James Hillman argued, “I think we’re miserable partly because we have only one god,
and that’s economics. Economics is a slave-driver.”
He also placed economics on the ninth circle of Dante’s Inferno,
sitting with those being punished for betraying humanity
and acts of hubris against the divine;
“Of all the fallen fields of human endeavor, economics must take first place,
which therefore locates its high priests on Hell’s lowest ring.”

Rather than serving humanity and the planet, our economic system,
with its focus on growth and competition, contributes significantly to war,
conflict, and environmental destruction.
Although GDPs and business profits continue to rise,
so do mental health issues, income disparity, and ecological disasters.
Clearly, economics needs to be re-visioned.

Viewing our socioeconomic system through a Jungian lens
can help in its re-visioning as Jung’s work takes us into the depths,
revealing the foundations of economic dysfunction.
A cultural-complex view uncovers the archetypes in our open wounds.
Exploring the modern god-image unveils the powers at play
in today’s economics and identifies the missing goddesses and feminine principles
necessary for the health of our socioeconomic system.
The places where we live provide us with another view into the problems of economics.
We can see our plight through their images,
which reflect aspects of the collective psyche and soul.
Places are also tools for socio-economic transformation and re-visioning
when we acknowledge that the earth is an alchemist.
By working with places, we can bring healing to complexes and
imagine new ways of being, which include the feminine.