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Today's episode reveals Jung’s prophecy of the necessary withdrawal—that as you individuate and integrate your shadow, the collective’s projections, performances, and unconscious demands become intolerable, pulling you into solitude not as escape but as evolution, where disappearance becomes the doorway to authentic return.
TRANSCRIPT
There's a mass exodus happening that
  
  
  
  nobody's talking about. The most
  
  
  
  conscious, awake, and psychologically
  
  
  
  developed people are quietly withdrawing
  
  
  
  from society.
  
  
  
  Not angrily, not dramatically. They're
  
  
  
  just disappearing, going off-rid,
  
  
  
  leaving social media, abandoning
  
  
  
  careers, ending relationships, choosing
  
  
  
  solitude over society. Carl Jung
  
  
  
  predicted this. He called it the
  
  
  
  necessary withdrawal. When someone
  
  
  
  becomes so psychologically conscious
  
  
  
  that participating in collective
  
  
  
  unconsciousness becomes physically
  
  
  
  painful, not metaphorically painful,
  
  
  
  actually
  
  
  
  somatically
  
  
  
  psychologically painful.
  
  
  
  I'm about to explain why Jung believed
  
  
  
  this disappearance isn't just inevitable
  
  
  
  for awakening people. It's essential.
  
  
  
  Why? The more conscious you become, the
  
  
  
  less you can tolerate normal society.
  
  
  
  And why this isn't spiritual bypassing
  
  
  
  or escapism. It's the psyches survival
  
  
  
  mechanism when surrounded by mass
  
  
  
  unconsciousness.
  
  
  
  If you've been feeling the pull to
  
  
  
  withdraw, to disappear, to leave it all
  
  
  
  behind, Jung would say you're not
  
  
  
  antisocial. You're becoming too
  
  
  
  conscious for the collective container.
  
  
  
  Here's what Jung understood that
  
  
  
  explains everything. Society runs on
  
  
  
  collective unconsciousness.
  
  
  
  Shared delusions, mass projections,
  
  
  
  agreed upon shadows. These aren't bugs
  
  
  
  in the system. They are the system. And
  
  
  
  it only works if everyone participates
  
  
  
  unconsciously. The moment someone wakes
  
  
  
  up, really wakes up, not just
  
  
  
  intellectually but psychologically,
  
  
  
  they become a glitch in the matrix. They
  
  
  
  can see the projections everyone else is
  
  
  
  living. They recognize the shadows
  
  
  
  everyone's avoiding. They understand the
  
  
  
  games everyone's playing unconsciously.
  
  
  
  And once you see it, you can't unsee it.
  
  
  
  Jung experienced this personally. As his
  
  
  
  consciousness expanded, he found normal
  
  
  
  social interaction increasingly
  
  
  
  unbearable. Not because he was arrogant,
  
  
  
  but because he was awake in a room full
  
  
  
  of people talking in their sleep. Every
  
  
  
  conversation required him to pretend he
  
  
  
  didn't see what he saw, didn't know what
  
  
  
  he knew, didn't understand what was
  
  
  
  really happening beneath the surface.
  
  
  
  This is the curse of consciousness.
  
  
  
  You become psychologically alone even
  
  
  
  when physically surrounded. You're
  
  
  
  speaking a different language, seeing
  
  
  
  different dimensions,
  
  
  
  operating from a different reality.
  
  
  
  And the effort required to bridge that
  
  
  
  gap to constantly translate between your
  
  
  
  consciousness and collective
  
  
  
  unconsciousness
  
  
  
  becomes exhausting. So the awakened
  
  
  
  start disappearing not because they hate
  
  
  
  society but because staying in it
  
  
  
  requires them to betray their
  
  
  
  consciousness. Every day demands they
  
  
  
  pretend to be asleep. Every interaction
  
  
  
  requires they dim their light. Every
  
  
  
  relationship asks them to be less than
  
  
  
  they've become. And eventually the
  
  
  
  psyche says enough. Withdraw. Preserve
  
  
  
  your consciousness.
  
