Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.Saint Augustine
From Sinner to Saint… A Depth Psychology Perspective
In ancient Hebrew, the origin of the word sin meant to miss the mark. As time our species evolved, we developed more complicated concepts around the notion of sin, incorporating degrees by which we missed the mark. But what mark is it that we as human beings miss?
In Western theology, we are born somehow as missing the mark. In Genesis, the primordial man and woman, those archetypal GREAT Grandparents that delivered the fruits of their labors and loins to create the ancestry of modern-day humanity, somehow missed the mark when they became conscious. But if we examine their life before they partook of the fruit, they somehow seem incomplete, even though they walked willingly and side by side with God. But it is in this act of choice that not only sin arises, but also the seeds of our salvation. Because it is through the will of our personal choice that humanity is redeemed and can once again walk a path of higher purpose.
Saint Augustine was by no means perfect. His sins were notorious, and his confessions an act of willing discipline to atone for the transgressions he committed as a youth. But two things are most prevalent in his story. He had a profound belief in a higher purpose and a willingness to engage that belief to create a reality yet to be seen.
There is no one path in life. That is the beauty of this gift God bestows upon us. Our experience is unique, and it is up to us to carve it out; it is up to us to find the true nature of the treasures that lie within. In Jung’s analytical psychology, this force is called a daemon, which translates to a divine or supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans. Here, our inner spirit, or that hidden diamond if you will, is ready to be manifested. But to harvest its beauty, one must undertake the arduous journey to realize the very heat and pressure needed to turn this psychological coal into its most beautiful form.
Namaste, my friends. May blessings find you along your journey to believe, achieve, and advance confidently in the direction of your dreams.
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