The Divided Self in Sync

About this poem

The Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), referred to the Indwelling Self as the archetype of the individual, the archetype of individuation, claiming further that “the Self [as the totality of a person’s being], is all embracing” and might equally well be called ‘the God within us’ who is an inner companion that can provide guidance and support, even in difficult times of stress and turmoil. See related commentary concerning the God within us by the analytical psychologist and psychiatrist, Carl Jung, cited and referenced in the publication, “Jung Speaking: Interviews and Encounters, Princeton University Press, 1987, page 414. ” It is of some interest to point out that this four-verse rhymed couplet, entitled “The Divided Self in Sync,” was originally composed as a response to Anthony Fiorino (sobriquet anthonyf.25398), an online poet and contributor to poetry.com, who had penned a poem about the two competing psychological selves embodied in one human being and in battle with each other. Scriptural history also addresses the divided self of flesh and spirit, alluded to concerning the problematic of man in conflict with himself in the form of a soliloquy by the apostle Saint Paul, in the New Testament book of Romans 7:14-25. And in the Hebrew Bible of Malachi 3:2-3, we are advised that our alignment or, better yet, our return to wholeness can only occur through a vigorous alchemical “Refiner’s Fire” cleansing process. May we, therefore, all together, in full strength, in our physical, our emotional, psychological, and spiritual natures, come resolutely together as one in greater maturity to find and secure our alignment; and with full recognition that the two-fold path that leads towards our sanctification, towards our realignment, or towards our individuated healing selves of cleansing wholeness as a human family, as determined by Scripture, is through our discernment and acknowledgment of the love of God for humanity and for our return of that divine love (1 John 4:8,11); and through our steadfast obedience to God and the Holy Trinity (Ephesians 2:12-13; Matthew 22:36-40). For our divided selves to be returned to oneness, let us, with wisdom, discern that sanctification, or return to wholeness, is of God, through the advocacy of Christ and the Holy Spirit; a return to order out of chaos. Finally, let us as fellow human beings reconcile ourselves with the certain knowledge that it is by Grace that we are sanctified and it is by Grace that we are saved through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). In conclusion, sanctification is the means by which we, as Christians, and as fellow human beings, made in God’s image, and by God’s divine grace and love, as broken vessels, all having gone astray, are by faith, hope, love and obedience to God, and through fellowship with Christ as Lord and Savior, returned step by step, on a daily basis, to healing wholeness. POSTSCRIPT: For the sake of reference and for readers’ interest, I will cite here portions of Anthony Fiorino’s poem, “Chaotic Passenger,” composed as a 26-line, 1 stanza iambic pentamer rhymed poem. The opening lines of Fiorino’s thoughtful poem, depicted succinctly by him as ‘observations of consciousness,’ reads as follows: “The Chaotic passenger is by my side/Whispering his desires as they rise/ I look him squarely in his eyes/Where a familiar glare resides/I dismiss most of his concerns/Yet his insistent chatter returns.” The last four lines of this poem reads as follows: “I can’t take much more of this/I look over and he still persists/I finally pull over and ask him to get out/That’s when I realize I’m alone on my couch.” more »