XPost: alt.magick, alt.traditional.witchcraft, alt.witchcraft   
   XPost: alt.pagan.magick   
   From: aregularnotdog@gmail.com   
      
   Lately I've been intrigued at the connection between Witchcraft/Magick   
   and Jungian shadow work, which had always been separate interests for   
   me, but have discovered recently they are amazingly compatible! Though   
   Jung makes a lot of comparisons and analysis to Catholicism's rituals,   
   he often states that anything can be a ritual, as long as it aids in the   
   goal of integrating the shadow through the process of action.   
      
   I have found it to be popular in the witchcraft community, and it seems   
   that people have been utilising it as part of their practice for some   
   time now. People seem to not be aware or understand it origins with   
   Jung, which deeply saddens me, as much of his work on dream   
   interpretations and divination is still used by the community to this   
   day. The ideas behind cultural ethos and the collective unconscious   
   certainly ring true to me, even in this day and age.   
      
   Furthermore, people seem to confuse a lot of his work with Freud's, who   
   was adamantly against him, and often had radically differing opinions on   
   the same subjects.  Jung is incredibly compatible with   
   Paganism/Witchcraft, I feel, unlike Freud. In the same way that Buddhism   
   is frequently very compatible with many main stream religions, and can   
   regularly be done in conjunction, I feel the same can be said for Jung   
   and witchcraft, magick, or Paganism.   
      
   His acknowledgment of archetypes is very in line with what those of us   
   who are Pagan would consider to be natural forces, gods/goddesses, or   
   spirits. Throw in concepts like Mindfulness and meditation, and I   
   honestly believe Paganism to be one of the healthiest   
   religions/spiritual practices, due primarily to the level of   
   introspection it promotes. It's freeing and non-restrictive, forces one   
   to confront their flaws and strengths in a healthy manner, get out in   
   nature, and connect with their community over good food etc. All things   
   recommended for a healthy way of life, both mentally and physically.   
      
   Obviously, at the heart of it all, any religion or spiritual practice   
   should provide these things. But more often then not, I hear many   
   stories from my more secular religious friends about the struggles they   
   have wrestling with their religion, and it's community (probably due to   
   the lack of an integrating of the shadow). I frequently feel unable to   
   relate, as I find Pagans and magickal folk, to be some of the most down   
   to earth and accepting people. I'm sure that Paganism, and Witchcraft to   
   some extent, must suffer from these issues in some regard, but probably   
   not very often due to its unorganised and casual nature. A feature that   
   typically seems to be to its benefit, rather than its hindrance.   
      
   All in all, I very much recommend shadow work, it can be highly   
   beneficial interpersonally, and magickly. Giving a place for the traits   
   often not accepted by society, allowing them a space and time to come   
   out without negative impact, can help to keep you more focused on the   
   things that matter free of that weight. I very much encourage research   
   into Jungian psychology, and further reading, as it is a very heavy topic.   
      
   My recommendation is to start with a specific concept such as shadow   
   work or dream interpretation, and to find a book written by a respected   
   Jungian psychoanalysis/psychologist. They typically give a good overview   
   of his rather large body of work. Reading raw Jung to learn about one   
   topic he has written on is often an expensive, and timely pursuit, as it   
   will be scattered across a multitude of texts. Thus, why I urge you to   
   buy one book that is essentially a compilation on one of the topics he   
   discussed and founded.   
   --   
   The spookiest member of your newsgroup!   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)