It’s Monday! Welcome to the new week!
Our teacher this week is Carl Jung who made a lasting impact on the science of the mind as the father of “analytical psychology” during the first half of the 20th century. He understood though that in the pursuit of creating a clear science of human consciousness, it would be impossible to exclude spirituality as he described:
“The decisive question for man is: Is he related to something infinite or not? That is the telling question of his life. Only if we know that the thing which truly matters is the infinite, can we avoid fixing our interests upon futilities. The more a man lays stress on false possessions, and the less sensitivity he has for what is essential, the less satisfying is his life. He feels limited because he has limited aims, and the result is envy and jealousy. If we understand and feel that here in this life we already have a link with the infinite, then desires and attitudes change.” – Carl Jung, “Memories, Dreams, Reflections”
Jung could see clearly that even reaching the greatest heights of material success didn’t manifest in a happy life if it was devoid of deeper meaning, and lacked an understanding of how we are connected to what is bigger than ourselves.
So as always on a Monday we’ll take a moment to become clear about what our goals are for this week. What is it that we want to create this week? What are the boxes that we want to have checked off by the end of the week? But also this week we take the opportunity to pause on this question:
“What is it that gives my life meaning?”
“The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it.” – Carl Jung
“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being.” – Carl Jung
Spend a bit of time with the following questions this week. Maybe come back to them daily for the next few days and see if your answers to them become clearer:
- What moves you?
- What moves your heart and your soul?
- What moves your emotions?
- What thoughts and ideas make you feel like you must DO something about it?
- What thoughts and ideas move you into taking action?
The point is not to come up with one final answer that lasts forever but to create in ourselves the regular habit of reflection. So, along with your goals for this week, also ask yourself this question:
“How do I pay more attention to what gives my life meaning?”
Join us for today’s meditation journey and take the time to create a clear intention for your week.
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Jumpstart the week.