The New Golden Age: Individuation in Old Age and Preparation for Death

Abstract

This article explores preparation for death from a depth psychological perspective, drawing deeply on Jung’s concept of individuation, and circumambulates the question of whether there is life after death. Preparing for death when one is advanced in years demands a recognition that the role of the Self has been to ultimately become a vehicle that carries us over the threshold into the afterlife. As part of this process, the unconscious attempts to present material relevant to an understanding of death via dreams and synchronistic events. In addition to relating my own dreams that are relevant to the matter, I draw upon the writings of Jung, von Franz, and Edinger, among others, to support my hypothesis. Some mythological and religious sources are also included, such as the myth of Philemon and Baucis, leading me to the conclusion that in order to be prepared for life after death, the ego must strengthen its relationship with the unconscious.