Fall 2017 The Seven Core Concepts –The Soul of Psycho- synthesis Kenneth Sørensen Even if Psychosynthesis is presented as a synthesis of different therapeutic and educational approaches it is important to remember that it has its own original and central essence. (Roberto Assagioli)1 Abstract where mainstream psychology largely denies the existence of a soul as a spiritual core, Psy- hortly before his death at 85 in 1974, Dr. chosynthesis places the soul at its center. I S Roberto Assagioli, one of the founding have chosen the title because my aim is to fathers of transpersonal psychology, described identify what is the core, the essence or the what he regarded as the essence of Psychosyn- soul in Psychosynthesis. thesis. It was, for him, a psychology which had the soul as a spiritual Being at its center. It is Psychosynthesis presents such a broad and in- no surprise that Psychosynthesis has since clusive view of humanity and of our spiritual been seen as a “Psychology with a Soul.” journey that we can easily lose sight of its cen- tral ideas. In Psychosynthesis – A Collection of This article presents the essence of Psychosyn- Basic Writings, Assagioli’s first book, he uses thesis through the Seven Core Concepts that a wide range of ideas and psychotherapeutic Assagioli defined as the foundation of his techniques from many different sources. This work, and which some today see as his “Last can easily confuse a reader and give the im- Will,” his final statement about these ideas and pression that more or less everything can be their practical application. The article will ena- included under the Psychosynthesis umbrella. ble the reader to discover the wisdom in the Seven Core Concepts and realize that: Interviewing Assagioli shortly before his death in 1974, Sam Keen, an editor from Psychology Disidentification—is a way to Freedom. The Today, asked: “What are the limits with Psy- self—is a way to Presence. The will—is a way chosynthesis?” Assagioli answered: “The limit to Power. The ideal model—is a way to Focus. of Psychosynthesis is that it has no limits. It is Synthesis—is a way to Flow. The Supercon- too extensive, too comprehensive. Its weakness scious—is a way to Abundance, and The is that it accepts too much. It sees too many Transpersonal Self—is a way to Love. sides at the same time and t hat is a draw- The article is based on chapter one from the _____________________________________ book: The Soul of Psychosynthesis, but adapted to this journal by tracing the Seven Core Con- About the Author cepts to esoteric teaching where possible. It is Kenneth Sørensen (1962) is an author, publisher, intended to serve as a concise introduction and and the Director of JivaYou.com, a company offer- practical guide to the fundamental ideas of one ing identity profiles based on Psychosynthesis and of the most important therapeutic, educational, the seven types. He has an MA in Psychosynthesis and relational approaches in the modern world. from the University of East London and is a trained Psychosynthesis Psychotherapist. He has taught Introduction Psychosynthesis, Meditation, and Energy Psychol- sychosynthesis is known as ”a Psychology ogy for many years, and for a decade he worked in with a Soul.” The etymological meaning of Social Psychiatry as a Mental Health Consultant. P Visit his new website at: www.kennethsorensen.dk. “Psychology” is “the study of the Soul,” but Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly 17 The Esoteric Quarterly back.”2 This is a positive admission, and is true Assagioli’s books and articles for readers who exactly because Psychosynthesis is so integra- want to verify the background of my thoughts. tive. It is an attempt to fuse the deep wisdom These clearly show that Assagioli based Psy- of the self, coming from the East, with modern chosynthesis on Evolutionary Panentheism.4 western psychology and its insight into the To understand these themes we must look at unconscious. the big picture. In Psychosynthesis the many The Central Ideas of techniques and theoretical elements can be Psychosynthesis seen as parts of an overarching process. In Psychosynthesis Assagioli describes this evertheless certain core ideas underpin all perspective: N of Assagioli’s writings and connect all the disparate parts. These are: synthesis; the evolu- From a still wider and more comprehensive tion of consciousness; energy psychology; and point of view, universal life itself appears to the manifestation of spirit. These themes can us as a struggle between multiplicity and also be found in Evolutionary Panentheism, the unity - a labor and an aspiration towards metaphysical philosophy on which Assagioli union. We seem to sense that - whether we seems to have based his work. conceive it as a divine Being or as a cosmic energy - the Spirit working upon and within This is a concept that Ken Wilber and the co- all creation is shaping it into order, harmo- founder of Esalen Institute, Michael Murphy, ny, and beauty, uniting