由個體「我」的自問與反思，進而演變為「我們」的集體思索。將文化探求與生命烤問連成一體；檢視「余秋雨熱」到「余秋雨現象」這十餘年間，由吹捧炒作，到棒喝拒諫的轉折歷程之中，他認為在逼近歷史的同時逼近自我，方能決定文學的主體生命體驗。余氏的探勘實與榮格的心理學彼此呼應，共同關切「我們為何都未能平衡的發展自己？」。咸認為當代文化中，對於真正的內在發展，亦即榮格所謂的個人文化與集體文化的相對性，極少賦予關注，是以我們大多數人的內在世界，仍然是處在「極端原始」的狀態。榮格試圖以密宗曼陀羅、瑜伽、人體「脈輪」、以及道教鍊丹術、西洋的鍊金術，達到身心靈與萬物的「一如」境界。尤其借重西洋的鍊金術士，在「哲人石」中萃取靈魂與能量，進而揭露「本我」所象徵的永恆世界，加以統合過去既存的對立，鍊金術士個人也在此一歷程中，同步完成精神上的轉化。余秋雨在《藝術創造工程》一書中，正是闡釋如何將前述的榮格學說加以拓寬；改易吾人的審美心理結構，進而刷新民族的視聽。強調藝術對於吾人的精神塑造，實與感官的塑造同步。也就是說，肉身的轉化以及修煉，對於文體的陶鑄啟發甚鉅。 From the self-reflection on “me” to the collective thinking on “us”, the culture-seeking and the life-questioning become one. During one decade or so, from Yu Qiuyu Enthusiasm to Yu Qiuyu Phenomenon, Yu was extolled and finally he refused criticisms. In that period, Yu thought he got close to himself while getting close to history. Yu's historical survey corresponds to Jung's psychological concepts in terms of the question why we can not develop ourselves properly. It is believed that the internal development (i.e. what Jung calls the relativity of individual culture and collective culture) is less emphasized in the contemporary culture. This is the reason why most of us are still extremely primitive in psyche. Jung attempts to combine Mandala, Yoga, Chakra, Taoist alchemy, and Western alchemy to achieve the oneness in psyche as well as among all things on earth. With the idea that Western alchemists extract spirit and mana from lapis, he manifests the external world represented by id and unifies all the existing opposites. During the extraction, the alchemist himself also becomes transformed in psyche. In his book Art Creation Engineering (藝術創造工程), Yu explains how to expand Jung's idea stated above, with the purpose of changing the mental structure of beauty appreciation and then refreshing the race's sense organs. Emphasizing the role of art on the moulding of human spirit is related to the modification of sense organs. That is, the transformation and cultivation of body have great impacts on the moulding of literary styles.
