PASSAGE PROCESSES
by Martin Skála
Prague, Czech Republic
Individual Member IAAP
Developing Group ČSAP
(Board member)
1
This contribution deals with archetypal process of passage
or deep psychic crises. A link among several disorders
occurring on the threshold of adulthood, rites of initiation
and the individuation process will be suggested. I will offer a
term “initiation process” which takes place on the threshold
of adulthood. The initiation process is similar but different
from the individuation process elaborated by Jung. A case
vignette will clarify particularity of the initiation process.
Then the individuation and the initiation process will be
compared to Basal Perinatal Matrices elaborated on by Grof.
I will suggest a term “passage processes” as a superordinate
concept for all similar archetypal processes when one´s life
is completely changed in all possible meanings. In the end I
will summarize my understanding of human development in
four Worlds (Womb, Family, Adulthood and Transpersonal
Dimension in an old age) which are connected by five
passage processes (Conception, Birth, Initiation,
Individuation
and Death).
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP | Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
2
Introduction
Jung extended developmental psychology to the second part of
human’s life by elaborating his theory of the individuation process
(Edinger, 1968). He built this theory on the base of his own experience
which he called Nekyia or Katabasis - descent into the lower world
(Jung, CW 05). In 1913, when he was 38 he had many anxious dreams
and visions which are elaborated on in his Red Book. Jung interpreted
it in terms of death and rebirth of the Solar God. (CW 05) He
recommended not being involved in the unconsciousness in such a
way before one reaches middle age. (Jacobi, 1973)
I took this recommendation seriously but I met the Jungian theory
when I was about 20 and I was fascinated by such exploring of
unconsciousness. Before that I had concentrated on my dreams and
studied different religions. This was my adolescent Nekyia. My
spontaneous experience seemed to correspond with initial rites. Jung
approach was an inspiration for my studying psychology. Later I met
my wife on a boat sailing from Skagen to Christiania. Now I have a
family with two children and my private practice – The Centre for the
Deep Psychology called PSYCHOPOMPOS located in Emauzy Abbey in
Prague. Welcome.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP | Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
3
The Initiation Process
I learnt a lot of young people experience similar process which could
be understood as an initiation into adulthood. Beside this also specific
disorders may occur in adolescence. Perry (1986) understands the
psychotic process resembling a ritual dream of renewal as a deep
transformation of personality leading to appearance of the selfarchetype. Zoja (2000) interprets drug abuse as stagnation in phase of
death in initiation rites. Czech family therapists Chvála and Trapková
(2012: 2) connect eating disorders to so called “social birth,” when the
child leaves its family - “social uterus” for adulthood.
Disorders occurring on the threshold of adulthood are often related to
the initiation rites. Not surprising since Jung (1968) considers rites to
be facilitators of nature unconscious processes. The initiation rites and
rites of passage generally show many symbols of death and rebirth,
which Jung observed in the individuation too.
During the initiation rites, initiates´ youth is dying. (Gennep, 1960)
Initiates are usually considered to be “dead”. They spent some time in
a symbolic tomb or a womb. They are examined, wounded and they
should obtain an animal spirit determining their future social roles.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP | Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
4
Shamans disintegrate initiates´ consciousness to let their new
reintegration in adulthood happen. The rites of passage are
usually completed by symbolic rebirth.
It seems to me that there is similarity among these disorders, the
rites of passage and the individuation process elaborated on by
Jung (CW 05). I suggest using my term “initiation process” for this
unconscious process taking part on the threshold of adulthood.
We can illustrate the initiation process on the following case
vignette describing a dream series about a journey by bus.
A wild bus journey
24-year-old Sarah was a rational young woman. She grew up in a
family where emotions were not expressed. Then she lived with
her boyfriend Tom. Sarah came to her analysis because of
“pathological jealousy.” She met Tom in a Scout Camp when she
was fourteen and they would spend summers there
regularly. Their partnership was full of conflicts. Her boyfriend
was an emotional guy. He often argued with others and Sarah had
an urge to settle things down.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
5
Tom would also often go to parties to drink with various girls.
Sarah hated it. Tom accused her of being “pathologically jealous.”
