Epilogue

While working with David, I was inspired by these words from Jung’s Commentary on The Secret of the Golden Flower:

Here and there it happened in my practice that a patient grew beyond himself because of unknown potentialities, and this became an experience of prime importance to me … . When I examined the way of development of those persons who quietly and, as if unconsciously, grew beyond themselves, I saw that their fates had something in common. The new thing came to them out of obscure possibilities either outside or inside themselves; they accepted it and developed further by means of it … . In no case was it conjured into existence through purpose and conscious willing, but rather seemed to be borne on the stream of time … . What did these people do in order to achieve the development that liberated them? As far as I could see they did nothing (wu wei) but let things happen. As Master Lu-tsu teaches in our text, the light rotates according to its own law, if one does not give up one’s ordinary occupation. The art of letting things happen, action through non-action, letting go of oneself, … became for me the key opening the door to the way.

286We must be able to let things happen in the psyche … . The Hui Ming Ching is introduced with the verse:

If thou wouldst complete the diamond body with no outflowing, Diligently heat the roots of consciousness and life. Kindle light in the blessed country ever close at hand, And there hidden, let thy true self always dwell.

These verses contain a sort of alchemistic instruction, a method or way of creating the ‘diamond body’, which is also meant in our text. ‘Heating’ is necessary; that is, there must be an intensification of consciousness in order that the dwelling place of the spirit may be illumined. But not only consciousness, life itself must be intensified. The union of these two produces ‘conscious life.’ (Jung, 1962 [1931], pp. 91–92, 93–95, 98)

Dreamwork is a practice that furthers this heating and intensification of conscious life. We let things happen, seeing where the unconscious leads. We experience the dynamic forces set in motion as “the light rotates according to its own law.”