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Title: He : Understanding Masculine Psychology by Robert A. Johnson ISBN: 0-06-096396-4 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 November, 1989 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.22 (18 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Whom Do We Serve?
Comment: He, by Robert A. Johnson
A fascinating discussion of the male maturation process, using the story of Parsifal and Jungian concepts. The author relates the myth of the famous Arthurian knight to a masculine lifeline. Why use a medieval story to illustrate the psyche of modern man? As the author explains, "Often, when a new era begins in history, a myth for that era springs up...One can say that the winds of the twelfth century have become the whirlwinds of the twentieth century."
Short and concise like its title, He is nevertheless a profound study, and serves as a guide to the every man's own life. Major questions are asked, addressed in Jungian thought and in the myth, and then handed to the reader, who can apply it to his own experience.
The real start of Parsifal's and every man's journey comes when Parsifal enters the Grail Castle. He is offered the Grail (the cup out of which Jesus Christ drank at the Last Supper) but fails to ask the question that would have brought happiness to the kingdom. That question is "Whom does the Grail serve?" We spend the rest of book discovering why the naïve teenager said nothing, and how he could redeem himself, as well as the readers.
The Grail moment, as explained by Mr. Johnson, is that time in the life of all young men when they stumble onto the Divine, "a magic hour sometime in their youth when the whole world glowed and showed a beauty not easily described." Parsifal's inability to ask the question, according to the author, is because "no youth can cope with this opening of the Heavens for him and most set it aside but do not forget it." Men, once touched by this overwhelming joy, spend the rest of their lives seeking it. Their journey, if thoughtful, will bring them to the castle again, usually in middle age, when they are more able to ask the question.
Although this book is not really a fable, still, I will not "give away" the ending because I think the author wants the reader to explore along with the hero, Parsifal, at least on first reading. However, here are some points of interest in the journey that shed light into the process of "becoming a man."
- When Parsifal leaves home, his mother gives him a homespun undershirt. He wears this under his armor, and it is partly this that keeps him from asking the fateful question. Mr. Johnson explains that Parsifal had not reconciled his mother complex, that he was still boyishly clinging to the idea of mother as protector.
- When he returns home to visit his mother after the grail castle, he finds her dead from a broken heart, because he had left home. This is important, says the author, because we must become independent even if it brings pain.
- When Parsifal kills the evil Red Dragon, this is coming to terms with our manly power, our primal rage. We must learn that we have power, as people and men, but also must learn to use it wisely and temper it.
- Mr. Johnson points out that chastity in knightly mythology has to do with seduction of the feminine side of man. This feminine side is called anima, according to the author, and it is essentially our joi de vivre, our activating vital mood energy. To be seduced by this anima (resulting in depression) or to seduce it (resulting in giddiness) are both unmanly violations of chastity. It is boyish to allow oneself to be ruled by moods; moods must be mastered in order to reach manhood. Feeling, with a capital "F," on the other hand, is to be retained always, because Feeling is related to values and compassion.
- And more.
When Parsifal revisits the Grail Castle he is wise enough to remember the question "Whom does the Grail serve?" Mr. Johnson shows that every man can also revisit the Grail Castle, once again face the Divine, and this time perhaps attach more meaning to the experience.
On applying the ideas and stories to one's own life, it is possible to see many Grail moments, but this does not diminish the message. Also, women can learn from this, although they have their own book by Mr. Johnson, aptly titled, "She."
In He, Robert A. Johnson gives invaluable insight into what makes a man, not in a macho sense, but in the truest sense of the word: gentleman, knight. Independence, self-control, and selflessness are some of the manly traits discussed here. And a definition is offered for true, profound happiness. Not bad for 80 very readable pages.
Rating: 5
Summary: An inner journey.
Comment: Robert A. Johnson took me on a journey through my inner world. I read it several times, and review it periodically. The book is short and concise, yet leaves me wondering exactly where I am on my journey.
Rating: 3
Summary: He. . . Should Have Written More About Psychology
Comment: I rated He with 3 stars because it was undoubtably an interesting and very thought provoking book, but it failed on some key aspects. One, being that it rooted psychological analyzation to an opinionated base and was not believable due to the recurring statistic used being "every man". Also, it did not include enough examples referring to what exactly the author was trying to say, therefore some of his ideas resulted in, at some points, simply ambiguous statements. Johnson also seemed to dance in circles with the French version of La Morte D'Arthur, and heavily drift from his main ideas, leaving the reader with an understanding of the story, and only a basic understanding of what the book was supposed to be about...understanding masculine psychology.
I must say though, the points he hit, he really nailed, all except for the representation of the Grail. I do not agree that happiness can only be reached through a contribution to religion or society as a whole. His idea of happiness through being contempt with one's self is accurate, but his relating psychology to religion is very unnecessary, and very inaccurate to those who do not hold religion close to them. Lastly, I think that if a person is writing anything at all, to really write it, and not summerize their thoughts through symbolism in a myth, or by quoting another author to the point of distastefulness. I expected to read more about psychology and less about the unattractive story he related the entire work to.
-Watts
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Title: We : Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love by Robert A. Johnson ISBN: 0062504363 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 18 September, 1985 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Transformation: Understanding the Three Levels of Masculine Consciousness by Robert A. Johnson ISBN: 0062505432 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 05 March, 1993 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Owning Your Own Shadow : Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche by Robert A. Johnson ISBN: 0062507540 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 05 March, 1993 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Inner Work : Using Dreams and Creative Imagination for Personal Growth and Integration by Robert A. Johnson ISBN: 0062504312 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 10 May, 1989 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Ecstasy : Understanding the Psychology of Joy by Robert A. Johnson ISBN: 0062504320 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 10 May, 1989 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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