The Kingdom Within: The Ego, the Soul, and the Journey Toward Individuation

“For many are called, but few are chosen.” — Matthew 22:14

Bosch, Hieronymus. The Garden of Earthly Delights. c. 1490–1500. Oil and grisaille on oak panels. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain.

We have already seen that the kingdom is within all of us. But paradoxically, only a few among the multitude will find their way to the kingdom. The many will pass by and not notice its reality, and even some who have been expressly invited to enter will not accept God’s invitation. So Jesus declares, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14).

In the book The Kingdom Within, written by John A. Sanford, Sanford attempts to understand the unique teachings of Jesus Christ through a Jungian psychological lens. Chapter Three of his book speaks about the journey within, or what is formally recognized as the individuation process, which Sanford understands as a psychological parallel to what Jesus preached as the “Kingdom of Heaven.”

He states, “those who do enter the kingdom are those who have come to recognize the reality of the inner world and to respond to its demands upon them for consciousness.”

Those who are called to the kingdom of heaven may not always recognize what is happening to them.

Sanford speaks about the approach of the kingdom of heaven as being equivalent to a “violent attack” or Tower moment that can feel as though it uproots and ends our lives in ways we do not, rightfully, understand.

Blake, W. (1794). The Ancient of Days [Hand-colored relief etching]. Frontispiece to Europe a Prophecy.

For when the kingdom of heaven asks us to enter, what can emerge within the ego state of the individual is a darkening of the old state of mind in order for a new consciousness to emerge.

In order to enter the kingdom of heaven, the ego state, or old personality, can no longer suffice.

If the former personality was not living to its highest potential—perhaps it was addicted, non-creative, status-seeking, or entirely dependent upon external validation—the individual may be confronted with the limitations of the identity they have constructed.

According to Sanford’s psychological interpretation, the kingdom of heaven may break down the ego identity of the individual in ways that feel like punishment and a complete psychological restructuring of the personality.

Whenever this upheaval in personality occurs, if we were to look at the experience through a purely materialist lens, we might miss the spiritual purpose that the individual finds within the devastation laid before their feet.

The Crisis of the Ego and the Emergence of Consciousness

In Jungian analytical psychology, the ego represents the center of consciousness. It is responsible for our conscious identity, our perception of ourselves, and our ability to organize our experiences in relation to the external world.

However, Jung distinguished the ego from the Self, which he understood as the greater totality of the psyche, encompassing both conscious and unconscious dimensions of the personality (Aion, 1951).

This distinction becomes particularly important when considering the process of individuation.

For Jung, the ego is not the entirety of who we are. Rather, it is the part of ourselves with which we have become consciously identified.

The persona, or outward mask, is often constructed around the roles, achievements, expectations, and identities that allow us to function within society.

Yet, when the individual becomes entirely identified with the persona, the inner world may become neglected.

Perhaps the person who has organized her life around success has neglected her emotional needs. Perhaps the individual who has spent his life seeking status has become disconnected from his own values. Or perhaps the person who has constructed an identity around independence has become unable to tolerate the vulnerability that love requires.

In these circumstances, the ego may become resistant to the very experiences that would allow the personality to develop.

Jung described a related process through the concept of enantiodromia, in which an excessively one-sided conscious attitude may eventually produce a compensatory movement toward its opposite.

In this sense, what appears to be the collapse of the personality may also represent an opportunity for the emergence of a more integrated consciousness.

The ego, however, does not necessarily experience this transformation as an opportunity.

It may experience it as a threat.

“The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” — Luke 16:16, KJV

Many of you might dream of being on a boat, flying, or driving a car, and all of a sudden you notice yourself “losing your grip,” and you fall unexpectedly toward your death.

The symbolic imagery of these dreams may suggest that the individual experiencing the dream has lost her conscious hold on things and has fallen into the violently disturbed waters of the unconscious.

Again, from a materialist standpoint, one might suggest that the individual suffering from these dreams is going through exhausting episodes of anxiety and depression—not a spiritual enlightenment.

Yet, it is precisely in the dark moments of our lives that we may find God’s voice to be the loudest.

