DIALOGUE

The Jungian Myth

Posted by Thom F. Cavalli, Ph.D. on May 18, 2012 at 9:32am in Depth Psychology General

The central myth employed by Freud to explain his theory of libido was Oedipus. If I had to choose one myth that explains Jung's theory of individuation, I would select the myth of Osiris. It has all the essential elements of the individuation process including separation, integration and transcendence.

For this weeks May Book Club, the discussion question is:

What happened to Osiris and other gods and goddesses after the fall of ancient Egypt? Did the gods die? Is Osiris an archetype?

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Tags: Oedipus, Osiris, myth
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  • Thom F. Cavalli, Ph.D. June 6, 2012 at 1:49pm

    Thanks Scott. Fascinating!

  • Ed Koffenberger May 18, 2012 at 10:06am

    If memory serves, were there some Meso-American god/desses that also  displayed the individuation process?

    • Thom F. Cavalli, Ph.D. > Ed Koffenberger May 18, 2012 at 3:40pm

      It seems to me that the themes of most Meso-American myths are focused on creation with particular emphasis on blood sacrifice. Here is an example from the Aztecs:

      Quetzalcoatl, the light one, and Tezcatlipoca, the dark one, looked down from their place in the sky and saw only water below.


      A gigantic goddess floated upon the waters, eating everything with her many mouths.

      The two gods saw that whatever they created was eaten by this monster. They knew they must stop her, so they transformed themselves into two huge serpents and descended into the water.


      One of them grabbed the goddess by the arms while the other grabbed her around the legs, and before she could resist they pulled until she broke apart. Her head and shoulders became the earth and the lower part of her body the sky.


      The other gods were angry at what the two had done and decided, as compensation for her dismemberment, to allow her to provide the necessities for people to survive; so from her hair they created trees, grass, and flowers; caves, fountains, and wells from her eyes; rivers from her mouth; hills and valleys from her nose; and mountains from her shoulders.


      Still the goddess was often unhappy and the people could hear her crying in the night.

      They knew she wept because of her thirst for human blood, and that she would not provide food from the soil until she drank.

      So the gift of human hearts is given her. She who provides sustenance for human lives demands human lives for her own sustenance. So it has always been; so it will ever be.


      I'd be interested to hear from those who have more knowledge of these myths to comment.


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