Arc of Life

This class presents an overview of life’s journey, its stages and its purpose, within a framework based on the alchemical formulation known as the Axiom of Maria: One becomes Two, Two becomes Three, and out of the Third comes the One as the Fourth. One: at the beginning of human life there is no felt boundary between the individual and the universe. To the extent that there is awareness at all, it is an awareness of a limitless ocean of Oneness. One becomes Two: the task of the first half of life is the excruciating process of disengaging from the connected experience of Oneness (leaving paradise) and developing a sense of a separate Self that can interact with and manipulate the universe as Other. You can think of this stage as the hero’s journey. Two becomes Three: the task of the second half of life is the excruciating process of re-engaging with the Oneness (paradise regained) despite existential fears of Self annihilation due to loss of boundaries. When the polarities of Oneness and Twoness are held simultaneously, it becomes a Threeness (1+2=3). You can think of this stage as the mystical journey. Jung called it the path of individuation. Out of the Third comes the One As the Fourth: the One that emerges ‘out of the Third’ at the end of the journey is a One that has evolved as a consequence of the journey. To distinguish the new One from the original One we give it a new name - the One as the Fourth. Observation: the effect of the human journey is to evolve the One. Conclusion: the purpose of the human journey is to evolve the One. We will examine the journey from One to One as Fourth in more detail, and consider its implications for the process of therapy. David Cornfield.