Given these general, often disturbing, capacities of human imagination, I turn to some of the more positive and constructive uses of imagination by we humans.
Unity of Opposites
Our capacity to transcend allows us to not just step outside ourselves, lift ourselves to a higher plane and look down upon the history, future and scope of our universe, but also to step “inside” ourselves, so that we might view the ongoing dialogue (and warfare) among the diverse forces and entities operating in our psyche. And in this viewing of our internal life, we can also Imagine the unity of opposite and often opposing psychic forces and entities. I invite in the Jungians at this point to describe what occurs when imagination is engaged to bring about unification.
Van Eenwyk (1997, Pp. 37-38) specifically writes about the engagement of imagination to produce “unifying symbols”:
“Images that ‘help us over’ are known as ‘uniting symbols’ in light of their ability to combine opposites into a symbolic unity. They are the platypuses in the world of symbols, resolving tensions by combining seemingly contradictory elements into a unique whole. As such, they are extraordinarily powerful symbols that transcend and transform the perspective of the ego, leading to new directions and patterns for growth. By creating transitions, such symbols “give rise to becoming, to individuation, to the metamorphosis of personality. [Peter Homans, “Psychology and Hermeneutics: Jung’s Contributions”, p. 353]”
Jung viewed these symbols as “highways” that are traveled by the psyche through an internal environment that is filled with oppositional forces. These are forces that can block this travel if the symbol is not present. The Mandala is a common unified system. It was frequently used by Carl Jung, and displayed in his Red Book (Jung, 2009), during his personal journal at Küsnacht. The Ying/Yang is another unifying symbol, as is the Phenix rising from the ashes.
An important unifying symbol for me is the Banyon Tree. Its spreading branches take root at a distance from the main trunk; furthermore, merchants, traders and would-be philosophers, called the Banians, traded information and insights while sitting under the Banyon Tree. This unifying symbol was particularly important for me when I was presiding over a graduate school that recruited students from throughout the world, who would share perspectives and practices while residing under my school’s “Banyon Tree.”
We can also turn to a more “practical” version of the unification process, found in the writing of Barry Johnson about polarity management. As I noted in the third essay in this series, polarities, according to Johnson (1996/2020) polarities “live in us and we live in them” Specifically, Johnson identifies polarities as “interdependent pairs that need each other over time.” Much as the Ying needs the Yang, and the Jungian Shadow needs the Persona, all polarities exist precisely because its oppositive also exists. According to Johnson, polarities are pervasive. “They exist in every level of system from the inside of our brains to global issues.” Their soul-wrenching impact is based on their “unavoidable, unsolvable (in that you can’t choose one pole as a sustainable solution), indestructible, and unstoppable” presence.
