“… the religions would find themselves in a very forlorn situation if they believed in the attempt to hold up evolution. Their task, if they are well advised, is not to impede the ineluctable march of events, but to guide it in such a way that it can proceed without fatal injury to the soul.”
Jung (1945)[1]
“The medical psychotherapist today must make clear to his more educated patients the foundations of religious experience and set them on the road to where such an experience becomes possible. If, therefore as a doctor and scientist, I analyze abstruse religious symbols and trace them back to their origins, my sole purpose is to conserve, through understanding, the values they represent, and to enable people to think symbolically once more, as the early thinkers of the Church were still able to do. This is far from implying an arid dogmatism. It is only when we, today, think dogmatically, that our thought becomes antiquated and no longer accessible to modern man. Hence a way has to be found which will again make it possible for him to participate spiritually in the substance of the Christian message.”
Jung (1956)[2]
“In the old days everybody had revelations. The principle that worked for 2000 years was that someone had the truth and could reveal it. The backbone of the Catholic Church is the claim to the possession of the eternal truth. It is invested in the Pope and you must simply accept it. But for us this does not settle it. No one would say now that the truth has been revealed to him, we cannot build on Revelation. We believe in the honest attempt to understand psychological facts. If you take these things seriously enough, in the spirit of scientific devotion, they will have the same effect that was formerly reached by authoritative revelation.”
Jung (1929)[3]
In an Eranos lecture in 1945, Carl Jung issued a warning to religions that is relevant to our current situation in the United States. Jung was an empiricist and realist and knew, like Heraclitus, that change is constant and “ineluctable.” It cannot be escaped or avoided. Given his recognition of religio as a human instinct,[4] and his concern, as a psychiatrist, for the human soul,[5] Jung hoped that those organizations putatively concerned for the soul, i.e. the various religions, would resist dogmatism and would instead work to support the souls of their congregants. In this essay I will examine Jung’s concept of religio, how it differs from religion, what Jung sensed as the future form of the religious “instinct,” and what Jung suggested as ways to avert a “forlorn situation.”
Jung’s Concept of religio
Religio is the Latin root of our English word “religion,” but Jung made a distinction between these two concepts. When we hear the word “religion” we tend to think of buildings–churches, temples, mosques, sanghas etc.–and “things that go on in church”–rituals, music, sermons, prayers etc.–but Jung had a much more subtle, psychological sense of the term: “the term ‘religion’ designates the attitude peculiar to a consciousness which has been changed by experience of the numinosum.”[6] Numinosum was a term Jung took over from Rudolf Otto, to refer to an energy that has the capacity to affect us deeply, e.g. the mysterium tremendum— the Mystery that leaves us trembling.
Jung believed that every person has the capacity to respond to such experiences, since religio is one of our five human instincts. Along with hunger, sex, activity and creativity, we all can reflect, contemplate or take “careful consideration” of our dreams, intuitions and other forms of inner guidance. Jung felt that religere constituted “the essence of religion.”
How Religio Differs from Religion
In multiple places Jung used the term “creed” in place of religion, and he defined “creeds” as
“…codified and dogmatized forms of original religious experience. The contents of the experience have become sanctified and are usually congealed in a rigid, often elaborate, structure of ideas. The practice and repetition of the original experience have become a ritual and an unchangeable institution.”
The personal expression of faith becomes a collective series of actions and confessions as
“A creed gives expression to a definite collective belief, whereas the word religion expresses a subjective relationship to certain metaphysical, extramundane factors. A creed is a confession of faith intended chiefly for the world at large and is thus an intramundane affair, while the meaning and purpose of religion lie in the relationship of the individual to God (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) or to the path of salvation and liberation (Buddhism).”
To Jung, religio was a personal experience, while the “creeds” congregate people in performing rituals. They also manifest “cosmic vanity,” in claiming their particular ways, beliefs, forms and dogmas are the only “right” way. Jung would have none of this:
“I have Gnosis so far as I have immediate experience, and my models are greatly helped by the representations collectives of all religions. But I cannot see why one creed should possess the unique and perfect truth. Each creed claims this prerogative, hence the general disagreement! This is not very helpful. Something must be wrong. I think it is the immodesty of the claim to god-almightiness of the believers, which compensates their inner doubt. Instead of basing themselves upon immediate experience they believe in words for want of something better.”[7]
Having come to know God, Jung could say to John Freeman that he did not have to believe in God. From his many personal contacts with the Divine, Jung knew the “something better.” He also had a keen sense of what was emerging.
Jung’s Sense of the Future of the Religious “Instinct”
Jung had keen intuition. He was also very observant, both with his patients and also on his global travels, and he could sense a shift in both the external forms of the religions and the internal manifestations in individuals. As was his custom, Jung investigated whether earlier historical figures had written any material relevant to his sense of a coming shift in religious expression, and this led him to discover Joachim de Flora’s work on the three “Ages.”
