The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol.9 Part 1) Paperback – August 1, 1981

This is one of the very greatest 'Jung books.' It is an introduction to your own deepest self and those universal points of convergence we share with all the other human beings. Jung says we live our lives in accord with 3 levels of 'conscious being'-- the normal awake conscious mind, the personal unconscious, and the collective [universal] unconscious. Given this circumstance we find ourselves in, the most workable way to discover our own inner path, our own inner meaning, is to make conscious contact with the unconscious levels. In the unconscious the archetypes reign supreme; that is, we can access those unconscious contents through the study of 'archetypes' or universal patterns of energies and symbols that do appear to us without apparent obvious meaning. In dreams everyone [the collective] is subject to experiencing both common and uncommon 'archetypes' or patterns of energy. One may dream of a lover, a job, a residence, flying, the seashore, the mountains, swimming, drowning, etc -- very common themes that appear to many dreaming human beings no matter their culture, beliefs, or language. These archetypes act as symbols of deeper meaning. That is to say our unconscious depths strive to bring us into a fuller 'higher' state of conscious awareness. A more clear picture of who and what we are and what all are. Consciousness is evolving; in the world and in the psyche.

This getting to know our deepest psychic depths and learning from it and coming into conscious harmony with it is what Jung calls Individuation. He speaks of it as the way to discovery of our own deepest selves and a way of finding meaning in life. This very great book gives the student of the Jungian Way some concrete ways and means to this coordinated inner harmony of the psyche.

From the book: "I am the transformation! ... the transformation of what is mortal in me into what is immortal. It shakes off the mortal husk that I am and awakens to a life of its own..."

There is much more in this book than the brief notes I'm leaving here. I think a reader will benefit greatly if he or she approaches the study in a sincere and committed way. I have found it extremely helpful in gaining such modest insight as has come my way in life. For the student actually willing to take on the study sincerely, the rewards can be very great indeed.

One of the best reads of my life. Jung is every bit the legend that he is purported to be. Downside: Lost my ability to engage in basic human interactions like buying groceries without pausing to dredge up sustenance for my foul soul-replacement by staring insanely into cashier's eyes.

With open-minded vigor Jung explores the three primary archetypes of the collective unconscious: the Mother, the Father and the Child. He highlights their various qualities and how they integrate into the Self as expressed through various patient Mandala drawings. He underscores the fact that projections of the Self are evident in all sorts of human paintings through history from all cultures as evidence of a collective consciousness (a shared time and space of psyche understood consciously through symbols) and that the Mandala is a magically protective, integrative, and symbolic solution to the chaos of the ever developing order of the Self as it becomes a whole and balanced individual in the Chaos of the mysterious “thing in itself” we call objective reality.

I chose 4 stars because I could use a bit more translation of the French and Latin that appear in the book. Context clues reveal some extra layers but in the end it's a good read.

I spent a great deal of time recording my dreams and fantasies just for fun and the first thing I ever painted as an adult was a Mandalay without realising it. If you are like me this book will blow you away.

It's not an easy read but it does flow. Can't wait to start Aion!

The knowledge is golden but the reason for taking a star off was the print in the book is either faded or messed up over pleased with the purchase.

This book is a collection of Jung's articles dealing with the archetypes of the collective unconscious. In it, Jung expands the definition Freud used of the unconscious, which Jung refers to as the personal unconscious, which is simply the collection of all things forgotten. The collective unconscious is trans-personal and common to all members of our species. It contains primary ideas or symbols that guide the development of people, formed though millennia of human behaviors becoming in part encoded in our genetic make up, much like instinctual behavior in animals. Personally, I feel that if a bird can spontaneously remember how to build a nest, I do not see it difficult at all for a human to recognize a mother or perhaps remember how to spiritually cultivate his/her self. However, there is no one direct expression of any one archetype as they are colored by the experiences of the individual consciousness. Life experiences that seem to take on a larger than life significance often are those that pair up with the archetypes. Such archetypes are the way we relate to our parents, to our spouses and even how we transform spiritually. It is crucial that these archetypes are allowed to express themselves spontaneously in the individual, for if they solidify, they cease to interact with the world and their energy begins to stagnate in the unconscious where it will eventually erupt. Much of religion then, according to Jung, is a means to express the archetypal energy of the individual in a healthy and productive fashion. It is important to note that the rational process, which distances the individual from the act or thought primarily squelches the spontaneity of this energy, which is subjective and often synchronistic. The consequence of not expressing this energy is impulsive thoughts and behavior that makes up the shadow, or the collection of all neglected energetic impulses.

This book is an explanation of some of the more regularly encountered archetypes. The first archetype Jung deals with is the mother, which symbolically represents fertility on many levels, from a plowed field to the alma mater of academic institutions to Kundalini shakti or the primordial generative energy of prakriti or matter. The mother is also represented as the terrible mother as found in the Hindu goddess Kali. Jung goes on to write about the various neuroses that may result when a child identifies their own shadow with their biological mother. It its worse case, this can lead to "Don Juan-ism" in men and hyper-femininity in women. At its best, it leads to compassion and sensitivity in men and a healthy awareness of oneself as mother in women.

Rebirth is another primary archetype whose expressions can be found anywhere from religious beliefs in the afterlife to the journey of the hero in mythology. Jung mentions spiritual cultivation is the process of uncovering this transformative archetype, which is expressed well in Christian mysticism and Hindu Yoga (presumably the Yoga Sutras). Jung gives many examples of dreams in which an individual is confronting their own unconscious so that they can grow beyond their current limited mental state. He also gives the detailed story of a female painter who transferred her religious development into mandala paintings. Jung carefully explains how the patient is dealing with her archetypes by how they are expressed in each of the paintings. Other archetypes covered are the child (new-ness, potential for change, virgin birth, continuation), Persephone (mother-daughter relationship), various quests of fairytales and the trickster figure (the success of non-thinking).

In brief, this book presents plentiful examples in which Jung demonstrates how seemingly universal concepts manifest in patients' psyches. By doing so, Jung gives the reader ample evidence to support his method and theory.