As a writer, I have given much thought regarding how to harness my higher self and therefore, enter into the universal mind in order to release my creative self. To do this, one must first know themselves. This is a process known as Individuation. According to psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung, Individuation “is the process of transforming one’s psyche by bringing the personal and collective unconscious into conscious.” Additionally, Individuation is the “process of psychological differentiation, having for its goal the development of the personality.” [i] In short, Individuation is the breaking away from the mold of the collective conscious which subsequently allows one to become one’s own self.
SOCIETY AND INDIVIDUATION
Our current society seems to stifle Individuation through cultural institutions, i.e. public education and religion. “Culture is “the set of attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by a group of people, communicated from one generation to the next.” Further, “within any culture, children are shaped by the physical and social settings within which they live; culturally-regulated customs and child-rearing practices; and culturally-based belief systems.” [ii]
THE SHADOW AND CREATIVITY
As an artist, it is important to get in touch with your unconscious mind, in order to explore and develop creative expression. One cannot bring up Carl Jung and Individuation without addressing The Shadow. In his work, Psychology and Alchemy, he referred to the Shadow as the prima materia of the unconscious and advanced the simplicity that “man as a whole being casts a shadow.” Of course, the prima materia is the first and starting material required for the creation of the philosopher’s stone, the alchemical substance required to turn baser metals into gold. [iii]
“The “famous secret” and basis of the alchemical opus is the unique prima materia, which is the chaos and raw material out of which the refined substance of “gold” is produced. This much-prized prima materia is the psychic flypaper which catches every imaginable projection buzzing around in the human mind.” [iv]
WHY IS INDIVIDUATION IMPORTANT TO CREATIVITY?
Individuation, once tapped, plays an important part in creativity. Most great artists have been popularly declared, to some extent, as madmen by their contemporaries. Take for instance, Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, “The Rite of Spring” which caused a riot when introduced at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on May 29, 1913. “According to some, blows were exchanged, objects were thrown at the stage, and at least one person was challenged to a duel.” This riot was seemingly due to “the music's first and still-shocking moment of crunching dissonance and skewed rhythm.” Referencing the riot, Stravinsky wrote that “mild protests against the music . . . could be heard from the beginning.” Later, upon seeing the second public performance of the work, the Italian opera composer, Giacomo Puccini, called it “the work of a madman.[v] “Puccini went on to declare: “the public hissed and laughed,”… but then he added, “and applauded.” “It turned the music world upside-down.” [vi]
Thus, it is an inevitable fact, that once an artist actually crosses over to their unconscious and brings back the alchemical by-product, i.e. their creation, it is not always readily accepted by the masses. However, creativity is not necessarily meant for the time-period it has been birthed in. Rather, it is a foretelling or else revealing of the future of cultural expression. Esteban Buch, director of studies at the School of Advanced Studies in Social Science in Paris, stated “The Rite and the riot become entangled in memory making this event . . . some kind of gate to modernism, to the 20th Century.” [vii]
ARTIST AS SHAMAN
Shadow work has long been a tool of Shamanism. “Shadow work implies . . . a shift of consciousness or insight.” Within our modern society, the artist has become the shaman, leading those that follow their work into a kind of transcendence.
Take the work of David Bowie. He was indeed a modern-day shaman. Through his creative music and lyrics, he collected followers from all over the world who embraced his attitude of self-expression and individualism. Bob Dylan also has had a shamanic role throughout his career. Nor would anyone dispute that the visionary artist, Alex Grey, has led a shamanic existence through his creations. I’m certain as you read this other artists are coming to mind. The creative expressions of great artists such as these have attempted to free us from the mold that society has held on us. Having seen their own shadow self, they simply speak from that part of their soul which in turn reaches into our own unconscious [viii] to let us know that not only does our own shadow exist, but that we can likewise communicate our own creativity with reckless abandon of expression.
I leave you with this quote from the chorus of David Bowie’s song “All the Madmen" from his album, The Man Who Sold the World:
'Cause I'd rather stay here With all the madmen Than perish with the sad men roaming free And I'd rather play here With all the madmen For I'm quite content they're all as sane As me.
~NAMASTE~
MS
Works Cited
[i] “Carl Jung: Individuation Process.” Mindstructures RSS, https://www.mindstructures.com/carl-jung-individuation-process/. Accessed 9 Jan 2020
[ii] Matsumoto D. Culture and modern life. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishing Co; 1997:5. Accessed 9 Jan 2020
[iii] “Philosopher'S Stone: Meaning of Philosopher'S Stone by Lexico.” Lexico Dictionaries | English, Lexico Dictionaries, https://www.lexico.com/definition/philosopher's_stone. Accessed 9 Jan 2020
[iv] Levy, Paul. “The Sacred Art of Alchemy.” Awaken in the Dream, Awaken in the Dream, 15 Apr. 2009, https://www.awakeninthedream.com/articles/the-sacred-art-of-alchemy/. Accessed 9 Jan 2020 and Jung, C. G. Psychology and Alchemy. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1993, p. 317
[v] Service, Tom. “The Rite of Spring: 'The Work of a Madman'.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 12 Feb. 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/12/rite-of-spring-stravinsky. Accessed 9 Jan 2020
[vi] Smith, Kile. “After 'The Rite of Spring,' Classical Music Was Never the Same.” WRTI, https://www.wrti.org/post/after-rite-spring-classical-music-was-never-same. Accessed 9 Jan 2020
[vii] Hewett, Ivan. “Did The Rite of Spring Really Spark a Riot?” BBC News, BBC, 29 May 2013, https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22691267. Accessed 9 Jan 2020
[viii] Whyshamanismnow.com, http://whyshamanismnow.com/2014/03/what-is-shadow-work/. Accessed 9 Jan 2020
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