Popular Irish poet, Seamus Heaney, concludes his poem "Digging" with the lines) "Between my finger and my thumb/ The squat pen rests./ I'll dig with it." (Heaney) Often when I am writing, I think that is what I am doing. Lately as I have been spending time literally digging in the earth to put out some flowers, perennials that I hope will live and grow on their own in the future, I am reminded of Heaney's poem and how he compares his writing to his father's digging of potatoes. His poem contrasts his father's profession as farmer with his own as a writer and yet uses the digging as a metaphor. I find it a good metaphor and one that can be extended to the individuation process.
Heaney's father was digging into the earth for the fruits of his earlier labor. Earlier on he had dug and planted. Then he had cared for and cultivated his crop. I dig into the red clay of the natural area in my yard and pull out scraps the builders covered over. Then I must work to improve the soil, and finally I am able to put in plants.
In much the same way, sometimes it is necessary for us to dig into ourselves, the unconscious, and extricate scraps of things that will stand in the way of growth. Perhaps as we were growing up and building the outer façade we would show to the world, we covered over and buried some insecurities or unpleasantries without even being aware of what we were doing. These things now lie under the surface and may be parts of complexes than can catch us unawares and give us problems if left untended. As much as I just want to get on with the pretty flowers, I know that what I put on the surface won't live and last unless I prepare the soil and then tend the young and tender plants. Simply burying and covering over the trash and sticking something on the surface may not give me the long-range result I want. I want the shrubs and flowers I'm putting out to find enough nourishment in the soil to last, to sustain them for years to come.
Likewise, in my own personal growth, I continue to need to dig. What things have gotten buried in the building of a more integrated life? What weeds are in that soil that haven't been dealt with? Those troublesome things that might be temporarily pushed down out of consciousness will sprout forth again to cause problems unless I deal with them properly. I must go out and dig down to their roots and examine the causes - all that lies beneath the surface and keeps this "weed" in my life going.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Bonnie McCarson's Jungian Psychology topic, please visit the Discussions page.