Gold trail

On the trail of eternity

The Self - the divine core of the human being

Detail, altar no. 3, Hilma af Klint

By on 30 May 2020

Wholeness and the Self

Altar No. 3 by Hilma af Klint (1915) with detail of the center (enlarged) for wholeness and the self:
The golden circle or ball (left): wholeness in earthly existence within the framework of the four elements (WATER, blue; AIR, yellow; EARTH, green-brown; FIRE, black-red).
In the center, the self( right, detail enlarged): Male and female (yellow and blue triangle) united.

The Self - the Identity of Love

The divine core of the human being

The self is the identity of love, the inner hero, God in man. Man gains his self by overcoming his ego and uniting within himself the most extreme opposites, male and female.

[S. God, wholeness, 3-in-1, male and female.]

The pearl, the treasure or the promised land

In the traditions, the self is the pearl to be won and the treasure to be freed from the clutches of the dragon. It provides kingship over a kingdom or over the promised land.

Purified gold

In the union of the utmost opposites, the self is also pure gold, perfected alchemy. Purified by water and purified by fire, in which the fusion is won, the self is the "divine core" in man, his eternal soul in wholeness. It is one with Christ, is the inner hero (completely in the sense of the song HERO with Mariah Carey).

Man - created in the image of God

Divine attributes

The term self contains the highest and purest ideas of "God", namely everything that is related to the term "wholeness" or "integrity". In other words, it is those divine qualities that belong to love, such as mercy, trust, devotion and forgiveness.
C.G. Jung wrote:

The self is [...] an image of God, respectively cannot be distinguished from such an image.[1]

Finally, the self, by virtue of its empirical properties, proves to be the eido [image, ideal] of all supreme concepts of wholeness and unity, as they are especially suited to all monotheistic and monistic systems.[2]

Unity of the opposites male and female

The biblical account of creation states that man is created in the image of God, male and female:

God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.[3]

On the one hand, this means that there are men and women among human beings. On the other hand, it also means that, according to the creative plan, man has male and female parts. It is necessary to unite these within oneself in order to achieve wholeness and unity in this way - and thus to be equal to God.

  • The "male" parts: Life, power, drive and impulse in the body ("son") and the consciousness as the male side of the spirit.
  • The "female" parts: Drive and motivation of the soul (will, mind, feelings; "daughter") and love ("cognition") as the feminine side of the spirit.

The goal of the human being: Wholeness, "equal to God

The inner hero

Where this original unity and wholeness has been lost, the human being is called upon to regain it.

Broken Unity and Wholeness: Abuse and the "Original Sin".

Even the earliest traditions tell of a rupture in existence due to abuse of power and violation. The lack and separation that resulted were passed on to next generations and form a reality that is still relevant today (cf. Original Sin and Abuse - the stolen life).

Wholeness through overcoming the ego

The challenge of man, placed in the earthly and imperfect reality, is to regain wholeness. Whoever sets out on this path will be tested in all areas of life. It is the way of the herowhich leads to the overcoming of the ego. Once this identity of separation has "died," the inner identity of love stands up, which is one with Christ is. 

[S. From Ego to Self.]

Called to the light

Also part of the hero's path (as the final test) is the path through the underworld. In the process, the shadows are integrated. For man wins his self by bringing all areas of his life to the light and uniting them in love. Thus, theloving consciousness isidentical with the light, while the unconscious belongs to the denser matter and to the realm of shadows (see The Consciousness and the Unconscious.).

Hated and repressed qualities that live a shadowy existence in the realm of the underworld are little developed and burdened with negativity. However, when they come to the light of consciousness, healing occurs. That is why the Bible says:

What comes to light becomes light itself.

Literally:

For all that is made manifest is light. That is why it is said: "Wake up, you who sleep, and rise from the dead! so Christ will shine on you!"[4].

[S. The integration of shadows and healing: what comes to light becomes light itself].

The new dress of light

The path through the underworld means an inner dying, in which the person metaphorically speaking takes off his old identity like a garment and receives new, pure clothes. For example, in Babylonian tradition, King Gilgamesh, after recognizing his failure, is given new clothes that do not wear out until he reaches his city (see The Seven Loaves). The same image is found, for example, in connection with the desert wanderings of the people of Israel [5].

Light in the darkness of the world

The person who is reconciled unites everything within himself. Thus, he has attained wholeness and can also bring love, reconciliation and forgiveness into the world .

The Self - God in Man 

The Bible calls the self the "inner man" or "God/Christ in us":

No one has ever seen God. When we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.[6]

Therefore we do not grow weary, but even though our outer man is worn out, yet the inner is renewed day by day.[7]

The self is the true identity of the human being. It is the secret that lies hidden in the human being, his divine identity. It also seals a new "family membership". For this reason, the Bible speaks of "filiation" and "inheritance" from the Father in heaven, who is infinitely rich:

To them God willed to make known the glorious riches of this mystery among the nations, namely, Christ in you, the hope of glory.[8]

The Anointing of the Holy Spirit

Evidence:

[1] C.G. Jung, Vol. 9/II, "Aion", p. 31, § 42

[2] C.G. Jung, Vol. 9/II, "Aion", p. 43, § 64

[3] 1st Book of Moses (Old Testament of the Bible), chapter 1:27 (Elberfelder); literally reads "male and female," which is usually translated as "as male and as female."

[4] Letter of Paul to the Ephesians (Bible, New Testament), chapter, 5:14(Elberfelder, italics by author), Ps 57:9.

[5] 5th book of Moses (Old Testament of the Bible), chapter 29,4 

[6] 1st Epistle of John (Bible, New Testament), chapter 4:12. (Elberfelder)

[7] 2nd Letter of Paul to the Corinthians (Bible, New Testament), chapter 4,16 (Elberfelder); also Letter of Paul to the Ephesians, chapter 3, 16 f.

[8] Letter of Paul to the Colossians (Bible, New Testament), chap. 1,26 f. (Elberfelder)


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