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It is very dangerous when a wound is so common in a culture that hardly anyone knows there is a problem. Such is the case right now with our wounded feeling function- our inability to find joy, worth, and meaning in life. Robert A. Johnson, the celebrated author of 'He, She', and 'We', revisits two medieval tales and illuminates how this feeling function has become a casualty of our modern times. Johnson tells the story of the Wounded Fisher King from the Grail Myth to illustrate the anxiety and loneliness that plague men. From the folktale of the Handless Maiden, he explains the very different frustrations of women and describes how these disparities in the way we suffer account for much of the tension and miscommunication between men and women. His insightful analysis shows that these two stories, created centuries ago, are even more relevant today. Robert A. Johnson, a noted lecturer and Jungian analyst, is also the author of 'He, She, We, Inner Work, Ecstasy, Transformation', and 'Owning Your Own Shadow'.… (more)
User reviews
“The Fisher King,” an Arthurian romance
pg. 34:
“Probably the worst [psychic] pain ever
pg. 46:
“Carl Jung … said that the meaning of life is to relocate the center of gravity of the personality from the ego to the Self. …
“This requires a Copernican revolution to relocate the center of the universe from the ego to the Self. And that revolution is as painful in our personality as the Copernican revolution was in history.”
“The Handless Maiden,” a fairy tale
pg 56:
“Though much of the story revolves around men, it is not only men but also ‘masculinity’ that is being described as the villain. Certainly, we have a long history of the subjection of women under the domination of men. But the problem is equally difficult in the tyranny that the masculine side of a woman exerts over her often helpless femininity. Marion Woodman once said in one of our joint lectures that the animus in a woman (the masculine component of a woman’s psychology) can be as great a tyrant as any man.”
pg. 69:
“There is nothing wrong with the material dimensions of our mechanical devices …. but a mechanical view of life is wrong and extracts the feeling price. If an excess of ‘things’ in life is eroding away one’s peace, it is the attitude that is wrong, not the things. Trickery as attitude always involves getting something and refusing to pay the human, direct price for it.”