Description
Individuation is a path of awakening...transforming
...becoming conscious...being fully engaged in living... being authentically alive... and fulfilling the unique pattern within ourselves.
There is a common thread that runs throughout this book of lectures and seminars that Dr. Harris presented over the last ten years, including the questions and exercises that sparked reflection and participation. In Jungian terms, the process he spoke about is referred to as individuation, yet, personally, Dr. Harris calls it the search for Self and the search for God. He also emphasizes that this process of fruitful self-knowledge calls us into a continuing confrontation with ourselves and our experiences.
"This search - which has required me to become liberated from the person that I had been shaped, formed, and indoctrinated into being, as I grew up - has been and is the foundation for my growing consciousness and for becoming real. In Zurich, I became keenly aware of the power of the deep, innate, substrate patterns within us, which are called archetypes. In particular, I came to understand that religion and spirituality are the great, primordial archetypal pathways that offer the possibility of connecting to the Self, to God within us.
Through these universal pathways of religion and spirituality, we find an archetypal, living Story that can nurture, inspire, and sustain us, and give perspective and meaning to our lives. Yet, this living, sacred pathway must also be able to evolve in our psyche or soul, as we ourselves evolve throughout our lives. It must be able to continue to support our connection to the Self, God within us.
Our spiritual selves actually need these ongoing, religious/spiritual practices that can, in a day-to-day way, support and inspire our connection to life and the presence of the Self and the Divine within us."
About the Author
Bud Harris, PhD, is one of the most prolific Jungian authors of our time. He's authored and co-authored 15 books, and has been in the field of Jungian psychology for 30 years. At 82 years old, he has a long-standing practice in Asheville, North Carolina, which is still thriving. Dr. Harris defines himself as a husband, a father, grandfather, psychologist and Jungian analyst. Early in his life he earned a bachelor's degree in management from Georgia Tech in Atlanta Georgia. After Tech, Bud became a businessman and then owned his own business which he operated successfully. However, in spite of his achievements, he found his life in the cul-de-sac that he explains in his book Sacred Selfishness. Following a period of dissatisfaction and searching, he returned to school to change careers and eventually earned his PhD in psychology. After becoming a psychotherapist and psychologist, he experienced the call to further his growth by becoming a Jungian analyst. Bud moved to Zürich, Switzerland where he trained for over five years until he became a diplomate Jungian analyst. Bud explains that "In many ways my educational odyssey has been a reflection of the transformational pattern of my life." Bud notes that writing Sacred Selfishness (his fourth book) was a labor of love. He says, "Jungian work becomes the path of a authentic life, a life that is fulfilling, passionate and full of love. And this journey is fueled by self-knowledge and awareness. This is the path that healed and transformed my life." "I also wanted to write the book I wish someone had written when I was struggling in my early thirties or at midlife. By this I mean a book for everyone that isn't loaded with professional jargon. While I love the books by Jung and other depth psychologists, I found them difficult until I became schooled in the field." Bud and his wife met while they were both training to be analysts in Zürich and they have co-authored two books. Massimilla was born and grew up in Verona Italy. Originally, she went to business school herself. In her late twenties she returned to the University of Padova where she earned her PhD in psychology and became a practicing psychologist. Like Bud, she reports that the call of her destiny took her to Zürich to pursue her growth. The book that Massimilla and Bud co-authored, Like Gold Through Fire, originated as her thesis at the Jung Institute in Switzerland. Massimilla reports that the theme of this book, the transforming power of suffering, was revealed to her in a series of dreams that were so powerful that she initially wondered if she was going to die. But after carefully working with the dreams she realized that they were leading her into a course of study and a deeper understanding of the nature of suffering and its place in human life and growth. Bud and Massimilla both live and practice in Asheville, North Carolina. They have lectured widely and continue to write. Visit their website budharris.com and Facebook page facebook.com/BudHarrisPh.D
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