Learning to Meet Your Inner Self

One of the core principles of our service to G-d is called tikun hamidot—the process of refining our character so that it aligns with G-d’s Will and the values taught by the Torah. Acts of kindness, self-discipline, compassion, persistence, and gratitude are all admirable traits. While we strive to embody these virtues, we sometimes fall short. This journey of self-improvement becomes especially important during Elul and the High Holy Days.

Our words and actions are visible to the world, but our inner motivations—our thoughts and feelings—remain hidden. Transforming ourselves from within is often referred to today as changing our mindset or attitude. When we struggle with emotional imbalance or persistent mental challenges, we might seek help from a therapist. Doctors may prescribe psychiatric medication, and psychologists often use talk therapy to help people overcome the debilitating effects of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues that are all too common in today’s stressful world.

Carl Jung, a contemporary of Sigmund Freud, developed a therapeutic method known as Active Imagination—a meditative technique where the unconscious mind expresses itself through images, narratives, or personified entities. These manifestations are called archetypes, universal character traits rooted in the collective unconscious, which reveal themselves uniquely in each individual. They act as a bridge between the conscious ego and the unconscious mind.

As Jews, we believe we are created in the Divine Image (Tzelem Elokim). Kabbalah and Chassidut teach that this image encompasses the ten sephirot (emanations) through which G-d created the world. There are three intellectual sephirot (Chachma, Bina, and Da’at) and seven emotional traits, known as midot. These midot include chesed (loving-kindness), gevurah (strict justice and discipline), tiferet (compassion and harmony), netzach (victory and persistence), hod (surrender and praise), yesod (truth), and malchut (kingship and humility).

We can view these seven midot as archetypes—spiritual forces within us that seek expression in our daily lives. In this five-week workshop, I have combined the understanding of five of these midot according to Rav Moshe Cordovero with the technique of Active Imagination. The goal is to connect with these powerful spiritual forces in our unconscious mind and bring them into conscious expression in our lives.

This process, often called inner work, can be challenging. Even though we aspire to be more loving, compassionate, and self-disciplined, our unconscious mind may resist change. Active Imagination provides a way to confront this resistance and reveal our inner goodness and connection to our Divine Self. This journey is for anyone with the courage to explore their inner world and the willingness to face the unknown aspects of their own psyche.