The controversial theories advanced by Swiss psychologist Carl Jung (1875 -- 1961) have had enormous influence on contemporary psychology, especially the branch known as transpersonal psychology. In 1932, Jung gave a seminar on the psychology of kundalini yoga to the Psychological Club in Zurich. He believed that the philosophy and imagery behind this intense form of Eastern meditation offered the ideal framework for explaining and illustrating his own ideas on the importance of incorporating the spiritual energy in the unconscious mind into the reason-dominated realm of the ego.
Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
Jung theorized that all human beings possess an innate layer of common knowledge, which he called the collective unconscious, that helps them understand and interpret experiences. This layer can't be accessed directly by the conscious mind but communicates with it indirectly by symbols, called archetypes, manifesting themselves as people or animals in dreams, visions, mythology, art and literature. The most important archetype is the Self, frequently appearing as a hero or heroine struggling to complete a difficult and dangerous journey. The goal of Jungian psychology is to bring the Self, the center of the whole psyche, into balance with the ego, the center of consciousness, a process called individuation.
The Chakra System
In Kundalini yoga, a coiled snake lying dormant at the base of the spine symbolizes the universal life force. When this snake is "awakened" through meditation, it begins advancing up the spine along seven energy centers called chakras, unblocking each one as it goes and releasing the previously hidden contents into the conscious mind. Jung believed that Western civilization over-emphasized the value of rational thought and experience and by so doing, its energy had become trapped in the lower three chakras rooted in the physical world. In order to become psychologically whole and healthy, Westerners needed to tap into the spiritual energy of the upper chakras and incorporate it into thoughts and actions.
Mandalas and the Snake Archetype
The mandala, a closed geometrical shape usually represented by a circle, a square, or a square within a circle, plays a key role in Jungian psychology and Jung himself both collected and painted mandalas. In Eastern tradition, mandala images are often used as guides to meditation. The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent with its tail in its mouth. By joining the kundalini snake energy with the mandala shape, the Ouroboros assumes double the power, signifying unity in all its forms: physical, spiritual, collective, and individual.
The Ultimate Goal: Individuation
In his essay "Carl Jung," Dr. C. George Boeree, professor of psychology at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, writes that people have a tendency to see themselves as "islands in a sea. We look out at the world and each other and think we are separate entities. What we don't see is that we are connected to each other by means of the ocean floor beneath the waters." In Jungian psychology, when the conscious and unconscious aspects of the psyche interact in healthy and dynamic balance, the fully realized mind enlarges to perceive the unifying elements within human experience.
References
- Carl Jung and the Kundalini: Essay by John Henshaw (Reality Magazine)
- Jung and Eastern Thought by Harold G. Coward, State University of New York Press, 1985: Excerpts
- Pacific College of Oriental Medicine: The Spine: A Biological Cosmology of the Universe by Jorge A. Gonzalez
- Carl Jung Resources: Concept of Collective Unconscious
- The MandalaZone Archives: Ouroboros: The Serpent in the Spirit by Peter Patrick Barreda
- Personality Theories: Carl Jung by Dr. C. George Boeree
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