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Creation of Consciousness: Jung's Myth for Modern Man (Studies in Jungian Psychology)

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Although Edinger never really understood current discoveries in epistemology, he treats the topic of consciousness and its origins from a superbly depth-psych perspective, spicing the book with priceless observations and commentary. I wish it had been a longer book--very enjoyable.

There is a remarkable section in which Edinger defends his thesis that the ego's individuative activities leave some sort of permanent deposit in the collective unconscious. He backs this up with several extremely interesting examples from various literary and religious sources. For me, this kind of thinking bridges the gap between Hillman's reduction of archetype to image (phenomenologists tend to be impatient with spiritual mysteries beyond word or image) and, the other extreme, the traditional Jungian Kantianism of regarding the archetype as some sort of untouchable realm of Platonic ideals. The deities NEED us, and it's regrettable that Edinger left us only these tantalizing hints of that.

What relevance does Jung have for mankind today?

This book slices through his dense writing, adds a modern perspective and "pulls it all togather" to give the "Big View" of what he was saying and how it applies to us today and to the future of Mankind

some prior knowledge of Jung required but truly inspiring

Absolutely outstanding. Simple, straightforward vision for modern humanity. Anyone who thinks Edinger "never really understood current issues in epistemology" has not read enough Edinger. No one understood Jung like this great writer. Read on and watch your world open, if you're lucky.

Dr. Edward F. Edinger's book: "Creation of Consciousness: Jung's Myth for Modern Man (Studies in Jungian Psychology)" is an interesting book to peruse in order to understand the metaphysical thought of the great psychiatrist Carl G. Jung. Dr. Edinger has done a good job interpreting Jung regarding the role of myth in modern society; however, there are some inconsistencies in the book that need to be clarified. I am aware that my opinions will bother some Jungians psychologists; however, in the realm of science, personal feelings should be left aside. To make a thorough review of the whole book would require another volume; thus I limit these comments to the main ideas expressed in the first chapter of the book entitled: "The New Myth."

Dr. Edinger's core postulates are: "The purpose of human life is the creation of consciousness." And "consciousness is somehow born out of the experience of opposites" (p. 17).

First of all, man does not create consciousness; this is similar to saying that the "brain creates consciousness," which is a fallacy and materialistic viewpoint. On the contrary, consciousness creates man as a means of being able to manipulate the external world. According to the Occidental Qabalah and the Oriental Vedanta philosophy, the only thing that exists is the universal consciousness, that is, the universal Life-force pervading the whole universe, and man makes use of it but does not create it. Saying the brain creates consciousness is similar to believing that man creates the air that he breathes.

Second, consciousness is not "born out of experiences of opposites"; this is a dualistic point of view. The Hebrew Bible encapsulates the duality of physical manifestation in the metaphoric tale of the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil." We learn through the contrasting of opposites, but we do not create consciousness; we gain awareness of it.

The problem is that consciousness in ordinary man is still dormant, and consequently, he is unable to develop his full potential as a spiritual being. However, the spark of consciousness is latent in every human psyche while man, unaware of it, walks the world in a state of somnambulism, mesmerized by the mechanical external manifestation of his own subconscious creation. It is now acknowledged by the scientific mainstream that even animals and plants share part of this universal consciousness on a rudimentary level. Modern science is making strides in demonstrating that animals and plants have some minimal level of feelings and awareness. This is verified by the fact that animals such as dogs, dolphins, cats, and others express certain levels of emotions and intelligence.

Back in the 18th century, the great German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) stated, the "purpose of human existence is the expansion of consciousness" (It is said that Kant was familiar with the Oriental philosophy through the Bhagavad Gita). This is the key to the whole matter, the expansion or awakening of consciousness.

Mr. Edinger quotes Jung as follows: "Man's task is ...to become conscious that press upward from the unconscious [....] the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being" (p. 16). These statements imply the concept of awareness of the contents of the subconscious mind by the conscious mind, not the creation of consciousness. On the other hand, Edinger has confused the role of man as co-creator in the universe. All Oriental and Occidental authentic schools of mystery acknowledge that man's role in the arena of the world is to become a conscious co-creator with the Universal Life-force, Universal Mind, or God; whatever you want to called IT.

Furthermore, according to Mr. Edinger the myth for the New Age is the "creation of consciousness"; it should be said more appropriately that the myth of the New Age is the awakening of consciousness. This does not imply a creation of consciousness. Thus, the message of the New Age, the Aquarian Age, is in fact the awakening of the full potential of human consciousness and becoming linked to the Universal Mind. Jung confirmed this assessment when he said, "the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being."

I find an insightful comment made by Dr. Edinger regarding the parallelism between the Biblical Job encounter with Yahweh and the confrontation that Jung had with his unconscious to get the numinous, that is, the presence of the Divine (p. 68). As we know, the result of Jung's confrontation with his unconscious was expressed in the "Red Book;" this book was published finally in 2009. Edinger following Jung regards Yahweh as a psychic reality (p. 65), therefore Yahweh psychologically would be the manifestation of "collective unconscious" of the Jewish people. Thus, since this viewpoint, the whole Old Testament is the result of a "vast individuation process unfolding in the Collective psyche." (p. 68

This work can be deemed in the category of religious psychology and the reader needs some biblical preparation as well knowledge in Jungian psychology to apprehend the full message of the book.

Albert Amao
Beyond Conventional Wisdom
The Renaissance of Mind Healing in America

If you are into the works and study of Jung, this book is a must read. Taking us through the death of the old mythos to a new mythology of self awareness and consciousness, Edinger uses classical Jungian approaches and works - especially Answer to Job, as the basis for his thesis that the new myth is the awakening of consciousness and the quest to unite the unconscious and the conscious mind in a new Imitatio Dei - discovering our hiddden dark side as well as creative potentials. A good read, with many great Jungian thoughts by an eminent scholar of Jung.