The Significance of Depth Psychology in Understanding Religious Practices and Prayer as a form of Active Imagination

Introduction

In the quest to bridge modern psychology with ancient spiritual practices, Carl Jung’s depth psychology stands as a unique fusion of the two. This blog post explores how Jung’s concepts can be seen as a form of modern spirituality, connecting deeply with traditional practices like prayer through the mechanism of active imagination.

Three Reasons to Study This Topic:

1. Enhanced Self-Awareness: Delving into Jungian depth psychology offers profound insights into the unconscious mind, fostering greater self-awareness and personal growth.
2. Holistic Integration: Merging Jungian psychology with Eastern esoteric traditions provides a comprehensive understanding that enriches both psychological and spiritual practices.
3. Psychological Healing: Engaging with these concepts can lead to profound psychological healing, offering tools to navigate modern life’s complexities.

The Creed of Depth Psychology

Is it fair to ask, “How did Jung understand his version of depth psychology as a religion?” Depth psychology often operates as a form of modern spirituality, despite Jung’s efforts to avoid dogmatization. We already treat it as such, consulting our dreams as one consults sacred texts like the Gita, the Bible, or the I-Ching. Symbols in our dreams transport us to another reality, echoing ancient wisdom in a modern context.

Jung understood religion through its etymological roots, implying careful consideration and re-linking to the source. He viewed dreams and active imagination as methods to reconnect with the spiritual energy of the unconscious. This re-evaluation and re-analysis of religion mirror how we interpret metaphysical concepts today.

According to von Franz, interpreting fairy tales is our contemporary storytelling method. Similarly, interpreting metaphysics through the psyche and active imagination is how we practice metaphysics and prayer today. Many Jungians ask their dreams as if they were the Oracle of Delphi to answer their questions, yet Jung himself claimed not to make metaphysical assertions. If everything originates in or passes through the psyche, and “God” or “metaphysical reality” is this unitary reality, what prevents us from using depth psychology for spiritual aims?

The challenge lies in avoiding the formation of a creed. Jung’s depth psychology is rooted in the numinosum of personal experience, which resists being dogmatized. His concept of the archetypes are numinous but not to be turned into a fixed creed (Journal of Analytical Psychology, p. 542). Jung aimed to translate the energy of these archetypes, documented in the immediate religious experiences of saints, gurus, and alchemists, into psychological language for individuation (Journal of Analytical Psychology, p. 543).

Flournoy’s distinction, which Jung followed, excludes transcendence (Journal of Analytical Psychology, p. 540) but respects immediate inner experiences, recognizing the unconscious as the source of religious experience (Journal of Analytical Psychology, p. 541). For Jung, the pantheon of the Gods is not predetermined; each person has their psychic cosmogony with an inner pantheon through unconscious figures. Consulting these experiences provides inner healing (Journal of Analytical Psychology, p. 544). The battle for Jung is transcendence versus immanence.

Edinger says that the God-image is a living entity, a living process that moves, unfolds, develops, and undergoes transformations (The New God Image, p. xiii). The God-Image, which is synonymous with the Self (The New God Image, p. xiv), has now shifted into mini-individualized God-Images which are then projected on the world. However, these projections often align unconsciously with secularized political, social causes and many other crusading fields, losing their numinous quality when not contained within the psyche. The problem may lie in not having an adequate container. True, that much like the enlightenment period, it is necessary for the God-Images to come to the surface so that it may reflect its face back to us in consciousness. But also true, that one needs to put the spirit back in the bottle, to put the hermetic seal back on, and to cook the image in its own container. Because if the image leaves our psyche and lands onto the film of the visible collective, then it loses its libido to be used as a healing source within. 

The Unconscious and Prayer

We are always praying to something and are devoted to that something through an unconscious bhakti yoga (devotional practice). We may be devoted to making more money, studying Jungian psychology, or making dinner for our spouse. The question is, what keeps me connected to the source and gives me more energy?

Drawing on Ayurvedic concepts, the “Five Vayus” or directional airs in the body can be applied to the psyche. The “Udana Vayu,”or “Udiyana” Vayu. governing upward-moving air, symbolizes the psychic energy involved in prayer and projecting your energy into the ethers. Physically it gives the motion and energy for speech or recalling memory, but also things like vomiting, burping, etc. This upward motion fuels active imagination, likened to an upload of information into the psyche. Prayer thus becomes a method of reconnecting with archetypes and nourishing the psyche.

We generally think of an individual sitting or kneeling and sending their thoughts or rather “uploading” them up to God or something high up. This was the main idea behind the deity of Agni and fire rituals in India. To put something into the fire and volatilize up to the heavens through the smoke. This also bares resemblance to Sulphur, much in the way when you take the essential oil (containing sulphur compounds) they rise and transform upwards as fragrance. From something vulgar, dense, and fixed, to something philosophical, subtle, and volatile. 

