I’m forwarding this from another member who was unable to attend:
“Great. I had looked forward to it but then had to go to a professional meeting. He’s a good author, seems like he doesn’t have the religion gene because he thinks of his system as nothing but a scam. C.G. Jung talks about the collective unconscious and the way we can use tools, whether fractals, astrology or the I Ching to find our own messages and dreams. It’s cool stuff. Do you know about his Red Book?”
Greg- could you address this query, I’ll be sure to forward it along.
I’ve heard about the Red Book, but I have to admit I know Jung’s work only at second hand. But Jake is to some extent an alter-ego to Jung. He takes a certain inspiration from Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious, but personalizes it. Yes, we all draw on a certain common fund of myth, Jake might argue, but myth is not useful in the process of individuation unless and until we put our own stamp upon it, adding to it by essentially mythologizing our own personal experience. Neither Jake nor I would see the system of Horokinetics, as elaborated by Jake, as a scam. Jake takes what Pete has invented and tries to use it as an agent of good. And to a great extent, he succeeds. Jake is integral to Pete’s “growing up” at the end of the book. Jake genuinely helps Pete, and presumably genuinely helps many others as well. The fact that he is in turn being manipulated by other forces doesn’t change that, nor does the fact that his “help” ends up harming others. Jake believes in the power of myth, and doesn’t concern himself too much with its “truth.” I suppose I agree with him up to a point – religion is a positive force for many people, whether or not the particulars of the religion are in any sense true, and I would argue that many cults can have beneficial consequences to their members. Even corrupt gurus can help people pull their lives together. So no, I’d say it’s not just a scam. It’s a powerful scam. The real problem lies in the problematic complexity of wielding power. As for my own religion gene, well, I see beauty and art in religion, I just don’t look for fact there. I like to think of myself as a Mike Huckabee Atheist – I don’t believe in God, but I’m not mad at anyone about it. I think religion can be a useful and positive framework for evaluating and giving meaning to human experience. Likewise even astrology or tarot or i-ching can help us tap into myth and metaphor and give us a language with which to address the world around us, I just would insist on it being an artistic approach rather than a scientific/factual one. I think Jake would agree. Does that make sense? I shouldn’t answer these questions late at night…..
I’m forwarding this from another member who was unable to attend:
“Great. I had looked forward to it but then had to go to a professional meeting. He’s a good author, seems like he doesn’t have the religion gene because he thinks of his system as nothing but a scam. C.G. Jung talks about the collective unconscious and the way we can use tools, whether fractals, astrology or the I Ching to find our own messages and dreams. It’s cool stuff. Do you know about his Red Book?”
Greg- could you address this query, I’ll be sure to forward it along.
I’ve heard about the Red Book, but I have to admit I know Jung’s work only at second hand. But Jake is to some extent an alter-ego to Jung. He takes a certain inspiration from Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious, but personalizes it. Yes, we all draw on a certain common fund of myth, Jake might argue, but myth is not useful in the process of individuation unless and until we put our own stamp upon it, adding to it by essentially mythologizing our own personal experience. Neither Jake nor I would see the system of Horokinetics, as elaborated by Jake, as a scam. Jake takes what Pete has invented and tries to use it as an agent of good. And to a great extent, he succeeds. Jake is integral to Pete’s “growing up” at the end of the book. Jake genuinely helps Pete, and presumably genuinely helps many others as well. The fact that he is in turn being manipulated by other forces doesn’t change that, nor does the fact that his “help” ends up harming others. Jake believes in the power of myth, and doesn’t concern himself too much with its “truth.” I suppose I agree with him up to a point – religion is a positive force for many people, whether or not the particulars of the religion are in any sense true, and I would argue that many cults can have beneficial consequences to their members. Even corrupt gurus can help people pull their lives together. So no, I’d say it’s not just a scam. It’s a powerful scam. The real problem lies in the problematic complexity of wielding power. As for my own religion gene, well, I see beauty and art in religion, I just don’t look for fact there. I like to think of myself as a Mike Huckabee Atheist – I don’t believe in God, but I’m not mad at anyone about it. I think religion can be a useful and positive framework for evaluating and giving meaning to human experience. Likewise even astrology or tarot or i-ching can help us tap into myth and metaphor and give us a language with which to address the world around us, I just would insist on it being an artistic approach rather than a scientific/factual one. I think Jake would agree. Does that make sense? I shouldn’t answer these questions late at night…..
Well, I like the answer, but I’ll pass it along to the original inquirer. Thank you again, Greg.