Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vitami ritrovai per una selva oscura,
ché la diritta via era smarrita.
In the middle of the journey of our life
I found myself astray in a dark wood
where the straight road had been lost sight of.
Dante, The Divine Comedy
The opening words of one of the greatest classics in world literature: Life as a journey, as is portrayed also in Homer's the Odyssey and Joyce's Ulysses. In Dante's version of this journey he descends into the underworld. Jung interpreted this as indicating our need to descend into our unconscious - to integrate all parts of our deepest selves in our journey through life. He believed that the first half of our life is spent learning how our world works and establishing ourselves in it, often in response to the demands of external forces, such as the family, society, religion or our need to establish a role in the world. However, it is in the second half of life when the real work of individuation, of becoming more the whole person we were meant to be, can begin. Often people can feel like Dante, somewhat lost, despite having built up successful careers or working hard all day. There can notice an underlying discontent, even boredom, even with all the hours they work and all that they have "achieved". Just as Dante turned inward towards the meaning of life and interpreted the various levels of his inner life, we too need to do the same if we wish to develop our full selves as we journey through life. The journey is essentially a journey to the center of oneself, an inner journey to wholeness and real contentment.