Sarah brought following initial dream:
The bus is going dangerously. Sarah is sitting on the driver´s seat. A
man beside her shouts: “How are you driving the bus?” She
discovers that the steering wheel is missing. The man starts to look
for the steering wheel and he finds the real driver holding the
steering wheel and sitting on a back seat. The driver couldn´t see
the road. The man provides a communication between Sarah who
is navigating and the driver can drive.
A journey is a symbol of the Solar Hero described by Jung in his
Symbols of Transformation. (CW 05) Contemporary hero can travel
by bus. The bus as a public transport depends on other people and
on a timetable. In Sarah´s dream series, we will see a
transformation of this collective journey by bus into Sarah´s
individual way. At the beginning of her analysis Sarah was not selfconfident enough for her individual journey. She was easily
influenced by others.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
6
Her therapeutic contract – the treatment of pathological jealousy –
was her boyfriend´s contract in fact. She believed him more than her
own frustration from his drinking with the girls and his affections.
Sarah bothered her boyfriend´s affections because she needed to
keep a rational control. But according to the dream images she lost
the steering wheel and she did not have a control over the wild bus
trip any more. Symbolically, the hero lost his Solar-wheel. The dark
way begins. The real driver was sitting on the back seat. The driver
and his wild blind journey could symbolize Sarah´s shadow aspect of
animus, her affections which were suppressed and projected onto
her boyfriend. In Sarah´s dream the communication between Sarah´s
dream ego and the bus driver was established. Consequently Sarah
was losing her illusions about her partnership.
Sarah brought following dream:
The dangerous journey by bus continues. Sarah is siting by a
window. She spots a little girl with a dog on a leash standing on
the side of the road. The bus is going so close that it scrapes the
little girl´s face off.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
7
As a young girl Sarah had a dog. This substituted her lack of
closeness and emotions in her family. Typically she treated her
dog very anxiously and kept it under the control (on the leash).
The symbol of the dog on the leash could refer to her controlled
affections.
As a girl Sarah romantically dreamt about a big love. Naturally,
the partnership with Tom was different from her fantasies. In
Sarah´s dream the young girl lost her face. This was her initiation
wound. The face symbolizes her ego. In the initiation process a
child´s ego (the little girl in this dream) is dying for its rebirth into
the adult one.
The dog symbolizes a guardian of boundaries too. Sarah was
creating her boundaries. She used to spend all the time with her
boyfriend, but once she would leave her boyfriend drinking with
friends around the fire in the Scout Camp and went into her tent
alone. She was not able to fall asleep. She could hear people
making noise and drunken Tom flirting with another girl. Sarah
was disgusted.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
8
She realized her suppressed rage as an opposite side of her
jealousy. At that time Sarah overcame her fear of hostility and she
started to express her emotions and came into conflicts with Tom.
Once he almost hit her. This was the last drop and she decided to
leave him.
She had the following dream:
The bus is going up on a hill on a spiral road. The bus reaches the
top and then it falls down. Sarah drops out of the bus and she falls
down into the wood. She is lying on the ground and thinking she is
dead, because old-school banners are circling around her. One of
them says: “For survival, you must serve a poisoned fish.” All of
sudden a big round gold face is waking her up. In this part of the
dream she woke up because the sun started to shine on her face.
Symbols of death and rebirth occur in this crucial dream. Beside
dream's apparent storyline, the rise of “the Solar face” symbolizes
rising of the self-archetype and refers to a new light of
consciousness. A journey and a transformation of the Solar God is
an essential subject which is associated with the Nekyia
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
9
and the individuation process according to Jung (CW 05).
But the aim of Sarah´s Nekyia was not her individuation but
it was her initiation into adulthood.
The Passage Processes
I suggest using the term “passage processes” as a
superordinate concept for these processes where Nekyia
occurs and where one´s life is completely changing in all
possible meanings. These major changes involve the ego and
the personality and the constellation of archetypes as well
as the physical body and outer world and life circumstances
and social relationships etc. This happens during the
transformation from one developmental stage to another.
Both above mentioned processes, Sarah´s initiation process
as well as Jung´s individuation process, are examples of the
passage processes.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
10
The Abyss
Sarah´s initiation process can be traced also in the
transformation of her dreams´ images of faces symbolizing ego.
The symbol of the face occurs in some kabbalistic
interpretations recognising two Faces in the Tree of Life - the
Lower and the Upper Face (Halevi, 1991). The transformation
from one Tree of Life into the next one happens through a nonsephira Da´at - the Abyss in the centre of the lower Tree´s
Upper Face, which leads to Yesod Sephirah - Foundation in the
centre of the upper Tree´s Lower Face.