Through understanding her own individuation process and the symbolism behind her anxiety, the individual may find the motivation and courage to change her personality toward values that are more intrinsic to a higher calling or purpose.

This does not mean that anxiety, depression, or psychological suffering necessarily indicate spiritual transformation. Such experiences may have important clinical explanations and require care in their own right. Rather, depth psychology invites us to consider whether psychological suffering may also carry symbolic meaning for the individual experiencing it.

It is only when a person is able to come before God humbled that they may become receptive to witnessing His miracles.

This is why Jesus is so often associated with sinners and tax collectors and why, within the Gospel narratives, these individuals were frequently receptive to His teachings concerning the kingdom of heaven—hence, the parable of the wedding feast.

However, entering into the kingdom of heaven is not for the faint of heart.

It is because of the demanding nature of the kingdom that our entrance into it frequently puts us in a crisis.

This is what Jung might understand as a crisis of the ego.

An ego crisis is a time of judgment, but also opportunity.

Why Are Many Called, but Few Chosen?

From the perspective of ego psychology, we might begin to understand why an individual would resist the very psychological transformation that could bring them closer to consciousness.

In The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence (1936), Anna Freud describes the ways in which the ego develops psychological defenses to protect itself against anxiety, internal conflict, and experiences that threaten the individual’s established sense of identity.

These defenses are often necessary for psychological survival.

Denial allows us to avoid realities that feel too overwhelming to confront. Projection allows us to attribute unwanted aspects of ourselves to others. Rationalization permits us to construct explanations that preserve our self-image, while intellectualization allows us to understand our suffering without necessarily experiencing its emotional significance.

Yet, the very defenses that once protected the individual may eventually prevent the emergence of a new consciousness.

For how can a person recognize the reality of their inner world if they have spent their entire life defending against it?

How can an individual confront their shadow if they continually project their unwanted qualities onto others?

And how can we become receptive to the kingdom of heaven if our ego remains entirely invested in preserving the personality we have already constructed?

Perhaps this is one psychological interpretation of Jesus’ teaching that many are called, but few are chosen.

The invitation may be present, but the individual may not yet possess the psychological willingness to recognize it.

It is not necessarily that the individual has been denied entrance into the kingdom, but that the ego has become so identified with its defenses that it cannot tolerate the demands of consciousness.

From this perspective, individuation requires more than simply recognizing the existence of the unconscious.

It requires the willingness to confront what we have spent our lives avoiding.

How Do We Relinquish the Ego in Search of the Soul?

Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi). Narcissus, c. 1597–1599. Oil on canvas. Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, Palazzo Barberini, Rome, Italy.

From the point of view of psychology, the soul is that within us that connects our consciousness to our inner depths.

The soul’s primary function is relationship, and particularly the relationship between the ego and the inner world.

This is one of the most important parts of what we might call ego dismemberment, for if the fortress that is blocking the soul from entering into the body due to trauma, abandonment, or betrayal remains intact, it may become difficult to establish a meaningful relationship with others and with God.

In psychological terms, this fortress may be understood as the defensive organization of the ego.

For an individual who has experienced trauma, abandonment, or betrayal, psychological defenses may have developed as a necessary means of survival.

The individual who was betrayed may learn to control. The individual who was abandoned may learn to detach. And the person whose vulnerability was repeatedly met with harm may construct an identity around never needing anyone at all.

Yet, what once protected the personality may eventually become the very structure that prevents it from developing.

This is where ego psychology and Jung’s theory of individuation begin to intersect.

In classical ego psychology, the ego serves an essential adaptive function. It allows us to maintain a coherent identity, regulate emotional experiences, and negotiate the demands of internal and external reality.

Jung, however, reminds us that the ego is not the totality of the psyche.

The ego must therefore learn to exist in relationship with something greater than itself.

The purpose of individuation is not the destruction of the ego, but the transformation of its relationship to the Self.

For a person to develop a conscious relationship with the soul, he or she must relinquish egocentric identification with the outer mask, or persona, and must be willing to face what is inside.

This does not require the individual to abandon the ego altogether.

Rather, the ego must become sufficiently secure to tolerate the experiences, emotions, and unconscious material that it previously defended against.