The practice of Meditatio and the introspection of prayer establishes a connection and unification between the conscious and unconscious (Jung on Active Imagination, p. 169). This feedback loop between the ego and Self cultivates the transcendent function. The individual self/ego and God-Image are on one axis. Some individuals are unconscious and identified with this image, and some have differentiated the image and have become relativized to it. The development of the new God-Image is a two-way street and feedback loop of transformation (The New God Image, p. xix). Despite its value, meditation and prayer often receive little attention in the West, leading to a disconnect from self-knowledge (Jung on Active Imagination, p. 169).

Personal Experience and Collective Unconscious

I have been exploring some Viking Shamanic practices that also deal with the upper and lower worlds. It actually reminds me of Native American Shamanic practices, especially with the drumming. I never seem to ask for anything during the journeying. I seem to just let whatever comes up, come up. There is this element of asking for something in prayer, isn’t there? I wonder if even when asking in waking life for help, this is a microcosm of prayer that we use to connect to the source through people, whereas the inner prayer is to connect to the source through the unconscious. Either way, it is a kind of Psyche-Logos, the Psyche speaking to itself. In my post, I talked about how in these journeys I realize how the conscious is born out of the unconscious. I say the psyche is speaking to itself through prayer, or rather communicating with itself because we are “in the psyche.” It is truly an etheric ocean that we swim in. Therefore, prayer is not really to anyone, but the way we paddle and steer our boat down the river of libido.

Along with the eight functions and the transcendent function, Jung also denoted another function that is present in the psyche. That was the religious function. The religious function is tied to the religious instinct. Interestingly enough, our apparent false victory and escape from our own bodily instincts and nature itself corresponds to the aphelion from the religious function/instinct. I think we know unconsciously just how far away we are and feel from this instinct. We fill it with excessive media that has become mystical, the disembodied digital realm which is our new wonder and unknown. Is depth psychology a way back? I think it may take a leap to cross the line, perhaps blur the line, between religion and psychology.

My experiences with Viking Shamanic Journeying illustrate the communal and transformative potential of prayer and active imagination. During these journeys, participants often encounter similar images, reinforcing Jung’s idea that consciousness emerges from the unconscious. These experiences highlight the continual incarnating prayer that maintains communication between the conscious and unconscious, establishing the transcendent function through prayer.

In one of my journeys, I went to the Moon, I saw the Earth from a distance, I saw blue snow-capped mountains, and I saw the lead Shaman split himself in half. The lead Shaman also went to the Moon, said he split himself, and also saw blue-capped mountains. Another participant also saw blue snow-capped mountains and saw the Earth from a distance. In this moment, where I had thought I was fabricating and making up my images, I realized that the unconscious is twining, coiling, and feedback looping in with the conscious. Jung was right in saying that the ego and consciousness are born out of the unconscious. I fully understood and experienced this when my fellow participants shared their journey. This is the continual incarnating prayer that keeps up the communication between conscious and unconscious and the establishment of the transcendent function through prayer, which gives the communal aspect of prayer through the individual which Jung does not mull over much. 

Jung would understand these experiences as possible manifestations of the psychological Unus Mundus. However, using Jung’s insights, I find a true connection to the Unus Mundus that depth psychology offers beyond our psychologies.

Comparative Analysis: Jungian Psychology and Eastern Esotericism

Jungian Concept	Eastern Esoteric Concept
Active Imagination	Dharana (concentration)
Archetypes	Deities in Hinduism/Buddhism
Self (God-image)	Atman/Purusha
Transcendent Function	Dhyana (meditation)
Psychic Energy (Libido)	Prana/Vayu
Individuation	Moksha (liberation)
Unconscious	Prakriti (nature)
Immanence	Tantra (inner experience)

Conclusion

Studying the intersection of Jungian psychology and Eastern esotericism offers profound insights into our spiritual and psychological lives. By understanding the role of active imagination, prayer, and religious instincts, we reconnect with the unconscious, integrate ancient wisdom, and enhance our psychological well-being. This holistic approach not only enriches our spiritual practices but also provides a pathway for personal and collective transformation.

Three Answers to Why We Should Study This Topic:

1. Reconnecting with the Unconscious: Engaging with these concepts helps us tap into the vast reservoir of the unconscious, fostering self-awareness and personal growth.
2. Integrating Ancient Wisdom: By merging Jungian and Eastern perspectives, we create a richer, more nuanced spiritual practice that addresses modern existential challenges.
3. Enhancing Psychological Well-being: This interdisciplinary approach offers tools for profound psychological healing, enabling us to navigate the complexities of contemporary life with greater insight and resilience.

Resources/Bibliography

Edinger, E. F., Cordic, D. D., & Yates, C. (2015). The New God-Image: A Study of Jung’s Key Letters Concerning the Evolution of the Western God-Image. Asheville, NC: Chiron Publications.

Jung, C. G., & Chodorow, J. (1997). Jung on Active Imagination. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Shamdasani, S. (1999). Journal of Analytical Psychology (Vol. 44). London: Blackwell Publishing.

Additional Resources

1. Edinger, E. F. The New God Image, Introduction.
2. Shamdasani, S. Is Analytical Psychology a Religion?