Man and His Symbols

“The two fundamental points in dealing with dreams are these: First, the dream should be treated as a fact, about which one must make no previous assumption except that it somehow makes sense; and second, the dream is a specific expression of the unconscious.”

The focal point of Jung’s psychological research and practice was the analysis of dreams. Here, he states that the communications of dreams are just as real as the waking life. On top of this, a person should not assume that any symbol or motif in a dream represents a specific idea, problem, or emotion. Instead, a thorough analysis of the context of the individual’s life is needed to understand the meaning of dream symbols. The symbols in dreams are messages from the unconscious mind which it uses to communicate repressed or ignored issues.

“This subliminal material can consist of all urges, impulses, and intentions; all perceptions and intuitions; all rational or irrational thoughts; conclusions, inductions, deductions, and premises; and all varieties of feeling. Any or all of these can take the form of partial, temporary, or constant unconsciousness.”

According to Jung, the events and images in dreams are not random. Instead, they are an accumulation of all the unconscious processes that a person is not aware of. These processes intersect and affect one another, as well as affecting a person’s conscious thoughts and behaviors. Unconscious processes also slip into conscious perception and out of it again; most of the time, there is not enough space in the conscious mind to deal with all these processes. As a result, the unconscious mind is left to deal with a varied mix of psychic material.

“Learn as much as you can about symbolism; then forget it all when you are analyzing a dream.”

Jung understands the importance of learning the history and nature of symbols in the human world. Archetypes are symbols which have followed humans throughout their existence and continue to permeate the collective unconscious today. Despite this, Jung insists that the individual interpretation should be first and foremost, and the typical meanings behind symbols should not be automatically applied to anyone. They should instead be used as a base from which to build an understanding of the meaning of the individual’s dreams.

“The individual is the only reality.”

With the discovery of the unconscious mind comes new implications regarding the nature of reality and perception. Where once people searched for objective truths about the world, this is no longer possible. Each person perceives the world differently, and perception seems to determine the reality that manifests. Furthermore, an effective analysis of dreams and their archetypes requires a consideration for individual context; there are no universal meanings.

“As a plant produces its flower, so the psyche creates its symbols. Every dream is evidence of this process.”

Jung considers dreams to be evidence of the ability of the unconscious mind to create from nothing the images and events that take place in dreams. The exact details of how this process occurs are unknown, but dreams give assurance of the unconscious mind’s existence. The symbols produced in dreams are the result of a complex transformation of ideas and thoughts into living images, and Jung considers this worthy of investigation.

“The motto ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’ is the superstition of modern man. Yet to sustain his creed, contemporary man pays the price in a remarkable lack of introspection. He is blind to the fact that, with all his rationality and efficiency, he is possessed by ‘powers’ that are beyond his control. His gods and demons have not disappeared at all; they have merely got new names. They keep him on the run with restlessness, vague apprehensions, psychological complications, an insatiable need for pills, alcohol, tobacco, food—and, above all, a large array of neuroses.”

Jung was a psychologist and considered the afflictions of modern mental health to be the result of a disconnect of the Self. He refers to “primitive” times where people were more accustomed to looking within for answers. Dreams used to be considered of great importance for the passing along of important information, but in modern times people tend to ignore them completely. Jung asserts that although people are moving away from religion and superstition in the traditional sense, they are moving towards a new type of irrational belief that they have no limits. On top of this, people are further suppressing their instinctive drives with substance use. All of this leads to the current problems faced by many regarding their mental health.

“No voices now speak to man from stones, plants, and animals, nor does he speak to them believing they can hear. His contact with nature has gone, and with it has gone the profound emotional energy that this symbolic connection supplied.”

Related to the disconnect from the unconscious mind is the modern disconnect from nature. Jung expresses deep concern over humanity’s increasing divide from the natural, stating that with this loss comes the loss of a type of divine energy. He references shamans and tribespeople, noting that their sustained connection with nature is what allows them to stay connected to their unconscious and to the collective. Current rational thinking has its uses but, according to Jung, it also creates new limitations if people cannot learn to use both rational and instinctive thought.

“Our actual knowledge of the unconscious shows that it is a natural phenomenon and that, like Nature herself, it is at least neutral. It contains all aspects of human nature—light and dark, beautiful and ugly, good and evil, profound and silly.”

Jung regularly references the limitations to peoples’ understanding of the unconscious, including his own. However, he believes that one thing which is certain is that the unconscious is a natural part of being human, and heartier attempts to understand its purposes, processes, and messages must be made. The unconscious consists of every duality that exists within a human being and is neither positive nor negative.