  
  
  Stop letting the collective unconscious
  
  
  
  drain what you've worked so hard to
  
  
  
  develop. Jung discovered that as you
  
  
  
  integrate your personal shadow, the
  
  
  
  collective shadow becomes unbearable to
  
  
  
  witness. You're watching an entire
  
  
  
  society projecting its darkness while
  
  
  
  denying it exists. When you've faced
  
  
  
  your own capacity for evil, watching
  
  
  
  others project theirs onto scapegoats
  
  
  
  becomes agonizing. When you've
  
  
  
  integrated your own darkness, seeing
  
  
  
  society's shadow projections, the other
  
  
  
  political party is evil. That group is
  
  
  
  the problem. Those people are what's
  
  
  
  wrong. Feels like watching a mass
  
  
  
  psychosis
  
  
  
  because that's exactly what it is. Jung
  
  
  
  called this the burden of seeing. The
  
  
  
  awakened person sees that most social
  
  
  
  conflicts are just shadow projections.
  
  
  
  Wars are collective shadows clashing.
  
  
  
  Political divisions are mass
  
  
  
  projections.
  
  
  
  Social media's outrage is collective
  
  
  
  shadow material seeking targets. Once
  
  
  
  you see this, participating becomes
  
  
  
  impossible. You can't join the mob when
  
  
  
  you see it's hunting its own shadow. You
  
  
  
  can't pick sides when you understand
  
  
  
  both sides are projecting. You can't
  
  
  
  engage in collective blame when you
  
  
  
  recognize it as collective
  
  
  
  unconsciousness.
  
  
  
  So you withdraw not from superiority but
  
  
  
  from psychological necessity. One of
  
  
  
  Jung's students described it perfectly.
  
  
  
  I used to have strong political
  
  
  
  opinions. Then I integrated my shadow
  
  
  
  and saw that my opinions were just
  
  
  
  projections.
  
  
  
  Now when I see political debates, I see
  
  
  
  two groups of people violently
  
  
  
  projecting their unconscious material at
  
  
  
  each other while calling it justice or
  
  
  
  truth. I can't participate anymore. It
  
  
  
  would be like joining a mass delusion.
  
  
  
  But here's what's really happening. The
  
  
  
  awakened aren't just seeing the
  
  
  
  collective shadow, they're feeling it.
  
  
  
  When you become conscious, you become
  
  
  
  energetically sensitive. Being around
  
  
  
  unconscious shadow projection feels like
  
  
  
  psychological violence. It's not
  
  
  
  judgment. It's genuine energetic
  
  
  
  incompatibility.
  
  
  
  Jung noticed this in his own life. After
  
  
  
  his individuation, being in crowds
  
  
  
  became almost unbearable.
  
  
  
  Not because he disliked people, but
  
  
  
  because he could feel the unconscious
  
  
  
  material swirling, the projections,
  
  
  
  repressions, shadows, all creating a
  
  
  
  psychological storm that only he seemed
  
  
  
  aware of. This is why awakened people
  
  
  
  disappear from social media first. It's
  
  
  
  a 24/7 shadow projection machine. Every
  
  
  
  scroll is an assault of unconscious
  
  
  
  material. Every comment section is a
  
  
  
  shadow boxing ring. For someone who's
  
  
  
  integrated their shadow, it's like being
  
  
  
  forced to watch people punch themselves
  
  
  
  while blaming others for the bruises.
  
  
  
  Young's second insight. Once you've
  
  
  
  individuated toward your authentic self,
  
  
  
  performing your persona becomes
  
  
  
  impossible, and society demands nothing
  
  
  
  but persona performance. Before
  
  
  
  awakening, you could play the social
  
  
  
  games unconsciously.
  