Tree of Life
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
11
The Abyss
Sarah´s initiation process can be traced also in the
transformation of her dreams´ images of faces symbolizing ego.
The symbol of the face occurs in some kabbalistic
interpretations recognising two Faces in the Tree of Life - the
Lower Face and the Upper face (Halevi, 1991). The
transformation from one Tree of Life into the next one happens
through a non-sephira Da´at - the Abyss in the centre of the
lower Tree´s Upper Face, which leads to Yesod Sephirah Foundation in the centre of the upper Tree´s Lower Face.
Lower Face
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
12
The Abyss
Sarah´s initiation process can be traced also in the
transformation of her dreams´ images of faces symbolizing ego.
The symbol of the face occurs in some kabbalistic
interpretations recognising two Faces in the Tree of Life - the
Lower and the Upper Face (Halevi, 1991). The transformation
from one Tree of Life into the next one happens through a nonsephira Da´at - the Abyss in the centre of the lower Tree´s
Upper Face, which leads to Yesod Sephirah - Foundation in the
centre of the upper Tree´s Lower Face.
Upper Face
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
13
The Abyss
Sarah´s initiation process can be traced also in the
transformation of her dreams´ images of faces symbolizing ego.
The symbol of the face occurs in some kabbalistic
interpretations recognising two Faces in the Tree of Life - the
Lower and the Upper Face (Halevi, 1991). The transformation
from one Tree of Life into the next one happens through a nonsephira Da´at - the Abyss in the centre of the lower Tree´s
Upper Face, which leads to Yesod Sephirah - Foundation in the
centre of the upper Tree´s Lower Face.
Lower Tree of life
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
14
The Abyss
Sarah´s initiation process can be traced also in the
transformation of her dreams´ images of faces symbolizing ego.
The symbol of the face occurs in some kabbalistic
interpretations recognising two Faces in the Tree of Life - the
Lower and the Upper Face (Halevi, 1991). The transformation
from one Tree of Life into the next one happens through a nonsephira Da´at - the Abyss in the centre of the lower Tree´s
Upper Face, which leads to Yesod Sephirah - Foundation in the
centre of the upper Tree´s Lower Face.
Upper Tree of life
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
15
The Abyss
Sarah´s initiation process can be traced also in the
transformation of her dreams´ images of faces symbolizing ego.
The symbol of the face occurs in some kabbalistic
interpretations recognising two Faces in the Tree of Life - the
Lower and the Upper Face (Halevi, 1991). The transformation
from one Tree of Life into the next one happens through a nonsephira Da´at - the Abyss in the centre of the lower Tree´s
Upper Face, which leads to Yesod Sephirah - Foundation in the
centre of the upper Tree´s Lower Face.
Da´at
non-sephira Da´at - the Abyss
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
16
The Abyss
Sarah´s initiation process can be traced also in the
transformation of her dreams´ images of faces symbolizing ego.
The symbol of the face occurs in some kabbalistic
interpretations recognising two Faces in the Tree of Life - the
Lower and the Upper Face (Halevi, 1991). The transformation
from one Tree of Life into the next one happens through a nonsephira Da´at - the Abyss in the centre of the lower Tree´s
Upper Face, which leads to Yesod Sephirah - Foundation in the
centre of the upper Tree´s Lower Face.
Yesod
Yesod Sephirah - Foundation
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
17
Through a Jungian lens the Abyss might be viewed as a dark
light of a soul and entrance into Nekyia. In her last dream Sarah
fell down into the forested abyss which she perceived as an
underworld and she herself felt as she was dead. Then a new
emanation and the new Solar round face arose as a foundation
of Sarah´s adult life. A fall in an abyss is another symbol of the
passage processes.
