The God CrucibleThe God Crucible

Uniting God’s Masculine and Feminine Uniting God’s Masculine and Feminine SidesSides

Dr. Jean Benedict RaffaDr. Jean Benedict Raffa

Question #1:Question #1:

Does God have a masculine and Does God have a masculine and feminine side?feminine side?

Question #2

How can human beings have anything to do with changing or

healing God?

The struggle to know who I am, in truth and in spirit, The struggle to know who I am, in truth and in spirit, is the spiritual quest.is the spiritual quest.

The movement in myself from the mask to the face,The movement in myself from the mask to the face,from the personality to the person,from the personality to the person,

from the performing actor to the ruler from the performing actor to the ruler of the inner chamber,of the inner chamber,

is the spiritual journey.is the spiritual journey.To live, work, and suffer on this shoreTo live, work, and suffer on this shore

in faithfulness to the whispers from the other shorein faithfulness to the whispers from the other shoreis spiritual life.is spiritual life.

Ravi RavindraRavi Ravindra

Whatever we persistently exclude from conscious Whatever we persistently exclude from conscious training and adaptationtraining and adaptation

necessarily remains in an untrained, undeveloped, necessarily remains in an untrained, undeveloped, infantile, or archaic condition, infantile, or archaic condition,

ranging from partial to complete unconsciousness.ranging from partial to complete unconsciousness.Hence…unconscious influences Hence…unconscious influences

of a primitive characterof a primitive characterare always normally present in ample measureare always normally present in ample measure

and disturb the intentions of consciousness.and disturb the intentions of consciousness.Carl JungCarl Jung

Question # 3Question # 3

What does uniting the opposites have to do with creating

consciousness?

It is my belief It is my belief that the problem of opposites…that the problem of opposites…should be made the basis for should be made the basis for

a critical psychology.a critical psychology.A critique of this sort A critique of this sort

would be of the utmost valuewould be of the utmost valuenot only in the narrower field of psychology, not only in the narrower field of psychology,

but also in the wider field of the cultural but also in the wider field of the cultural sciences in general.sciences in general.

Carl JungCarl Jung

Dualistic ThinkingDualistic Thinking

GoodGood Bad BadRightRight Wrong Wrong

Self OtherSelf Other

Brain LateralizationBrain Lateralization

Left HemisphereLeft Hemisphere

• Written WordsWritten Words• DiscriminationDiscrimination• Separating and Separating and

AnalyzingAnalyzing• Hierarchical Hierarchical

AuthorityAuthority

Right HemisphereRight Hemisphere

• ImagesImages• HolismHolism• Harmonizing andHarmonizing and

BalancingBalancing• Shared AuthorityShared Authority

Stages of Development of the Human PsycheStages of Development of the Human PsycheStage 1: Right-Hemisphere DominantStage 1: Right-Hemisphere Dominant

People see themselves as one with nature People see themselves as one with nature and the universe and have no concept of and the universe and have no concept of their individualitytheir individuality

No sense of personal moral responsibilityNo sense of personal moral responsibility Unconscious identification with Mother and Unconscious identification with Mother and

her genius: Beingher genius: Being Conventional tribal standards are all Conventional tribal standards are all

importantimportant Society is Matri-centric; Deity is femaleSociety is Matri-centric; Deity is female

Stages of Development of the Human Psyche Stages of Development of the Human Psyche Stage 2: Left-Hemisphere DominantStage 2: Left-Hemisphere Dominant

People acquire a terrifying awareness of People acquire a terrifying awareness of their separateness from Mother and the their separateness from Mother and the ego is bornego is born

The ego questions and rejects tribal The ego questions and rejects tribal conventions and heroically suffers the conventions and heroically suffers the consequencesconsequences

Individuality and moral responsibility are Individuality and moral responsibility are bornborn

The ego rejects Mother and identifies with The ego rejects Mother and identifies with Father and his genius: DoingFather and his genius: Doing

Society becomes Patri-centric; Deity is Society becomes Patri-centric; Deity is malemale

Stage 3: HolisticStage 3: Holistic

Ego meets the shadow and turns withinEgo meets the shadow and turns within Ego acknowledges the influence of the Ego acknowledges the influence of the

contrasexual opposites and its ultimate contrasexual opposites and its ultimate opposite, the Selfopposite, the Self

Opposites are tolerated, valued, and Opposites are tolerated, valued, and integrated into consciousnessintegrated into consciousness

Fear and alienation are replaced by Fear and alienation are replaced by spiritual meaning, harmony, and a sense spiritual meaning, harmony, and a sense of connection with othernessof connection with otherness

Thinking becomes holistic: ego readily Thinking becomes holistic: ego readily consults both hemispheres of the brainconsults both hemispheres of the brain

God-image loses gender and tribal God-image loses gender and tribal associations to become universalassociations to become universal

Holistic ThinkingHolistic Thinking

Question # 4Question # 4

What does my title, The God Crucible, have to do with any of

this?

““To know oneself is to know God.”To know oneself is to know God.”

Mystics from every Mystics from every age and religionage and religion

Mother Julian of NorwichMother Julian of Norwich

“The purpose of the Incarnation...is not so much as to scrub away an original sin as to heal the two sides to our nature.”

“Just as God is truly our Father, so also is God truly our Mother.”

“We are in God and God whom we do not see is in us. We are of God. That is what we are. I saw no difference between God and our Substance but as if it were all God.”

“We can never know God until we first know clearly our own soul.”

A Unified God-ImageA Unified God-Image

Self OtherSelf OtherGodGod

The God CrucibleThe God Crucible

Just as it takes a union between masculinity and Just as it takes a union between masculinity and femininity to create new physical life, so the union offemininity to create new physical life, so the union of

our inner opposites is the source of new spiritual our inner opposites is the source of new spiritual growth and life. We each contain every quality growth and life. We each contain every quality and potential we associate with the feminine and potential we associate with the feminine

and masculine principles. We are sacred and masculine principles. We are sacred vessels of transformation. By uniting vessels of transformation. By uniting

the opposites within ourselves, the opposites within ourselves, we create consciousness.we create consciousness.

We We become become

God crucibles.God crucibles.

Becoming More Conscious of Your Shadow

What is it about these people you don’t like?

What parts of you are like this?

What is it about the people you like that you admire?

What parts of you are like this?