The founder of the monastic order of San Giovanni in Fiore, Italy, Joachim was born around 1132 and died in 1202.[8] He was ordained as a priest in 1168 and served as abbot of his monastery, but as a theologian, mystic and esotericist, his heart really lay, not in ecclesiastical administration, but in Biblical scholarship, and in particular, in uncovering the arcane meaning in Scripture. Joachim’s special interest was that most enigmatic New Testament text, the Book of Revelation.[9]
Many a reader of this book has found inspiration in it, and many have drawn from it predictions about the future. Joachim was one of these. From Revelation 14:6-13, which is an account of 3 angels, Joachim came up with the concept of 3 Ages: the first, the Age of the Father, representing the age of the Old Testament and Judaism; the second, the Age of the Son, representing the age of the New Testament and Christianity; and the third, the Age of the Holy Spirit, when mankind would come into direct contact with God. Joachim predicted that this personal contact with the Divine would bring about a new dispensation of universal love and a new form of religion in which the church would no longer be necessary as an intermediary between God and man.[10] Finding this idea unpalatable and certainly threatening to their domination, the Church branded Joachim a heretic.
Some 700 years later, Jung drew upon Joachim’s idea of the 3 Ages to support his sense of the shift that is underway from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius.[11] For this work Jung has been called the “Father of the New Age.”[12] When he was asked to give the Terry Lectures at Yale in 1937, Jung chose to speak about this shift, calling it the “spiritual adventure of our time,” when it is individuals, rather than institutions, who carry and express religio, as the Holy Spirit lives and moves them to think and act.
This inner divine inspiration is the “something better” Jung knew from his own decades of living. It is “better” because it eliminates external authorities, stimulates creativity, and ensures a rock-solid sense of security, as the Self (aka Holy Spirit) offers guidance and protection all the time, IF (a big if) we recognize it, value it and are willing to surrender the ego’s will to its wisdom. I know from decades of living that this surrender is not easy, at least initially, but life is much easier once a track record is established (as trust is not built in a day).
“Better” is relative–the Age of the Holy Spirit is “better” for the person eager to savor the safety, creativity and blessings that a relationship with the Self holds. But for the “creeds,” this is far from “better,” as it is showing up in “bare, ruined choirs,” declining attendance at services, parishes dwindling in members and buildings turning into community centers and conversions into other purposes–“forlorn situations” indeed.
Ways to Avoid a “Forlorn Situation”
There are many actions we can do to shift the situation that Jung foresaw, from “forlorn” to a positive, exciting and soul-nourishing reality. These activities are of two types: collective and individual. Knowing Jung’s dictum that all realchange begins with the individual,[13] I’ll take the individual actions first.
Jung suggests individuals avoid dogmatic thinking, which implies our being open to discovering our inner doubts and fears, becoming more aware of symbols[14] and to value them for their power and potential to grow us into higher levels of consciousness.[15] In undertaking these tasks, we should recognize the support we have from the psyche.
More generally, Jung knew that any change has to begin with a person becoming aware of the need for change, so it is vital that we spread the message about ours as a transitional time.[16] Along with this we should strive to become more conscious generally and specifically more aware of the presence, wisdom and support of the Self, the “God within.”[17] Jung knew that any amount of greater consciousness, from as many people as possible, would have a positive impact, as everything is connected to everything/everyone else.[18] Once any of us gets clued in to how supportive and wise our inner guidance is, this awareness leads us, as individuals, to where, when and how we might grow and help others to do the same.
“Getting clued in” can come casually, e.g. from a conversation with a friend, but it helps to have a community of like-minded people sharing the same endeavor,[19] and this is where Jung saw a vital role for various forms of adult education.[20] Introverts (who tend to like one-on-one or small groups) might find a Jungian analyst to work with,[21]
or use the internet to locate learning opportunities either locally (for in-person study) or online (e.g. the Jungian Center, which you found, since you are reading this essay). Extraverts have no trouble finding opportunities to link up with others, and they prefer in-person activities.