  
  
  Smile when expected. Say the right
  
  
  
  things. Perform your role. But once
  
  
  
  you've touched your authentic self, that
  
  
  
  deeper truth beyond all masks. Going
  
  
  
  back to persona performance feels like
  
  
  
  psychological death. Every social
  
  
  
  situation demands performance. the
  
  
  
  workplace persona, the family role, the
  
  
  
  social media identity, the acceptable
  
  
  
  opinions, the appropriate emotions. For
  
  
  
  someone still identified with their
  
  
  
  persona, this feels normal. For someone
  
  
  
  who's found their self, it feels like
  
  
  
  suffocation. Jung discovered this
  
  
  
  through personal experience. After his
  
  
  
  confrontation with the unconscious, he
  
  
  
  couldn't perform the proper Swiss
  
  
  
  psychiatrist anymore. He couldn't
  
  
  
  pretend to agree with collective
  
  
  
  opinions he saw through. He couldn't
  
  
  
  maintain relationships that required him
  
  
  
  to be false. So, he withdrew to
  
  
  
  Bowlingen, his tower by the lake, where
  
  
  
  he could be authentically himself. This
  
  
  
  isn't antisocial. It's pro-authentic.
  
  
  
  The awakened person isn't rejecting
  
  
  
  society from anger, but from
  
  
  
  incompatibility.
  
  
  
  They've become too real for environments
  
  
  
  that require fakeness, too authentic for
  
  
  
  spaces that demand performance,
  
  
  
  too whole for containers that only
  
  
  
  accept fragments.
  
  
  
  One of Jung's patients, a successful
  
  
  
  executive who'd undergone individuation,
  
  
  
  described the impossibility.
  
  
  
  I sit in board meetings and everyone's
  
  
  
  performing their executive roles, saying
  
  
  
  what executives should say, thinking
  
  
  
  what executives should think. I can't do
  
  
  
  it anymore. It's like being asked to
  
  
  
  pretend I'm someone I've never been. My
  
  
  
  authentic self has no voice in that
  
  
  
  room. Only my persona did, and it's
  
  
  
  dead. She didn't dramatically quit. She
  
  
  
  quietly disappeared, transitioning out
  
  
  
  over months, moving to a small town
  
  
  
  where she could be real rather than
  
  
  
  successful. Not from failure, but from
  
  
  
  the success of finding herself. This is
  
  
  
  happening everywhere. The awakened are
  
  
  
  leaving careers that require persona
  
  
  
  performance. Ending relationships based
  
  
  
  on false selves, abandoning social
  
  
  
  circles that demand masks. They're not
  
  
  
  failing at society. They're succeeding
  
  
  
  at authenticity.
  
  
  
  And that success makes societal
  
  
  
  participation impossible. Here's what
  
  
  
  Jung understood energetically.
  
  
  
  Maintaining consciousness in an
  
  
  
  unconscious environment requires
  
  
  
  tremendous psychological energy and
  
  
  
  awakened people are realizing it's not
  
  
  
  sustainable.
  
  
  
  Think about what the conscious person
  
  
  
  has to do in normal society. Constantly
  
  
  
  filter out unconscious projections.
  
  
  
  Maintain boundaries against energy
  
  
  
  vampires.
  
  
  
  Translate between depth and surface.
  
  
  
  hold their frequency while surrounded by
  
  
  
  static process not just their own
  
  
  
  material but the unconscious material
  
  
  
  everyone else is leaking. Jung called
  
  
  
  this psychological labor. The invisible
  
  
  
  work conscious people do just to exist
  
  
  
  in unconscious spaces. It's exhausting.
  
  
  
  Every interaction requires you to not
  
  
  
  react to projections, not absorb others
  
  
  
  unconscious material, not get pulled
  
  
  
  into collective dramas, not match the
  
  
  
  unconscious frequency around you, not
  
  
  
  betray your truth to maintain harmony.
  
  
  
  For unconscious people, this isn't work.
  
  
  
  They're flowing with the collective
  
  
  
  current. For conscious people, it's like
  
  
  
  swimming upstream in a tsunami of
  
  
  
  unconsciousness.
  
  
  
  Eventually, you have to get out of the
  
  
  
  water or drown. Jung noticed that his
  
  
  
  most conscious patients would develop
  
  
  
  chronic fatigue, mysterious illnesses,
  
  
  
  depression, not from personal pathology,
  
  
  
  but from the exhaustion of maintaining
  
  
  
  consciousness in unconscious
  
  
  
  environments.
  
