Pure Evil

When we think of evil we go immediately to extremes. This type of pure evil leaves no room for moderation when someone is evil, he or she is bad through and through. Pure evil derives from that species of darkness I call void. This isnt the type of void that is idle, but rather actively seeks to harm or destroy us. It appears non-human, blind, lacking motivation and senselessly destructive. Oddly enough, it is simple and pure, direct and uncomplicated. It may be difficult to imagine that there can have any sort of relationship with such a monster, but when something is so intent on destruction, for no conceivable reason, like it or not, we are in a relationship. We dont have to understand it to know that it wants us dead. Pure evil exists closer to nature than to the human realm. It is amoral, blind, and like a tornado, it preys on humans for no apparent reason. And, like nature, pure evil is not human. It lacks all the attributes of human existence. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Manson, Bin Laden, Karesh and Hussein are all murders, but without excusing them for their actions, they each had reasons for what they did. They do not represent pure evil despite their inhumanity.

Pure evil is a concept, like perfection, that applies to political despots, religious fanatics and mass murderers. Nothing is pure in the realm of psyche. Even archetypes are not distinct. At one point, you may be focusing on the Shadow archetype and you discover attributes that better reflect those of the Self. Similarly, we find cold-hearted rigidity, high-handed control, zealotry, and tyrannical behavior in cases of perfectionism. Pure evil and perfectionism are polar opposites and exist only in principle. I, of course, make this assertion as a psychologist and expect that others from different disciplines may disagree. From a Jungian perspective, pure evil is something that arises from three sources: 1) possession by an archetype, 2) extreme deficits in conscience and 3) a wanton need for revenge. Wotan, Satan and Apopis are terrifying images that personify these evil qualities. Whatever the motive, pure evil must be dealt with, not only because of its destructiveness, but also because it easily attracts others who have weak identities and lack will power. These types are the copy-cat killers, gang members and the Nazi youth. Evil has a component of fascination that arouses curiosity. More books have been written about Jack the Ripper than all of the Presidents of the United States, combined!

Dealing with evil in any rational way typically backfires. Its like trying to argue with a drunk. The level of unconsciousness is so low that any attempt to apply reason is either completely lost or worse, used as an excuse to justify the evil act. It may be beyond the reach of human reason to understand what purpose pure evil serves in the world. Denial has no salutary effect in this case, and in fact, might even provoke it. Something must be done, but what? This type of evil is the most difficult to deal with precisely because it does not authentically belong to the human realm, but unfortunately is acted out there. Hence, we must deal with pure evil by taking an irrational approach, one that is not based on human reason, but instead relies on Nature to help us understand this psychoid phenomenon. For this purpose I rely primarily on the work of Marie-Louise Von Franz, whose work on alchemy, fairy tales and death is well known. In her essay, The Problem of Evil in Fairy Tales, ADP Von Franz describes three ways of dealing with evil. First and foremost, she says, anyone who can enter into the innermost center of his own psyche, his Self, is safe against the assaults of the dark powers. 93 We can protect ourselves from such assaults because evil is never whole. In fact, it is this incompleteness that arouses the curiosity I alluded to earlier. Snakes, for example, have captured the

curiosity of people from time immemorial because of their lack of physical wholeness. Its shape resembles a piece of an animal, a tail, rather than one that conforms to the complete form we find in most other animals. Likewise, we, like the snake, are incomplete when we fail to recognize that darkness and light as forming two poles of consciousness.

Only this psychic middle is stronger than the principles of opposition Von Franz 101. Evil also attracts our curiosity because of its other worldly associations, particularly themes of death. Zombies and voodoo dolls incite fear and a strange curiosity akin to being hypnotized. Highway accidents and grimly murders have similar effects. We must therefore overcome our curiosity with evil in order to move closer to our innermost center, or as Von Franz indicates, our Self. The archetype of the Self is complete because it includes both realms of consciousness and unconsciousness. Divine wholeness, says Von Franz, is the strategic weak point of the evil one. One of the difficulties in attaining divine

wholeness is a common misconception many have in equating perfection with wholeness. Ive encountered this problem so often in my practice that Ive grown use to saying, If perfection existed on earth, we would have no need for Heaven. Perfection, like evil, is a concept. It is often a defense against evil, the fear of losing control and darkness in general. Another confusion that makes overcoming perfectionism so difficult is its confusion with goodness. We have the same problem with beauty. Both physical beauty and perfectionism are often thought of as virtues, when in fact, any sustained attachment to any extreme position invariably lowers the overall threshold of consciousness. Therefore, in addition to overcoming our fascination with evil, we must also contend with our denial or defense against it perfectionism.

Nowhere do we tempt more than on the very steps of the altar. C. S. Lewis Von Franz makes a second observation about evil. Drawing from the Chinese Book of Changes, the I Ching, she says, Evil, which lives on negation, is not destructive to the good

alone, but inevitably destroys itself as well in the end. Several problems arise with this recommendation. How long must one wait for evils self-destruction? How much destruction should be tolerated before evil collapses in on itself? And, finally, is it evil to act destructively in order to spare those who would otherwise be harmed in waiting for evil to consume itself? The key to answering all these questions is really a matter of tolerance. While ethicists struggle to define in precise terms how much should be tolerated in prolonging life, for example, we are daily confronted with the horrors of pure evil that demand our immediate attention. It is therefore all the more important that a person be close to his or her innermost center when confronted with ethical dilemmas. As a therapist, I often must make such judgments in my clinical practice. In my wish to help patients, I am easily tempted to offer advice, give exercises and even just come right out and tell them what to do. If we examine my good motive closely, we find that it is really a symptom of laziness. Secretly, I want a quick fix that will end both our misery. But, the real mistake in doing any of these things is that I have no idea what is right for them, the patients. They may need to go through a painful divorce, suffer a severe depression or even take drugs before they are ready to discover what is needed. Very often the most difficult part of my job is to

