Kalsched, 1996, p. 199-200, citing Jung CW8:400-2
“I… set him the task of elaborating or developing his theme by giving free rein to his fantasy. This… could be done in any number of ways… [Finally], I was able to recognize that in this method I was witnessing the spontaneous manifestation of an unconscious process which was merely assisted by the technical ability of the patient… So it is with the hand that guides the crayon or brush, the foot that executes the dance-step, with the eye and the ear, with a word or a thought: a dark impulse is the ultimate arbiter of the pattern, an unconscious a priori precipitates itself into plastic form… Over the whole procedure there seems to reign a dim foreknowledge not only of the pattern, but of its meaning. Image and meaning are identical and as the first takes shape, so the latter becomes clear… The pattern needs no interpretation. It portrays its own meaning.”
The Transcendent Function of the psyche restores the imbalance in the creative space.
There is a natural mechanism within the psyche, and therefor in the creative process, that tries to equalize an inner imbalance. This is the Transcendent Function of the psyche that Jung described.
In general, the conscious and unconscious aspects of the personality have different perspectives and aims in life. The conscious personality is directed toward the outside world and has to adapt to worldly situations of which the unconscious is not aware, and this is necessary; it is goal-directed. The self, on the other hand, represents the whole/total personality, our full potential, and includes the conscious and the unconscious personality; it is concerned with the general well-being of the whole personality, a perspective which is not possible for the conscious personality to have.
It often happens that the conscious personality is not aligned to the whole. When the conscious personality neglects the whole, a complimentary load builds up in the unconscious. The unconscious will then try to communicate the problem by way of a dream perhaps, or a slip of the tongue, or other ‘mistakes’ in an attempt to draw the attention of the conscious personality to the problem. Symbolic creative work can help to mediate this imbalance.
This mechanism is beautifully illustrated in the ancient Chinese tale, The Magic Paintbrush.
The Chinese Tale of The Magic Paintbrush
Liang was a poor boy who loved to paint but could not afford to buy brushes and paper. One day he went to the schoolmaster and asked for a paintbrush, but he was chased away. That night Liang dreamt that an old man with a white beard and long white hair came to him on a phoenix. He gave Liang a golden paintbrush, and told him to use it only for the good of the people.
The next day, Liang was delighted to discover that the old man gave him a real paintbrush! He immediately started painting. To his astonishment, as soon as a picture was completed, it became alive. From then on he used his gift to help the poor.
But the emperor wanted Liang to paint gold so that he could be rich. Liang refused, saying that he worked only for the poor. This made the emperor furious. Liang was locked up and the emperor used his brush to paint bars of gold. But then the gold became a poisonous snake from which the emperor had to be rescued, and he realized that he needed Liang.
Again the emperor asked Liang to paint what he wanted, this time in exchange for his daughter in marriage, and Liang agreed. The emperor wanted Liang to paint the sea and a boat to sail in, and Liang painted it and it became real. Then the emperor wanted wind, so he and his followers could sail. He cried, “Paint more wind, paint more wind, Liang!” And Liang painted more and more wind till it became a huge storm and the ship disappeared under the enormous waves. Then Liang went home.
The emperor wants it for himself, but the old man on the phoenix wants it to benefit the poor. He wants to restore the imbalance in the psyche.
In this story, we find a conscious attitude that neglects the whole, and this problem needs to change. The psyche’s solution to the problem is the magic paintbrush to be used for the benefit of the poor people, the neglected aspects of the whole personality, not only for the benefit of the conscious personality under the influence of a complex, the emperor. The old man on the phoenix as a symbol of the self, represents the whole personality.
The paintbrush is peculiar: it is a magic brush and its products become real. It represents the symbol-making transcendent function, and the painted symbol that becomes alive may influence the imbalance in a beneficial way, bringing healing and nourishment.
When a fantasy is given shape, it enters the world of consciousness and may influence us, our perspectives, and our actions; it becomes real.
At first there is need, a poor child, and neglected people of the land, and this leads to the appearance of the paintbrush and the successful execution of simple tasks: nourishment is brought to aspects of the personality in need. This is how I understand the chemistry of what happens within the creative space.
But the one-sided attitude of the conscious personality, the complex, represented by the emperor, has to change, and Liang has become strong enough to stand up to the problem. The old exploiting, persecutory emperor is destroyed, and Liang is able to return home, to his personality as a whole.
The content of the creative space, whether clearly of a symbolic nature or not, should be treated as such, because the creative space, if it is set up as I suggest, becomes a transitional space. All the content of the space should be treated as a seed of the whole, as the symbol-to-be.
Jung described a symbol as the best possible expression of a complex fact not yet fully understood by consciousness. It presents “an objective visible meaning, behind which an invisible profounder meaning is hidden.” (Jacobi, 1959) A symbol is the essence of psychic energy presented as an image. It is energy; it is alive.
A symbolic image has many meanings, and the unconscious circles around it to present it to us from different points of view. The healing, nourishing properties of the symbol (or symbol-to-be) is in the experience of the other aspects of the truth, represented by the image, or series of images. It comes from the unconscious; it is an inner alignment, and a wider perspective. It can potentially influence a one-sided conscious attitude.
References
Chodorow, Joan. (1997) Encountering Jung: Jung on Active Imagination. Princeton, USA: Princeton University Press. P. 5 – 17; 43 – 60; 73 – 76; 91 – 96; 146 – 153
Hannah, Barbarah. (2000) The Inner Journey. Toronto, Canada: Inner City Books. P. 34 – 45
Kalsched, Donald. (1996) The Inner World of Trauma. London, UK: Routledge. P. 197 – 200
Jacobi, J. (1959) Complex, Archetype, Symbol. Princeton, USA: Princeton University Press. P. 74 – 88; 94 – 103
Jung, CG. (1969) Memories, Dreams, Reflections. New York, USA. Random House Inc. P. 340
Jung, CG. (1968) Collective Works 12. 41 Princeton, NJ, US: Princeton University Press. Par. 322, 366.
Neumann, E. (1955). The Great Mother. Princeton, USA: Princeton University Press. P. 120, 125, 128, 132, 136, 158.
You must be logged in to post a comment.