A Jungian approach to your psyche through the Gothic lens
When you are too stressed or feel that you are in a vicious circle from which it seems that you cannot get out, think of that saying of our Spanish proverb that says: "everything has a solution except death" which comes hand in hand with this other one : "While there is life there is hope".
Every so often life stops us abruptly to show us its most unpleasant face taking away someone we know.
Depending on the relationship you had with that person, that's how his or her death will affect you, even if it's just to make you think.
A few days ago, someone I had worked with some years ago died, and although we did not have a close relationship, her death has had an enormous impact on me, and has reminded me, once again, of the vulnerability of our existence.
Undoubtedly, the time will come to all of us, but in this battle to avoid death, some fall by their pathway before having had the opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest.
This is why, in this post, I want to talk to you about the difference between fate and destiny. In English, "fate" and "destiny" are terms that when translated into Spanish cause some trouble, because "fate" in English also means destiny and "luck" can also mean "fate" in English.
The reason why I want to talk to you about this today is because, although closely related, the consequences of the outcome that one of these terms imply does not depend on our actions, but it does with the other term. For this reason, knowing how somehow our future depends on our actions and learning to accept when we cannot do anything else can help us to maintain balance and therefore contribute to our personal growth while we are still alive.
Throughout the post we will also relate these concepts to the Gothic mode and Jungian psychology to help you better understand your internal processes.
But before we continue, remember that:
If you are interested in learning more about Gothic Literature, the Gothic Mode and its connection with Jungian Psychology, don't miss my monthly magazine: You Are Gothic But You Don't Know It.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LUCK AND DESTINY
In the previous entry I told you how it annoys me when people tell me: "you're so lucky!". That's the kind of luck we can control somehow, for better or for worse. On the other hand, the destiny understood as "fate" is that type of predetermined luck.
The difference is very subtle since "fate", also known as fatum or fate, is something that we cannot control, and "luck", although we cannot completely control it either, we can consider it good or bad and this result will be the one that takes us to one destiny or another. If you think about the phrase: "the dice are thrown" you will realise that what they want to tell us is that, to some extent, our actions influence future events.
As we learn in the book An Introduction To Jungian Coaching by Avi Goren-Bar, Jungian psychology uses these two concepts to explain the journey of the hero archetype with the intention of helping us understand our path.
For the father of analytical psychology, C. G. Jung, each one of us has the duty to create awareness, so everything that makes us uncomfortable and takes us out of our comfort zone is what also helps us detect our qualities (p.179).
Did her life choices cause my work colleague to develop cancer, or was she genetically predetermined? Sometimes it is a mixture of the two.
The last time we spoke, she was very clear that the pressure and the work environment in which she found herself had been the cause.
ARCHETYPES THAT MAKE OUR FATE AND DESTINY
I have spoken of the three moiras ("fates" in English) on several occasions in my digital magazine You are Gothic but you don't know it.
In Greek mythology, the Fates (Moirai), were three divinities called Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos who wove the destiny of humans. Although humans could continue to have free will, their lives were woven by the Fates.
Clotho spun the lives of humans from the moment they were in their mothers' womb. Lachesis measured the length of the threads that would determine how long each human would live and finally Atropos put an end to each existence, cutting the thread.
In the heroic journey of each of us, we find ourselves with different tests to overcome and the consequences of thoses tests will depend on the choices we make at each moment.
In the TV show Supernatural, for example, we see how the brothers are constantly negotiating their fate and destiny, to the point of even killing death itself (Julian Richings) to escape the fatality of any curse caused by themselves or by external factors.
THE THREE STEPS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHEN ACCEPTING YOUR CHALLENGES
Fear, insecurities, and uncertainty can hinder our happiness when we do not accept the challenges that life puts before us.
Ignoring the voice that is yelling at us from within and struggling to get out is a form of disconnection with ourselves. However, this is due to a reasonable fear, since changing what we don't like in our lives implies a great investment of energy and a large dose of willpower to embark on the path towards change.
As Avi Goren-Bar tells us, "the psychic mission to connect the ego" with our "unconscious and work with the Ego-Self axis is challenging."
Therefore, the three steps that will help us psychologically during our journey of self-recognition are, according to the Jungian psychologist Erich Neumann, the following:
Separation from the mother: leaving the comfort zone
Knowing your masculine and feminine energy: to connect with your Anima and Animus.
Psychological values and modes: search for balance between your conscious and unconscious to integrate all the elements of your personality.
(p. 179-180)
FINAL THOUGHTS
We cannot escape death but we can decide how to live out a happier life by being better connected within.
Luck and destiny are two concepts that help us accept to a more or lesser extent what happens to us on our life journey.
Greek mythology is an important archetypal and symbolic source to help us understand the structure of our psyche.
Being aware of the steps you can take will help you set your path without fear.
Until the next entry!
Thanks for reading,
Alice
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Bibliography
Williams, B. (2022. 31 Mayo). The Fates in Greek Mythology: Hanging by a Thread. The.Collector. https://www.thecollector.com/fates-greek-mythology/
Goren-Bar, Avi. An Introduction To Jungian Coaching , 2022, Routledge, 2022, 10.4324/9780429351518.
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