You want to rest, and you want to finish the work. You want to leave, and you want to stay. Most of us treat that as a problem to solve. Pick a side, and the pull stops.
Carl Jung left a different picture in the private book now published as The Red Book. In one passage he meets someone who wants the opposite of everything he wants.
A meeting on the border
Jung writes in the first person. He is climbing toward the East when a figure comes toward him from the East.
“As I rose to the highest point and my hope wanted to look out toward the East, a miracle happened: as I moved toward the East, one from the East hurried toward me and strove toward the sinking light. I wanted light, he wanted night. I wanted to rise, he wanted to sink.”
— C. G. Jung, The Red Book: Liber Novus, trans. Kyburz, Peck and Shamdasani (2009), Liber Secundus, p. 280
The passage then lines the two of them up in pairs. One is strong, the other weak. One is ancient, the other new. One knows, the other does not. And then:
“But we were both astonished to see one another on the border between morning and evening.”
— C. G. Jung, The Red Book: Liber Novus, trans. Kyburz, Peck and Shamdasani (2009), Liber Secundus, p. 280
Notice the word he chooses: astonished. They come from opposite directions and are surprised to find each other.
What changes
A little further down the page Jung says what has shifted.
“No longer do outer opposites stand in my way, but my own opposite comes toward me, and rises up hugely before me, and we block each other’s way.”
— C. G. Jung, The Red Book: Liber Novus, trans. Kyburz, Peck and Shamdasani (2009), Liber Secundus, p. 280
Our reading, not a finding: until now the opposite was out there, in other people and in circumstances. Here it is in him. It is the part of himself that wants the reverse of what he wants. The result is not a winner. It is a standstill.
He does not hurry to end the standstill. He counts what each side costs and what each side spares him:
“I seem to be denied power, while he is denied rebirth, but I escape the blindness that comes with power and he escapes the nothingness that comes with death.”
— C. G. Jung, The Red Book: Liber Novus, trans. Kyburz, Peck and Shamdasani (2009), Liber Secundus, p. 280
Each side loses something. Each side is also protected from something.
What he is not saying
He is not saying that every dilemma hides a deep lesson. Sometimes you are tired and the choice is just a choice. He is not saying you must hold both sides forever, and he is not giving a method. This is a private vision written for himself, and it is not gentle: it goes on to describe a serpent’s poison bringing the other figure down. We are reading only its first part, on the opposites, as an image. An image is something to look at, not a rule to follow.
A two-minute practice
This one is ours, not Jung’s.
- Write the two pulls as two lines. Start each with “I want.” For example: “I want to rest.” “I want to finish this.”
- Under each line, finish one sentence. “This part of me is protecting me from...”
- Read both aloud. Then stop. Do not choose tonight.
If nothing comes for one of the lines, leave it blank. A forced answer is worse than none.
How firm is this?
It is one passage from one man’s private book. It is an idea to reflect on, not a tested treatment, and this article makes no claim that it will help with any particular problem. Many readers find that writing both sides down is calmer than arguing with themselves in their head. If it brings up more than you can hold, stop, read how to pace shadow work, or talk to a qualified professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Jung mean by the tension of opposites?
In this passage, two opposite wants meet in one person and block each other. Jung does not hurry to resolve it. He describes what each side costs and what each side spares him.
Is wanting two opposite things a sign something is wrong?
Not on this reading. The passage treats the two wants as parts of one person. If the pull is causing you real distress, talk to a qualified professional.
Do I have to choose between the two sides?
The passage does not say you must. The practice here is only to write both sides down, say them aloud and notice what each one protects. A decision can wait.
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The gold was always there
The practice this writing comes from: short daily reflections to read or hear with your phone’s speech voice, plus a private journal.
- I · MORNING
- II · MIDDAY
- III · EVENING
Prime
A short Ritual written for the person you are becoming.
Act
One aligned action, logged while it is still true.
Release
The Shadow Log — say what the day asked of you.
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References
- Jung, C.G. (2009) The Red Book: Liber Novus. Edited by S. Shamdasani. Translated by M. Kyburz, J. Peck and S. Shamdasani. New York: W.W. Norton, Liber Secundus, p. 280.