  
  
  The cure wasn't therapy. It was
  
  
  
  withdrawal from the environments
  
  
  
  draining them. One woman, a teacher
  
  
  
  who'd awakened through years of inner
  
  
  
  work, developed severe chronic fatigue.
  
  
  
  Medical tests showed nothing wrong.
  
  
  
  Through analysis with Jung, she realized
  
  
  
  she was expending massive energy
  
  
  
  maintaining her consciousness while
  
  
  
  surrounded by unconscious colleagues and
  
  
  
  students all day. She wasn't sick. She
  
  
  
  was energetically depleted when she left
  
  
  
  teaching and moved to a cabin in nature.
  
  
  
  Her energy returned within weeks, not
  
  
  
  from rest, but from no longer having to
  
  
  
  maintain consciousness against the
  
  
  
  constant pressure of collective
  
  
  
  unconsciousness.
  
  
  
  This is why awakened people disappear to
  
  
  
  nature, to solitude, to small conscious
  
  
  
  communities, not to escape
  
  
  
  responsibility, but to preserve the
  
  
  
  consciousness they have worked so hard
  
  
  
  to develop. They understand that
  
  
  
  consciousness is precious and finite,
  
  
  
  and spending it on unconscious
  
  
  
  interactions is like pouring water into
  
  
  
  sand. The Jung identified this
  
  
  
  withdrawal as archetypal, the hermit
  
  
  
  phase that every individuating person
  
  
  
  must enter, not permanently, but
  
  
  
  necessarily. The psyche requires
  
  
  
  solitude to integrate what society would
  
  
  
  fragment. The hermit archetype isn't
  
  
  
  about misanthropy.
  
  
  
  It's about psychological necessity.
  
  
  
  When you're transforming at a
  
  
  
  fundamental level, you need space from
  
  
  
  influences that would pull you back to
  
  
  
  old patterns. You need silence to hear
  
  
  
  your inner voice. You need solitude to
  
  
  
  integrate without interference.
  
  
  
  Jung himself went through profound
  
  
  
  hermit phases. His years at Bowlingan
  
  
  
  weren't vacation. They were
  
  
  
  psychological necessity. He needed
  
  
  
  distance from collective consciousness
  
  
  
  to develop individual consciousness.
  
  
  
  He needed separation from others
  
  
  
  projections to understand his own
  
  
  
  depths. This is what's happening to
  
  
  
  awakening people now. They're not
  
  
  
  disappearing because they're weak or
  
  
  
  antisocial.
  
  
  
  They're following an archetypal pattern
  
  
  
  that individuation requires. The hermit
  
  
  
  phase is when the shadow integrates
  
  
  
  without social pressure to repress it.
  
  
  
  The self emerges without persona
  
  
  
  demands. Inner wisdom develops without
  
  
  
  outer noise. Psychological
  
  
  
  transformation completes without
  
  
  
  interruption. But here's what Jung
  
  
  
  emphasized. The hermit phase isn't
  
  
  
  escape. It's preparation. The awakened
  
  
  
  person withdraws not to abandon society,
  
  
  
  but to develop something society needs.
  
  
  
  They're gestating wisdom, integrating
  
  
  
  truth, becoming what Jung called
  
  
  
  aquarium fish. Beings who've adapted to
  
  
  
  depths others can't reach. One of Jung's
  
  
  
  Analyands, a philosopher, disappeared
  
  
  
  from academic life for 3 years. Everyone
  
  
  
  thought he'd had a breakdown. He'd had a
  
  
  
  breakthrough. In solitude, he integrated
  
  
  
  insights that would have been impossible
  
  
  
  while maintaining his academic persona.
  
  
  
  When he returned, he brought
  
  
  
  revolutionary ideas, but they could only
  
  
  
  emerge in withdrawal from the very
  
  
  
  system they would eventually transform.
  
