The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol.9 Part 1),   ISBN:9780691018331

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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.

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The content is fine but the product itself was defective - many of the pages were folded into binding.

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The definitive work explaining the relationship between religion, religous experience and psychology. Clearly written. Easily understood. No degrees in metaphysics or psychology required here! A MUST READ!

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Jung was meticulously looking for psychological patterns of thinking. These patterns he called archetypes. Like the instincts have influence on the physical body, the archetypes should have their influence on the thinking mind. They have their origin in what Jung called the collective unconscious.

While the personal unconscious is made up of contents which have at some time been conscious but which have disappeared from consciousness through having been forgotten or repressed, the contents of the collective unconscious have a collective, universal and impersonal nature which cannot be reduced to experiences in the individual's past.

All original mythological revelations have their source in the collective unconscious. Metaphorical mythology is needed in expression of the complex archetypal contents. Even though the cultural surroundings have their influence on various myths, too, it seems like the collective unconscious was identical in all individuals.

Although Jung was a real pioneer in his field, I find his (translated) style of writing slightly "dry." Especially the last chapters on mandala symbolism were boring. -I suggest you highlight the most interesting contents, so you'll find them easily later again.

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Jung's books are not easy reads, but they are almost invariably eye-openers. I recommend first reading his student's works (von Franz, Barbara Hanna, Joland Jacobi), his "Man and His Symbols," & (especially with respect to this book) Joseph Campbell & Jean Shinoda Bolen. It helps a lot to understand mythology when exploring the collective unconscious. Jung goes to great lengths to show how the denizens of the collective unconscious (archetypes--universal images~Plato's view) map onto very different cultures throughout time & space--appearing in art, dreams, visions, etc. Bolen uses Greek goddesses & gods to depict these. Jung disliked neologisms (creating new words) instead he transplanted them from other disciplines to map into his psychological theories & constructs--thus, "archetypes" & "complexes"--paralleling General Systems Theory (cf. biologist von Bertalanfy's works). "Complex" comes from mathematics' complex numbers. Jung knew & conversed with physicist Pauli, Kabbalah professor Scholem, & many other famous, high-caliber scholars. It is important to realize, when reading this book, the important differences between archetypes of the collective unconscious & complexes of the personal unconscious--though they have the same names! Thus, the mother archetype is the pure image of motherhood--with both positive & negative aspects. But, each person has an actual, individual mother (or lack thereof--absent mother). The interaction or combination of these two forms one's mother complex. As in math, it has a rational part (actual mother) & an imaginary part (archetype). In math, the imaginary part is multiplied by i, the square root of minus 1--which cannot exist, yet mathematicians use it creatively! So does Jung. Even modern works by "post-Jungians" often confuse or confound these two. The Anima/animus is particularly prone to this confusion. Unfortunately, Jung added to this confusion IMHO by calling the anima soul & the animus spirit. The anima/animus use gender & projection to enable people attune to the Self, the overarching archetype (others are essentially subsets). It is the image of wholeness &, thus, the object of psychological individuation--not integration. Jung says one cannot integrate the entire unconscious--that is beyond human capability. This is more subtle than it seems--esp. regarding western mystics' unio mystica (union with God) & eastern enlightenment. Jung attempts to assist people evolve, ~the U.S. Army: "be all you can be," rather than a thin veneer of civilization--p. 269 "Outwardly people are more or less civilized, but inwardly they are still primitives." Further, p. 322 "The view that we can simply turn our back on evil & in this way eschew it belongs to the long list of antiquated naiveté's. This is sheer ostrich policy & does not affect the reality of evil in the slightest." Therefore, Jung includes the negative aspects of both archetypes & complexes. Finally, as scientific psychologist, Jung notes that p. 269 "We should never forget that in any psychological discussion we are not saying anything about the psyche, but that the psyche is always speaking about itself."