my digital garden is a space for collecting imperfect notes, essays, posts, and poems, and a place where ideas can grow slowly over time.
notes
loose notes on things that have caught my attention
Lecture Notes: The Jungian Perspective and the Tarot—Lesson 1
Lecturer: Jungian Analyst, Kenneth James, Ph.D. The Jungian Perspective Tarot and Its Role in Individuation Structure of the Tarot Deck Tarot, Jung, and the Unconscious Key Messages: Exercises for Participants: Closing Thoughts
Jung’s model of the psyche
This is a beautiful visualisation of Carl Jung’s model of the psyche, particularly focussing on the interactions between the conscious and unconscious mind. Here’s a breakdown of its elements: Overall, this diagram is a guide to understanding the layers of Jungian psychology and the journey towards individuation—integrating all parts of the psyche to achieve wholeness.
The Tarot and Jungian psychology
The Tarot and Jungian psychology are intimately connected in their shared concern with the deep layers of the psyche and their reliance on archetypes to convey spiritual, psychological, and existential truths. Both systems offer symbolic maps that help navigate the inner world, facilitating self-reflection and personal growth. By exploring the structure of the Tarot deck through the lens of Jungian psychology, we can begin to see how the layers of the psyche correspond to different parts of the deck, offering a profound tool for self-understanding. The Major Arcana and the Collective Unconscious In Jungian psychology, the collective unconscious is a
restarting the community efforts
I’m restarting the community pages here using BuddyPress and BBPress. If you’re not already a member of the site, you can register and create your own profile here on soulcruzer. I’ll get a group and a forum started shortly.
seeing the world through the lens of myth and symbolic storytelling
I’ve been dipping in and out of Stephen Larsen’s book, The Mythic Imagination: The Quest for Meaning Through Personal Mythology for a while now. It’s become an ongoing companion that keeps nudging me to explore how I exercise my own mythic imagination. I find myself tapping into this deeper way of seeing whenever I’m walking in the woods or doing one of my shamanic journeys. There’s something about being in those spaces, surrounded by nature or in the stillness of inner exploration, where myth and symbol come alive for me. It’s as if they rise up from the earth or
metamodernism may offer a way forward for me
Metamodernism seems like an interesting space to play in. I came across the term a while back when I was exploring postmodernism, and I asked the question what comes after postmodernism. I didn’t go any further than asking the question. But now metamodernism has resurfaced and has my attention. What it is: Metamodernism is an intriguing concept that seeks to describe the cultural landscape we’re living in—a world that’s not quite postmodern but something beyond it. It’s a reaction to the jaded scepticism and irony of postmodernism, while also recognising that modernist idealism, with its rigid structures and belief in
journal
updates on things i’m thinking, feeling, seeing, or hearing about
a morning full of synchronicities
It’s been a morning full of synchronicities for me starting with a not so pleasant memory, one that is a reoccurring memory that holds no real value for me and isn’t worth reliving again and again. Breaking state, I drew a card from the Osho Zen Tarot deck and lo and behold it was the ‘clinging to the past’ card, which has a clear message to let go of the past and fully embrace the future. The figure pictured in this card is so preoccupied with clutching her box of memories that she has turned her back on the sparkling
moments 22.09.2024
1) I remembered how grateful I feel when I reflect on the week and follow the larger arc of my journey. It’s easy to let days blend into weeks and weeks blend into months and months blend into years and miss the passage of time, witnessing life as one big blur. 2) Happy to be back in the creative space of my own website. 3) Noticing the change in season, summer giving way to autumn, the shorter days and longer nights, the bees making a push to gather the last of the nectar before the weather completely changes. 4) A
I’m facing a tough question
Here’s a tough question that’s come my way: Where in my life am I avoiding the truth or sidestepping something important? As I ask that, I can see a list of things I’m avoiding and the importance of those things. My reaction is another question: Am I ready to tackle them? I’ve always questioned myself about whether I’m avoiding the truth. When I look at those things, I think I could take them on, but I feel like they would hold me back, leading to navel-gazing and grinding to a halt. I’ve always had this action-oriented mentality. Everybody has problems;
true strength lies within
