Individuations and Annihilations of the Self: Jalal al-din Rumi, C. G. Jung, and Views about Inner Transformation toward Individuation

Abstract

Both Jalal al-din Rumi and Carl Gustav Jung explored the brilliance of sacred transformation, and how changes and growth happen in order to touch God’s essence and reach individuation. This study compares ideas of transformation in these two observers of human nature. We explore the emphasis on the sacred and intuitive perceptions of Rumi alongside the categorical ideas of Jung, writing 700 years later. Both delved into the deepest layers of human nature, with a focus on how conceptions of the core of “self” could bring a sense of inner illumination toward either union with God (Rumi) or individuation (Jung).