Chicken Little: The Inside Story (A Jungian ... - Inner City Books

The Meeting 41
Arnold furtively slipped his plate to Sunny. Norman toyed with
a spoon, eyeing Rachel. Rachel’s attention was focused on Brillig,
who finally spoke.
“To my mind,” he said, “Jung’s basic tenet, to which I have always
adhered and God help me always will, is”—and he quoted
from memory:
What is it, at this moment and in this individual, that represents the
natural urge of life? That is the question [which] neither science, nor
worldly wisdom, nor religion, nor the best of advice can resolve. 45
I knew the passage well. I looked at Arnold, who nodded back. It
was our feeling in a nutshell.
“That’s just how we feel—in a nutshell,” I said.
“So you see,” said Brillig, “when I found my mind wandering in
analytic sessions, I had to ask myself: What would I rather be doing?
Where does my energy really want to go?”
He paused as Arnold refilled his snifter from the flagon of four
star Napoleon brandy Brillig had earlier produced, with a flourish,
from one of their bags.
“Thank you. As you know, the answer to that question is not discovered
overnight. Even a seasoned professional, which by that
time I could fairly claim to be, may find it necessary to go back into
the fire.”
“I reckon,” said Arnold, “that even the most thorough analysis is
only good for about ten years.”
“Oh,” I teased, “that’s why you’ve been so cranky lately. You’re
way overdue.”
“As are you, my friend,” grinned Arnold.
“You may well be right,” Brillig nodded to Arnold. “Something
new and unforeseen is always coming up. We have the tools, yes,
we certainly have the tools,” he sighed, “but we get so caught up in
using them in the service of others that we forget to use them for
ourselves.”
I squirmed, though without letting on, just as I used to when my
analyst hit the mark.
45 “The Structure of the Unconscious,” Two Essays on Analytical Psychology,
CW 7, pars. 488-489.