My speech is imperfect.
Not because I want to shine with words,
but out of the impossibility of finding those words,
I speak in images.
With nothing else can I express the words from the depths.
-Carl Jung, Liber Novus, “The Red Book”
Carl Jung, Red Book
Jung knew that some experiences are beyond words. Religious and spiritual experiences, the depths of suffering and trauma, even moments of sublime awe can be challenging to process, let alone articulate.
Art and imagery not only help us work with charged emotional experiences, they can help us understand them on a deeper level. Active imagination is a technique Jung used to help clients begin to listen to the voice within through imagery, myth, and metaphor.
What he discovered was that the soul has a language of its own and will truly speak to those who can hear.