Eros In Exile: Soul’s Search for Humanity​

Emerson reminds us just how little we understand about the nature and experience of Eros. Just comb the literature and you will find conflicting and myriad interpretations about who and what this God is. Many relate Eros to sex- Eros-erotic, others to passion, and connections to self and others. In contrast, Jung brings us to the archetypal nature of this image, suggesting that Eros’s passion is to love Psyche and for us to nurture our sense of “Psychic Relatedness”. This involves a deeply meaningful relationship -a-love affair-with our inner life, with an ongoing relationship to our soul.

The absence of Eros is evident in every area of ancient and modern life. In legislative fights to control women’s bodies, to the destructive laws supporting industries and greed which care little for the natural world, and so much more of what we love about life has been lost. Further, we see a proliferation of war and Crimes against Humanity perpetrated by despotic world dictators, supported by our collective, delusional trust in their hope for humanity. All these seriously jeopardize our children’s future, creating even more “slaughter of the innocents” and are painful reminders of our afflicted relationship to Eros.

The Italian poet Catullo reminds us that Eros’ parents were Aphrodite and Mars, the Goddess and God of beauty and war, which is why he refers to Eros as: “Odio e amo” – Hate and Love. Many have realized the existence of these eternal twins, from Freud’s Thanatos and Eros, Jung’s interest in the tension of opposites, to God and his dark brother, Satan. However, we have yet to reconcile the co-existence of these archetypal twin forces resulting
in Eros’s darker aspects having a much greater hold on humanity, leaving Aphrodite, the feminine and the soul in the shadows. We have to ask; “why has the benevolence of Eros been banished, exiled and forced to live as an unconscious potentiality which is often kept separate from human experience?” Why has Psyche’s willingness to fight for her love for Eros not found its way into human experience? If we do not fight for what we love, what do
we have left?

Perhaps it may only be under the cover of darkness, or in the new morn, we realize that yet again we are alone, no one to hold, to love, or to grow old with. And if we look even more closely, ultimately it is our own soul and destiny waiting for us to live fully. This longing in our soul, far removed from us, now lives side by side with the passions we may never feel. We desperately need to recognize how we continue to unconsciously exile Eros, and awaken to the struggle we have before us to bring the embrace of this archetype back into our home, our world, and our heart. And we must remember that Psyche has shown us, we too can begin this search for Eros.

We are very fortunate to have Dr. Claudio Widman, a renowned Jungian analyst from Ravenna, Italy, presenting on; “The Loss of Eros in our Times” to take us into the archetypal meaning of this profound personal and collective issue. We sincerely hope that you join us in person or virtually for this Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.