Carl Jung Night Sea Journey Lexicon
Night sea journey:
An archetypal motif in mythology, psychologically associated with depression and the loss of energy characteristic of neurosis.
The night sea journey is a kind of descensus ad inferos–a descent into Hades and a journey to the land of ghosts somewhere beyond this world, beyond consciousness, hence an immersion in the unconscious.[“The Psychology of the Transference,” CW 16, par. 455.]
Mythologically, the night sea journey motif usually involves being swallowed by a dragon or sea monster. It is also represented by imprisonment or crucifixion, dismemberment or abduction, experiences traditionally weathered by sun-gods and heroes: Gilgamesh, Osiris, Christ, Dante, Odysseus, Aeneas. In the language of the mystics it is the dark night of the soul.
Jung interpreted such legends symbolically, as illustrations of the regressive movement of energy in an outbreak of neurosis and its potential progression.
The hero is the symbolical exponent of the movement of libido. Entry into the dragon is the regressive direction, and the journey to the East (the “night sea journey”) with its attendant events symbolizes the effort to adapt to the conditions of the psychic inner world. The complete swallowing up and disappearance of the hero in the belly of the dragon represents the complete withdrawal of interest from the outer world. The overcoming of the monster from within is the achievement of adaptation to the conditions of the inner world, and the emergence (“slipping out”) of the hero from the monster’s belly with the help of a bird, which happens at the moment of sunrise, symbolizes the recommencement of progression.[“On Psychic Energy,” CW 8, par. 68.]
All the night sea journey myths derive from the perceived behavior of the sun, which, in Jung’s lyrical image, “sails over the sea like an immortal god who every evening is immersed in the maternal waters and is born anew in the morning.[“Symbols of the Mother and of Rebirth,”CW 5, par. 306.] The sun going down, analogous to the loss of energy in a depression, is the necessary prelude to rebirth. Cleansed in the healing waters (the unconscious), the sun (ego-consciousness) lives again.
Carl Jung and Journey Anthology
We cannot slay death, as we have already taken all life from it. If we still want to overcome death, then we must enliven it.
Therefore on your journey be sure to take golden cups full of the sweet drink of life, red wine, and give it to dead matter, so that it can win life back. Carl Jung; The Red Book; Liber Primus; Page 244.
As I look into its reflection, the images of Eve, the tree, and the serpent appear to me.
After this I catch sight of Odysseus and his journey on the high seas. Carl Jung, Liber Novus, Page 245.
But on the fourth night I cried, “To journey to Hell means to become Hell oneself. It is all frightfully muddled and interwoven. Carl Jung, Liber Novus, Page 240.
Therefore after his death Christ had to journey to Hell, otherwise the ascent to Heaven would have become impossible for him. Christ first had to become his Antichrist, his under worldly brother. Carl Jung, Liber Novus, Page 244.
He who journeys to Hell also becomes Hell; therefore do not forget from whence you come. Carl Jung, Liber Novus, Page 244.
Who among the living is Christ and journeys to Hell in living flesh? Carl Jung, Liber Novus, Page 300.
I hold together what Christ has kept apart in himself and through his example in others, since the more the one half of my being strives toward the good, the more the other half journeys to Hell. Carl Jung, Liber Novus, Page 315.
I hold together what Christ has kept apart in himself and through his example in others, since the more the one half of my being strives toward the good, the more the other half journeys to Hell. Carl Jung, Liber Novus, Pages 314.
You announced yourself to me in advance in dreams.
They burned in my heart and drove me to all the boldest acts of daring, and forced me to rise above myself. You let me see truths of which I had no previous inkling.
You let me undertake j0urneys, whose endless length would have scared me, if the knowledge of them had not been secure in you. Carl Jung, Liber Novus, Page 233.
These things are then lost to consciousness, and must be found again in the course of life, at the cost of infinite effort, if God is kind enough to send us a neurosis (that special gift of grace) to accompany us on life’s j0urney. Carl Jung, ETH, Lecture XIV, Page 119.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao-tzu.
Note: Although this is the popular form of this quotation, a more correct translation from the original Chinese would be “The j0urney of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet.” Rather than emphasizing the first step, Lau Tzu regarded action as something that arises naturally from stillness. Another potential phrasing would be “Even the longest journey must begin where you stand.” [note by Michael Moncur, September 01, 2004]
This journey is a great adventure in itself
