“The gods have become our diseases.”
C.G. Jung was on to something as his quote shows. But how can we heal from our diseased relationship with the bigger forces that demand reconnection with us?
In my last post about enriching our relationship with Neptune, I started by saying that ‘it’s all relational’. We are in relationship with forces (i.e., deities, gods/goddesses, archetypes, or any other name you want to call them) beyond our awareness. They beckon our attention in many ways, but if we continue to ignore their bids of connection*, as any couples’ therapist will let you know, it starts affecting the very foundation of our relationship. The relationship becomes transactional, fractured, and ultimately diseased.
It’s not about being quid pro quo - I do my offerings at the temple, or whatever that may be, and expect something in return. That was the old way of imagining our relationship with these larger forces. We promise we won’t do x, y, and z, and god will give something in return.
What I’m wondering about is more attuned, involved, and expressive.
Attuned because we’re taking notice and lowering the volume of our distractions to catch their bids of connection better.
Involved because we don’t just dismiss these as flights of fancy, but by paying attention, we show that we want to be involved with them. The etymology of involved shows that it’s about being ‘rolled into’, ‘surrounded’, and ‘taking in’. We show that we want to take them into our lives.
Finally, expressive, because we’re willing to bring it forth, express these bids of connection in whatever way fits our abilities and ways.
Remember that the word disease has the prefix DIS, which was one of the many names for the Dark Lord of the Underworld (Dis Pater). So, every word with the prefix DIS speaks of an experience of being taken to the Underworld.
So our diseases speak to a descent into the Underworld. They take us out of the ‘ordinary world’ and lead us to be utterly transformed.
Answering the bids of connection during Liminal Times
“…human extremity is God’s opportunity.”
Have you ever had the experience of running into someone who hasn’t seen you in a long while, and after a few words exchanged, you get the sense that they only see you as who you were all those years ago? Or worse, dealing with family members who still want to see you as you once were? Doesn’t matter all the growth you’ve gone through; they still think you’re that youth who didn’t know any better.
I think the planetary deities suffer the same problem.
We’re often caught in a reductionist perspective - all keywords and short-hand descriptors - of them.
If we have evolved, why couldn’t they also have evolved?
Sure, they’ve got a reputation built on eons of manifested expression, so the keywords have their foundational truth. But the tightness of the viewpoint we’ve been carrying around keeps these relationships one-sided and reduced.
But during liminal times, all bets are off.
We’re no longer glued to what was ‘normal’, and as we move ever further away from the shores of ‘what was’, we have more opportunities to see things from a stance of curiosity and willingness to engage.
That’s what I like about Howard Sasportas’ quote above, an astrologer whose work I greatly appreciate; god can engage with us when we’re at the extremity of change. You can substitute the word god for the planetary deities (or whatever you prefer).
In times of great change, the bids of connection turn up to 11, often louder than before. These times offer ample opportunity to take our eyes from the limiting focus of old answers and lift our heads to see beyond. We can engage with the archetypes through different lenses in times of vulnerable liminality.
At the therapist’s couch
The Greek word therapeuein, from which we get therapy, originally meant to serve, to help, to attend to - let’s add attend to the gods too. Cause when we don’t tend to something in our lives, it becomes imbalanced, unhealthy, and eventually even diseased. Stop doing your dishes for a while, and soon enough, you’ll have a diseased kitchen or worse.
Pull back now and think about an issue that’s bothering you.
What emotions rise?
What thoughts plague you?
Where does this dis-ease live in your body?
How does it manifest physically in your life?
Look back as far as you can go in your life.
When did it start?
Or what were some of its early signs?
Take stock, especially of its early signs.
Was there something then that you knew to do, but for whatever reason didn’t?
Of course, this may not work with all the issues you’re dealing with, but give it a go with something less systemic in your life. What’s important here is to notice the insights that arise, especially around what was calling your attention - the bids of connection.
Now ask yourself, how can you attend, help, or even serve with this issue?
Don’t go big here. Start with something small, something you can do often, and see measured progress. Big is too overwhelming. Go for the power of small and consistent action.
Jan van der Straet (1523-1605) - Distillatio - late 16th century.
Your healing work matters for the world, too.
“The implication is that the whole world is in a great process of psychological evolution; it’s like a vast alchemical vessel.”
The etymology of healing comes from Old English, and one of its meanings is to ‘make whole.’ I love this image—to make something whole, as it makes me think of a well-rounded wheel that is not wobbly.
The birth chart is one wheel we have, and it contains all the planetary gods, positioned in the diverse realms of the signs. It’s not the only way to make our lives whole, but it gives us an entry point to cultivate a better relationship with the planetary gods.
If our world is undergoing “a great process of psychological evolution,” as Jungian analyst Edward Edinger stated in the quote above, then we are the ingredients of this “alchemical vessel.” Whatever the issue, the ‘dis-ease’ that bothers us is a ‘god’ sending us their bid for connection.
Answering their bid for connection will enrich your life and help the collective. The healing work you do for yourself isn’t only personal—it’s also your civic duty.
*In relationships, a "bid for connection" refers to a small, everyday moment when one partner seeks a connection with the other through verbal or nonverbal acts. Gottman's research shows these bids are vital to building and maintaining trust and intimacy. How the other partner responds to the bid: turning towards, turning away, or turning against, is critical to the relationship's health.
Enjoy & Thrive!
Vanessa Couto