all beings (some use to define their philosophy. In his article on willing but the majority as yet blind and re- Evolutionary Panentheism, Murphy shows bellious) with each other through links of how some of history's greatest intellectual gi- love, achieving - slowly and silently, but ants have arrived at this concept. They have powerfully and irresistibly - the Supreme used different names, but enough common fea- 5 3 Synthesis. tures recur to link them. This quote seems to be a direct interpretation Evolutionary means that God (Brahman, the of the great law of synthesis, such an important Spirit, the One) permeates and transcends the aspect of esotericism. universe. God’s presence in creation is both transcendent and immanent. God is in every- Synthesis thing, but is greater than the created universe. Synthesis is hence a law of nature. It is the aim It is through evolution—and therefore humani- of life, a developmental process which governs ty and nature—that God’s inherent potential all living beings. Its intention is to unite all unfolds. According to this theory the human living beings with their divine source through soul, and all other beings, “emanate” from God the energy of Love and Will.6 Assagioli relates or “Pleroma” (psychologically the Great Self this law to the scientific principle of “syntro- within) The word emanation comes from the py,” referring to the mathematician Luigi Fan- Latin “emanare” which means, “flowing tappiè as well as to Buckminster Fuller and from,” in this case, God’s abundance. All crea- Teilhard de Chardin.7 tures have emanated from the same divine Source and have journeyed down through the The Evolution of Consciousness various levels of consciousness into the physi- Assagioli presupposes the existence of a crea- cal world. Here man “forgets” his origins. The tive divine intelligence driving the unfolding unconscious / conscious yearning for his lost of life, expressing itself in us as a longing for a original unity creates the desire in man to re- greater and all-embracing love. This inner turn to the Source, and this urge drives evolu- power directs our evolution through certain tion. The purpose of our being is to awaken to universal stages of development, from body, the divine potential we are here to unfold and psyche, and soul to spiritual consciousness. It manifest. is the evolution of consciousness from Ego- In connection with the publication of my book centric to Cosmic-centric love. Not only hu- I have compiled a series of quotations from mans evolve, all of creation does too. For As- 18 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2017. Fall 2017 sagioli our development moves through “vari- Psychosynthesis, then, is a psychology that ous levels of reality” or “energy fields,” from deliberately seeks to cooperate with evolution. the physical to the psychological, and then to Humanity is the first species on this planet to the spiritual and transcendental. According to have become conscious of the evolutionary Assagioli these energy fields are an “essential process. Psychosynthesis recognizes this pro- aspect of Psychosynthesis.”8 cess of evolution through its psychological approach to Harmony and Unity. Synthesis is a Assagioli says: gradual process. It begins in our inner world, that the great evolutionary process culmi- first unconsciously then consciously when we nated in the mineral kingdom, as far as we embark on our own personal and transpersonal know, and then started the reverse move- Psychosynthesis. Its goal is the harmonization ment or process of evolution. Slightly op- and reconciliation of the conflicts and divi- timistic we can say that we are half way. sions we experience within ourselves as well We have passed through mineral, plant, an- as with others and the planet as a whole. imal and partially the human kingdom. So Energy Psychology we have to continue this evolutionary work towards the “One,” but it is still far away.9 Psychosynthesis is an Energy Psychology. As- sagioli saw the need for “a science of the self, In the compilation of quotes by Assagioli: Psy- of its energies, its manifestations, of how these chosynthesis and Evolutionary Panentheism, energies can be released, how they can be con- he refers to the evolution of consciousness in 10 tacted, how they can be utilized for construc- several places, and he describes this evolu- tive and therapeutic work.”13 Assagioli admits tion in individual as a well as in social terms. that “hard” empirical evidence for such a “sci- The psychological life of a nation corre- ence” may still be lacking; yet contemporary sponds to a great extent to that which research on consciousness and its effects on is unconscious in individuals. Modern in- the brain related to the scientific study of vestigation of unconscious psychological “Mindfulness”—which Assagioli was unaware activities has ascertained that these are of—gives clear indications of a Mind-Body chiefly instinctive, emotional and imagina- connection.