Relation between Psychology and Magic
The psychology of Magic: Transpersonal Psychology
Have you known how magician plays magic tricks which
makes our mind get cheated. Here are some brief explanation about the mind and
magic.
The
Balance Between Mind and Magic
Psychology and Magic.
Coinciding with an interest in magic, today there is also
increased attention being paid to transpersonal or depth psychology, a trend
initiated by Jung and further examined by psychologists such as Roberto
Assagioli (1888-1975). The word transpersonal means that which transcends the
personal or the individual. Transpersonal psychology takes a more spiritual
approach to the human dilemma, and does not reject the idea of the soul –
rather, it embraces it. A true system of transpersonal psychology must examine
the highest aspects of the unconscious and take a philosophical as well as
pragmatic approach to human evolution.
Seeing that psychoanalysis was an incomplete system,
Assagioli developed his own form of therapy and called it psychosynthesis.
Psychosynthesis accept the idea of the soul, the libido, and the imagination as
essential aspects of the human being. It also includes the use of symbolism and
allegory to initiate alchemical change and psychic integration.
May I emphasize the fact that the elements and functions,
coming from the superconscious, such as aesthetic, ethical, religious
experiences, intuition, inspiration, states of mystical consciousness, are
factual, are real in the pragmatic sense ... because they are effective ...
producing changes both in the inner and outer world. There they are amenable to
observation and experimentation, through the use of the scientific method in
ways suited to their nature; also they can be influenced and utilized through
psycho-spiritual techniques.
Assagioli defined the parts of the psyche (see Figure,
below) as:
The Collective Unconscious, a surrounding psychic
"membrane" which permits constant and active interchange between all
parts of the psyche and with the general psychic environment. It is the common
primordial symbols, images, and metaphors of all humanity – the part of the
soul that is shared. Archetypes of the collective unconscious include extremely
primordial god images such as the Mesopotamian Apsu and the Greek Chaos.
The Higher Self or the true transpersonal self which is
above and unaffected by the thoughts from the mind-stream or the sensations of
the body. It is that pure consciousness, the core self, that underlies all
other aspects and functions of the psyche as well. All personal energy and
consciousness issues from this source. Archetypes of the higher self include
omnipotent sky gods such as the Babylonian Marduk, the Greek Zeus, and the
Hebrew Yahweh.
The Conscious Self or "I" is the ego or point
of self-awareness. It is the seat of personal identity that we organize our
field of awareness around. Its function is to coordinate the vast amount of
interior and exterior information that we acquire and to act as a intermediary
between our internal and external realities. Experience is processed by the ego
through various functions such as the emotions, the senses, the intellect, and
the imagination. To carry out these duties, the ego relies on discrimination,
reason, and certain defense mechanisms that often conflict with other aspects
of the psyche, sometimes posting obstacles to growth and healing.
Archetypes of
the ego include all deities who have "walked between the worlds" of
life and death (conscious and subconscious), such as the Sumerian Inanna and
the Egyptian Osiris.
The Field of Consciousness, which contains the ego, is
the incessant flow of observable images, feelings, thoughts, sensations, and
impulses. Archetypes of this region include several groups of deities with a
variety of attributions: wisdom (Enki, Thoth, Hermes); love (Hathor,
Aphrodite); war (Horus, Ares); pleasure (Bes, Pan); etc.
The Higher Unconscious or Superconscious is the
transpersonal level of the unconscious – containing higher intuitions,
inspirations, latent psychic functions, and spiritual energies. It is here that
the higher self expresses itself in various forms through archetypes. The
ordinary person is usually unaware of these forces and archetypes until they
are brought to light during the process of self-realization. Archetypes of the
superconscious include the first gods of a pantheon, such as the Greek Titans
or the Norse Giants.
The Middle Unconscious is an inner region similar and
accessible to that of the waking consciousness. This contains all things in our
field of awareness that we are not normally aware of, but that we can become
aware of. It is an unconscious matrix that underlies the conscious mind where
the mental activities are "incubated" before their birth into
consciousness. Archetypes of the middle unconscious include all deities who are
associated with prophecy and oracles, such as the Greek divinities Apollo and
Gaea.
