Page 25 - January 2023
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this tragedy, we wonder if what was                    recognize that there is also a murderer
        happening in her unconscious was                       in us quite capable of doing the same

        the extreme opposite of her outward                    thing if we found ourselves in that
        behavior. From this perspective, we                    person’s shoes. It doesn’t mean we

        shouldn’t be surprised that she became                 condone it. It means we consciously
        a victim of her own capacity for evil and              observe unexpressed shadow working
        blamed her actions on the devil or voices  in the experience and come to terms

        inside her. It was her shadow side that                with our own malevolent extremes and
        overtook her. When you understand the                  polarizations. We need to recognize

        psychological law of enantiodromia, you                what we are capable of and not project it
        will see how this “possession” could have  outward by seeing it only in other people.
        been anticipated by those who knew her

        had they understood this principle of                  Someone who has lived their entire life
        compensation that Jung described as the  with a strong tendency to one-sidedness

        self-regulating activity of the psyche.                in their character has a greater chance of
                                                               suffering from an enantiodromia in their
        In the case of Mary Winkler, we can                    psyche. The person overly identified with

        empathize with her difficult situation as  being a hardworking, responsible person,
        most ministers’ wives are expected to                  obsessed with making money can flip

        be perfect, ideal women, always kind,                  and become a lazy, irresponsible wastrel.
        gracious and charming. God help her if  People will say, “We just don’t know what
        she has an opinion of her own that goes  got into him or her.” Their one-sidedness

        against the grain of conformity or any                 constellates the opposite. This is what
        outward expression resembling anger,                   Jung viewed as a great danger in the

        selfishness, or resentment. The pressure  psyche of man — to become lopsided
        of always being watched is enormous.                   for too long. What we all need is more
        It is no wonder that ministers’ wives                  balance in our lives.

        (or children) cannot live up to this
        impossible standard 100 percent of                     We need to work hard, and we need to

        the time. The loneliness of these two                  play and take vacations. We need to save
        women must have been unbearable.                       money and we need to spend money.
        Mary Winkler’s Minister husband was                    We need to give and receive. The act of

        abusive to her. She finally snapped and                receiving is another hard one for a lot of
        killed him.                                            people. When we are aware that we are

                                                               getting lopsided anywhere, we are wise if
        When we hear stories like this, we can                 we do some of the opposite for the sake
        be horrified and repulsed, or we can                   of our own equilibrium.



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