The spirit of the depths took my understanding and all my knowledge and placed them at the service of the inexplicable and the paradoxical.
—CG Jung (Red Book p229)

Jung’s view of psyche is rooted in an appreciation of opposites and the roles they play in our individuation process. He found that creatively embracing life’s “inexplicable and paradoxical” natures leads one to a more soulful connection to the world. In this presentation, I explore Jung’s work on the nature of opposites, including my own experiences of the inexplicable and paradoxical. Entering the paradoxical realm requires us to engage with transrational ways of knowing. I consider various “extraordinary” ways of knowing that influenced Jung’s views on the relationship between psyche and matter and which extend our understanding of consciousness beyond a purely rational perspective.

Jeffrey Kiehl, PhD, is a Diplomate Jungian Analyst and senior training analyst for the CG Jung Institute of Colorado and the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts. He has published articles on US Cultural Complexes and Climate Change, Archetypal Dimensions of Comics and The Nature of Uncertainty/The Uncertainty of Nature. Jeffrey’s interests include the relationship between psyche and matter, alchemy, and consciousness studies. Jeffrey lives in Santa Cruz.
The spirit of the depths took my understanding and all my knowledge and placed them at the service of the inexplicable and the paradoxical.

—CG Jung (Red Book p229)

Jung’s view of psyche is rooted in an appreciation of opposites and the roles they play in our individuation process. He found that creatively embracing life’s “inexplicable and paradoxical” natures leads one to a more soulful connection to the world. In this presentation, I explore Jung’s work on the nature of opposites, including my own experiences of the inexplicable and paradoxical. Entering the paradoxical realm requires us to engage with transrational ways of knowing. I consider various “extraordinary” ways of knowing that influenced Jung’s views on the relationship between psyche and matter and which extend our understanding of consciousness beyond a purely rational perspective.

Jeffrey Kiehl, PhD, is a Diplomate Jungian Analyst and senior training analyst for the CG Jung Institute of Colorado and the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts. He has published articles on US Cultural Complexes and Climate Change, Archetypal Dimensions of Comics and The Nature of Uncertainty/The Uncertainty of Nature. Jeffrey’s interests include the relationship between psyche and matter, alchemy, and consciousness studies. Jeffrey lives in Santa Cruz.
The spirit of the depths took my understanding and all my knowledge and placed them at the service of the inexplicable and the paradoxical.

—CG Jung (Red Book p229)

Jung’s view of psyche is rooted in an appreciation of opposites and the roles they play in our individuation process. He found that creatively embracing life’s “inexplicable and paradoxical” natures leads one to a more soulful connection to the world. In this presentation, I explore Jung’s work on the nature of opposites, including my own experiences of the inexplicable and paradoxical. Entering the paradoxical realm requires us to engage with transrational ways of knowing. I consider various “extraordinary” ways of knowing that influenced Jung’s views on the relationship between psyche and matter and which extend our understanding of consciousness beyond a purely rational perspective.

Jeffrey Kiehl, PhD, is a Diplomate Jungian Analyst and senior training analyst for the CG Jung Institute of Colorado and the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts. He has published articles on US Cultural Complexes and Climate Change, Archetypal Dimensions of Comics and The Nature of Uncertainty/The Uncertainty of Nature. Jeffrey’s interests include the relationship between psyche and matter, alchemy, and consciousness studies. Jeffrey lives in Santa Cruz.