People with background in teaching or who are keen to share their knowledge might consider creating organized learning opportunities. Whether this takes the form of formally-recognized non-profit schools or more informal gatherings, Jung would stress that such adult learning opportunities provide:
- safe, warm, kind and accepting spaces where people feel they can share concerns, feelings and insights they would never normally share with others[22]
- educational experiences (lit. activities that “draw out”–ex + ducere)[23] that support individuals’ encounter with the imaginal realm, by encouraging the use and development of personal imagination[24]
- explanations of Joachim of Flora’s notion of the Age of the Holy Spirit, which we are living in now, and how this “third age” is encouraging us to experience our inner wisdom[25]
- support for those in the process of meeting, dealing and working with the Self (aka “the God within”)
- opportunities (workshops, courses, gatherings) for adults to assess their personality type and preferences, to encounter their shadow side, their inner partner and their inner city, and to foster their individuation[26]
- various learning experiences addressing some of the issues confronting our society, e.g. how to overcome the anger of morality, not by suggesting moral laxity but by fostering moral creativity;[27] participants are likely to be of great help in identifying the issues,[28] which can enrich both the curriculum and individual growth and learning
On the collective level:
The initial focus of this level would be on the two groups which are most responsible for our “forlorn situation:” clergy and politicians; of these two, clergy are more likely to come around to recognizing reality, if only because their career opportunities are shrinking as more congregations disappear, so we’ll start with the clergy.
First, Jung knew change on this level requires a certain number of clergy who have already changed themselves, to the point of operating from their inner guidance with an on-going relationship with and trust in the Self.[29] With this close connection, the change agents can be assured of aligning with the intentions of the Self. All effective change agents operate from their soulful inner guidance.
Second, Jung was empirical and practical, so he would not want us to reinvent the wheel, but look for like-minded people among those systems that are amenable (to some degree) to change. There are more open religious organizations which already understand what personal direction by the Self means, e.g. Quakers and Buddhists.[30] The basic form of “worship” for both these groups is inward, individual, and the psyche is valued (not necessarily using Jungian terminology). These are more likely to be what Charles Davis called “open institutions”[31] (although not all Friends’ meeting or Buddhist sanghas will be equally open to this endeavor).
Third as an endeavor would be training up a new breed of clergy who would have certain personal qualities, e.g.
- humility,[32] born of the recognition of the limitations of the human mind, in the face of the breadth and wisdom of the Self; having given up “the immodesty of the claim to god-almightiness” that Jung decried, the cleric would not need to “play God” or run the show, or worry about hierarchies and riches, but would be able to live in alignment with spiritual wisdom (e.g. as in Matt. 7:7 and John 10:10)[33]
- independence in his/her thinking and willingness to rethink the major tenets of religion(s), e.g. reading the Bible faithful to the original Greek (where pistis does not mean “faith” but trust)[34] and with awareness of the patriarchal corruptions of the original texts
- living daily with personal experience of the Divine,[35] e.g. in active listening via dreams, synchronicities, intuitions, bodily sensations, i.e. clergy would live a life style reflecting their walking their talk
- skill in fostering spaces that feel safe for others to share vulnerable feelings
- modeling individuation as reflected in the ability to follow Jesus or Buddha,[36] in doing what is kind rather than conventional
- ability to think outside the box so as to support moral creativity to counter the anger of morality
As for the other group involved in collective activities–politicians–Jung had a low opinion of them, regarding elected officials as stupid, deluded, inflated, and given to “monkey tricks.”[37] They also tend to be Extraverts, i.e. not much given to looking within and addressing the needs of their inner lives. Most of the time politicians are looking to the next election, getting re-elected, so they are likely to have “ears to hear”[38] only when they sense that a groundswell of their constituents are pressing for change.
If a politician should be so open, s/he would need to learn a basic lesson of history, i.e. that trying to thwart evolution only produces revolution.[39] Multiple times history has shown this, e.g. Diocletian trying to shore up the dying Roman empire, only to fracture it and produce manorialism and serfdom, and Metternich, who repeatedly tried to block changes, causing widespread revolutions in Europe for much of the 19th century.[40] The current “party of NO” now active in Washington is delusional in many ways, not least being in its belief that it can stop the flow of history.[41]
Conclusion
Jung would have us avoid the “forlorn situation” of ruined choirs and more and more people falling into spiritual malaise, as he knew that, as a basic human institnct, religio must find meaningful expression if life is to be meaningful. Holding up evolution is no way to foster a meaningful life.
As we move more deeply into the 21st century and with it, more deeply into the Age of the Holy Spirit,[42] any religion hoping to remain viable will have to shift in significant ways or face the fate of all the other forms of religion down through the ages–Greek and Roman deity worship, Druidism, wicca, Taoism[43]–which saw their number of adherents shrink drastically.
Bibliography
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Brinton, Crane, John Christopher & Robert Lee Wolff (1960), A History of Civilization, 2 vols., 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Commoner, Barry (1971), The Closing Circle. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Davis, Charles (1973), Temptations of Religion. New York: Harper & Row.
Davison, Will (1974), “Temptations of Religion,” The New York Times (March 17, 1974), 20,22.
