This is a beautiful essay, thank you. Creative self-expression (the erotic) is the hill I will die on and it's central to all the work I do both as an individual and in community. I'm an artist and work with other artists and it's amazing how our sense of the erotic has been suppressed by capitalism and the pressure to conform with what's 'trending', what galleries require, what art collectors are buying, what the algorithms are pushing. I'll be sharing this post with my community.
Catching up on your letters today. I am glad to be "behind" because they are balm to my soul during this potent week. This list of elements in particular feels powerful and I am grateful to be able to share it widely. If I was to reference you, is the list your own summary of research between Jung and Neumann, or is there a more direct source I should reference?
This is an excellent list – succinct and very helpful.
I’d recommend adding one more:
7. Build and maintain a respectful, reciprocal relationship with the natural world. Neither individuals nor societies can be healthy or whole without this. We are all part of the interconnected, interdependent and co-arising web of life, sometimes called “Indra’s Net.” All psychology is ecopsychology.
In my book The Hoop and the Tree, I describe this as the Hoop (relational) aspect of the whole self. Jung said, “If a mandala [Hoop] may be described as a symbol of the Self seen in cross section, then the tree would represent a profile view of it: the Self depicted as a process of growth.” *
Thank you for lifting up Audre Lorde and her amazing essay, I think I've read it at least 8 times and I love the pairing with Jung's individuation. Our culture is hostile to eros by design, to keep us under control, with a level of emptiness and separation that serves the status quo. I believe it is, as Lorde illuminates, the creative impulse of the life force that we need to feel in order to break the spell of the white supremacist, capitalist, patriarchy (as bell hooks called it), and live out our true nature and express our gifts, evolving into a new cultural paradigm.
I especially loved the paragraph following “The world doesn’t have to look like this.”
Surely, if the worst comes to pass, that is what we all will have to do. Not flee. All of us in creating ‘things’, creating a mycelial web of a vision, a seed potent enough to rise like a phoenix out of the ashes.
Lorde’s idea of the erotic as a driving force for genuine change resonates deeply with how I think about creativity and the psyche. It’s that raw, untamed energy—the same as Jung’s libido—that fuels not only our personal growth but the reshaping of our world. This idea ties directly into my framework of the Rooted Creator, where tapping into that deep, primal source of creativity allows us to pull raw material from the unconscious and tether it back to our lived reality.
The power of the erotic, or what I call embodied creativity, keeps us from simply rearranging the pieces of a broken system. Instead, it empowers us to create something entirely new, something aligned with our true selves. Both Lorde and Jung knew that real transformation isn’t about superficial shifts; it’s about connecting with that deeper, wild energy and allowing it to guide us—personally and collectively. It’s this act of staying tethered to our psyche, rather than succumbing to the weariness of the world, that helps us move from merely surviving to thriving, creating not just for ourselves but for a world that’s aching for healing and innovation.
Thank you Satya for again bringing this topic into discussion, I appreciate you so much! What I feel is so often missing that I have been busting my ass to heal from is the shadow projection (most specifically from parent/caregiver but then reinforced in the world and subsequent relationships (especially toward women in heterosexual relationships). It feels like the ethics list part 1 could have an “a.)” and a “b.)” to include this as it is such a major component for individuation. If we are not aware that we have identified with the projected and introjected energy having internalized it either through extreme trauma or even the slow drip of an environment conditioned by patriarchal values, it becomes so elusive as to where to create from. I have started and stopped so many times in terms of getting into a creative flow and being pulled away by “something” only to notice how much caretaking I have been consumed with. I try even to keep an “IV” of creativity by making things more beautiful in my home, coloring in my mandala book, singing (that one gets really forgotten, nothing like using your voice creatively to anger the inner oppressor). I read your article and had all of this to share and then found this podcast episode that resonates. This man is in Portland, his name is Paul Levy, maybe you know him. I haven’t read his book nor have I heard of him before this podcast. Will share here I definitely feel it’s worth the listen as it is definitely on topic. Have a beautiful Sunday!
Wow, you are really speaking my language, Satya! I love Audre Lorde so much. Her uses of the erotic are a lifeline and an amazing accompaniment to Jung. Thank you for this excellent list, and for including our ethical obligation to our own erotic life force, to the Wild self.
"But we need to protect our creative energy too—not just to fight against things, but to create things." I really loved this phrase. I constantly find myself fighting or defending myself, but maybe I can take another path, the creative path. Thank you for this.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I love this article Satya, and of course Audrey Lorde. How can it not be the case! As a once actor, now Drama Therapist, I’ve always understood when we embody our creativity it is at once (in the first instance) to make love and be in relationship with ourselves, to keep returning to the source of who we are, the churning, yearning, and tussle of charged potent labido to live … and be our full potential, and to nurture love in right relationship with others … so much in your article that I am adoring and feeling ... to attune to our individual erotic is to ground ourselves in the loving source of all humanity, which is union …
This is a beautiful essay, thank you. Creative self-expression (the erotic) is the hill I will die on and it's central to all the work I do both as an individual and in community. I'm an artist and work with other artists and it's amazing how our sense of the erotic has been suppressed by capitalism and the pressure to conform with what's 'trending', what galleries require, what art collectors are buying, what the algorithms are pushing. I'll be sharing this post with my community.
