EUGENE CROWLEY’S REASONS FOR BEING (PT.1 OF 4)

I taught high school English Grammar and World Literature for 32 years in Chicago’s public schools. I like mythology very much. I am acquainted with Celtic, Norse, Egyptian, Babylonian, Hindu, Buddhist, and American Indian mythologies. When I studied for my Master’s in Psychology, I identified with Carl Jung who used mythology as a tool for his patients in therapy. Jung’s archetypes or universal behavior patterns identifies many of the roles that we often play: the warrior, lover, the healthy king, mother goddess, the trickster, the wise man, and the orphan. Jung’s goal for his patients was self-actualization, another name for awaking the spirit or being re-born in the spirit. This is our true reason for being.

I decided to live a more healthy life when I studied Jung. I was near the age of 35, and Jung indicated at that age individuals should become more introverted and attune to their spiritual sides. An “aha” moment occurred after I realized Jung’s approach to his self-actualization was the same idea that the ancient Egyptians had in their commanding man to know himself. That was the order for self-development or self-knowledge. The reason for being is to know the self as a spiritual being endowed with the inexhaustible gifts of the spirit. Our goal is to awaken our true self and become a service to humanity.