Da´at
Passage through abyss
in Non-Sephira Da´at
in the Lower world
Upper
Tree of life
Da´at
Yesod
Yesod
into Sephirot Yesod
foundation of the Upper
world
Lower
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
18
Death and rebirth
There are several amplifications of this process in different
psychoanalytical theories. For example Freud (SE18, p. 311)
recognized the death drive. Spielrein (1994:2) titled her
important essay "Destruction as the Cause of Coming Into
Being." Somewhere Jung recorded a dream where his female
patient fell into a pit and was trying to climb up. All of sudden
Jung appeared in the dream saying: “Not up but through.” On
another place Jung gives evidence of a dissociative state in
analysis, when a new centralizing tendency – Self-archetype
appears. Likewise, two psychoanalysts Kinston and Cohen (1988)
describe a “psychic hole” in depth of every psyche. They even
claim that any psychoanalysis is not completed before passing
through the hole. Fordham (1988) described the developmental
process of “deintegration and reintegration” in the meaning of
the Self differentiation.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
19
It is possible to say that during the passage processes the
deintegration is the deepest and similar to a psychotic state. This
is experienced as death. Here we can mention the body of Osiris
dismembered into several pieces. Later Osiris became a God of
the Underworld and His son Horus, the Solar God became the
Master of Universe (Eliade, 1978).
During deintegration, new experience can enter into psyche and
during the reintegration new experience can be integrated. In
Sarah´s dream, the old-school banner said: “For survival, you
must serve a poisoned fish.” This message could be interpreted as
a “deintegrate” of Sarah´s shadow – the anger. In his Aeon, Jung
(CW 9, Part 2, par. 140) deals with the symbol of fish in
connection to the Zodiac symbol of Pisces – the two fish
swimming in opposite directions. Jung claims that the fish is
related to Jesus Christ and the second fish symbolizes Antichrist.
This could be the poisoned fish from Sarah´s dream. She started
to serve this fish when she began to come into conflicts with her
boyfriend Tom and when she decided to leave him and the Scout
Camp. She lost her vitality in that time.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
20
She had following dream:
The bus is going downhill. The road leads into a river and the bus
sank there. Sarah, with a few others, finds a safety boat and she
is trying to paddle in the river´s stream. She tries to balance her
own power and the power of the river´s stream.
This is the end of this bus road movie. The collective conveyance
bus has sunk and Sarah´s heroic journey continues by the more
individual safety boat and in connection with her natural life
stream symbolised by the river. When Sarah´s transitive period of
depression (Abyss) was finishing, she had the last dream of this
series:
Sarah is waiting for her father on a courtyard. There is also a dog
on a leash. Another dog runs into the courtyard and attacks the
dog on the leash that is not able to fight back. When Sarah
notices it, she unleashes the dog defending the courtyard. A horse
appears and Sarah leaves the courtyard riding the horse
accompanied by the freed dog.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
21
Just after this dream Sarah finished her analysis. She wished not to be
influenced by anybody. The journey of the Solar-hero is beginning. The
dream heroine went away by her individual way on the horse and with
the dog.
Comparison of the passage processes
In this dream series, there are many symbols of the passage processes: A
journey and an animal, a fall into an abyss, death and rebirth and
symbols of self-archetype etc. These symbols occur both in the
individuation process as well as in the initiation process. These symbols
are typical for the passage processes in general.
But goals of the initiation process and the individuation process are
different. What the initiation process opens, that the individuation
process closes. If the initiation process is searching for power, then the
individuation process is searching for meaning. The initiation process
allows the rebirth into adulthood and the individuation process allows
the rebirth into an old age. The Solar Hero is born in the initiation process
and he dies in the individuation process.
In our culture, there are many parallels of these processes. For example a
novel called Demian by Hermann Hesse (1965)refers more to
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
22
the initiation process and his novel called Steppenwolf (Hesse,
2002) refers more to the individuation process.
The Birth
Grof (1992) uses the term “Basic Perinatal Matrices” for
description of biological delivery experiences (experiences in the
womb, when contractions begin, and when we move through the
birth canal and leave the mother’s body). These experiences seem
to be associated with specific symbolic images as the “Amniotic
Universe and the Cosmic Engulfment - No Exit, and the Death and
Rebirth Struggle etc…”
In the concern of Grof´s elaboration, we could ask: Is there any
other passage process? The birth seems to be another Nekyia and
another experience of death and rebirth. During the birth the
transformation of foetus into new-born takes part on all levels of
human being again, including outer world – the uterus turns into
a family – the social uterus in Chvála and Trapková terms. The
birth seems to be the next passage process, which leads from the
prenatal developmental stage to the childhood.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
23
Developmental Steps on Jacob´s Ladder
and the four Trees of Life
Let us come back to kabbalistic idea of Jacob´s Ladder and
the four Trees of Life or Worlds. (Halevi, 1991) In the case
vignette Sarah´s Nekyia was interpreted like an abyss or a
passage between the two Faces of the two Worlds. In this
way Jacob´s Ladder is built from the four Worlds whereas
one always particularly overlays the next one. In
developmental point of view it means that our
development takes always place in the two Worlds
simultaneously.
