Archetypes
are inborn, primordial structures that lie deeply within the collective
unconscious, that aspect of psyche that transcends the personal and
extends into the wider realm of culture and nature. The collective
unconscious is an ancient and shared storehouse of transpersonal
archetypal structures, but it is also the place where we are most
connected with nature. Jung calls archetypes “inherited patterns of
behavior”, which are exhibited in our instinctual responses to the
natural world. Just as a bird knows how to build a nest, we, too,
follow innate patterns which govern our lives. Jung paints a
comprehensible portrait of this instinctual character of archetypes.
"Well,
you know what a behavior pattern is. The way in which, say a weaver
bird builds his nest. That is an inherited form in him which he will
apply. Or certain sorts of symbiotic phenomena between insects and
plants. They are inherited patters of behavior. And man, of course, has
an inherited scheme of functioning too. His liver, his heart, all his
organs, and his brain will always function in a certain way, each
following its pattern. You would have great difficulty in seeing it
because we cannot compare it with anything….Yet it is quite certain that
man is born with a certain way of functioning, a certain pattern of
behavior, and that is expressed in the form of archetypal images". (1977,
p. 292).
And,
although, we have no way of perceiving these inborn patterns, we do see
the nest, both the individual nest, with all its peculiarities and
flaws, and the archetypal nest, perfected by a universal design. In this
respect, it is nearly impossible to look at any nest without being
spellbound by its archetypal magic. As Jung asserts, the pure archetype
is unknowable, but the archetypal image appears in the adornment
of the material world, in the style and dress, or rather, the twigs and
feathers, of the cultural and environmental surroundings. Archetypal
structures are similar throughout the world, but their manifestations
are unique to the specific situation and locale of the people who
perceive them. Even when we encounter archetypes in dreams or fantasies,
the moment we become consciously aware of them, they wrap themselves
with imagery taken from the immediate physical world. Archetypes bestow
meaning to the world, and conversely, the world gives expression to the
archetypes.
For this reason,
it is difficult to speak about archetypes without referring to the
natural world. Although archetypal motifs are found in myths,
fairytales, legends and dreams many of these motifs can be traced to the
shapes and patterns found in the natural landscape. Thus, in additionto being an uplifted mass of stone, the archetypal mountain is also the cosmic mountain, linking heaven and earth and fastening the four cardinal directions. Similarly, in addition
to being an eroded crevice in the earth’s surface, the archetypal
valley is the valley of shadow and death, or, in other cases, a
paradisiacal recess flowing with milk and honey. The archetypal motifs
that emerge from the landscape are as diverse as the landscape itself,
and throughout all cultures and locations we find a vast range of
archetypes that take on the appearance of mountains, rivers, trees,
oceans, caves, and canyons. Archetypes symbolize the union of soul and
earth, and from this union is the birth of a world that is living and
sensual, full of character and meaning.
Archetypes
are inborn, primordial structures that lie deeply within the collective
unconscious, that aspect of psyche that transcends the personal and
extends into the wider realm of culture and nature. The collective
unconscious is an ancient and shared storehouse of transpersonal
archetypal structures, but it is also the place where we are most
connected with nature. Jung calls archetypes “inherited patterns of
behavior”, which are exhibited in our instinctual responses to the
natural world. Just as a bird knows how to build a nest, we, too,
follow innate patterns which govern our lives. Jung paints a
comprehensible portrait of this instinctual character of archetypes.
