RD BK SHKTI

 A

In the context of his work on the psychological process of

individuation, Carl G. Jung used the term “active imagination” to

describe a technique of integrating conscious and unconscious

psychic contents. 54 The unconscious and conscious aspects of a

person’s psyche come into dynamic relationship through the

appearance of archetypal projections, or images from the collective

unconscious that show up in imaginative circumstances such as

dreams. According to Jung, psychic wholeness is indicated when

“active imagination” engenders the archetype of the Self, as a result

of the free-flowing integration of unconscious contents into conscious

awareness. For example, the Self archetype was experienced by

Naropa as a cosmic person at the climax of his spiritual journey when

Tilopa appeared radiant in the sky singing to him of non-duality.55 As

the psyche becomes increasingly integrated, the relationship between

the whole psyche and the cosmos becomes increasingly integrated as

well. Once the archetype of the Self manifests, experiences of

synchronicity tend to arise readily.56 The regularity with which tantric

adepts participate in synchronous events suggests that their religious

practice promotes a healthy and balanced management of the psyche.

A