#davidtacey

[esowteric]

Psychic Epidemics / Mass Psychosis

“In his essays on world events (CW 10), Jung was at pains to point out that society is vulnerable to psychic epidemics, since we no longer have any forms to humanize or contain our nonrational impulses. In these essays he argued not only that we can expect an increase in neurotic or mentally disturbed individuals, but that the social fabric itself is disturbed, and increasingly prone to acts of madness, violence and irrationality.”

~ David Tacey, How to Read Jung.

Image: A depiction of dancing mania.

Artist: Pieter Breughel the Younger (1564–1638).

Image source: Wikimedia Commons.

Image licence: Public domain.

[esowteric]

Enchantment, Disenchantment and Re-Enchantment

“Perhaps we can plot the development of human thought in three stages. The first is enchantment through animism and pantheism. The second is disenchantment through rationality and reason. The third, and this is the possibility that interests me, is re-enchantment through postmodern science, philosophy and depth psychology. In the third stage, we return to the ancient perception of the world and know it differently, with a new understanding.”

~ David Tacey, The Darkening Spirit: Jung, spirituality, religion.

Image: Apollo's enchantment, by Henry Howard (British). Image description: Surrounded by the pantheon of Greek gods and the Muses, Apollo, god of the sun and of music, enchants his divine colleagues with his skill at the lyre. Artist: Henry Howard (1769–1847). Image source: Wikimedia Commons. Image licence: Public domain.