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Wednesday, March 12,2008
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Deep Consciousness
Finding the goddess within
Formany
of us, the world feels increasingly off balance. Life seems out of
joint. Many of the apparent causes are in the human environment,
whether it’s mindless movies, marketing campaigns to stimulate desire
for useless things, political doublespeak or the endless supply of
spam.
Ashok Bedi argues that much of our imbalance, and the psychic pollution around us, begins inside ourselves. Bedi, a professor of psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, isn’t a run-of-the-mill Prozac pusher or even a Freudian poking his nose into childhood Oedipal trauma. As a Jungian, Bedi has a much broader canvas on which to paint his theories.
In his latest book, Awaken the Slumbering Goddess, Bedi stresses the need for psychological balance, the harmonizing of male and female principles, the integration of universal archetypes into our consciousness. Key to his thinking is the idea that for many of us, our ego is disconnected from our soul. “I’m not thinking of soul theologically but as an empirical definition,” Bedi says. “If you look at human psychology, our day-to-day life is arranged by our ego. It is our default mode of operation. Each of us also has a deeper center of consciousness—what the Buddhists call the ‘diamond body’ and the Christians call the ‘soul.’”
Working from Carl Jung’s theory of the universal unconscious, the half-submerged dwelling place of mythological gods and goddesses, demons and heroes, Bedi sees the soul as the portal not only to our own deepest experiences as individuals, but to the cumulative wisdom of humanity and its ancestors. Although Jung developed his ideas before DNA was understood, Bedi believes that the contemporary science of the human genome helps explain the transmission of the primal archetypes that reveal themselves in dreams, fantasies and synchronicities.
When a person is out of sorts with the archetypes, “not honoring the gods and goddesses” that represent those principles, the archetypes manifest themselves in physical or psychological maladies. Bedi draws the distinction between ego and soul with this analogy: “To access the soul is like Googling your psyche. The ego is capable of looking up references in one or two books on the shelf.
The soul is capable of Googling the whole universe. Understanding the soul helps fill in what is missing in our limited ego consciousness.” Awaken the Slumbering Goddess draws on the enormous pantheon of Hinduism for the archetypal images Bedi has identified in his psychiatric practice. It’s the system of references he grew up with, but, he stresses, it’s not the only way into the unconscious.
“All mythologies are rich in raw material for understanding ourselves. We ignore them at our peril,” he says. “Archaic wisdom provides a rich heritage for human civilization. It’s not just cultural enrichment. It has an impact on our health and wholeness.”
Ashok Bedi will read from Awaken the Slumbering Goddess and sign copies, 6:30-8 p.m., March 13, at the Aurora Psychiatric Hospital’s Norris Auditorium, 1220 Dewey Ave., Wauwatosa.
Ashok Bedi argues that much of our imbalance, and the psychic pollution around us, begins inside ourselves. Bedi, a professor of psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, isn’t a run-of-the-mill Prozac pusher or even a Freudian poking his nose into childhood Oedipal trauma. As a Jungian, Bedi has a much broader canvas on which to paint his theories.
In his latest book, Awaken the Slumbering Goddess, Bedi stresses the need for psychological balance, the harmonizing of male and female principles, the integration of universal archetypes into our consciousness. Key to his thinking is the idea that for many of us, our ego is disconnected from our soul. “I’m not thinking of soul theologically but as an empirical definition,” Bedi says. “If you look at human psychology, our day-to-day life is arranged by our ego. It is our default mode of operation. Each of us also has a deeper center of consciousness—what the Buddhists call the ‘diamond body’ and the Christians call the ‘soul.’”
Working from Carl Jung’s theory of the universal unconscious, the half-submerged dwelling place of mythological gods and goddesses, demons and heroes, Bedi sees the soul as the portal not only to our own deepest experiences as individuals, but to the cumulative wisdom of humanity and its ancestors. Although Jung developed his ideas before DNA was understood, Bedi believes that the contemporary science of the human genome helps explain the transmission of the primal archetypes that reveal themselves in dreams, fantasies and synchronicities.
When a person is out of sorts with the archetypes, “not honoring the gods and goddesses” that represent those principles, the archetypes manifest themselves in physical or psychological maladies. Bedi draws the distinction between ego and soul with this analogy: “To access the soul is like Googling your psyche. The ego is capable of looking up references in one or two books on the shelf.
The soul is capable of Googling the whole universe. Understanding the soul helps fill in what is missing in our limited ego consciousness.” Awaken the Slumbering Goddess draws on the enormous pantheon of Hinduism for the archetypal images Bedi has identified in his psychiatric practice. It’s the system of references he grew up with, but, he stresses, it’s not the only way into the unconscious.
“All mythologies are rich in raw material for understanding ourselves. We ignore them at our peril,” he says. “Archaic wisdom provides a rich heritage for human civilization. It’s not just cultural enrichment. It has an impact on our health and wholeness.”
Ashok Bedi will read from Awaken the Slumbering Goddess and sign copies, 6:30-8 p.m., March 13, at the Aurora Psychiatric Hospital’s Norris Auditorium, 1220 Dewey Ave., Wauwatosa.
Also in Books:
Elections 2008
Obama seeks greater rein on financial institutions
(AP)
AP - President Barack Obama says he wants Congress to pass legislation giving the government greater regulatory authority over financial institutions like American International Group.
Sources: Pentagon to stop forced tour extension
(AP)
AP - The Army will substantially reduce use of the unpopular practice of holding troops beyond their enlistment dates and will pay $500 to those still forced to stay in the service, defense and congressional officials said Wednesday.
AIG head shares US anger of bonuses but backs them
(AP)
AP - The chief executive officer of failed insurance conglomerate AIG acknowledged Wednesday that the company's multimillion-dollar bonuses were "distasteful" to many and had provoked a firestorm of wrath. "I share that anger," Edward Liddy, chairman and CEO of the American International Group Inc., said in testimony prepared for Congress.
Analysis: White House, Dems backpedaling on AIG
(AP)
AP - For the first time since last fall's election, Democrats and the Obama administration are backpedaling furiously on an issue easily understood by financially strapped taxpayers: $165 million in bonuses paid out at bailed-out AIG.
Pence: Return AIG donations
(Politico)
Politico - House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence is urging politicians from both parties to strongly consider returning campaign contributions from AIG.
..Search Shepherd Express
Top Stories
AIG head shares US anger of bonuses but backs them
(AP)
AP - The chief executive officer of failed insurance conglomerate AIG acknowledged Wednesday that the company's multimillion-dollar bonuses were "distasteful" to many and had provoked a firestorm of wrath. "I share that anger," Edward Liddy, chairman and CEO of the American International Group Inc., said in testimony prepared for Congress.
Obama seeks greater rein on financial institutions
(AP)
AP - President Barack Obama says he wants Congress to pass legislation giving the government greater regulatory authority over financial institutions like American International Group.
Consumer prices rise by largest amount in 7 months
(AP)
AP - Consumer prices rose in February by the largest amount in seven months as gasoline prices surged again and clothing costs jumped the most in nearly two decades.
Crude
