Wednesday, 9 March 2016
11:32 AM
Synchronicity. Meaningful coincidences. The
belief that nothing significant happens by accident. Have you ever experienced
thinking of a friend you have'nt seen in a while and then she suddenly texts
you from out of the blue? You miss your
mom and want to hear her voice, then she calls when you least expect it. You
walk in a mall without make-up and your battle-torn shirt hoping you don't meet
anyone you know, and yes, you guessed it... you bump into the man of your
dreams. Like many awesome but little understood things in life, Synchronicity was a
favorite idea of the Psychologist Carl Jung. A man whose life work and legacy
would change the course of mine forever.
I
first met Professor Jung in my Psychology class at the Ateneo. There he was on
the page of my book, a handsome Swiss fellow with his iconic smoking pipe, dapper with a piercing stern look on his face. Jung and
his teachings struck at my core at the tender age of 18. At a time when I was
hearing "the questions" and yearning for "answers." I was a mixed up kid like most. Always
accused of "thinking too much" and getting "too deep." But
I couldn’t help it. It was as if my mind had a life of its own. I was dying to
understand. Then I forgot about Jung for a while. I married, had a kid, then
another and life as a young mom was too frantic, I didn’t have time to reflect.
Then
things calmed down a bit. I had a regular job and then one day these inner
rumblings came back. That time I decided to study Psychology again. I dragged
my friend Rain to take up Masters at de La Salle. There I had the chance to
meet Jung in a class taught by Sophie. That was a challenging time in my life
again. My hubby was abroad finishing his graduate studies and I was on my own
raising my two kids.
A
few years later, things get further complicated and I decided to see Sophie to
do soul work and figure out what was happening to me. Since 2007 to 2014, she
patiently guided me in my own search for Self. A journey Jung calls Individuation. (Will discuss this in another
post, I promise!) In 2015, I had gained some maturity and clarity, Sophie
"graduated" me and It was up to me to face life and make the most of
the insights I now carried.
The
journey continued. I circled back to Jung in November 2015. I had the fortune
of meeting Dido. An eminent Psychologist and Jung advocate. She invited me to
the Circle of Jung workshop on Exploring the Self in March 2016. And after the
second day of the workshop, I knew Prof.
Jung was back in my life. And as usual his timing was impeccable. He is here to help me at Midlife.
A stage that carries even more exciting adventures for the Self.
This
time though, I wanted to journey more actively, more mindfully. Hence this
Blog. If this were a Quest, I now realize that Symbols carry the clue. Jung
says our dreams carry the symbols. And the Universe itself engages us thought
oftentimes we can't fully understand what it's trying to say. One thing I
guarantee though, it will be an exciting ride again.