  
  
  The hermit phase looks like
  
  
  
  disappearance, but it's actually
  
  
  
  deepening. The awakened person isn't
  
  
  
  running away. They're going deeper than
  
  
  
  society allows. They're doing the work
  
  
  
  that can only be done in solitude,
  
  
  
  developing the consciousness that might
  
  
  
  eventually help the collective, but only
  
  
  
  after it's fully formed. Yung's final
  
  
  
  insight offers hope. The disappeared
  
  
  
  don't stay gone forever. But when they
  
  
  
  return, they return differently. Not to
  
  
  
  participate in unconsciousness, but to
  
  
  
  offer consciousness to those ready to
  
  
  
  receive it. The awakened who disappear
  
  
  
  following the hero's journey,
  
  
  
  withdrawal, transformation, return with
  
  
  
  gifts. But the return isn't to normal
  
  
  
  society. It's to the margins, the edges,
  
  
  
  the spaces where consciousness can exist
  
  
  
  without compromise.
  
  
  
  They become what Jung called border
  
  
  
  dwellers, present but not participating,
  
  
  
  available but not absorbed.
  
  
  
  They might return as artists creating
  
  
  
  from authentic depths. Healers working
  
  
  
  with individuals ready to awaken.
  
  
  
  teachers sharing with small groups of
  
  
  
  seekers, writers offering maps for other
  
  
  
  disappearing souls, guides for those
  
  
  
  beginning their withdrawal.
  
  
  
  But they never return to the mainstream.
  
  
  
  They can't. Once you've individuated,
  
  
  
  you can't de-individuate.
  
  
  
  Once you become conscious, you can't
  
  
  
  pretend unconsciousness.
  
  
  
  Once you found yourself, you can't live
  
  
  
  from persona. Jung observed this pattern
  
  
  
  repeatedly. His patients who fully
  
  
  
  individuated rarely returned to their
  
  
  
  previous lives. They created new ones,
  
  
  
  simpler, quieter, more authentic. They
  
  
  
  found ways to contribute without
  
  
  
  sacrificing consciousness. They learned
  
  
  
  to give without being consumed. One
  
  
  
  patient, a therapist who disappeared for
  
  
  
  2 years, returned not to traditional
  
  
  
  practice, but to working with a small
  
  
  
  group of individuals going through
  
  
  
  spiritual emergency. She couldn't do
  
  
  
  general therapy anymore, only work with
  
  
  
  those experiencing what she'd
  
  
  
  experienced. Her practice was tiny but
  
  
  
  profound. She was invisible to
  
  
  
  mainstream society, but a lifeline to
  
  
  
  those awakening. This is the model.
  
  
  
  Awakened people disappearing from mass
  
  
  
  society but reappearing in conscious
  
  
  
  pockets.
  
  
  
  Creating parallel structures, building
  
  
  
  alternatives,
  
  
  
  offering depth to those seeking it while
  
  
  
  remaining invisible to those who aren't.
  
  
  
  Jung believed this was evolution in
  
  
  
  action. Not everyone awakens
  
  
  
  simultaneously.
  
  
  
  The pioneers disappear first, create new
  
  
  
  spaces, then become beacons for the next
  
  
  
  wave. What looks like abandonment is
  
  
  
  actually architecture. Building the
  
  
  
  structures that will support collective
  
  
  
  awakening when it's ready. Let me
  
  
  
  synthesize Yung's complete picture of
  
  
  
  why spiritually awake people are
  
  
  
  disappearing.
  
  
  
  They can no longer tolerate the
  
  
  
  collective shadow that unconscious
  
  
  
  society projects. Their authentic self
  
  
  
  can't perform the persona that society
  
  
  
  demands. The energy required to maintain
  
  
  
  consciousness in unconscious spaces
  
  
  
  becomes unsustainable. They enter the
  
  
  
  necessary hermit phase that
  
  
  
  individuation requires. They eventually
  
  
  
  return, but only to conscious edges, not
  
  
  
  unconscious centers. This disappearance
  
  
  
  isn't failure. It's evolution. Not
  
  
  
  weakness, but wisdom. Not abandonment,
  
  
  
  but archetypal necessity.
  
