Week Ten

Individuation and the creative process: Sylvia and Atisa -

Background info:
1. Jung: text of a lecture on the nature of individuation. <here>

2. Here's a good handout on Jungian terms.
The quote below is taken from it:

"INDIVIDUATION. Jung believed that a human being is inwardly whole, but that most of us have lost touch with important parts of our selves. Through listening to the messages of our dreams and waking imagination, we can contact and reintegrate our different parts. The goal of life is individuation, the process of coming to know, giving expression to, and harmonizing the various components of the psyche. If we realize our uniqueness, we can undertake a process of individuation and tap into our true self. Each human being has a specific nature and calling which is uniquely his or her own, and unless these are fulfilled through a union of conscious and unconscious, the person can become sick."

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The article by Anthony Storr talks about Beethoven's "Grosse Fuge" and how it illustrates the process of individuation.
Here's a string quartet version of this piece.

What is a fugue? See <here> for a definition. (Another example below. The clip shows the sheet music along with the soundtrack.)


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Carlos Castaneda and the power of dreams:
(See here for entry.)

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Sylvia mentioned the Hindu festival she witnessed in Malaysia.
Here's a brief explanation.


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The Discursive Mind:
This link will take you to the Amazon site and let you look at selected portions of the book.









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The unconscious mind: Is there such a thing?

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Good article on the life and work of Hafez, a Persian poet who's work can be seen as an illustration of individuation.

"Open my grave when I am dead, and thou shalt see a cloud of smoke rising out from it; then shalt thou know that the fire still burns in my dead heart -- yea, it has set my very winding-sheet alight."

"If the scent of her hair were to blow across my dust when I had been dead a hundred years, my mouldering bones would rise and come dancing out of the tomb."

"I have estimated the influence of Reason upon Love and found that it is like that of a raindrop upon the ocean, which makes one little mark upon the water's face and disappears." <link to page>

(And information on sufism.)
Link here for some music used in dances.
And here for a clip of dancing:



Click here for a Persian example

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Music and The Mind
Anthony Storr
(Another Amazon link, allows you to browse sections of the book.)






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The Lion of Comarre:
Arthur C. Clark. A novella. Here's a review.
"The theme of a humanity that has reached an impasse and refuses to collectively develop is an interesting one, and all the more surprising considering that Clarke is writing in 1946! What’s fascinating for instance is Clarke writing about super-minds and hyper-intelligent machines when computers were still top-secret devices held in military laboratories…"




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Law in itself and Final Comments:
Amanda and Ian:

Casabianca: analysis and text

"Faith on trial"
Here's a great site that gives handouts and guidance for setting up a "mock trail" built around a literature-based event.




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