swimming was out of the question. They were kind of marshy, with different vegetation growing around. I was with a girl. We picked a small pond and sat on its edge on something like a concrete slab that had a built-in bench-like feature. I was carrying two small, transparent organisms in my hand that I had to make sure not to lose or let them die. They were cup-shaped. I was incredibly careful when placing them on the concrete and went to pick some tiny vegetation from the edge of the lake for them to rest and feed on. We talked and I noticed that one organism was trying to eat or hump the other except they weren’t cup-shaped anymore but were rather elongated, resembling an ancient, less developed, and basic structure like an insect with wings (like bee wings). They were still transparent. I think I tried to separate them but didn’t want to hurt them so I didn’t really intervene much, just kind of worried a bit if I should or how to intervene.”

References:

Books by Robert A. Johnson