4. The Invaluable Mission of The Puer and Puella Aeternus
Through the years, I’ve noticed that most people can only appreciate the Puer Aeternus in a negative way, that’s why I’d like to explore this matter through a final angle: The invaluable mission of the Puer and Puella Aeternus.
PS: Check the full Puer and Puella Aeternus Series here.
The Invaluable Mission of The Puer Aeternus
You see, every psychological process of transformation begins with the Puer Aeternus. Why?… Because it’s the seed of new life. It’s pure potential. Its appearance brings a myriad of unheard possibilities and uncharted pathways. When everything feels stuck and the conscious attitude has reached its limit, that’s when the Puer energy is needed, as it unblocks a brand-new understanding, and life can flow again. In other words, the Puer and Puella Aeternus have the mission to bring renewal.
We can see that when they question and challenge old ways of doing things. When they call out religions for imposing outdated values, or when they call out politicians for being narrow-minded. But my favorite example is about mental health, at least in my country, people above fifty, generally speaking, still think that doing therapy is for the weak or crazy people, and this is something we definitely don’t see with the younger generations. For the record, I wish I wasn’t operating with these prejudices in my early 20’s, things would have been so much easier, haha.
Anyway, here’s where everything becomes critical, because in this pursuit to challenge tradition and culture, the Puer and Puella tend to be consumed by their childishness and power hunger. Here’s where they will start imagining an idealized fantastical realm and flee from the real world. Instead of capitalizing on their potential, they become masters of playing the victim card. Instead of fighting for their ideals and contributing to a positive change, they succumb to their sense of entitlement, pride, and start oppressing everyone.
An enantiodromia happens. In the place of renewal, they bring destruction. In the place of a new path, chaos ensues. They lose hope, because the one that refuses to engage with real life is already partially dead. So what then? This sense of purpose and meaningfulness only comes when you accept life as it is. It’s hidden underneath egoic and selfish pursuits and it’s unraveled when you engage with your soul. It only emerges when you accept full responsibility.
After analyzing people from over twenty different countries, I’ve encountered two major tendencies. Either people feel incapable of holding their true purpose because they feel like it’s beyond them, and this was definitely me at some point, or they judge it as something bad or inferior. A combination is also possible as both are a maneuver to avoid committing to it. In the first case, it’s imperative to strengthen the ego-complex so the person can take ownership of their mission. In the second, we have to understand the story behind why they have these judgments and what’s their purpose. Usually, they’re operating through someone else’s values and/ or they’re too enmeshed in our zeitgeist and haven’t uncovered their own cosmovision and value system. That’s where Jungian Analysis can be really valuable to someone’s journey.
The Puer and Puella really ought to learn how to place their ideals in real life and live by them, they need to get their hands dirty and bring this transformation forth. When you engage with the soul, life acquires a new sense of purposefulness. Every action feels like you’re putting together the greatest piece of art. In this process, every excuse imaginable appears, but in the end, you’re just running away from your soul. Every illusion must be sacrificed as this is the only way to produce something that’s truly valuable, and don’t be fooled, you won’t be doing this solely to you, this isn’t a selfish pursuit. Every individual transformation requires that you pay your tribute to the world. Yes, this will require courage as following one’s soul is the greatest audacity.
Read this one next – How To Do Shadow Work
Rafael Krüger – Jungian Therapist
Start your journey with the Conquer The Puer and Puella Aeternus Course!