“The ego’s rise to effective conscious action becomes plain in the true culture-hero.”

Henderson discusses the major archetypes which exist both in the real world and in dreams. The first of these is the hero, which is a myth that has persisted throughout most of human history. Heroes are usually initially venerated before being asked to make a sacrifice and being renewed as a true hero thereafter. According to Henderson, this story arc represents the ego’s transformation into ego-consciousness. During this process, the ego learns independence and the strength of itself, which births new confidence in the individual. This process also involves self-acceptance of limitations and overcoming flaws.

“Initiation is, essentially, a process that begins with a rite of submission, followed by a period of containment, and then by a further rite of liberation. In this way every individual can reconcile the conflicting elements of his personality: He can strike a balance that makes him truly human, and truly the master of himself.”

Another major archetype that Henderson discusses is the initiation ritual. Initiations occur multiple times in a person’s life, most commonly at birth, adolescence, and marriage. The initiation rite is usually accompanied by a series of traditions and rituals that are passed down through generations. The purpose of the ritual is to essentially kill the person that once existed to give rise to a new, stronger, and more mature version of them. A person who has passed through initiation is entering a new stage of life.

“It even seems as if the ego has not been produced by nature to follow its own arbitrary impulses to an unlimited extent, but to help to make real the totality—the whole psyche. It is the ego that serves to light up the entire system, allowing it to become conscious and thus to be realized.”

Von Franz explains that the ego is the part of the psyche that allows thoughts, feelings, emotions, ideas, impulses, and intentions to be realized in the waking world. Beyond this, the ego is what allows a person to be aware of their inner psychic processes and to listen to and analyze them. Without the ego, a person cannot hope to use some hidden talent or skill embedded in their unconscious. The ego does not exist primarily of its own accord or impulses; instead, it is the means of communication for these processes in conscious awareness.

“These new discoveries of depth psychology are bound to make some change in our collective ethical views, for they will compel us to judge all human actions in a much more individual and subtle way.”

Von Franz speculates on the implications of the discovery and deepening understanding of the unconscious mind and its drives. It is no longer possible to determine whether an action was fully intentional or within the person’s control as people can no longer say for certain that conscious processes are solely responsible. Furthermore, the existence of the unconscious implies that rules and morals may have a shrinking place in society as universals are no longer applicable.

“The existence of human beings will never be satisfactorily explained in terms of isolated instincts or purposive mechanism such as hung, power, sex, survival, perpetuation of the species, and so on. That is, man’s main purpose is not to eat, drink, etc., but to be human.”

Von Franz explains that the archetype of the Cosmic Man seems to be the goal of human existence. This archetype represents a fully realized and integrated Self which is wholly united. She asserts that people will never discover the purpose of existence by examining scientific processes or evolution. She instead believes that the entire point of being human is simply to be human—to realize one’s full potential and to live in accordance with all sides of each duality within the Self.

“The only real adventure remaining for each individual is the exploration of his own unconscious.”

Von Franz references how Jung was confident that scientific advancement had rendered the only uncharted frontier to be the human unconscious. Steeped in mystery and indefinability, the unconscious is not only a phenomenon that is difficult to study, but it is also unique to everyone. In this way, it will always be worth exploring and investigating.

“But how can a human being stand the tension of feeling himself at one with the whole universe, while at the same time he is only a miserably earthly human creature? […] It is very difficult indeed to keep these inner opposites united within oneself without toppling over into one or the other extreme.”

Within a person exists many dualities. One of these dualities is the conflict between individuality and collectiveness. A person must learn to balance these two conflicting forces and accept both parts. The ego cannot function properly unless it is aware of its own limitations. Simultaneously, the unconscious is connected to the collective and these communications cannot be understood unless a person remains receptive to them. It is a balance that a person learns through the process of individuation.

“Thus the modern discovery of the unconscious shuts one door forever. It definitely excludes the illusory idea, so favored by some individuals, that a man can know spiritual reality in itself.”

Von Franz notes that peoples’ perceptions and speculations are limited by the capacity of the human psyche, and that it is impossible to break free from this limit. No matter what people believe about a given concept such as religion, matter, or relationships, these beliefs are constrained by what the human mind can believe. Thus, people can never say for certain whether there is another reality apart from this one, a reality which is comprised of the spiritual.

