The Tension of the Opposites by Paul Levy

C. G. Jung articulated very eloquently the archetypal descent into the

unconscious. He realized that when you go into the psyche you are
invariably going to meet "the problem of the opposites." This is that
double-bind that is at the root of our self-consciousness. To quote
Jung, "All opposites are of God, therefore man must bend to this
burden; and in so doing he finds that God in his "oppositeness" has
taken possession of him, incarnated himself in him. He becomes a
vessel filled with divine conflict."

Jung says it is crucial at this point to "hold the tension of the

opposites." This is the creative tension which creates the pressure in
the alchemical vessel. This pressure is the necessary ingredient for
the process of transmutation of impure to pure elements in the psyche
to successfully occur.

When the opposites first get constellated, there can be wide

oscillations between the two polarities; this can at times look like
manic-depression. If the person doesn't have a strong enough sense of
self, which is to not have a strong enough alchemical container, they
will split-off, repress and project out one of the pairs of opposites and
identify with the other. Instead of a reconciling symbol arising,
symptoms result.

If a person is able to hold both opposites simultaneously, it can be an

excruciating experience. Jung points out that, symbolically, this is a
veritable crucifixion. This is to be genuinely imitating Christ. To quote
Jung "It is no longer an effort, an intentional striving after imitation,
but rather an involuntary experience of the reality represented by the
sacred legend."

Going through this experience can be very painful to the ego, as the
experience itself is about nothing other than the death and
transcendence of the ego. This is why Jung says, "the birth of the Self
is always a defeat for the ego." As long as one is still identified with
the ego, this experience will invariably involve getting in touch with
one's utter impotence and helplessness, which St. John of the Cross
calls "the Dark Night of the Soul."

When Christ was being crucified, he uttered "My God, why have thou
forsaken me?" Read symbolically, this would say that, if Christ himself
went through it, even an experience where one feels totally
disconnected from God is a Divine moment. And not only that, it is the
moment closest to the resurrected body, which is symbolic of the birth
of the Self.

Jung makes the point that we are only able to creatively hold the
tension of the opposites if we realize that the opposites themselves
are manifestations of the Self and are not of the ego. Recognizing this
will allow us to not identify with either of the opposites as well as to
disidentify with the conflict itself, and by doing this we will be
clearing the space for the solution to come. This is the birth of the
Self, which is none other than the incarnation of God in and through
us. By consciously going through this real life passion play, or in
 Jung's words, a "divine drama," we become a conduit for the
incarnating Godhead itself, which Jung realized was the greatest
service that we could do for the divine. This is what Jung meant when
he talked about "a broadening process of incarnation," "the continuing
incarnation of God," and "the Christification of the many." This is why
he defined individuation, the process of becoming whole, as
incarnation, for to the extent that we claim our wholeness we allow
God to incarnate in this world.

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I had learned that all the greatest and most important problems of
life are fundamentally insoluble. They can never be solved, but only
outgrown.

I think it depends on how many people can stand the tension of the
opposites in themselves.
-C.G. Jung

we suffer authentically when we experience a conflict of opposites,

a conflict between duty, say, and what we really want. For example,
Should I stay in this relationship or leave it If one stays, one suffers
the denial of the Self; and the subsequent depression, addiction and
resentment can only deepen. On the other hand, if one leaves, one
will be alone, perhaps ridiculed, marginalized, consumed with doubt.
So, what is the right course of action? (James Hollis, On This Journey
We Call Our Life, 2003, p. 130)

James Hollis asks a question that only can be answered individually.

And then, even for the individual, the answer only leads to living
another question. The temptation is to find answers rather than
allowing the questions to continue to swirl within, holding the
tension in Jungian terms. The holding of the tension, not jumping to
a one-sided answer, is somewhat like being held in a fire so as to be
tempered. It is, indeed, suffering.

To see two sides of a coin, two opposing answers, suggests that one
answer is right and the other answer is wrong. This is polarized
thinking. Either-or thinking leaves one feeling either half-empty or
half-full. There is no chance of balance, in feeling complete. It is
better to allow both options to continue to be present, working
underneath the level of consciousness, in order to allow all aspects of
the question become acknowledged. If one holds long enough,
typically a third way emerges, an answer that one didnt even realize
was an answer to the original question.

For example, Do I stay?, or Do I go? Holding the tension between

the two poles forces a pressure cooker to be activated, one that acts
upon the self and the other. What emerges is often a change in
attitude which makes the question redundant. At that point, a new
question begins to be creating new tensions which lead to greater
consciousness if one is willing to suffer holding the tension. Think
of it as lighting a fire under a beaker of chemicals in order to have the
brew become something different that the sum of its parts. Somehow,
one creates new products this way. Within the psyche, one creates a
different self, a more conscious self.

The Transcendent Function - Jung refers to the transcendent

function as the mediating force between oppositions within the
psyche. The transcendent function arises out of intense and
concentrated conflicts within the individual. Like the koan of the Zen
masters, extreme and painful paradoxes can lead us to a place where
we must transcend the ego so that our perception of reality is no
longer split into two opposing forces. Jung says that holding the
tension of the opposites is essential to bridging the gap between ego-
consciousness and the unconscious. If the tension between the
opposites can be held long enough without succumbing to the urge to
identify with one side or the other, the third, completely unexpected
image, one that unites the two in a creative new way, comes into view.

The transcendent function has important implications for an

ecological psychology because it can serve as a bridge between
rational thinking and archetypal sensibility, thus facilitating a
renewed connection between the human psyche and the natural
world. The privileging of rational thinking in modern culture
characteristically diminishes or rejects the irrational unconscious,
hence, archetypal, realm as inferior. The same dismissive attitude
prevails in relation to the landscape. The archetypal characteristics of
the landscape are no longer taken seriously, and therefore remain
unconscious. On the other hand, if one can hold the tension between
the unconscious psyche and the rational ego, eventually
consciousness will expand to accommodate the previously
unconscious content. Furthermore, the natural landscape, and all that
it contains, will begin to reveal its own psychic nature.