Temenos
The
name Temenos is taken from a Greek word meaning the sacred space
surrounding a temple or an altar.
Carl
Jung used this same word to refer to the inner space deep within us where
soul-making takes place.
It refers
to a universal instinct to create a protected, safe space in which to heal,
reorganize and regenerate
the
fragmented personality.
In a
'soul-centred' medical context, for individuals in crisis
the
temenos - which often takes on the circular,
or
square forms of the mandala –
provides
an enclosed, self-rebirthing place,
akin
to a garden, piece of sacred land,
guarded
castle, or maternal womb.
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