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
24
The Worlds are called:
Atziluth
“The World of Emanation” where the light is united
with its source. This world is close to Adam Kadmon
who is “primary of all primaries,” androgyny, and an
entire human being – the archetype of self in Jungian
terms.
Beri´ah
“The World of Creation” (however without form and
shape) where angels live. This angels´ world could be
interpreted as a world of archetypes.
Yetzirah
“The World of Formation” of shapes which is linked to
souls, and emotions, and striving. This is the
psychological level of being.
Assiah
“The World of Action” where the creation is
completed on physical level (Physical Asiyah).
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
25
In accordance to this concept of
Jacob´s Ladder and the four Worlds
(Atziluth, Beri´ah, Yetzirah and Assiah)
we can differentiate four basic
developmental levels and five
passage processes in human life:
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Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
26
Passage process V – Death
World IV – Transpersonal Dimension
Passage process IV – Individuation
World III – Adulthood
Passage process III – Initiation
World II – Family
Passage process II – Birth
World I – Womb
Passage process I – Conception
unity and differentiation on a physical level
(egg and spermatozoon,
differentiation of germ cell, foetus)
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
27
Passage process V – Death
World IV – Transpersonal Dimension
Passage process IV – Individuation
World III – Adulthood
Passage process III – Initiation
World II – Family
Passage process II – Birth
Grof´s BPM I-IV, Fordham´s Primal Self
World I – Womb
The Physical World of Action - the egg- archetype –
physical and psychological development of foetus
in mother´s womb
Passage process I – Conception
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
28
Passage process V – Death
World IV – Transpersonal Dimension
Passage process IV – Individuation
World III – Adulthood
Passage process III – Initiation
World II – Family
Passage process II – Birth
Grof´s BPM I-IV, Fordham´s Primal Self
World I – Womb
The Physical World of Action - the egg- archetype –
physical and psychological development of foetus
in mother´s womb
Passage process I – Conception
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
29
Passage process V – Death
World IV – Transpersonal Dimension
Passage process IV – Individuation
World III – Adulthood
Passage process III – Initiation
the Birth of the Solar-Hero.
The threshold of adulthood
described in this contribution
World II – Family
“The psychological World of Formation of shapes of
souls, and emotions, and striving - the child-archetype
physical and psychological and social formation and
development of a child in its family, the social womb
Passage process II – Birth
World I – Womb
Passage process I – Conception
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP | Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
30
Passage process V – Death
World IV – Transpersonal Dimension
Passage process IV – Individuation
World III – Adulthood
Passage process III – Initiation
the Birth of the Solar-Hero.
The threshold of adulthood
described in this contribution
World II – Family
“The psychological World of Formation of shapes of souls,
and emotions, and striving - the child-archetype – physical
and psychological and social formation and development
of a child in its family, the social womb
Passage process II – Birth
World I – Womb
Passage process I – Conception
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Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
31
Passage process V – Death
World IV – Transpersonal Dimension
Passage process IV – Individuation
elaborated on by Jung. The Death of the Solar-Hero.
Middle age. Zenith of life.
World III – Adulthood
“Angels´ World of Creation” - the hero-archetype and
his journey, ego realization, autonomous adult active
life both in career and in newly established family,
parenthood
Passage process III – Initiation
World II – Family
Passage process II – Birth
World I – Womb
Passage process I – Conception
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
32
Passage process V – Death
World IV – Transpersonal Dimension
Passage process IV – Individuation
elaborated on by Jung. The Death of the Solar-Hero.
Middle age. Zenith of life.
World III – Adulthood
“Angels´ World of Creation” - the hero-archetype
ego realization, autonomous adult active life
both in career and in newly established
family, parenthood
Passage process III – Initiation
World II – Family
Passage process II – Birth
World I – Womb
Passage process I – Conception
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
33
Passage process V – Death
elaborated in Books of Dead (Tibetan, Egyptian etc.), various
mythologies or near-death experience,
entrance into afterlife (Eliade)
World IV – Transpersonal Dimension
“The World of Emanation and Adam Kadmon”
- the self-archetype
old age, individuality, wisdom and transpersonal
consciousness, wholeness, androgyny.