The Lower Unconscious contains fundamental drives,
primitive urges, inferior dreams, and complexes. This is the personal
unconscious which is the storehouse of hidden memories, repressed psychic
content, and the shadow personality. This part of the psyche is accessed by
working with hypnosis, trance, and imagery. Archetypes of the lower unconscious
include all underworld deities, such as the Sumerian goddess Ereshkigal and the
Greek divinities Hades and Persephone.
Figure: Assagioli's Model of the Psyche
If we were to add anything to Assagioli's model it would
be the body, or manifest psyche, which must be considered in a holistic
psychology. Mind and body are interrelated extensions of one another. Just as
physical discomfort can affect the mind, the mind, through focused
visualization, can affect the body. Archetypes of the manifest psyche include
all earth deities, such as the Egyptian Geb, the Babylonian Ninhursag, and the
Greek Demeter.
Assagioli's division of the psyche is remarkably similar
to the Qabalistic model of the soul. Like Jung he saw the pressing need for all
human beings to achieve a balanced inner integration and true self-realization,
and he outlined a system for achieving this goal in four stages:
Thorough knowledge of one's personality. This includes a
frank analysis of all parts of the psyche, both conscious and unconscious,
including the shadow. Psychoanalysis is the method used by the therapist for this
objective. (In magic and alchemy it is the first half of the equation solve et
coagula – dissolve and coagulate)
Control of the personality's various elements. After
having discovered all parts of the psyche, we must take control of them.
According to Assagioli, one of the most effective ways of achieving this is a
method called disidentification, which aids in the dissolution of harmful
complexes whose newly freed energies can be controlled and used toward more
positive ends. Dispelling these complexes requires the methods of
objectification, critical analysis, and discrimination. (In magic, the shadow
aspects of the psyche are collectively called the evil persona – they must be
recognized, subjugated to the magician's higher spiritual will, and their energies
transmuted and employed for the completion of the Great Work.)
Realization of one's true self: the discovering or
creation of a unifying center. The intermediate link which, if focused on and
identified with, allows for the integration / unification of the lower and
higher selves, and freedom from selfish interests and personal limitations. A
point of connection between the individual and the divine self, which is
reflected and symbolized in that point.
Psychosynthesis: the formation or reconstruction of the
personality around the new center. Once the unifying center is found, the next
step is to gradually and systematically build a new "ideal"
personality around it in an organized, purposeful manner and with clear,
achievable goals in mind.
Practical psychosynthesis commences with the construction
of this new personality. This process involves the active utilization of all
available energies and the transmutation of unconscious and previously latent
forces – development of those aspects of the personality which are weak or
insufficient. It is accomplished through techniques of auto-suggestion,
affirmation, visualization, and by the systematic training of the less
developed functions of imagination, will, and memory. Finally, all the various
psychological energies and functions must be coordinated as the new personality
achieves a stable organized form.
There are many levels in this process of transmutation
and self-realization, and as stated earlier, they are not always entirely
pleasant. It is a multi-faceted process which includes several stages – the
elimination of impediments which block the flow of energies between the
superconscious and the lower realms of consciousness, evolvement of latent or
dormant higher functions (memory, will, imagination, etc.), and stages where
the ego must yield to the work of the higher self and withstand the stresses and
unavoidable discomfiture that the process requires.
In magic, this is the spiritual discipline of the Great
Work and reunification – the second half of the solve et coagula formula of
alchemy. It represents our goal to "become more than human," or in
less mystical terms, to become the best possible human being we can be,
evolving to our fullest potential.
Various methods and tools are employed in
psychosynthesis, just as they are in other transpersonal psychologies. In
psychosynthesis, the focus is always on a holistic approach to treatment, and
all techniques used are subservient to the health, well-being, and psychic
integration of the individual. The keeping of a diary, dream analysis, free
association, hypnosis, group analysis, psychodrama, relaxation, meditation,
music therapy, autosuggestion, humor therapy, chromotherapy, disidentification,
visualization, development of the will, utilization of the symbols and
metaphors, transmutation and sublimation of sexual energies, and development of
the imagination are but a few of the methods used to obtain self-realization.
One of the goals of psychosynthesis is to integrate the
superconscious, as much as possible, into the conscious and unconscious realms.
Numerous metaphors for this process of self-realization and self-integration
can be found in the language of the alchemists. What spiritual alchemy
describes as the transformation of lead into gold is simply another way of
describing the transmutation of the mundane into the spiritual, discord into
harmony, and the personal into the transcendent.
[image source: photostock.com]
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