Jungian Pyschology and Catholic Mysticism

[beckycmarie]

He also has no problem calling God a metaphor for the universal Self, and angels and demons metaphors for various warring pyschic and spiritual realities. I have no problem with this. It is supremely sensible and orthodox when one thinks about it. He does, however, at times assert the impersonal nature of the Self–that is, God. Here I dissent.

Just keep in mind that angels and demons are as real as you and me, and are not just metaphors.

A quick read:
Peter Kreeft: Twelve Most Important Things to Know About Angels

 

[BarbaraTherese]

I read some of Merton the other day and was mesmerized!

His works were just incredible. A Sister from my parish that is acting as my spiritual director now loves him and gave me a booklet of excerpts from his various works. She is also a fan of St. John of the Cross, and I must say I am too now. The Dark Night of the Soul is on my must-read list now. She is also an avid fan of Jung.

She did not actually introduce me to him. It was, rather, a “synchronicity,” so to speak.

I’m aware that Jung is not always orthodox (then again, neither is Voltaire and I adore him and feel that in various ways he has helped me in my spirituality, interestingly enough). I am by no means a believer in astrology, though I understand why the human pysche is so prone to look toward the stars for guidance. He also has no problem calling God a metaphor for the universal Self, and angels and demons metaphors for various warring pyschic and spiritual realities. I have no problem with this. It is supremely sensible and orthodox when one thinks about it. He does, however, at times assert the impersonal nature of the Self–that is, God. Here I dissent.

I am far from being afraid to incorporate truths from various sources into my own spirituality–but never at the expense of my Catholic faith. As Rumi once said, all Truth is but a mirror in God’s hands that one day dropped and broke into a million shards. Men from all ends of the earth ran to collect each just one shard, and then proceeded to say: “I have the truth!”

Catholicism to me represents a fuller truth. Still… I also recognize and embrace the noble and beautiful aspects of various other religious traditions as being entirely complementary to my own, in keeping with Vatican II.

I needn’t be Muslim to be moved by holy Qur’an’s truth or poeticism; Buddhist to be aspiring toward nonviolence and love; to be a Deist to find humor and wit (and even truth) within Voltaire’s works; etc.

I need only be confident enough in my own faith as a Catholic Christian to explore and learn from these various sources, and to never cease questioning things, even–no, especially–the Church to which I look for guidance.

…gold is wherever it is found. …

 

[St_Aloysius]

Just keep in mind that angels and demons are as real as you and me, and are not just metaphors.

Sure. But we also simplify the reality these terms represent, so much so that we now imagine angels and demons as human-like beings engaged in a battle mimicking earthly warfare rather than as spiritual and pyschic realities.

So this image, in which we project ourselves and our humanity onto these realities, is–simply put–a metaphor. That doesn’t mean there aren’t such pyscho-spiritual realities. Only that our understanding of them simplifies their actual nature.

I could also say that Christ’s resurrection is a metaphor for conquering spiritual death and decay, and for arising anew to Self. This is no way undermines the bodily reality or the historicity of the event, but only highlights its profound implications.

 

[beckycmarie]

Dear St. Aloysius,

I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying about angels and demons. I do know they are real beings engaged in a very real battle for our souls, however, the vast majority of the time we are our own worst enemy when it comes to striving for holiness. Maybe you’re saying something similar?

I started a thread with a document from the Vatican on Christian vs. New Age mysticism that you might find helpful.

You can view it here:

Vatican on the New Age

I am a huge fan of Fr. Thomas Dubay and don’t think you’ll go wrong following his advice. Keating and Merton got involved with Eastern techniques that are problematic. My understanding is Merton started off publishing good stuff, but then went off the deep end mixing Buddhism and Catholicism.

And Jung (which Keating is big into) is a whole other mess; a lot of priests and religious got mixed up in it in the 60’s. Fr. Mitch Pacwa, who wrote the book I mentioned back on post #2 got caught up in it himself before realizing the problems of doing so and then spoke out about mixing Catholicism and Jung.

Unfortunately quite a few well-intentioned spiritual directors are tainted with this stuff and are inadvertently leading people away from God, instead of towards him, which is the goal of true contemplation.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

beckycmarie;

. My understanding is Merton started off publishing good stuff, but then went off the deep end mixing Buddhism and Catholicism.

Your understanding would be wrong. Merton never mixed Buddhism with Catholicism. Neither does Fr. Keating.

Also as far as Jung is concerned, I’ve been noticing as I read Cardinal Ratzinger’s writings, AKA Pope Benedict XVI, he quotes and agrees with Jung on some issues and disagrees on others.

Jim

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

Perhaps instead you might want to check into this book:

Catholics and the New Age:
How Good People Are Being Drawn into Jungian Psychology,
the Enneagram, and the Age of Aquarius
by Fr. Mitch Pacwa

I recommend sticking with what the saints have to say on the topic of mysticism.

I was going to recommend this book also.

Johnette Bencovic also has a book called the “New Age Counterfeit” I believe. I think you can get it at EWTN. com

 

[beckycmarie]

Merton never mixed Buddhism with Catholicism.

If that’s so, I wonder why someone took the time to write this book:

Merton & Buddhism

Divided into three sections, this insightful volume of essays by numerous scholars focuses on Thomas Merton’s interest in and transformation through Buddhism. In addition to analysis of how Merton’s studies of Buddhism affected his work in the arts, the study also offers information about his Asian journey as well as a complete bibliography of secondary materials. Contributors include Judith Simmer-Brown, Roger J. Corless, Rubin L.F. Habito, John P. Keenan, Roger Lipsey, Paul M. Pearson, and James Wiseman, OSB.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

beckycmarie;

Your understanding would be wrong. Merton never mixed Buddhism with Catholicism. Neither does Fr. Keating.

Also as far as Jung is concerned, I’ve been noticing as I read Cardinal Ratzinger’s writings, AKA Pope Benedict XVI, he quotes and agrees with Jung on some issues and disagrees on others.

Jim

… …“gold is whever it is found”. Because one cannot agree with any author on some things is no reason per se to dismiss absolutely everything he/she has written…

Blessings and regards…Barb

 

[spangler1982]

beckycmarie;
Your understanding would be wrong. Merton never mixed Buddhism with Catholicism. Neither does Fr. Keating.

Also as far as Jung is concerned, I’ve been noticing as I read Cardinal Ratzinger’s writings, AKA Pope Benedict XVI, he quotes and agrees with Jung on some issues and disagrees on others.
Jim

In his book INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY, he quotes Teilhard de Chardan quite a bit and seems to agree with him on many issues also.