Jungian Spirituality by Vivianne Crowley

Author:Vivianne Crowley [Crowley, Vivianne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4463-5921-1
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 1998-03-01T16:00:00+00:00

HINDUISM

Richard Wilhelm’s death ended Jung’s Chinese explorations for a period. In the 1930s, as he began to approach his sixties, his mind turned to Eastern traditions slightly nearer home – those of India. The main spiritual tradition of India is called by Westerners, Hinduism. Hindus themselves call it sanatana dharma or ‘eternal law’. It has existed for over five thousand years, a period matched only by the unbroken cultural development of China. Hinduism has a multiplicity of male and female deities. These may be interpreted as real beings or as symbols, according to the worshipper’s own experience and understanding. The main sacred texts are the Upanishads and the Vedas. From the Vedas comes the idea that behind the multiplicity of the universe is Unity. This unity is Brahma, the supreme creative force. Brahma is not usually worshipped on an everyday basis. Only one temple exists, in the sacred city of Pushkar in Rajasthan in north-west India. Visitors to Pushkar are welcomed with a sign enjoining them to refrain from the vices of alcohol, meat-eating, hand-holding and photography while in the sacred city. However, Shiva worship, which can involve copious amounts of cannabis, takes place freely. Generally, however, worship in India focuses on deities such as the Great Goddess Mahadevi in her many forms, Kali the Goddess of destruction, and Gods such as Vishnu the creator, Shiva the destroyer, Krishna, a God of divine love with many similarities to the love aspect of Christ, and the luck-bringing elephant-headed Ganesh.

When Jung attended the 1930 gathering of Count Keyserling’s School of Wisdom he met a wealthy Dutch woman, Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn. She had been influenced by Anglo-Indian theosophy and was a friend of New Age guru Alice Bailey whose work is continued today through the Lucis Trust. Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn was an interesting woman whose early career was as a circus rider. She impressed Jung as having great intuition and mediumistic abilities. Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn was equally impressed by Jung. She suggested that an annual conference on Jungian studies and related matters should be held on her estate overlooking upper Lake Maggiore near Ascona in Switzerland. The name Eranos, a banquet in which participants bring their own contributions, was suggested for the conferences. The format was ambitious – to call together nine or ten of the greatest scholars in the world and to invite people to attend their lectures and discussions. The conferences were exciting gatherings in which Jung was able to present and refine some of his most important ideas. They attracted scholars from such widely-ranging fields as physics, psychology, anthropology, mythology, comparative religion, theology and art history.

The first Eranos conference was on Yoga and Eastern Meditation. Yoga is a Hindu practice, the physical side of which consists of assuming certain asanas or postures, accompanied by breathing techniques. On a psycho-spiritual level, yoga causes permanent changes of consciousness in its practitioners. In time these may lead to enlightenment and unity with the divine. In the East, yoga is taught by a spiritual guru, but in

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