How a 1936 lecture contrasts stagnation with the regenerative current of Divine Life, presenting dynamic joy as a volitional resolution for daily rebirth
By Roberto Assagioli
Doc. #23419 | Archive: Assagioli Archives, Florence
Original title: Felicità Statica e Letizia Dinamica
A Talk Originally Given in Florence, New Year’s Eve 1936
Translated by Jan Kuniholm
Editorial Note
The abstract and contextual subtitle in this online edition have been added by the editor, Kenneth Sørensen, to support readability, navigation, and archival consistency. The original wording has not been altered. This talk was delivered in Florence on New Year’s Eve 1936, during the fascist period in Italy. The text contains what appear to be instances of self-censorship reflecting the political constraints of the time, including a cryptic reference to “M.” and “continuous revolution” that may reflect the danger of openly mentioning Marx under the regime. The translation, footnotes, and scholarly editorial commentary are by Jan Kuniholm, who has contributed contextual annotations throughout.
This writing clearly consists of lecture notes and is not an organized lecture in itself. —Tr.
Abstract
In this 1936 New Year’s Eve talk, Assagioli contrasts static happiness, rooted in comfort and security, with dynamic joy, born from conscious entry into the current of Divine Life. He identifies laziness, inertia, and attachment as obstacles to renewal and argues that genuine transformation demands an act of will. The talk concludes with a call to adopt a daily resolution of spiritual rebirth, removing the inner barriers that block vitality, love, and intuition.
I would like to propose that we consider together the old but ever-relevant theme that can be summed up in the popular saying “NEW YEAR, NEW LIFE.”
Elements of truth:
- The solar cycle, an ascending magnetic wave that constitutes a favorable moment.[2]
- We can use the opportunity, or rather the pretext, of the external change of year to bring about an inner and vital renewal.
However, such renewal does not occur on its own: it requires our resolute intention and an act of will. It requires overcoming a deep instinct and freeing ourselves from an illusion.
I. Overcoming the instinct of laziness and inertia.
Fundamental quality of matter — resistance — the first of the gunas.[3] Its importance: Jung.
Horror of effort.
Subtle and disguised forms of moral and spiritual inertia: psychic activism — dispersion (dissipation) — “escape” in a horizontal sense, outward.
II. Illusion of static happiness and ‘security’.
General search for well-being, for “happiness.”
Illusion of the possibility of a ‘comfortable life’.
This would be stagnation – boredom – decadence – death. Contrary to the law of evolution and progress. In fact, “those who have no troubles create them.”
Therefore: either renew yourself or die. This is a universal law for both individuals and institutions.
This is the profound meaning of the “continuous revolution” intuited by M.[4]
Instead:
DYNAMIC JOY
Decisively entering into the current of Life, which is a continuous flow.
Let us be clear: which life? It is not at all a matter of passively letting oneself drift or lazily allowing oneself to be pushed by the slow current of evolution. It is a matter of adhering to the One Life, the Total Life, the Divine Life. The Life that permeates and transcends all forms, all particular manifestations and individualizations. This Life renews, regenerates, eliminates contrasts, conflicts, and oppositions, which are all artificial and illusory from the point of view of the Spirit, of Reality.
This great Life harmonizes everything, integrates everything into a higher synthesis, connects everything, and merges everything.
This Life gives health and vigor to the body.
It gives joy and love to our emotional nature.
It gives light, vision, and intuition to the mind.
It gives spiritual consciousness, which is expansion and bliss.
Let us therefore dare to take the leap, the plunge, to lose ourselves in order to find ourselves, so to speak, “piece by piece.” Our task is to remove the obstacles that block the entrance, the channel.
These obstacles are above all ignorance, fear, attachment.
The more and to the extent that we do this, Life flows and works in us.
And this is the appropriate and healthy resolution we should make every morning. As our friend Calvari[5] said in a beautiful and powerful mantram: “Every day is for me a new birth, a new baptism, a new confirmation, without undertones, indecision, or weakness.”
Let us renew this resolution now, at the beginning of a new year, with greater determination and fervor.
This is the encouragement and wish I offer to each of you.
Notes:
[1] This writing clearly consists of lecture notes and is not an organized lecture in itself. —Ed.
[2] The solar cycle is a roughly 11-year cycle of activity on the Sun, driven by changes in its magnetic field. Of course, a more familiar solar cycle is the Earth’s annual rotation around the Sun. —Ed.
[3] In yoga and Ayurvedic philosophy, “gunas” (Sanskrit for “qualities,” attributes” or “tendencies”) are three the three fundamental forces or qualities that govern all of existence. They are sattva (goodness, harmony), Rajas (passion, activity) and Tamas (inertia, darkness). C.G. Jung never explicitly use the term “gunas” but the influence of these fundamental qualities of nature and experience can be seen in his concepts. —Ed.
[4] This was typed as “Max” in the manuscript, but possibly refers to Karl Marx, who advocated a “permanent revolution” to reach defined goals. Any mention of Marx in Italy at the time this talk was given might have been dangerous, given the political situation of the time. —Ed.
[5] Olga Calvari Giaccone, a.k.a. Olga Calvari, was an associate of both Roberto Assagioli and Nella Ciapetti Assagioli who wrote many article for the magazine Ultra and other publications. She was a member of the Italian Theosophical Society and was the author of several books, including on the topics of karma and reincarnation, another on Wagner’s opera Parsifal. —Ed.
