A

psychological approach of the Black Lady

Fred Gustafson is a protestant theologian who practices analytical psychology. Here is what he concludes about the sense of the Black Madonna for todays collective and individual psychology: the psychological integrity is possible through the sy bolis of the Black Madonna. !t is through her that a person does not dissipate his energy in the pro"ection onto others# a pro"ection that would take dark characteristics such as racial pre"udices# witch hunting and inority oppressions. $very ti e that individual does not accept his dark side# it is pro"ected on the nearest or easiest ob"ect or person. For ost of the people in the %est# it is necessary to feed on the ystery of the Black Madonna# and through her inter ediary# to feel an aspect of life that is not only i portant# but essential to have a total perspective of the rhyth s of life. &his psychological integrity is the sa e as if one talks about God in theological ter s# or of the ego in psychological ter s. !n both cases# the Black 'ady# or the archetype she represents# are essential. !n our culture# the pro"ection of the dark fe inine side is the dyna ic of all kinds of witch hunts without refraining. &he repression of the fe inine has been# in a ore subtle but ore dangerous anner# a factor in events such as the slavery of (fricans# the al ost total annihilation of the ( erindians# degrading behaviours towards wo en# and as a conse)uence# heroic e*pectations for the en# our behaviour towards our bodies# and particularly towards our se*uality and the way we deal with the $arth in general. &he Black 'ady talks to this i poverish area of our soul hungry for value and hope in the idst of the lack of sense and the vital an*iety. $ach of these pheno enons carries the dark side of the absence of the fe inine archetype in our epoch. +he does not si ply co pensate a lack of fe ininity in our culture# but the lack of a specific type of fe ininity that constitutes the atri* of all creativity and all renewal. +he incorporates what is illogic# irrational# free and apparently without sense. !t is the difficult side to integrate. %hat are there thunderstor s# une*pected deaths and diseases that slowly disintegrate the body and the soul of a person# for no reason, %e ay call this destiny# but the word is not satisfactory. &o acknowledge that these events ay be the selves ele ents of growth and of psycho-spiritual aturity is the new task that we have to take on.. /Gustafson# Fred. The Black Madonna# Boston +igo 0ress# 1223# pp114-1125 6translated fro a translation fro the $nglish original7 French# itself

!n: Bernard '!$&($8: Au Cur de la Monnaie: sous-systmes montaires, inconscient collective, archtypes et tabous. $ditions 9ves Michel# :311: translated fro Mysterium eld# Munich 8ie ann ;erlag# :333.