  
  
  The awakened are following a pattern as
  
  
  
  old as consciousness itself. Withdraw,
  
  
  
  transform, return, transformed. Society
  
  
  
  experiences this as loss, abandonment,
  
  
  
  even betrayal. Where did all the
  
  
  
  conscious people go? Why are the wisest
  
  
  
  voices getting quieter? Why are the
  
  
  
  awakened abandoning the collective when
  
  
  
  it needs the most? But Jung would say
  
  
  
  they're not abandoning the collective.
  
  
  
  They're preparing something for it. In
  
  
  
  their withdrawal, they're developing
  
  
  
  what collective consciousness isn't
  
  
  
  ready for yet. In their disappearance,
  
  
  
  they're creating spaces for others to
  
  
  
  disappear to. In their silence, they're
  
  
  
  gestating words the collective can't yet
  
  
  
  hear. If you're feeling the pull to
  
  
  
  disappear, Jung would want you to know
  
  
  
  this isn't spiritual bypassing or
  
  
  
  escapism. It's psychological necessity.
  
  
  
  Your consciousness has developed to a
  
  
  
  point where participating in collective
  
  
  
  unconsciousness is no longer possible
  
  
  
  without betraying yourself. The
  
  
  
  withdrawal you're feeling isn't
  
  
  
  antisocial. It's archetypal. You're not
  
  
  
  abandoning society. You're following the
  
  
  
  hermit's path that every individuating
  
  
  
  person must walk. You're not weak for
  
  
  
  being unable to tolerate
  
  
  
  unconsciousness.
  
  
  
  You're conscious and consciousness
  
  
  
  requires different conditions than
  
  
  
  sleep. Let yourself disappear, not
  
  
  
  forever, but for now. Find your bowling
  
  
  
  inan whether it's physical solitude or
  
  
  
  psychological distance. Stop expending
  
  
  
  your consciousness on unconscious
  
  
  
  interactions.
  
  
  
  Stop performing for audiences that can't
  
  
  
  see you. Stop translating your depth
  
  
  
  into surface terms.
  
  
  
  Your disappearance isn't selfish. It's
  
  
  
  necessary.
  
  
  
  The collective needs people who've fully
  
  
  
  individuated more than it needs people
  
  
  
  who partially participate. It needs
  
  
  
  depth more than surface, authenticity
  
  
  
  more than performance, consciousness
  
  
  
  more than conformity. And when you
  
  
  
  return, if you return, you'll return
  
  
  
  with gifts that could only be developed
  
  
  
  in disappearance. You'll offer what
  
  
  
  couldn't be offered while maintaining
  
  
  
  false belonging. You'll speak truths
  
  
  
  that couldn't be spoken while performing
  
  
  
  acceptance. The spiritually awake are
  
  
  
  disappearing because that's what
  
  
  
  awakening requires. Not permanently, but
  
  
  
  necessarily.
  
  
  
  Not from hatred, but from love. Love of
  
  
  
  truth, consciousness, authenticity.
  
  
  
  Love that says, "I must become whole,
  
  
  
  even if that means being alone." Jung
  
  
  
  would say, "Disappear consciously.
  
  
  
  Withdraw with purpose. Use your hermit
  
  
  
  phase for integration, not isolation.
  
  
  
  And remember, your disappearance is
  
  
  
  preparing something. You're not leaving
  
  
  
  the collective. You're pioneering where
  
  
  
  it will eventually need to go. If you're
  
  
  
  disappearing or feeling the pull to
  
  
  
  withdraw, subscribe to this channel
  
  
  
  where I explore Jung's insights for
  
  
  
  those walking the individuation path.
  
  
  
  Watch the video on your screen now about
  
  
  
  the hermit archetype and how to use
  
  
  
  withdrawal for transformation, not
  
  
  
  escape. Remember, your disappearance
  
  
  
  isn't abandonment. It's evolution and
  
  
  
  the collective needs evolved individuals
  
  
  
  more than it needs conforming
  
  
  
  participants.
 
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