The Divine Child is a manifestation of the archetype of the Self. Jung called the child image “a symbol which unites the opposites” and therefore “capable of the numerous transformations… it can be expressed by roundness, the circle or sphere, or else by the quaternary as another form of wholeness. I have called this wholeness that transcends consciousness the ‘self’” (CW 9i, Para 278).
The Divine Child represents the emergence of a new, enlivening idea or energy which constitute a renewal and expansion in consciousness. According to Jung “As bringers of light, that is, enlargers of consciousness, they overcome darkness, which is to say that they overcome the earlier unconscious state” (CW 9i, Para 288). The Divine child as a manifestation of the Self calls for an evaluation and restructuring of our current psychic structures, whether internally within an individual or collectively in a culture or humanity as a whole.
The Divine Child has a special relationship with the Creator. They have special powers which they bring as gifts to the world. The various stories of the divine childen often involved miraculous births in unexpected places after their arrival were prophesied. The divine child is frequently birthed into an unwelcoming, hostile and dangerous world – their births evoking resistances from those in power and their lives threatened by the existing rulers. There is a similarity to the old Kings from fairytales which refuse to die and make way for the new. This is symbolic of the old order (old ways of governance and societal structure) resisting necessary change and renewal.
Jesus Christ and Sri Krishna are some examples of the Divine Child, both having reshaped the spiritual destiny of humanity, symbolizing divine love and enlightenment. Jesus was born in a stable from a virgin mother, while King Herod tried to murder him leading the massacre of the innocents. Sri Krishna’ uncle also plotted to kill them when it was prophesied the child would be responsible for his death.
What needs to be birthed in ourselves and which parts of ourselves have to ‘die’ for the new to emerge in order to become more conscious?
Wriiten for @jungsouthernafrica
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