from "A Blue Fire", selected writings from James Hillman.
"That we cannot settle the money issue in analysis shows money to be one main way the mothering imagination keeps our souls fantasising. So, to conclude with my part of this panel, Soul and Money: yes, soul and money; we cannot have either without the other. To find the soul of modern man or woman, begin by searching into those irreducible embarrassing facts of the money complex, that crazy crab scuttling across the floors of silent seas." (Soul and Money, 35-38)
"That we cannot settle the money issue in analysis shows money to be one main way the mothering imagination keeps our souls fantasising. So, to conclude with my part of this panel, Soul and Money: yes, soul and money; we cannot have either without the other. To find the soul of modern man or woman, begin by searching into those irreducible embarrassing facts of the money complex, that crazy crab scuttling across the floors of silent seas." (Soul and Money, 35-38)
Cripes - that's confronting ... to say the least. Especially as someone who tries to imagine that she's transcending the 'dirtiness of money'.
ReplyDeleteSorry I've been absent .. have been trying to downsize on the computer time to upsize on the family time - but the balance is still out of wack and I'm antsy and unhappy.
What grabs you most about this comment - what compelled you to put it up? And I must track down some Hillman at some stage .. you've got me intrigued about his work.
jodi - family time is important at christmas, so no need to apologise...
ReplyDeleteabout the Hillman quote - its a 'bibliomancy' so basically I asked a question and this is the answer that I got (opening the book at random, and letting my eyes rest on the passage). The question was a general 'what to contemplate this christmas' request for guidance.
Everything Hillman writes is compelling and speaks to my heart - and this one is so appropriate on a day of extreme consumerism and which to me always seemed to lack soul. And I'd been on the verge of writing down some thoughts I've been having about Soul, Ego and Saturn.
I'm reading Eckart Tolle's 'new earth' at the moment and I'm finding it all about solar heroics - shining the light of consciousness upon 'ego attachments' (which are the insane products of our unruly minds) and seems to teach that soul is something that we must remain ever vigilante against. (I don't think he means it to teach any of this, but this is what I've been getting out of it).
I refuse to believe that any part of me is inherently unnecessary or unloveable (this is a new revelation!) and so I am about to fall in love with my Ego and all its attachments, come what may. I cannot transcend, I just don't want to deny any part of myself any more. Wholeness is starting to mean recognising that everything in my life is part of who I am - even the ugliest parts (yes, the dirty business of money, and all the roles and stories around it).
Money being tied up with Soul makes a lot of sense. Since reading this I've been noticing my own ideas of money, and of others. And its interesting! Also, Tolle talks about Ego's primary statement as being 'not enough' which you'll remember is the Witch/Mother complex of scarcity and abundance. Its an issue that goes to the very roots of our existence - and loving this, really accepting this instead of transcending it seems to me a return to the Great Mother, to completion. It ironic that the book is about saving the world by transcending ego attachments, and I'm thinking that the World (the Great Mother) needs us to love and accept them more than ever.
d xx
Powerful stuff. I was told abotu Eckhart Tolle by my singing teacher - she told me to track down a copy of the "Power of Now" ... and I'd forgotten until now when I read your reference to him and what you are reading. Thanks for reminding me.
ReplyDeleteYou've come so far Dan ... and reaching in to those unreachable, unloveable, unnecessary parts is really brave and really revitalising. I've been reading about dancing with your shadow and just in reading, and hooking that wisdom onto my own experiences seems to be cleansing in itself. There was reference in there to The Witch archetype that I must find again and relay to you.
My Grandmother once told me, in the heat of an argument, that I was completely unloveable, that I would never love anyone and no one would ever love me ... and its taken years to shake that from my psyche - there's till remnants of it there. It's got to be humbling and grounding to believe that you are loveable, in all your idiosyncratic ways ... note to self to remind myself of this daily!!