Participation mystique-When there is no difference between the Subject and Object and an Identification is taking place. For example, when people have trouble with their car they start to feel ill as well because they are identified with it.
Persona-Means “Mask” Greek and is related to the roles we play in life. The
Persona is the sacrifice we make between our real self and the expectations of society. The Persona is a functional outer personality or identity structure/complex that has developed out of the ego to survive in the world. It deals with object relations and adaptation to the outer world. It is also functional relational complex intimately tied to the Shadow and Anima/Animus complex. The Persona is successful attempts at adaptation (Superior Function) where as unsuccessful attempts at adaptation become the Shadow (Inferior Function). Whatever attitude (Introversion/Extraversion) and function (Thinking/Feeling/Intuition/Sensation) the persona is like, the Anima/Animus will be the opposite. Example would be a very Feminine Woman will have a very Masculine Animus. A high functioning Persona in Kundalini yoga would be being a Teacher, where your role is to meet the demands of the public setting of the class. The famous quote from Yogi Bhajan of “I am not a woman, I am not a man, I am not myself, I am not a person, I am a teacher,” is alluding to this High Functioning Teacher Persona. Thus, Ego formation is weak and gets weaker with this idea and containment for the Divine to incarnate results in an affective bombardment and the person becomes overwhelmed. The Persona is like a
“Psychic Skin” and biologically can be seen as clothing on the body. In dreams it is clearly represented by clothes. As a youth, being Lebanese/American was struggle of adaptation to the outer world. I often had dreams of being naked in a public place which is a definite persona dream. A Proper persona allows the Soul to speak and shine through. The Persona is function of magnification for the Soul. When one has no Persona there can be no Shadow and the Person becomes ordinary. To have depth to the personality one must have a Persona and a good functional persona is being a Teacher. Identifying too much with Persona can lead to a neurosis and attachment to the outer world. The Persona is located in consciousness but there is usually something unconscious and collective about it and is tied to shame.
Personality-Unique part of a being that is related to the Soul of a person.
Possession-When consciousness identifies with something unconscious like a complex. When we read or hear about Demonic Possession in Religious
parlance, the Psyche is swallowed up by Autonomous and Unconscious
Complexes, namely the Shadow or Anima/Animus. A milder form would be
intoxication through “Wine Spirits.”
Prakriti-referring to Nature and/or Matter.
Primitive-Primordial, original and pure in the highest sense but infantile, archaic and undeveloped in the lowest since.
Projection-A process of Introversion in which there is a dissimilation of object from the subject.
Projection-Process of dissimilating the object from the subject. People or Things are projection carriers of Images or Symbols as for instance someone might be the carrier of the Soul Image and therefore be an the Anima projection. These images can cause a distortion of reality or false idealization in a relationship. Passive projection is unintentional and could be unconscious. Active projection relates to introjection and the concept of empathy.
Psychic-Anything pertaining to the Psyche.
Psychization-Making something from the Unconscious becomes Conscious
through Reflection. Usually associated with the instincts getting psychized like with the Freudian sense of sublimating sexuality into art or the Yogic/Ayurvedic idea of sublimating the Sukra (Sexual Fluid) and transforming it into Ojas (Immunity and Higher forms of Consciousness).
Psychic content-Anything available to the Psyche. Ideas, Words, Memories,
Images etc.
Psychic infection-Content disturbing the Psyche. Can be collective or coming from an outside source.
Psychoid-Something unknown that is not totally Psyche but also not body like but including and transcending both. Liminal Space. Archetypes and Instincts are Psychoid.
Psychology-Study of the Soul. The word Psyche means Soul, Wind and Breath and is a Goddess in Greek Mythology.
Psychological types vs Constitutional Types- I will refer to a few pages from the Collected Works of Carl Jung Vol.8-Structures and Dynamics of the Psyche. Pages 107-108.
Psychogenic-Disease coming from Psychic factors and not Physical.
Psychopomp-Something that mediates between Conscious and Unconsicous. Often an Image. The God Hermes was the Psychopomp that went back and forth between Olympus and the Underworld. Mandalas are Psychopompic as well
Psychosis-When the Personality completely breaks and fragments due to
autonomous complexes assaulting Consciousness. Unconscious material is
flooding Consciousness and the person becomes disconnected from reality.
Psychosomatic-Psyche affecting Matter
Puer/Puella Aeternus (Eternal Boy/Girl)-The process of always becoming in the conceptual viewpoint. As people, they are the ones who haven’t matured Psychologically and have trouble with committing because there is always something better. Can be likened to the idea of Peter Pan Syndrome.
Purusha-Referring to disembodied consciousness, spirit, soul or psyche.
© Christopher Chayban –Kundalini Yoga with Chris
.