Jung, Carl (1956), Symbols of Transformation. Collected Works, 5. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
________ (1966), Two Essays on Analytical Psychology. Collected Works, 7. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
________ (1960), The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche. Collected Works, 8. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
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________ (1984), Seminar on Dream Analysis. Princeton: Princeton Univerity Press.
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________ (1977), C.G. Jung Speaking: Interviews and Encounters, ed. William McGuire & R.F.C. Hull. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
________ (2009), The Red Book Liber Novus, ed. Sonu Shamdasani. New York: W.W. Norton.
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Kofman, Fred (2006), Conscious Business. Boulder CO: Sounds True.
LaGorce, Tammy (2024), “Have Faith. There’s No Religious Agenda Here.” The New York Times (May 5, 2024), 37.
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Lewis, Charlton & Charles Short (1969), A Latin Dictionary. Oxford: The Clarendon Press.
Lewis, Michael (2000), The New, New Thing. New York: W.W. Norton.
Liddell & Scott (1978), An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Monkerud, Don (2008), “Isn’t It Time for the U.S. to Rejoin the World?,” Counterpunch Weekend Edition (October 17/20, 2008); available on the Web: http://mostlywater.org/american_exceptionalism
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[1] Collected Works, 9i ¶393. Hereafter Colledcted Works will be abbreviated CW.
[2] CW 5¶340.
[3] Jung (1984), 184.
[4] CW 8 ¶241.
[5] The etymology of “psychiatrist” is from the Greek psyche + iatros, lit. “soul healer;” Liddell & Scott (1978), 903 & 374.
[6] CW 11 ¶9.
[7] CW 18 ¶1643.
[8] For information on Joachim of Flores, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/joachim_of_Fiore. Joachim was fortunate to die when he did because by dying, he escaped being burned as a heretic.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] CW 9ii, ¶s 137-139.
[12] Boynton (2004), 8.
[13] CW 12 ¶563.
[14] CW 5 ¶340.
[15] Symbols have this power due to their ability to raise the libido, our psychic energy–a fact Jung discovered empirically in his work with patients; ibid., ¶394.
[16] It often helps calm the anxieties of people when they discover the nature of our time–that it is normal to feel confused and even anxious in times of archetypal change.
[17] CW 7 ¶399.
[18] This is a law of ecology; see Commoner (1971), 33-48 for an in-depth discussion of the four laws of ecology.
[19] But only if such a group is small: Jung strongly disliked large groups, insisting they harmed the individuals in it; CW 18 ¶1314.
[20] Jung (1977), 108.
[21] There are many more analysts now than when I initially searched in 1984; Google “Jungian analyst near me” and several names may show up; if not, go to the International Association of Analytical Psychologists home page (https://iaap.org), then click on “About the IAAP,” Member Societies, scroll down that list to find the society closest to where you live, click on the name of the region, then click on the web site address of that regional society, then click on “Find an Analyst,” and you will have a list of analysts in your area.
[22] Such groups should be non-judgmental, respectful of the members’ privacy and committed to confidentiality.
[23] Lewis & Short (1969), 670 & 615.
[24] Jung called “imagination'” the “star in man;” CW 12 ¶394.
[25] See CW 9ii, ¶s 137-139, for Jung’s discussion of the Age of the Holy Spirit in our time.
[26] CW 7 ¶373.
[27] Davis (1973), 84.
[28] Since these are schools for adults, they are likely (more than children) to be aware of what is going on in the world and what they need, in terms of their interests and personal growth; many of the Jungian Center courses are suggested by students.
[29] CW 14 ¶708.
[30] Both these religions focus on meditative practices in their services, reflecting their stress on the inner life; LaGorce (2024), 37.
[31] Davis (1973), 88.
[32] CW 7 ¶72.
[33] I.e. Jesus’ statements to ask and it shall be given you, and his statement that he came that we may have life abundantly.
[34] CW 10 ¶521.
[35] CW 11 ¶396.
[36] Neither of these enlightened figures asked their followers to worship them; they asked them to follow them.
[37] CW 8 ¶425, CW 9i ¶49, CW 12 ¶563, and CW9i ¶ 477, respectively.
[38] Jesus used this phrase repeatedly, to indicate that his message was meant for those whose level of awareness made them open to understanding what he was saying; cf. Matt. 11:15, 13:9 & 43; Mark 4:9 & 23; 7:16, and Luke 8:8, 14:35.
[39] Brinton et al. (1960), I, 132-133 and II, 156, 172.
[40] Ibid., II, 156-184.
[41] CW 9i, ¶393.
[42] CW 14 ¶22.
[43] When the Communists came to power in China, they banned all religions, but recent reforms have increased the number of practicing Taoists in China; https://www.nationalgeographic.org>encyclopedia>tao…