“A true symbol appears only when there is a need to express what thought cannot think or what is only divined or felt.”

Expanding on Von Franz’s and Jung’s assertions of the limits of human understanding and perception, Jaffé argues that the need for symbols arises out of this limitation. Symbols manifest in dreams and in the waking life through art, literature, architecture, math, science, and so on. They serve the function of communicating concepts which people do not have words for do not fully understand, such as complex emotions and religious experiences.

“The artist has at all times been the instrument and spokesman of the spirit of his age. His work can be only partly understood in terms of his personal psychology. Consciously or unconsciously, the artist gives form to the nature and values of his time, which in their turn form him.”

The focal point of Jaffé’s exploration is art. Jaffé examines the way that symbols and archetypes manifest in art and have done so throughout history. She stipulates that artists are limited by the time in which they live. Although art is on some level personal, it is always a reflection of the era the artist lives in. An artist can never hope to step outside of his or her own era. Not only does an artist reflect the beliefs and livelihoods of the time they live in, but they are also shaped by these things.

“If a young person is afraid of life and finds it hard to adjust to reality, he might prefer to dwell in his fantasies or to remain a child. In such a young person […] one can sometimes discover unexpected treasures in the unconscious, and by bringing them into consciousness strengthen his ego and give him the psychic energy he needs to grow into a mature person. That is the function of the powerful symbolism of our dreams.”

Jacobi’s section focuses on one patient of his whom he gives the alias Henry. When Henry came to Jacobi for help, he was stuck in a state of immaturity, fear of the world, and an inability to commit. Jacobi saw this as an opportunity to help Henry through the first half of the individuation process. Jacobi analyzed the dreams that Henry described to him to help Henry see his problems clearly. Once Henry experienced clarity, he was able to start analyzing his own dreams and developed into a committed adult. The strength he needed was in his unconscious mind all along, and through dream analysis it was allowed to be brought forth to the ego.

“The first dream in an analysis […] often has anticipatory value. A decision to go into analysis is usually accompanied by an emotional upheaval that disturbs the deep psychic levels from which archetypes arise. The first dreams therefore often present ‘collective images’ that provide a perspective for the analysis as a whole and can give the therapist insight into the dreamer’s psychic conflicts.”

Jacobi describes the importance of the first dream in a psychological dream analysis. The entire process usually takes several months or years, and the first dream provides a foundation for the interpretation of each dream that follows it. When a person decides to seek dream analysis, their unconscious mind becomes unsettled and begins producing vividly archetypal images. This allows the therapist to begin developing an understanding of the patient’s unconscious problems.

“One needs something more than reason as a helpful compass in the entanglements of life; it is necessary to seek the guidance of the unconscious powers that emerge as symbols out of the depths of the psyche.”

Jacobi argues the importance of instincts and the messages of the unconscious in navigating life. A person cannot hope to be happy and fully realized based on rational and logical thought alone. The primitive urges and communications of the unconscious must be allowed to surface and given the respect of interpretation. The symbols of dreams help a person to understand themselves and the world around them, and to live in a healthy and fulfilling way.

“We are still far from understanding the unconscious or the archetypes—those dynamic nuclei of the psyche—in all their implications. All we can see now is that the archetypes have an enormous impact on the individual, forming his emotions and his ethical and mental outlook, influencing his relationships with others, and thus affecting his whole destiny.”

In the conclusion of the book, von Franz discusses the fact that there is still a long way to go in terms of understanding the workings of the unconscious, and that a full understanding is likely not possible due to the limitations of perception and scientific inquiry. However, despite these unknowns, what is clear is that archetypal images do affect how a person thinks, feels, and behaves in the waking world, even when they are not aware of this effect. In fact, these archetypes affect every aspect of life.

“To Jung, his concepts were mere tools or heuristic hypotheses that might help us to explore the vast new area of reality opened up by the discovery of the unconscious—a discovery that has not merely widened our whole view of the world but has in fact doubled it. We must always ask now whether a mental phenomenon is conscious or unconscious and, also, whether a ‘real’ outer phenomenon is perceived by conscious or unconscious means.”

Von Franz explains that Jung did not purport to know everything about the unconscious and shared only what knowledge he was confident about. The theories put forth by Jung and his colleagues are not a framework or even an explanation; rather, they are the building blocks of more potential questions and discoveries. These theories can also be used to interpret dreams, propel the process of individuation, and overcome deep issues. They also imply a lack of certainty regarding the nature of reality and human intention.