As I look at this card, I’m reminded of the importance of returning to my inner strength. It’s not about shutting out the external world, but about not spending my energy seeking other people’s opinions, thoughts, or ways of doing things. For me, this card is a reminder that true strength lies within. It calls me to spend time with myself, with spirit, and to focus on my own journey instead of getting distracted by how others are living, thinking, or progressing. By focussing on my path, I can naturally become a light and inspiration to others. This is what
existential tension
me: I’m coming to the journal in an odd, hyper-focused space while simultaneously staring down into the pit of despair. I clearly see the absurdity of my actions and all that I’ve worked on today. What’s frustrating is that it’s where I want to play, but I fear that the state of the world is overcommoditised, with people groomed into perfect little consumption automatons in a world built around money. They say money makes the world go around, and that certainly is true on a real level. My frustration is that I know I have to play the game one
reshuffling the deck
Note: I’ve decided I want to use this space to create a digital garden (more on this later). For now, I just want to put it out there that I’m reclaiming this space for that purpose, which means there will be some design changes happening over the coming days and weeks. The work I’m doing will continue, it’s just that I want to reclaim the power of this space and take back control from the insidious forces of conformity who have convinced us that all blogs need to look and function the same, which actually takes away the potential power
posts
longform blog posts exploring an idea or concept
ripples in the void
NoTe: click on the hotspots click on the hotspots in the image above Beyond the veil of words lies a language unspoken—a place where meaning transcends the boundaries of text and sound. Here, light hums in spectral tones, carrying echoes of emotions you cannot name. Symbols seem to pulse with life, as if they are breathing, waiting for your gaze to animate them. In this realm, understanding is not linear; it ripples outward like water disturbed, each wave carrying fragments of something deeper, older, and infinite. Step closer. What you seek cannot be captured in letters or tethered to grammar.
decentralising the ego
The idea of shifting from “I” to “we” as a way to break the grip of ego is intriguing—like trying to rewrite the narrative of selfhood by slipping into a collective voice. On the surface, it seems simple, even poetic: if ego clings to the solitary “I,” then perhaps embracing the inclusive “we” could dissolve the boundaries that keep us trapped in self-referential loops. But this shift is more than just a linguistic experiment; it’s a deep psychological and spiritual practice. To start, let’s unpack what we mean by “ego.” In a Jungian sense, the ego is the centre of
the deeper self
The deeper self—how often we imagine it as some distant, serene oasis within, a place we’ll reach if we just travel deeply enough, peel back enough layers, scale enough inner mountains. But if we pause and really listen, we might sense something more dynamic at play. The self isn’t a final destination at the end of a winding journey. No, it’s a relationship, alive and shifting with every moment. It’s less a still point of perfect harmony and more a constant, rhythmic dance—one that evolves as we move through life, accumulating experiences, forging connections, and embracing the spaces we inhabit.
Prometheus or Pandora? AI’s Role in Our Mythic Journey
I’ve been meaning to share this one for a while. I wrote Pandora’s Paradox: The Curse, the Gift, and the Mystery of Hope and Prometheus’ Flame: Stealing Fire from the Gods as preludes to this piece. With all the buzz around Generative AI, I find myself wondering: are we witnessing a Promethean tale, where we’re granted fire to illuminate our understanding, or a Pandora’s box moment, where unexpected consequences spill into the world? Introduction: Humanity at a New Threshold There’s something in the air—a hum, perhaps, of the future tiptoeing into the room. Every headline, every tech announcement, seems to
tinkering with simulacra of consciousness
There’s something tantalising about the idea of tinkering with simulacra of consciousness. When I say it, it feels like I’m stepping into a kind of digital alchemist’s workshop, fingers itching to mix mind and matter, curiosity luring me towards the borderlands of what it means to be conscious. In a way, it reminds me of those ancient dreamers who conjured spirits in shadowed forests or monks searching within themselves to glimpse the divine. But now, instead of summoning ghosts, I’m coding them. Instead of chasing enlightenment, I’m working with algorithms and circuit boards, chasing what might be only a shadow
podcasts
long and short form audio
The ‘Soulcruzer’ podcast (more of an audioblog, really).
Expect a blend of mysticism and music, psyche and soul, everyday wisdom, and the esoteric. One day, I might be waxing lyrical about Nietzsche’s eternal return, and the next, uncovering the wisdom of the tarot. It’s all up for grabs on this pod.
So, if first-person confessional style podcasts are your jam, subscribe to mine wherever you get your podcasts. I’m on all of the major platforms.
a late night epiphany.