The person who has constructed an identity around control must learn to tolerate uncertainty. The person who has defended against abandonment through emotional detachment must learn to tolerate vulnerability. And the individual who has spent a lifetime pursuing external validation must begin to develop a relationship with values that exist independently of the approval of others.

This is not the annihilation of the personality.

It is the movement toward psychological wholeness.

Yet, in order to do any of this, one must embrace one of the core teachings of the Christian faith, which is love.

Love as the Bridge Between the Ego and the Soul

Perhaps the most important transformation of the ego occurs through its developing capacity for love.

From the perspective of psychoanalytic object relations theory, psychological maturity involves the capacity to recognize another person as a separate individual whose emotional reality exists independently of our own needs and desires.

When the ego remains organized around rigid defenses, relationships may become dominated by control, projection, idealization, or the fear of abandonment.

The individual may confuse love with possession, intimacy with dependency, or emotional security with the ability to control another person’s behavior.

Yet, as the ego becomes more integrated, the individual develops a greater capacity to recognize and tolerate the separateness of others.

Love requires us to acknowledge that another person cannot exist merely as an extension of ourselves.

It requires vulnerability, humility, and the willingness to surrender the illusion that we can control everything we encounter.

In this sense, love becomes an essential part of individuation.

For love asks the ego to recognize something beyond itself.

It asks us to move away from an existence organized exclusively around self-preservation and toward a conscious relationship with others.

Perhaps this is why Saint Paul, in speaking of faith, hope, and love, states that “the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13).

Faith may allow us to believe in something greater than ourselves. Hope may sustain us through the uncertainty of our psychological transformation. But love requires us to enter into relationship with that which exists beyond the boundaries of the ego.

And perhaps this is what makes love so demanding.

It requires us to confront our own defenses, acknowledge our vulnerabilities, and recognize that our carefully constructed identities cannot protect us from every uncertainty of human existence.

Yet, love does not require the surrender of personal boundaries, autonomy, or self-respect. Rather, mature love allows us to recognize both ourselves and others more fully.

In this sense, the journey toward the soul is not simply an inward journey.

It is also a journey toward relationship.

The Kingdom Within

Perhaps the greatest obstacle to entering the kingdom of heaven is not that we are unworthy of its invitation, but that we are unwilling to relinquish the identities through which we have learned to survive.

The ego clings to what is familiar, even when what is familiar no longer serves the development of the personality.

It resists the unconscious because the unconscious threatens the certainty of the world it has constructed.

Yet, through individuation, the individual begins to recognize that the ego is not the entirety of who they are.

The journey toward the kingdom is therefore not necessarily the elimination of suffering, the perfection of the personality, or the complete surrender of the ego.

Rather, it is the willingness to become conscious of what has remained unconscious.

To confront the shadow.

To relinquish identification with the persona.

To develop a relationship with the Self.

And, perhaps most importantly, to recognize that the soul’s deepest expression may be found in our capacity to love.

The ego does not need to die for the soul to emerge. It must surrender its illusion of sovereignty.

Perhaps this is why the journey toward the kingdom can feel like a psychological death. The old personality can no longer contain the consciousness that is attempting to emerge.

But what feels like an ending may also become the beginning of a more authentic relationship with ourselves, with others, and with God.

For the kingdom, understood through Sanford’s Jungian interpretation, is not simply something we discover outside of ourselves.

It is something we must become conscious enough to recognize within.

And perhaps the soul does not ask us to become someone entirely different.

Perhaps it asks us to become more fully who we have always been.

References

Freud, A. (1936). The ego and the mechanisms of defence. (Original German edition.)

Hartmann, H. (1958). Ego psychology and the problem of adaptation. International Universities Press. (Original work published 1939.)

Jung, C. G. (1966). Two essays on analytical psychology (Collected Works, Vol. 7). Princeton University Press.

Jung, C. G. (1968). Aion: Researches into the phenomenology of the Self (Collected Works, Vol. 9, Part II). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1951.)

Sanford, J. A. (1970). The kingdom within: The inner meaning of Jesus’ sayings. J. B. Lippincott.

Biblical references: Matthew 22:14; Luke 16:16; 1 Corinthians 13:13.