The Tools: 5 Tools to Help You Find Courage, Creativity, and Willpower--and Inspire You to Live Life in Forward Motion

Carl Jung brilliantly revealed this in his study of dreams, religious imagery, and mythology. The unconscious lives in a world of universal symbols more powerful than logic. The Source is one of those symbols.

Attributing human qualities to the Source triggers emotions in us that make the relationship feel real. All religions, in their own way, personify the divine to reach the same end.

On the other hand, there is a large group of people who have spiritual inclinations but don’t connect easily to organized religion. For them, the concept of the Source gives a name to an experience they’ve already had but might not have defined: the sense that everything is given by a beneficent universe. This new focus deepens their sense of grate

But for it to be really lasting, the connection has to be ongoing—which means you have to keep working on it. This is counterintuitive. Normally we envision peace of mind as a resting state. But that isn’t peace, it’s passivity. Because it requires constant work to stay connected to the Source—peace of mind is an active state.

With practice, you’ll bring the same diligence to your spiritual hygiene as you do to your physical hygiene. At that point you’ll become a spiritual adult.

When images from the unconscious emerged, rather than intellectually analyzing them, Jung would encourage the patient to interact with them. He called this “Active Imagination.” His goal was to integrate these figures—including the Shadow—into the patient’s sense of himself, making him whole. He called this state the “Self.”

When you’re connected to the Force of Self-Expression, a part of you speaks that’s usually silent. You’re speaking from your deepest, inner self.

In fact, the ancients saw self-expression as the fundamental quality of the universe. In Genesis, God is portrayed as a self-expressive being. God says let there be light, and light is created.

In fact, any human endeavor can provide a place for this force to express itself.