Catching up on your letters today. I am glad to be "behind" because they are balm to my soul during this potent week. This list of elements in particular feels powerful and I am grateful to be able to share it widely. If I was to reference you, is the list your own summary of research between Jung and Neumann, or is there a more direct source I should reference?
Thank you, Anna. I’m glad it speaks to you, especially in these times. The list is very much my own summary. 🙏❤️
And maybe it’s time to do a longer class…? I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.
Thank you, Satya.
This is an excellent list – succinct and very helpful.
I’d recommend adding one more:
7. Build and maintain a respectful, reciprocal relationship with the natural world. Neither individuals nor societies can be healthy or whole without this. We are all part of the interconnected, interdependent and co-arising web of life, sometimes called “Indra’s Net.” All psychology is ecopsychology.
In my book The Hoop and the Tree, I describe this as the Hoop (relational) aspect of the whole self. Jung said, “If a mandala [Hoop] may be described as a symbol of the Self seen in cross section, then the tree would represent a profile view of it: the Self depicted as a process of growth.” *
A brief overview video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PlCdVgpwxc
Thank you again.
With all best wishes,
Chris
* Jung, C. G. Alchemical Studies (Collected Works, Volume XIII). Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1967, p. 253.
Chris Hoffman
www.hoopandtree.org
Thank you for lifting up Audre Lorde and her amazing essay, I think I've read it at least 8 times and I love the pairing with Jung's individuation. Our culture is hostile to eros by design, to keep us under control, with a level of emptiness and separation that serves the status quo. I believe it is, as Lorde illuminates, the creative impulse of the life force that we need to feel in order to break the spell of the white supremacist, capitalist, patriarchy (as bell hooks called it), and live out our true nature and express our gifts, evolving into a new cultural paradigm.
I especially loved the paragraph following “The world doesn’t have to look like this.”
Surely, if the worst comes to pass, that is what we all will have to do. Not flee. All of us in creating ‘things’, creating a mycelial web of a vision, a seed potent enough to rise like a phoenix out of the ashes.
Beautiful! The world would be so much better/happier/healthier if everyone subscribed to these ethics
This is perfect. Every single thing. Thank you! People need this understanding/validation/reassurance/encouragement.
Lorde’s idea of the erotic as a driving force for genuine change resonates deeply with how I think about creativity and the psyche. It’s that raw, untamed energy—the same as Jung’s libido—that fuels not only our personal growth but the reshaping of our world. This idea ties directly into my framework of the Rooted Creator, where tapping into that deep, primal source of creativity allows us to pull raw material from the unconscious and tether it back to our lived reality.
The power of the erotic, or what I call embodied creativity, keeps us from simply rearranging the pieces of a broken system. Instead, it empowers us to create something entirely new, something aligned with our true selves. Both Lorde and Jung knew that real transformation isn’t about superficial shifts; it’s about connecting with that deeper, wild energy and allowing it to guide us—personally and collectively. It’s this act of staying tethered to our psyche, rather than succumbing to the weariness of the world, that helps us move from merely surviving to thriving, creating not just for ourselves but for a world that’s aching for healing and innovation.
Amen to your long quote! It truly speaks to the journey I am currently on! Thank you!
Thank you Satya for again bringing this topic into discussion, I appreciate you so much! What I feel is so often missing that I have been busting my ass to heal from is the shadow projection (most specifically from parent/caregiver but then reinforced in the world and subsequent relationships (especially toward women in heterosexual relationships). It feels like the ethics list part 1 could have an “a.)” and a “b.)” to include this as it is such a major component for individuation. If we are not aware that we have identified with the projected and introjected energy having internalized it either through extreme trauma or even the slow drip of an environment conditioned by patriarchal values, it becomes so elusive as to where to create from. I have started and stopped so many times in terms of getting into a creative flow and being pulled away by “something” only to notice how much caretaking I have been consumed with. I try even to keep an “IV” of creativity by making things more beautiful in my home, coloring in my mandala book, singing (that one gets really forgotten, nothing like using your voice creatively to anger the inner oppressor). I read your article and had all of this to share and then found this podcast episode that resonates. This man is in Portland, his name is Paul Levy, maybe you know him. I haven’t read his book nor have I heard of him before this podcast. Will share here I definitely feel it’s worth the listen as it is definitely on topic. Have a beautiful Sunday!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-revelation-project/id1472881107?i=1000637896519
Wow, you are really speaking my language, Satya! I love Audre Lorde so much. Her uses of the erotic are a lifeline and an amazing accompaniment to Jung. Thank you for this excellent list, and for including our ethical obligation to our own erotic life force, to the Wild self.
"But we need to protect our creative energy too—not just to fight against things, but to create things." I really loved this phrase. I constantly find myself fighting or defending myself, but maybe I can take another path, the creative path. Thank you for this.
Yes, that struck me as well.
I can see how much of my creative energy gets trapped in Fighting.
Yes, we should take the creative path, haha 😄
Yes! Yes! Yes! I love this article Satya, and of course Audrey Lorde. How can it not be the case! As a once actor, now Drama Therapist, I’ve always understood when we embody our creativity it is at once (in the first instance) to make love and be in relationship with ourselves, to keep returning to the source of who we are, the churning, yearning, and tussle of charged potent labido to live … and be our full potential, and to nurture love in right relationship with others … so much in your article that I am adoring and feeling ... to attune to our individual erotic is to ground ourselves in the loving source of all humanity, which is union …