Calling to the anima mundi: on restoring soul within organizations

Concerns about the loss of spirit, morale, and morality in modern organizations, apparent in the growing spirituality-at-work literature, suggest that the dominant business paradigm is unbalanced. Grounded in a patriarchal view of the world, it effectively negates the feminine and its intrinsic connection with nature. Alchemists, as C.G. Jung discussed extensively in his works, understood the risk of living in an unbalanced world which neglects the soul of the earth and the soul of people. This paper explores the lost connection with the soul and discusses its ethical implications. In particular, I argue that the anima mundi (the world soul) can restore balance and values in organizations if she is attended to respectfully and with care. This process involves an appreciation of the feminine in its practical and archetypal sense, and some extensive inner work, in the spirit of alchemical imagination, to understand ourselves and our organizations better.