Esther Harding - The Way of All Women

ABOUT THE BOOK

Acclaimed as one of the best works available on feminine psychology from the time it first appeared in 1933, The Way of All Women discusses topics such as work, marriage, motherhood, old age, and womens relationships with family, friends, and lovers. Dr. Harding, who was best known for her work with women and families, stresses the need for a woman to work toward her own wholeness and develop the many sides of her nature, and emphasizes the importance of unconscious processes.

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A C. G. JUNG FOUNDATION BOOK

The C. G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology is dedicated to helping men and women grow in conscious awareness of the psychological realities in themselves and society, find healing and meaning in their lives and greater depth in their relationships, and live in response to their discovered sense of purpose. It welcomes the public to attend its lectures, seminars, films, symposia, and workshops and offers a wide selection of books for sale through its bookstore. The Foundation also publishes Quadrant, a semiannual journal, and books on Analytical Psychology and related subjects. For information about Foundation programs or membership, please write to the C. G. Jung Foundation, 28 East 39 St., New York, NY 10016.

M. ESTHER HARDING

THE WAY OF ALL WOMEN

Introduction by C. G. Jung

SHAMBHALA

Boulder

2016

S HAMBHALA P UBLICATIONS , I NC .

4720 Walnut Street

Boulder, Colorado 80301

www.shambhala.com

1970 by the C. G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Harding, M. Esther (Mary Esther), 18881971.

The way of all women / M. Esther Harding.

p. cm.

Reprint. Previously published: New York: Putnam, 1970.

A C.G. Jung Foundation book.

Includes bibliographical references.

eISBN 978-0-8348-3043-1

ISBN 1-57062-627-8 (alk. paper)

1. WomenPsychology. 2. Sex (Psychology) I. Title.

[HQ1206.H25 1990]89-43613

155.633dc20 CIP

BVG 01

The modern woman stands before a great cultural task, which means perhaps, the beginning of a new Era.

C. G. Jung, Women in Europe

Contents

It is thirty-seven years since this book was written and many things have happened during that time. A spirit of revolution is in the air, affecting almost every field of human endeavorscience, politics, morals, even religion, have changed almost out of recognition. And yet on re-reading this book I was amazed to find how few changes were needed to bring it up to date. Some of the books and plays cited in illustration are no longer read as they were in the 1920s, and the references to the feminist movement are no longer relevant, but beyond these the thesis is still valid. For while the form of life changes, human nature does not change, or only very slowly. As the Chinese Book of Changes says:

The Town may be changed,

But the well cannot be changed.

And the commentator adds: The style of architecture changed in the course of centuries, but the shape of the well has remained the same from ancient times to this day... Political structures change, as do nations, but the life of man with its needs remains eternally the same... The foundations of human nature are

In addition to the acknowledgments in the original Preface I should like to add my appreciation to Mr. Edward Mills, editor of Longmans Green and later of David Mackay, for the sustained interest he has taken in this little book during the years.

M. E. H.

1970

I Ching, p.197.

Ibid., p. 198.

The ideas underlying the present volume are based on the teachings of C. G. Jung who has opened to us a new realm of thought and experience which promises a solution of many of the fundamental cultural problems of our day. These ideas, however, are not always easily translated into the terms of daily life. In this book an attempt has been made to perform the entirely feminine task of showing how the knowledge of human nature made available through the study of the unconscious may be applied to everyday experience in a helpful way.

Those who consult a psychologist usually do so with the hope of finding a means of dealing with their practical difficulties. If these people are merely instructed in theory they may well say, This is very interesting, but how does it help me? Many books today point out the problems of both social and personal life; many analyze the causes of prevalent modern problems; few undertake to demonstrate a method of living by which the individual may find a workable solution of his own difficulties.

In the following pages I have not attempted to offer a panacea for lifes ills. I do not claim any superior knowledge of how the moral or social difficulties of our day may be met, but I do present certain suggestions for action through which each individual who is interested in truth may come to find it more fully in his own life and, through the practical application of the modern knowledge of the psyche, may perhaps build for himself a firmer structure.

In these days when the outer props onto which man has pinned his faith seem to be crumbling, it is all the more necessary that an inner security be built up which will be able to withstand the shock of outer misfortune. All the world over the dark forces of the downgoing are making their power felt. No longer can we reassure ourselves with the thought of a bank balance. All too often we build a fortune as a child builds sand castles before a rising tide. Outer security seems to be undermined. Is there any other kind of security to which we can turn? Those who are religious have in all ages turned to the spiritual realm, in times of misfortune, discounting the values of this world. Such an otherworldliness no longer suffices the modern man who desires a more complete and satisfying life here and now. He wishes to realize his spirituality in this life rather than in a problematical hereafter. Yet exclusive concern with the outer world has proved as unsatisfying as the denial of its existence. Today we see arising a new evaluation of a different kind of reality, based on the psychological understanding of human nature, which perhaps contains the germ of a middle way between the extremes of materialism and of otherworldliness.

Understanding is invaluable, but for many people, and especially for women, understanding must be supplemented by a workable practice if life is not to be lived in vain. For man creates the idea and woman transforms it into a living reality.

To those who seek such a practical way of life I dedicate this book.

I want to take this opportunity to express my thanks to Dr. Jung, through whose sympathy and encouragement the book was conceived, and to my colleagues, Dr. Eleanor Bertine and Dr. Kristine Mann, who have discussed the material in every stage of its growth and to whom I am indebted for illustrations and suggestions and without whose constant help the book would hardly have been possible. Dr. Bertine particularly has been untiring in her assistance and generous cooperation. Dr. Jungs Introduction was written in German and I am grateful to Mrs. Cary Baynes for her excellent translation. I also want to express my thanks to those who have permitted me to quote from their dreams and other private material; and also to Messrs. Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc., for permission to quote from