the exile

[Guest guest]

all,

It's interesting to note that fa began this discussion by asking,

> I implore you

all to hold the tension between the opposites and not scapegoat Israel

once

again.

"Scapegoat" is a term of art, psychologically speaking, with a deep

meaning and, then, a common one. fa has fashioned here an appeal to

some 'all,' 'us' in fact. So there is a deployment in the terms of

collective psychology with respect to our modest collective here on

Jung-Fire.

The common meaning--of course--refers to the unconscious projection by

a group, of the group's refusal to  take responsibility upon an

"other." The scapegoat in this case is the likely object to which the

projection is attached. In effect, fa implores our 'all' to take

responsibility, integrate the constellation of Shadow, and relieve the

'Israel object' of having to carry our own burden.

The deeper meaning takes an exquisite form via both Analytic Psychology

and, differently via Rene Girard. I'll skip the latter* and reveal the

suggestive notion of the former.

Framed in Jungian terms, the scapegoat remains the object to which are

attached unconscious collective projections, yet this collective act is

*all the unconscious group is able to do*, so in delivering the

projection and casting out the bitter object, the group exiles the

shattering potential offered by consciousness.

The energy of loathing shows to what degree self-loathing is

unconscious in the shadow. (Perera)

Artemis Papert wrote:

At the risk of sounding a party spoiler, can we please not forget the transcendent function? Or some depth psychology beyond who projected their shadow on whom first?

Alas, the functions of scapegoating are all-or-nothing and singular.

All of the denied responsibility is constellated and is complicit in

the collective projection. This function, practically, sucks up all the

concrete details and so encapsulates the complexity of both situation

and psyche.

***

Needless to say there is plenty of blame to go around in the mid-east.

Ideas are hard to fight, and collective ideas rooted in mythic

unconsciousness, be it the idea about what God grants as a matter of

real estate, or what punishment an entire religion deserves for ancient

deeds, cannot be resolved in the play of shadow, a play that only

amplifies the force of denial, only vitalizes the reptilian, blood red

instinctual furies.

The Palestinians need their Gandhi, and the Israelis need their

Mandela; thus the single point of integrated consciousness could

provide the beginning of the 1x1x1 cascade.

Well, this would be one way of feeling through the complex in novel

archetypal terms.

***

Meanwhile, what this means for our own feeling is--in the sense of

Jung--up to the Gods and the course of our own individual integrity.

Artemis, the transcendent function is not a fruitful collective concept

in the narrow sense. My feeling is that the negredo and the fire beckon

after one has relieved themselves of the unconscious, collectively

charged, instinctive picking of a side, hoping to pick the righteous,

wishing to exile the Other.

regards,

in Clepheland

*

http://www.jeramyt.org/papers/girard.html