What if you feel like your life has been many instances of being inner, and not focusing on your outer much or status quo..is that where the “devouring mother” comes in? Because that’s what it feels like…when I see the status quo chart, it just never seemed something I was focusing on (maybe I’m wrong here) but I feel like my life is in reverse or something and I’m drowning in the “inner” like you drew and I don’t know how to push myself to the “outer” more…any advise ?? Or does that make sense? Thx
Hi thanks for watching and the comment. I think it all depends on the definitions used for “inner” and “outer” in your comment, so I’ll just share some points that come to mind and hopefully these are relevant. This got quite long…once I get going, it’s hard to stop! But perhaps this will be interesting to anyone ends up reading it. 1st. The term I use ‘Status Quo’ in this paradigm is meant to describe the social systems of inherited thought that imprint and condition a human being’s nervous system. We all have been conditioned to great extent by the environmental and social systems that we grow up in. The persona / ego / personality is crafted by the Status Quo. Even what Jung would call an introvert (an inward, less social personality) is still a reaction to the Status Quo and a personality type *within* the Status Quo. So this type of inward person is still operating within the Status Quo structure - even if not very outwardly or effectively. There are countless ways to improve performance within the Status Quo if this is something that feels lacking in your life. The entire self-help, personal, and business effectiveness industries provide a lot of advice. It’s hard to comb through, but there’s good advice out there. The material that helps you will depend on your specific areas you want to develop. You may also need to seek professional advice/help from counseling or therapists if there are big emotional/psychological blockers in your life to becoming a more “effective society game player” in the Status Quo. Unfortunately, socio-economic conditions can also play a big role in this, and sometimes these feel out of our control. This is tough to deal with, but one must take it day by day and play the hand we’re dealt to make conditions better for ourselves and others. 2nd point. Eight circuit yoga is the symbolic metaphor/map I use to understand the first person human experience. When I talk about “inner” in this context, I’m not really referring to a personality type - I’m referring to one’s first person experience of life, the images that arise within the imagination, and the personal feeling/sensations that are experienced with those images. I have a long series on Eight Circuit Yoga, but to boil it all down: the first four circuits are the Status Quo. In order to experience a fuller range of life, rooted in something deeper within one’s humanity, the higher circuits must also be activated and harmonized with the lower circuits. If one’s life is solely focused on any one of the circuits including the higher esoteric “inner” circuits, there is imbalance and disharmony. Harmony arises when all 8 circuits are activated in proper relationship to each other. That in detail will look very different from person to person, but the harmony experienced in day to day life will *feel* similar to different experiencers. 3rd. My sense of this figure/idea of “devouring mother” comes from disharmony. From my point of view, the recurring image of a devouring mother comes from a lack of proper relationship to what Jung would call the anima (the feminine with oneself) and its broader extension: the anima mundi called Yin, the Taoist feminine principle of life or Shakti, a Hindu feminine principle of life. I think the all-too-common characterization of the feminine principle as “chaotic” and needing to be “fought” or defeated by “order” is a symptom of disharmony with the feminine principle of life. A lot of improper relationship to “her” comes from Status Quo conditioning and also potentially from inter-personal issues with the mother figure in one’s own life. Probably some of Freud and Jung’s big picture thoughts on mother complexes and mythology can be a somewhat helpful in understanding, although many of the specifics of their theories are now outdated and/or discredited. Conventional therapy and self-help can probably be helpful in dealing with the inter-personal issue. When it comes to the broader issue of relationship to the power of life, in Eight circuit yoga series, I advocate for the cultivation of methodical surrender to the power of life through a day to day sitting practice. I also mention some conjecture on why prostrations continue to be a powerful useful practice for people around the world.
This was beautifully put together and I'm so grateful 🙏.
What if you feel like your life has been many instances of being inner, and not focusing on your outer much or status quo..is that where the “devouring mother” comes in? Because that’s what it feels like…when I see the status quo chart, it just never seemed something I was focusing on (maybe I’m wrong here) but I feel like my life is in reverse or something and I’m drowning in the “inner” like you drew and I don’t know how to push myself to the “outer” more…any advise ?? Or does that make sense? Thx
Hi thanks for watching and the comment. I think it all depends on the definitions used for “inner” and “outer” in your comment, so I’ll just share some points that come to mind and hopefully these are relevant. This got quite long…once I get going, it’s hard to stop! But perhaps this will be interesting to anyone ends up reading it.
1st. The term I use ‘Status Quo’ in this paradigm is meant to describe the social systems of inherited thought that imprint and condition a human being’s nervous system. We all have been conditioned to great extent by the environmental and social systems that we grow up in. The persona / ego / personality is crafted by the Status Quo.
Even what Jung would call an introvert (an inward, less social personality) is still a reaction to the Status Quo and a personality type *within* the Status Quo. So this type of inward person is still operating within the Status Quo structure - even if not very outwardly or effectively.
There are countless ways to improve performance within the Status Quo if this is something that feels lacking in your life. The entire self-help, personal, and business effectiveness industries provide a lot of advice. It’s hard to comb through, but there’s good advice out there. The material that helps you will depend on your specific areas you want to develop.
You may also need to seek professional advice/help from counseling or therapists if there are big emotional/psychological blockers in your life to becoming a more “effective society game player” in the Status Quo. Unfortunately, socio-economic conditions can also play a big role in this, and sometimes these feel out of our control. This is tough to deal with, but one must take it day by day and play the hand we’re dealt to make conditions better for ourselves and others.
2nd point. Eight circuit yoga is the symbolic metaphor/map I use to understand the first person human experience. When I talk about “inner” in this context, I’m not really referring to a personality type - I’m referring to one’s first person experience of life, the images that arise within the imagination, and the personal feeling/sensations that are experienced with those images.
I have a long series on Eight Circuit Yoga, but to boil it all down: the first four circuits are the Status Quo. In order to experience a fuller range of life, rooted in something deeper within one’s humanity, the higher circuits must also be activated and harmonized with the lower circuits. If one’s life is solely focused on any one of the circuits including the higher esoteric “inner” circuits, there is imbalance and disharmony. Harmony arises when all 8 circuits are activated in proper relationship to each other. That in detail will look very different from person to person, but the harmony experienced in day to day life will *feel* similar to different experiencers.
3rd. My sense of this figure/idea of “devouring mother” comes from disharmony. From my point of view, the recurring image of a devouring mother comes from a lack of proper relationship to what Jung would call the anima (the feminine with oneself) and its broader extension: the anima mundi called Yin, the Taoist feminine principle of life or Shakti, a Hindu feminine principle of life.
I think the all-too-common characterization of the feminine principle as “chaotic” and needing to be “fought” or defeated by “order” is a symptom of disharmony with the feminine principle of life.
A lot of improper relationship to “her” comes from Status Quo conditioning and also potentially from inter-personal issues with the mother figure in one’s own life. Probably some of Freud and Jung’s big picture thoughts on mother complexes and mythology can be a somewhat helpful in understanding, although many of the specifics of their theories are now outdated and/or discredited. Conventional therapy and self-help can probably be helpful in dealing with the inter-personal issue.
When it comes to the broader issue of relationship to the power of life, in Eight circuit yoga series, I advocate for the cultivation of methodical surrender to the power of life through a day to day sitting practice. I also mention some conjecture on why prostrations continue to be a powerful useful practice for people around the world.