ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how bringing a symbolic perspective to work can awaken imagination and shift perception of the vocational journey as more than a paycheck, rather an opus of the soul. Psyché is Greek for soul; psychology literally means the study of the soul. Jungian and archetypal psychology is sometimes called a psychology of the soul, yet mainstream psychologists and positivist academics are wary of the term ‘soul’. Difficult to define terms, such as ‘vocation’ and ‘soul’, are more fruitfully understood as symbols, applying the Jungian technique of amplification rather than semiotic or allegoric interpretation. To approach the soul, we need to move beyond literalism, to perceive through metaphor and symbol. The writings of Freud, James Hillman, Mary Oliver, Parker Palmer, John Keats and Thomas Moore amplify the meaning of ‘soul’. An allegiance to soul is reminiscent of fidelity to what Plato called the daimon, or genius. The chapter includes Suzanne Cremen’s experiences working as a lawyer and leaving the legal profession, likened to the metaphor of crossing the ocean, and a numinous encounter with a tree which prompted career change. Soul and soul-making are considered fundamental to experiencing meaningful work.
