Jung saw tricksters as slackliners who navigate the fine line between our unconscious and conscious minds. This applies to both small and large scales, encompassing individuals, cultures, and societies.
The Mirror and the Shadow
What role do tricksters play? They enable us to confront our taboos, conventions, deepest desires, and true selves. The trickster stands beside us like a standup comedian, mirroring both our surface image and the deepest shadows of our unconscious. Its purpose isn’t just to encourage self-embrace but also to serve as a launchpad for self-improvement.
Five Functions of the Trickster
The moral ambiguity and the cheerful, humorous attitude of tricksters in mythical narratives serve as reminders for societies to:
- Keep themselves in check
- Continuously examine their assumptions
- Incorporate an element of uncertainty
- Not take themselves too seriously
- Recognize that system disruptors are catalysts for growth and innovation
The Price of Truth
This is easier said than done. Developing a mindset that accounts for the trickster in us as individuals or as a group can be extremely difficult. Such stories don’t usually end well either.
Socrates, who was a true trickster, was sentenced to death because he was seen as a threat to the system.
According to Jung, our ego plays an essential role in stopping us from resorting to the trickster in us when we most need it. At the end of the day, it can be excruciating for our egos to hear that we are not as good as we thought […]