Collective Unconscious
In his later years, post-Freud, Jung realized that there was far more going on within the psyche of his patients than simply their personal stories, histories, and challenges (the personal unconscious mind.)
Jung identified a transpersonal mind, a shared but unconscious mind of all human beings.
The collective unconscious essentially holds within it similar elements that the personal unconscious mind contains, except this mind includes all the experiences of all human beings across all time.
Archetypes exist within the collective unconscious.
Archetypes
the universal symbols and patterns which recur within humanity across centuries- irrespective of culture, caste, or religion.
are like energetic DNA codes stored not in material cells but in the collective mind of all men
can be conceptualized as universally "coded" or "downloaded" patterns
manifest through behavior patterns, relationships, existential dilemmas, and conflict
speaks in symbolism, and ancient motifs, also show up through our dreams
help us know ourselves by seeing the transpersonal through the personal
unhook us from becoming too identified with or lost in the pleasure, deaths, and triumphs of me & mine.
Archetypal Example within Splinterlands Lore
Psyche Speaks through Gaming Lore: Splinterlands
Mythology
Mythology and our fairy tales instruct us in the human condition, replete with archetypal themes from tragic to heroic.
Jung believed that the study of myths and fairy tales could provide valuable insights into the collective unconscious and the archetypes that reside within it. He argued that myths and fairy tales express universal human experiences and contain symbols deeply embedded in the collective unconscious.
Marie-Louise von Franz was a Swiss psychologist and one of Jung's closest collaborators. She was a leading authority on fairy tales and their interpretation from a Jungian perspective.
Von Franz believed that fairy tales were very important expressions of the collective unconscious and contained archetypal symbols and motifs that could help us understand our inner world and the challenges we face in life.
James Hillman Archetypal Psychology
Jung's ideas about the collective unconscious and archetypes profoundly influenced and expanded the field of psychology, beyond the level of personal neuroses (Freudian psychoanalysis) and into the transpersonal. James Hillman, an American psychologist, followed suit in expansion. He studied at the Jungian institute in Zurich. Like Jung, who broke away from Freud, Hillman broke away from Jung and created his psychology called "archetypal psychology," Hillman's psychology purports that archetypes are more alive and real than simply metaphorical concepts. And he worked heavily with imagination and the imaginal realm, emphasizing the importance of the soul and the imagination. Hillman believed that the soul is the center of a person's life and that the imagination is a powerful tool for understanding the world and ourselves.
James Hillman was a bit of an extreme figure in psychology and is an exemplary embodiment of the trickster archetype. While Hillman stirred the proverbial pot, pushed buttons, and was even off-putting to some, he was effective. And this is ultimately the function of the trickster archetype, to call attention to what is unseen, even creating mischief and sometimes a bit of chaos in the process, but propelling change, pushing forward in tearing down, and making the unseen visible.
Overall, Jungian psychology, archetypal psychology, and the work of James Hillman and Marie-Louise von Franz emphasize the importance of exploring the deep levels of the psyche, including the collective unconscious, to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Gaming Lore is now on this list for the self-world - other understanding.
Thanks for reading!
Trinity Love