Causa Sui
“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.”
Carl Jung
The Immortality Project
Casua Sui, meaning "cause of itself" in Latin, denotes something which is generated within itself. A corresponding philosophical concept relates to the purpose that people can assign to themselves. In The Denial of Death, a work that was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction, author Ernest Becker develops this concept into what he refers to as an “immortality project.” Becker asserts that people create, assign themselves, and pursue “immortality projects” as a way to feel connected to something that transcends one’s personal finitude. In other words, these projects create meaning in an individual’s life that may resonate long after one’s physical death. Taking part in such projects creates a feeling of purpose and significance in an otherwise indifferent world.
Upcoming Projects
Developing a Writer’s Workshop in the Methow Valley
Project Manager: Charles Fischer, Ph.D.
Methow River, Washington - Opening Date: Fall 2023 (Estimated)
Serpentine: A Retreat for Gardening, Reading, and Meditation
Project Manager and Caretaker: John Massoni
Seattle, Washington - Opening Date: Spring 2021
"And although man's personal fate is simply to perish, he can triumph over it by inventing "purposes," "projects," which will themselves confer meaning both upon himself and upon the world of objects - all meaningless otherwise and in themselves. There is no reason why a man should do this, and he gets nothing by it except the authentic knowledge that he exists; but that precisely is his great, his transcendant need and desire. Not many are capable thus of authenticating their existence: the great majority reassure themselves by thinking as little as possible of their approaching deaths, and by worshipping idols such as humanity, science, or some objective divinity."
