Musings on Jung & History

I watched the History Channel documentaries on Thomas Jefferson & George Washington & Abraham Lincoln.  In the Jefferson documentary, historians mention that France had abolished slavery before the American Revolution, and that the slave-girl, Sally Hemmings that Jefferson could have legally sued for freedom under France's laws, and she would have won her freedom immediately. Thomas Jefferson was committing an illegal act by having an enslaved person stay with him at his luxury hotel in France yet, he did so anyway and convinced her that he would give her preferential treatment if she moved back to Virgini with him. She did go along with his persuasions, although historians said as a slave, she was considered a piece of property and had limited agency in the matter. Ultimately, he gave her a room in his mansion underneath a stairwell to have easy access to her for nighttime dalliances. In addition, the children he sired with her were given job-training development as carpen...

  A lot of Human Resource managers are familiar with the Myers-Briggs typological “Personality Profile” which explains how certain psychological profiles coincide with employment roles. For instance, an introvert (I), a person who is energized by spending time contemplating their own thoughts and experiences, or pursuing their own intrinsically satisfying pursuits, such as fishing, piano, calligraphy, graphic arts, etc. will be better matched with a career based on that same psychological architecture. On the other hand, an extrovert (E) who is energized by spending time at parties, social clubs, or high stimulation environments such as large sports stadiums, buzzing nightclubs, will resonate more closely with employment opportunities such as sales, teaching, performance as a musician, or business management. However, since American culture has become both post-literate: see Chris Hedges’ Empire of Illusion but also secular: see David Sehat’s This Earthly Frame: The Making of Amer...

My reading of Order of the Phoenix identifies something that Joseph Campbell's framework often underemphasizes. The Road of Trials in the monomyth gets summarized as confrontation with external monsters: the troll, the Basilisk, the named threats with claws and venom. Book five replaces the visible monster with an institutional one. The Ministry of Magic does not bite. It disbelieves, delays, and discredits. Harry's wound in this book is epistemic before it is physical: nobody with authority will confirm what he knows to be true. That is a different trial than slaying a Basilisk. Possibilities:  Ordeal with Wizards panel to determine if he could return to Hogwarts   Explulsion  Suspension  Re-instation Return of Dark Lord  Injured by Voldemort  Death by Voldemort  Kicked out of Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house  Go on the run with Sirius  Rejected or accepted to assist with the Order of the Phoenix.  Harry DOES have to serve a w...

 I was watching "Washington: S1, E1 Loyal Subject" on Netflix.  George Washington warned his British officer superiors against a guerilla attack; they didn't take it seriously. They were caught in a surprise attack by the French and Indians in the woods, all British officers were wounded or killed, Washington becomes the top Commander by default.  When George Washington lies about accidentally killing a French diplomat, that is him embodied as a Trickster figure. Later, when George Washington becomes the Founding Father of the United States, he has matured into a Senex figure. The luck aspect is that Washington had two horses shot from under him, and three bullets lodged in his coat without receiving a scratch. Which we needed for him to survive to become the First American President.  Another parallel: Sen Mitch McConnell has spent a month in the hospital, Sen Lindsey Graham just died. I've argued the Gerontocracy has held onto their positions longer than is fair, d...