“There lives a creative being inside all of us and we must get out of its way for it will give us no peace unless we do.” [1] At the core of this creativity is our personal daimon. Jung states that a creative person has little power over his own life, being captive and driven by his daimon which creates conflicts between the demands of inner and outer life. Jung explained: "You can't make something out of nothing, not even with will-power. And what is will-power? To have will-power means that you have a lot of drive. Creativeness is drive! A creative calling is like a daimon, which, in some instances, can ruin a person's entire life." [2]

According to Jung, the daimon is a “force as real as hunger and the fear of death” and as “an autonomous psychic content,” [3] makes demands of us, often in an unorthodox, frightening, and overwhelming manner. Plato spoke of a kind of ”divine madness” that swept over the great poets from the ancient past. Jung referred to the ”creative fire” as being “In the Grip of the Daimon” (4].

By daimon, Jung meant our inner ”genius”, a personal guiding spirit in our journey of individuation, creativity, self-expression and becoming who we truly are. While the daimon gives us a clear sense of our vocation, inner direction and purpose, it first challenges us to step out of our complacency and awake from our unconsciousness.

Wrestling with the daimon is an ego-crucifying experience. The more we fight against it, the more we suffer. The daimon cannot be denied. As we go through the fires of a transformative processes, it will teach us to step into our own sovereignty and we begin to self-author our lives as opposed to simply acting out patterns and complexes. According to Jung, as we begin to accept the guidance of the daimon it changes from an “uncontrolled force of nature into a power that is yours to command.” [5]

Psychologist and author Rollo May gives us hope in regard to what might often be an agonizing process: "To live in accord with one’s daimon is difficult but profoundly rewarding." [6]

Written for @jungsouthernafrica

Image credit: Alex Gray

References: [1] M.C. Richards (1964) Centering in Poetry, Pottery, and the Person [2] C.G. Jung Speaking: Interviews and Encounters, Pages 164-167 [3] Jung (1966), 239. [4] Jung (1965), 356. [5] Jung (1956), 353. [6] Rollo Mat (1969), Love and Will

Sources: https://jungiancenter.org/in-the-grip-of-the-daimon/ https://ionamiller2020.weebly.com/angel-daimon-genius.html

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