Many post-Jungians have usefully and successfully clarified and extended the work of Carl Jung.
James Hillman, in my view, is one of the few to
transcend it - seeing its true potential, as if from above.
Here I cover James Hillman's main idea that there is always a CURRENT MYTH for the next stage of the development of humankind. Unless the current myth is recognised and used, the consequence will be the misuse of one’s mythical framework: one will be living the wrong story.
1. MYTHICAL CONFUSION
Peoples and individuals all over the world will continue to find themselves in conflict and also unhappy, even diseased, within themselves because they persist in living mythical frameworks which no longer have direct relevance to the curent development of humankind.
Through ignorance and conditioning they cannot, or refuse to, approach the CURRENT MYTH for the onward journey of humankind - with an open mind, and an open heart.
There are today, so many mythical frameworks available to us from all sorts of traditions.
These give rise to a viewing and recognition of so much arising from the psyche. We have learnt to give the various mythical traditions a Neptunian equal value (saying something like: the Aboriginal culture is equal in value to, say, the Christian culture). In one respect this is an important recognition, since it enables us
to value all aspects of our human history and myths.
However, equalising everything can, and does, have the profound pernicious opposite effect of nullifying the CURRENT MYTH coming forth for human development. This is because these old traditions, in themselves, and without a current myth to align to, are
dead traditions: they are dead in terms of not offering any potential for the further and next step of the human journey;
their purpose was fulfilled in their time of revelation.
The profound – and essential – value of the older traditions (whether Celtic, Vedic, Buddhist or Greek/Roman, etc.) lies in realigning their old or ‘primitive’ resurgent energies to the current myth for the development of human kind.
2. THE RESURGENCE OF OLDER MYTHS
The older traditions are resurgent for 2 paradoxical reasons:
- they resurface to resist the new, because the new myth demands a conscious SPIRITUAL perception and intelligence from an individual. The lazy enactment of the old myths does not require inner effort and intelligence; the old myths are habitual patterns from the past, often with a lazy unconscious and primitive clairvoyance.
- they resurface to seek release from being bound to the round of everlasting suffering -
a release which only the CURRENT MYTH for humankind offers them.
In a fundamental sense the old myths are now more needed than ever.
Because these are the material and building blocks the current myth will need to transmute and transform. According to Rudolf Steiner, the outer forms of these old myths will initially stay the same - but inwardly, at the spiritual level, the individual and consciousness of their society will
gradually be renewed and revived - with an eventual resurrection to the new development stage of humankind, brought about by the current myth.
I trust the above explanation covers why it is essential to differentiate 'new' archetypes being activated for the current myth of human development – and not consider all mythical frameworks as equal in value: this would explain why it is necessary to, say, differentiate the Devil (as Lucifer from the Old Testament) from Satan of the New Testament - who belongs to the current myth with an entirely different set of characteristics, energies and purposes.
3. DISCOVERING THE CURRENT MYTH FOR THE NEXT STEP IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
So what is the myth currently calling and being constellated for the onward journey of humankind? James Hillman does not reveal this.
The current myth for the next step in the development of humankind may be revealed in a variety of ways should one be receptive - after having some freedom from a compulsive attachment to the old myths. It took me 2 full years to discover what old myths I was trapped in. See my process below.
One may hear and read about the new myth – particularly from esoteric sources. One is here relying on ones sense of the trustworthiness of the source.
Ultimately though, a sense of the Truth of the new myth comes from within – through inner spiritual perception, interpretation and application - particularly application in transmuting and releasing old mythical impulses towards the new purpose for humankind.
My story of discovery, briefly: I am not from a Christian background by parentage or upbringing - and before 2005 I had only the most superficial interest in Christianity. In 2003 I read James Hillman's message (paraphrased above). Since I had little idea of what he meant by 'the current myth for mankind' I focused initially on the Greek and Roman myths - because I knew that that is where things seem to be at. I also then studied many other mythical traditions.
One day, in 2005, I awoke to a continuing bother with the story of Genesis and 'The Fall' going round and round in my mind. Inner questioning made me realise I needed to go and see someone who had studied Christianity in a deeper sense. I eventually saw a priest/Doctor of Theology who advised that I read three stories from the New Testament: The return of the Prodigal Son, The elevation of the Virgin Mary and the birth of the baby Jesus, and the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ stories.
After I read these I perceived the contrast between the old myth of 'The Fall' of man - and the New Testament about the death to the old, and the birth and resurrection of the new.
I then became a Christian.
4. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AS THE CURRENT MYTH OF INDIVIDUAL AND HUMANKIND’S DEVELOPMENT
In the years since, I studied the writings of Rudolf Steiner and then Robert Powell, where I read about esoteric Christianity and the Second Coming of Christ in great detail.
According to Rudolf Steiner (who died in 1925) the 2nd Coming of Christ begins in 1933 - and it will unfold over the next 2500 years. My perception indicates that it has quickened since the millennium - I will cover the indications in the world in a subsequent post.
Key distinguishing characteristics of the Second Coming of Christ:
- In the Second Coming, Christ does not incarnate for us in the physical realm, but ‘appears’ to us inwardly as a spiritual being in the etheric realm
- Christ does not appear as a general template for humankind to die to the old myths (as in the Death on the Cross of the New Testament) – but rather
- Christ appears as a specific template for each individual – so that each individual may play their own true and UNIQUE part in the next stage of human development.
- He descends, not as the Son of God, but as The Divine God.
- He comes into us as the King of all Kings, Lord of all Lords. This will be the cancellation of all outward authority and priesthood. There will be only One authority: that of the Priesthood of Christ within the individual.
- He will lead each to their own Divine destiny.
- Christ, upon acknowledgement of Him is us, consecrates and makes us a priest.
- The next stage of human development ultimately realises, ‘I am the drop and the Ocean’: because each step of an individual’s spiritual development is aligned by Christ to the development of the whole of humankind - which includes all of nature.
- Satan, also known as The Serpent, is the key archetypal challenge for the Second Coming. Satan is an entirely different archetype to the Devil (Lucifer) – and the psyche is abused if one confuses these two different spiritual beings. The Satanic temptations are those faced by Jesus Christ in His 40 days in the wilderness.
For an individual to begin to live the Second Coming of Christ consciously, he/she only needs to seek Him. He/she will then find, and can acknowledge, with reverence, the spiritual Presence of the Christ within.
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