Passage process IV – Individuation
World III – Adulthood
Passage process III – Initiation
World II – Family
Passage process II – Birth
World I – Womb
Passage process I – Conception
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
34
Passage process V – Death
elaborated in Books of Dead (Tibetan, Egyptian etc.), various
mythologies or near-death experience,
entrance into afterlife (Eliade)
World IV – Transpersonal Dimension
“The World of Emanation and Adam Kadmon” - the self-archetype
old age, individuality, wisdom and transpersonal
consciousness, wholeness, androgyny.
Passage process IV – Individuation
World III – Adulthood
Passage process III – Initiation
World II – Family
Passage process II – Birth
World I – Womb
Passage process I – Conception
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
35
Passage process V
Death
World IV
Self
Transpersonal Dimension
in an old age
Passage process IV
Individuation
World III
Archetypal level of
development
Adulthood
Passage process III
Initiation
World II
Psychological level of
development
Family
Passage process II
Birth
World I
Physical level of
development
Womb
Passage process I
Conception
Conclusion
This is my understanding
of human development
in the four Worlds
(Womb, Family, Adulthood
and Transpersonal Dimension
in an old age)
which are connected
by the five
Passage Processes
(Conception, Birth, Initiation,
Individuation and Death)
36
There are several ways how
the passage processes can occur:
naturally in innate passage periods in human life
when life circumstances are fundamentally changed
- either by external (e.g. great life tragedy etc.) or by
internal factors (e.g. serious disease etc.)
during psychoanalysis or a deep psychotherapy
A horizontal development happens in four
developmental stages - four Worlds. A vertical
development happens during the passage processes,
when we come back to our roots (to illud tempus in
Eliade´s (1949) words - for rebirth into the next
World. The experience of death and rebirth is
repeated and elaborated on different developmental
stages. Jung (2009) says in his Red Book: “Without
the depths, I do not have the heights.”
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP | Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
37
There are several ways how
the passage processes can occur:
naturally in innate passage periods in human life
when life circumstances are fundamentally changed
- either by external (e.g. great life tragedy etc.) or by
internal factors (e.g. serious disease etc.)
during psychoanalysis or a deep psychotherapy
A horizontal development happens in four
developmental stages - four Worlds. A vertical
development happens during the passage processes,
when we come back to our roots (to illud tempus in
Eliade´s (1949) words - for rebirth into the next
World. The experience of death and rebirth is
repeated and elaborated on different developmental
stages. Jung (2009) says in his Red Book: “Without
the depths, I do not have the heights.”
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP | Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
38
There are several ways how
the passage processes can occur:
naturally in innate passage periods in human life
when life circumstances are fundamentally changed
- either by external (e.g. great life tragedy etc.) or by
internal factors (e.g. serious disease etc.)
during psychoanalysis or a deep psychotherapy
A horizontal development happens in four
developmental stages - four Worlds. A vertical
development happens during the passage processes,
when we come back to our roots (to illud tempus in
Eliade´s (1949) words - for rebirth into the next
World. The experience of death and rebirth is
repeated and elaborated on different developmental
stages. Jung (2009) says in his Red Book: “Without
the depths, I do not have the heights.”
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP | Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
39
There are several ways how
the passage processes can occur:
naturally in innate passage periods in human life
when life circumstances are fundamentally changed
- either by external (e.g. great life tragedy etc.) or by
internal factors (e.g. serious disease etc.)
during psychoanalysis or a deep psychotherapy
A horizontal development happens in four
developmental stages - four Worlds. A vertical
development happens during the passage processes,
when we come back to our roots (to illud tempus in
Eliade´s (1949) words - for rebirth into the next
World. The experience of death and rebirth is
repeated and elaborated on different developmental
stages. Jung (2009) says in his Red Book: “Without
the depths, I do not have the heights.”
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP | Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic
40
Thank You for Your attention
www.psychopompos.cz | martin.skala@psychopompos.cz
Martin Skála | IM IAAP, DG ČSAP |
Psychopompos.cz | Prague, Czech Republic