Right on, Amaterasu. And thank you Black Sun, for recognizing Jung's concept of the shadow for what it is--a useful tool that can help us understand our unconscious minds--but only if you nurture that giant mass of neurons that keeps us breathing and smiling.

Alas, history has taught us that there is no one-size-fits-all recipe to feed the mind. Some eternal truths, but for the most part, you're on your own.

Too many non-believers seem to dismiss the concept today, erroneously concluding that it's married to the metaphysical. It's also often overlooked that Jung had a "psychotic break," and I doubt he'd ever have had the insights he did without that experience. His mind went splat.

To understand a mechanical device, engineers take it apart and try to put it back together.

Plato: "Our greatest blessings," [says Socrates,] "come to us by way of madness, provided the madness is given us by divine gift."

Jung: "Although insight into the problem of opposites is absolutely imperative, there are very few people who can stand it in practice."