VIDEO
AUDIO
Many people just can’t seem to rally to do what’s necessary and improve their lives. Is it possible they just don’t carry much vitality, or is some inner conflict blocking their access?
Jung tells us inner energy flows according to its own laws, but if we can’t harness it?
In this episode, we share personal stories of energy loss, and offer insights into purposelessness.
Expect to learn:
- Why some people are naturally low-energy
- Which aspects of your psyche might be leaking energy
- How over aligning with cultural norms can cut off access to instinctive vitality
- Where we can look for solutions.
The concept of libido
When Jung used the term libido he was not talking only about sexual energy. He used it to describe the available life force that you have to take out into the world. The concept of libido can be applied in any number of ways, including towards sex but also in our careers, relationships and decision-making processes.
Moving past fantasy
We should certainly not enact all our fantasies, but we should take some of them out into the world. Some people seem to be able to dream and fantasize, but remain stuck in a very constricted life. They seem unable to marshal their libido toward an imagined goal in a way that bears fruit for them.
Overwhelmed by choice
If we find ourselves in a very low libido energy state, we may feel overwhelmed by choice. The fantasy that there is one correct choice that will solve everything can overtake and immobilize us. We end up paralysed in a state of indecision.
Forcing the wrong choice
Psyche will also block energy if we force it to go down a channel that is not inherently suited to our essential nature. This points to the very difficult process of discovering what we desire rather than assigning what we should desire. We can't like something we don't like; something that doesn't taste good will never really taste good.
Dreams can help find the missing energy
Understanding the messages that come in dreams is one of the principal paths that can help someone who is very stuck. Dreams are messages telling us what psyche or soul need us to do.
Here's the Dream We Analyze
"I am sitting cross-legged in meditation. I am sitting against the outside wall of an old Swiss/German building with white walls and exposed brown beams. Above my head is a narrow porch on the second floor of this building, giving me shelter. The porch is also made from dark brown wood, similar to the exposed beams. In front of me, there is a vast lake that is silvery-colored under the beautiful moonlight. As I meditate, the moon goes through phases. It is a crescent and then becomes full. I am not sure how long I am here. But when the moon becomes full, there is a high tide, and the water rises, so it comes all the way to me. I am submerged in this water up to my waist and continue meditating. The water is surprisingly warm and the same temperature as my body. So I don’t feel it at all. At this point in the dream, I remember a dream from 4 to 5 years ago where I was in a magnificent Roman/Persian bath. This submergence in the high tide reminds me of that dream, and I even remember the interpretation that This Jungian Life had of that dream. I continue my meditation, and slowly, the lake water retreats, and to my amazement, I am completely dry. The tide is over. I know I now need to get up and go and lead my journalist and lawyer friends. I get up and go. Now I am in an old library building. It reminds me of Trinity College Library. I can see the ceiling's curved or arched beam. I can also see the beams under the floor, which is unusual. The beam below the floor mirrors the beam over the ceiling, and I can see inside the building structure as though I have laser eyes. This is the place we work, or I am coming to meet my collaborators. I have a file of paper under one arm as I walk along this room."
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