Carl Jung & Philemon

The encounter between Carl Jung and the figure of Philemon represents one of the most profound "confrontations with the unconscious" in the history of modern psychology. This relationship, meticulously documented in Jung’s illuminated manuscript, The Red Book (Liber Novus) (Philemon Foundation (https://philemonfoundation.org/works/red-book/)), serves as the bedrock for his theories on archetypes and the collective unconscious.

The Genesis of a Guardian

In 1913, following his painful schism with Sigmund Freud, Jung entered a period of intense inner turmoil he termed his "confrontation with the unconscious." During this time, he practiced active imagination—a method of deliberately entering a waking dream state to engage with the figures of his psyche.

Philemon first appeared to Jung in a vivid dream:

"There was a blue sky, like the sea... Suddenly there appeared from the right a winged being sailing across the sky. I saw that it was an old man with the horns of a bull. He held a bunch of four keys... He had the wings of the kingfisher with its characteristic colors."

— Carl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections (Carl Jung Depth Psychology (https://carljungdepthpsychologysite.blog/2020/09/06/philemon-3/))

The Nature of Philemon

Jung did not view Philemon as a mere hallucination or a fragment of his own ego. Instead, he experienced Philemon as an autonomous entity with a will and wisdom of his own.

Attribute -- Symbolic Significance

Kingfisher Wings -- Connection to the spirit/ heavenly realms; agility of thought.

Bull Horns -- Potency, fertility, and the grounding force of the earth.

The Four Keys -- Mastery over the four functions of consciousness (Thinking, Feeling, Sensation, Intuition).

The "Inner Guru" -- Represented "superior insight" and the archetype of the Wise Old Man.

Lessons in Psychic Objectivity

The primary lesson Philemon imparted was the actuality of the soul. He famously taught Jung that thoughts are not things we "make," but rather things that "happen" to us—much like animals in a forest or people in a room (Scribd - Philemon Jung (https://www.scribd.com/document/600839957/Philemon-jung)).

This realization allowed Jung to detach his ego from the overwhelming flood of unconscious imagery, fostering a state of psychological objectivity. It was Philemon who provided the "bridge" between the rational world of the doctor and the mythic world of the soul.

The Seven Sermons to the Dead

The climax of their relationship is found in the Septem Sermones ad Mortuos (Seven Sermons to the Dead). In these texts, written in a haunting, Gnostic tone, Philemon (speaking through Jung) addresses the "dead"—those spirits who failed to find resolution in life. He expounds on the nature of the Pleroma (the void and the fullness) and the god Abraxas, who transcends the duality of good and evil (Taproot Therapy (https://gettherapybirmingham.com/understanding-carl-jungs-the-red-book/)).

Artistic Commemoration

Jung’s devotion to this figure was not merely intellectual; it was ritualistic and artistic.

• The Red Book: Jung spent years painting elaborate portraits of Philemon in a style reminiscent of medieval illuminated manuscripts.

• The Bollingen Tower: At his private retreat in Bollingen, Jung painted a life-sized mural of Philemon on the wall. Over the gate, he carved: “Philemonis Sacrum – Fausti Poenitentia” (Philemon’s Shrine – Faust’s Repentance) (Philemon Foundation (https://philemonfoundation.org/about-philemon/who-is-philemon/)).

Jung ultimately concluded that everything he achieved in his professional life was merely the "externalization" of the insights he gathered from Philemon during those quiet, visionary strolls in his garden.

Would you like me to generate a visual representation of Philemon as Jung described him, with his bull horns and kingfisher wings?

Philemon's teachings

In the Seven Sermons to the Dead, Philemon (speaking as the Gnostic teacher Basilides) delivers a staggering ontological map that distinguishes the nature of Man from that of the Gods.

These ideas were not merely philosophical for Jung; they were the "blueprints" for the human soul’s survival in the face of the overwhelming collective unconscious.

1. The Necessity of Distinctiveness (Principium Individuationis)

Philemon posits that the fundamental essence of Man is distinctiveness. While the Gods and the Pleroma (the divine fullness/emptiness) represent a state of "perilous sameness" where all opposites are balanced and thus void, Man exists only by being different.

• The Danger of Indistinction: If a human fails to distinguish themselves—from their thoughts, their desires, and even from the Gods—they "fall back into the Pleroma" and dissolve into nothingness.

• The Human Task: Man’s singular duty is to discriminate and differentiate. To be "created" (Creatura) is to be distinct (The Seven Sermons to the Dead - Wikisource (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Seven_Sermons_to_the_Dead)).

2. The Relationship Between Man and the Gods

Philemon introduces a radical hierarchy where the Gods are "many" and "mighty," but "men are few."

• Gods as Stars: He compares the Gods to stars—solitary, distant entities that need human "communion" to bear their own separateness.

• Man as a Gateway: In the Sixth Sermon, Philemon explains that Man is a "gateway" through which the "procession of the Gods" passes. We do not create them, but we provide the space for their manifestation in the world (Seven Sermons to the Dead - symbolreader (https://symbolreader.net/tag/seven-sermons-to-the-dead/)).

• The Individual Star: Every person has a "Star" which is their own individual God and goal. This "Star" is the guiding light of one's own process of individuation (Beezone - The Seven Sermons to the Dead (https://beezone.com/carl-jung/jung/the-seventh-sermon-to-the-dead.html)).

3. The Four Principal Gods

Philemon categorizes the divine forces into four primary "measurements" or powers that act upon the human psyche:

1. The Sun God (Helios): The "One," the beginning, representing the effective fullness and the light of consciousness.

2. Eros: The "Two," who binds opposites together and spreads brightness through desire and connection.

3. The Tree of Life: The "Three," which fills space with bodily forms and constant, slow growth.

4. The Devil: The "Four," who opens what is closed and dissolves all that is formed—the necessary force of destruction and void (The Gnosis Archive (http://www.gnosis.org/library/7Sermons.htm)).

4. Sexuality and Spirituality as "Demons"

Philemon warned Jung that Sexuality and Spirituality are not personal qualities but "super-human demons."

• If Man identifies with them (e.g., "I am very spiritual" or "I am my sexuality"), he becomes their victim.

• Instead, one must place Spirituality "between heaven and earth" and Sexuality "between oneself and the earth." By keeping them as external forces to be reckoned with, Man maintains his own distinctiveness (C.G. Jung: Seven Sermons to the Dead - Sign in (https://sites.google.com/view/somnus/psychoanalysis/carl-gustav-jung/c-g-jung-seven-sermons-to-the-dead)).

Comparison: Man vs. The Gods

Feature

Man (Creatura)

The Gods

Essence

Absolute Distinctiveness

Indefinite Fullness/Void

Relation to Opposites

Must separate them to survive

Embody both simultaneously (Abraxas)

Goal

To become an Individual

To manifest through the human "gateway"

Constraint

Confined by Time and Space

Eternal and Infinite

Would you like me to elaborate on the Seventh Sermon, specifically regarding "The Star" and how it represents the final goal of the soul?

The Seven Sermons to the Dead (1916) by Carl Gustav Jung

This video provides a comprehensive reading and summary of the Seven Sermons, offering a deeper auditory experience of Philemon's cryptic and rhythmic instructions to the "dead."