What is The Dark Night of the Soul? The concept the “dark night of the soul” is being used by many to describe a long and painful crisis where they undergo a deep transformation. Roberto Assagioli also speaks about the “dark night of the soul” but in a much more specific way, than many do […]

Definition of Resurrection by Roberto Assagioli from his book Transpersonal Development. “We have now reached the fifteenth group of symbols, that of resurrection and return, what in the gospels is referred to as the return of the prodigal son to his father’s house. This is a return to a previous state and points to a […]

A definition of freedom and liberation by Roberto Assagioli, in his book Transpersonal Development: “The fourteenth group of symbols is that of ‘liberation’. This is related to symbols of development. The removing of the ‘tangles’ is a process of liberation from our complexes and illusions and from the way in which we identify with the […]

A definition of transmutation by Roberto Assagioli from his book Psychosynthesis. “Once the choice of the ideal form has been made, practical psychosynthesis, the actual construction of the new personality, begins. This work may be divided into three principal parts: Utilization of the available energies. These are (a) the forces released, by the analysis and […]

A definition of transformation by Roberto Assagioli from his book The Act of Will.   “Law X—The psychological energies can find expression: I. directly (discharge—catharsis) 2. indirectly, through symbolic action 3. through a process of transmutation.   At first sight the direct modes of expression do not appear to call for much comment. They are simply the […]

A definition of Spiritual Path by Roberto Assagioli in Transpersonal Development. The eleventh group of symbols covers that of the way, path or pilgrimage. This too has always been a universal metaphor. Esoteric tradition speaks about the ‘path of the disciple’ and about the way of initiation, with its various ‘doors’. Religions refer to the […]

A definition of empowerment by Roberto Assagioli from his book Transpersonal Development. “The ninth group of symbols, and a very up-to-date one, is that of ’empowerment’ or ‘intensification’. Spiritual conquest may be regarded as an empowerment, an intensification of one’s awareness of life. It is a force, a different psycho-spiritual ‘voltage’ which is superior to […]

A couple of definitions of evolution by Roberto Assagioli: “The eighth group of symbols, which has much in common with human experience, is indicated by the words ‘evolution’ and ‘development’. In a sense we might say that these words are synonymous. To develop, which literally means ‘to become disentangled’, refers to progress from the potential […]

A definition of spiritual awakening by Roberto Assagioli from his book Transpersonal Development. “We now come to the fifth group of symbols. These are among the most significant and effective. They are the symbols of reawakening or revival. We might describe our normal state of consciousness as a ‘dreamlike’ state in a world of illusion: […]