Dysfunctional God-Images Dysfunctional God-Images in a Broken Worldin a Broken World

Dr. Jean RaffaDr. Jean Raffa

www.jeanraffa.comwww.jeanraffa.com

• Today humanity, as never before, is split Today humanity, as never before, is split into two apparently irreconcilable halves. into two apparently irreconcilable halves. The psychological rule says that when an The psychological rule says that when an inner situation is not made conscious, it inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside, as fate. That is to say, happens outside, as fate. That is to say, when the individual remains undivided and when the individual remains undivided and does not become conscious of his inner does not become conscious of his inner opposites, the world must perforce act out opposites, the world must perforce act out the conflict and be torn into opposing the conflict and be torn into opposing halves.halves. Carl JungCarl Jung

Jung said:Jung said:

• Everyone who becomes conscious of Everyone who becomes conscious of even a fraction of his unconscious even a fraction of his unconscious gets outside his own time and social gets outside his own time and social stratum into a kind of solitude….only stratum into a kind of solitude….only there is it possible to meet the ‘god there is it possible to meet the ‘god of salvation.’ Light is manifest in the of salvation.’ Light is manifest in the darkness, and out of danger the darkness, and out of danger the rescue comes.rescue comes.

The Archetype of the SelfThe Archetype of the Self•The Self...is a God-image...Of this the

early Christian spirit was not ignorant, otherwise, Clement of Alexandria could never have said that he who knows himself knows God. Carl Jung

The Self is Our God-Receiver, The Self is Our God-Receiver, Creative Source, and Connector Creative Source, and Connector• Our core and circumferenceOur core and circumference

• The archetype of DivinityThe archetype of Divinity

• Our connection to the Sacred MysteryOur connection to the Sacred Mystery

• The source of our ideas about the Sacred MysteryThe source of our ideas about the Sacred Mystery

The Self The Self awakens us to awakens us to the Mysterythe Mystery

The Self The Self awakens us to awakens us to the Mysterythe Mystery

Jung defined a state of grace as a special psychic experience

consisting of the coincidence of

metaphysical idea and reality.

Jung defined a state of grace as a special psychic experience

consisting of the coincidence of

metaphysical idea and reality.

The Self creates symbols that The Self creates symbols that point to the Mystery; the point to the Mystery; the symbols are not the Mystery.symbols are not the Mystery.

Jung said:Jung said:

•Once metaphysical ideas have lost their capacity to recall and evoke the original experience they have not only become useless but prove to be actual impediments on the road to wider development.

• If metaphysical ideas no longer have such a fascinating effect as before, this is… [because] the symbols no longer express what is now welling up from the unconscious as the end-result of the development of…consciousness through the centuries.

Carl JungCarl Jung

GalileoGalileo

NewtonNewton

DarwinDarwin

Jung’s Opinion:Jung’s Opinion:

• [The] end-result [of clinging to outdated metaphysical ideas is] a false spirit of arrogance, hysteria, woolly-mindedness, criminal amorality, and doctrinaire fanaticism, a purveyor of shoddy spiritual goods, spurious art, philosophical stutterings, and Utopian humbug, fit only to be fed wholesale to the mass man of today. That is what the post-Christian spirit looks like.

Three Epochs of Three Epochs of ConsciousnessConsciousness

• Pre-ConsciousnessPre-Consciousness

• Ego-ConsciousnessEgo-Consciousness

• Integrated ConsciousnessIntegrated Consciousness

Epoch I: Pre-ConsciousnessEpoch I: Pre-Consciousness

• Unconscious identification with MotherUnconscious identification with Mother• Limited awareness of inner processes; Limited awareness of inner processes;

little motivation to control them little motivation to control them • Immature and unreflective egoImmature and unreflective ego• Behavior ruled by instinct, unchecked Behavior ruled by instinct, unchecked emotions, and primitive imagesemotions, and primitive images• Garden-of-Eden innocence, i.e. no guiltGarden-of-Eden innocence, i.e. no guilt• One lives in eternal onenessOne lives in eternal oneness• One needs no God-imageOne needs no God-image

Epoch II: Ego-Epoch II: Ego-ConsciousnessConsciousness• Ego develops self-awarenessEgo develops self-awareness

• Ego orients to the Father’s outer world of Ego orients to the Father’s outer world of workwork

• Ego develops concerns about self-worth, Ego develops concerns about self-worth, self-preservation, and need-satisfactionself-preservation, and need-satisfaction

• Ego represses the feminine and projects the Ego represses the feminine and projects the Self Self

• Ego thinks dualistically: good/bad, either/orEgo thinks dualistically: good/bad, either/or

• Ego experiences conflict and anxietyEgo experiences conflict and anxiety

Epoch III: Epoch III: Integrated ConsciousnessIntegrated Consciousness• We die to the world’s opinions We die to the world’s opinions • We integrate othernessWe integrate otherness• We engage in mental training that unites We engage in mental training that unites

opposites and makes the unconscious opposites and makes the unconscious conscious: i.e. we grow in self-knowledgeconscious: i.e. we grow in self-knowledge• We connect with the inner feminine and SelfWe connect with the inner feminine and Self• We give up one-sided god-images and We give up one-sided god-images and

acquire acquire a god-image of unified oneness: a god-image of unified oneness:

i.e. The Sacred Marriagei.e. The Sacred Marriage

SEVEN DYSFUNCTIONALSEVEN DYSFUNCTIONAL GOD-IMAGES GOD-IMAGES

#1: A Separate God #1: A Separate God of Otherness of Otherness

#2: A Masculine God#2: A Masculine God“I am the king of my

castle and my word is gospel. Everyone had better do what I say

or else!”

#3: A Child’s God#3: A Child’s God“Hmm. I’d better be

good or Santa won’t bring

me any presents.”

#4: A Tribal God#4: A Tribal God

My family values hard work, personal

sacrifice, and a good education.

So do I!

Woo hoo! Lookin’ good

and havin’ fun! It’s all about winning! You gotta

be the best!

If you’re not powerful and successful,

you’re nobody!

You must have

correct beliefs!

Family is everything!

#5: A God Like Us#5: A God Like Us

“We’re obviously the good guys, so they must be the bad guys. It’s us

against them!!!”

#6: A Gender-Biased God#6: A Gender-Biased God

#7: A Conventionally Moral #7: A Conventionally Moral GodGod

THREE LEVELS OF THREE LEVELS OF MORAL REASONING MORAL REASONING

Level I: Pre-Conventional

Bad – what gets me punished– what prevents me from getting what I want

Good – what keeps me from being punished – what gets me what I want

Level II: ConventionalLevel II: Conventional

Bad – what gains the disapproval of my family – not doing my civic duty and not feeling

guilty about it

Good– what gains the approval of my family – doing my civic duty or experiencing guilt if I do not

Level III: Post-Level III: Post-ConventionalConventional

Bad – anything that violates human rights– my lack of love, caring, or respect for otherness

Good – whatever affirms human rights– whatever I can do to promote justice

and love with nonviolence and the least possible pain or harm to others

Powerless Powerless puppet orpuppet or empowereempowered d individual?individual?

The world problem is the The world problem is the individual problem. individual problem.

J. J. KrishnamurtiKrishnamurti