Customer Reviews

The Archetypal Imagination (Carolyn and Ernest Fay Series in Analytical Psychology)

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We live in a world devoid of transcendent meaning, and in that abyss we desperately seek a purpose for & the foundations of Life. Many embrace a rigid fundamentalist dogma, whether religious or ideological; others seek the illusory comfort of vague New Age nostrums; still others opt for the pursuit of power, or pleasure, or sensation, or mindless consumerism, or outright nihilism. Yet none of these instant answers proves satisfying in the long run.

What Hollis convincingly argues is that there is no real substitute for true meaning, grounded in the encounter with the immense forces of the Psyche. Material things aren't what we need, or infantilizing beliefs that swaddle rather than challenge us -- what we need is to go into the darkened abyss & grapple with the unanswerable questions, the unfathomable mysteries. He doesn't offer any guarantees of success, only the hard promise that the journey & effort are well worth it.

This book is an exploration of the roots & purposes of Myth. Not "myth" in the sense of falsehood, but in the sense of Meaning, a narrative or frame of reference that provides a personally satisfying framework for living. And by "personally satisfying," we're not talking about something that coddles & placates the ego. Far from it! A living myth doesn't shield us from the transcendent experience, it enables us to face it without being overwhelmed or destroyed by its immense power.

Hollis draws his examples from Art, showing how individual creators have forged living myths for themselves, myths which speak to us as well. They don't provide pat answers -- indeed, they may well leave us with even more questions -- but they do provide windows into a larger world, a world that enables us to live with suffering & despair & loss, perhaps even to become far more than what we are now.

If you want to grow, if you want more than a world of sound bites & factoids & superficial culture, this is an excellent place to start. Most highly recommended!

Hollis is a wonderful communicator of archetypal language. His message penetrates deep and helps get you in touch with the hidden parts of psyche.

I've read most everything that Hollis has written. His style is quite difficult, but most always worth while. The point he makes is normally deep and meaningful. Except this book. Either I just don't have the intelligence to find it, or the point is simply not there. This book just didn't come together.

This book is beautiful. It is nice to read a book where someone is saying something, not saying something someone else said.