tolerate the evil things people do to themselves and one another, simply because that is part of their healing process. Although healing and illness seem diametrically opposite, close observation shows how really close they are. Rationally, we would expect people to stop nasty habits, confront their cognitive distortions, sort out their affairs, do the right thing and get well as soon as possible. How long must we wait for evil to stop, especially when it causes so much pain and suffering? Von Franz sheds light on this problem by illuminating the dynamics that are being played out between what is seen symptomatically and the inner, archetypal situation. In Apuleius, The Golden Ass, she writes: When someone is stuck in a neurotic complex, the same problem goes round and round in his headbut, there is also something numinous hidden in the complex and in the very worse center of the neurosis there is generally a symbol of the Self and that causes the fascination and makes people hang onto it. If one contents oneself with the repression of the illness, the symbol of the Self is thereby also repressed and that is the reason why people often fight against being cured. They have a hunch that the best of themselves lives in the worse suffering and that is the awful difficulty.

This may not sound like pure evil, but as one who has tolerated the months and sometimes years it has taken for a patient to wake up from their awful situation, and see that the Self can be better attained, healing sometime demands a cruel and painful waiting period that feels intolerable and unjustified. The protest, thats not fair, comes from those who have not yet learned, nor accepted the dark side of life. Evil has its place in the world and it finds a ready home in healing. Quacks, misleading advertising, euthanasia, placebos and angels of death are all part of the pure evil that haunts the hallowed halls of medicine. Just check the lists issued by medical boards to see the evil things that licensed medical practitioners inflict on patients; its horrifying, but real. The death of the pop star Michael Jackson by his physician is just one of the latest examples where healing is corrupted by a weak ego one that cannot find its center, much less connect to the Self. We are forced to accept that healing is not nice, not pretty and often outright evil. The more we accept the fact that evil has its place in healing, the more we will be able to tolerate the unavoidable misery that nature sends our way and the even worse things people do to one another. This is not to suggest that such wickedness should be allowed, but it would be naive to think that healing is any purer than pure

evil. Sometimes we can only hang our hopes on the fact that evil will, in the end, destroy itself, not because of our good efforts to end it, but because self-destruction is part of its nature. Horus doesnt vanquish his murderous uncle, Seth; rather, evil, like all instincts, eventually exhausts itself, implodes like a dark star. A third helpful factor is based on one of the few facts that can be found in fairy tales. Helping an injured animal, says Von Franz, invariably empowers us in effectively dealing with evil. Anyone, she says, who earns the gratitude of animals, or whom they help for any reason, invariably wins out. This is the only unfailing rule that I have been able to find. 89 Animals represent our instincts, and at the same time, remind us of our own lower nature. The lower and the higher nature must be brought into conformity and balance to achieve to the level of the Self. Two images symbolize this union of opposites. Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on the back of a mule. Sancho Panza rode alongside Don Quixote on a mule. In each case, a grand image of the lowly mule adds a dose of humility and earthiness that reveals the unseen side of each figure. The donkey, suggests Von Franz, represents the hidden, dark aspect of God. Animals also provide another important service to humankind. They protect and guide us. Each has a particular

talent that can guide us through the dark forests of the underworld. I regularly consult the Medicine Cards designed by Jamie Sams and David Carson to identify what particular animal power I need in a particular situation. Do I need Eagles spirit, Elks stamina, Ravens magic or Dogs loyalty? By divining which of these animals, and many more, I have found great success in using my instinct to good advantage. By contrast, an injured animal suggests that a certain instinct is not functioning well. Instincts primarily rule sex and aggression. When these instinctual drives are sick in us, we are disposed towards acting out in dangerous and uncontrollable ways. Addicts, rapists and murderers are people whose instincts have been injured by early on in life. Dealing with an injured animal requires great delicacy. The animal mindlessly strikes out, not out of malicious intent, but rather to protect its wound from further damage. If we show kindness to an animal, generally it will allow us to draw near. It is this gentleness and selflessness to help those who are unable to help themselves that earns the respect of our animal cousins. When we learn this lesson it is all the more amazing how animals are so often used to personify pure evil. Indeed, when instincts run riot chaos rules, but we must also remember that these very same monsters are the

antithetical power that gives spirit meaning. One cannot exist without the other. Without a concept of pure evil we would not be able to conceive God.
Copyright 2012 by Thom F. Cavalli, Ph.D. All rights reserved. This article or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a review. Contact Dr. Cavalli at illavac@hotmail.com for further information.

References Von Franz, Marie-Lousie. The Problem of Evil in Fairy Tales, Archetypal Dimensions of the Psyche. Boston & London: Shambhala 1999, 75 109. Von Franz, Marie-Louise. The Golden Ass of Apuleius, The Liberation of the Feminine in Man. Boston & London: Shambhala 1992. Thom F. Cavalli, Ph.D. is a practicing Jungian psychologist in Santa Ana CA. His books include Embodying Osiris, the Secrets of Alchemical Transformation (Quest Books 2010) and Alchemical Psychology, Old Recipes for Living in a New World (Putnam 2002). Visit his websites CavalliBooks.com and AlchemicalPsychology.com or email for comments or

more information about publication, teaching and consultation, illavac@hotmailcom