Four Layers Of The Human Psyche: How Archetypes Form Our Experience

We can break down four levels of the psyche. The deepest level is the collective unconscious. This consists of the fundamental elements of the human psyche. These elements are called by Jung, who coined the term collective unconscious, archetypes. In the Buddhist system, they are called dharmas. In the qabalistic system, they are called sefirot. The hexagrams of the I ching also represent these elements. These are fundamental aspects of the psyche. They are shared by all humans, and they do not change. There are as many archetypes as there are typical types of human experiences.

Now, this collective unconscious is something like a theoretical objective absolute of the psyche. They are not specifically formed, and they have no inherent arrangement. Advanced spiritual or psychological systems, such as the ones I previously mentioned, are attempts at forming and ordering these archetypes. There are a great variety of ways they can be formed and ordered. This is the job of the individual unconscious, or subconscious. This is the next layer up in the psyche. This is the way the individual orders the elements, or archetypes. It also consists of the wide range of associations made with them, that gives them their form and meaning to the individual.

The next layer up is the conscious mind. This is a mechanism for noticing the elements. You can notice them inside of you or outside of you. You direct the psyche’s focus, in terms of element recognition. From here, associations are made in your individual subconscious, from which arises your feelings about things, and the meaning you give them. The ego, the most surface level of the psyche, is the archetypal arrangement that you identify with. So, the collective unconscious consists of the sum total of all of the raw elements of life experience. Each of the subsequent layers consiste of techniques of working with these elements.

How long will we be the guards of our own prison? How long will we develop the weapons of our own destruction? The original story resonates naturally but some are not content with that so they fish the pool. Now they have maps through the psyche and we're just garden mazes. Magic men run this place and the illusions are eaten up. All the models produced are the same image in new colours. As long as the goal is conquest the tap drips.

My only contribution to the actual topic is this and even it is not true:

Superego - Ego - Id
Past - Present - Future

The Id is the boundless akin to the future.

The Ego is the experience akin to the present.

The Superego is the rule akin to the past.

The trinity, the father the son and the holy spirit, is man.

The father - past
The son - present
The holy spirit - future

Ramblings of dead men in worm holes don't do no good though so that is enough from me.

I think there is a deeper level than the penultimate Collective Subconscious and that is the ultimate God (or Goddess, if your anima prefers) level. It is at this level that all things, animate and inanimate, are connected. Think of it as a spiders' web; all things are trapped in, and by, the web and thus all things share a connection with each other via this web. The CS is another web that connects only the animate things in the first web, with only some tenuous connections to the foundational first web. This then gives us five webs, or layers, of reality. Only the last one, the God/dess layer is not directly knowable to the human psyche.

Thank you for starting this conversation; it is a deep, fascinating and very profitable undertaking!
S & F!

Originally posted by LetsGoViking
I think there is a deeper level than the penultimate Collective Subconscious and that is the ultimate God (or Goddess, if your anima prefers) level. It is at this level that all things, animate and inanimate, are connected. Think of it as a spiders' web; all things are trapped in, and by, the web and thus all things share a connection with each other via this web. The CS is another web that connects only the animate things in the first web, with only some tenuous connections to the foundational first web. This then gives us five webs, or layers, of reality. Only the last one, the God/dess layer is not directly knowable to the human psyche.

Thank you for starting this conversation; it is a deep, fascinating and very profitable undertaking!
S & F!

I think what you describe would be related to Jung's concept of synchronicity. He describes this as a 'non-causal connective principle.' I would say this is a non-linear mechanism that unites all things in the universe, and causes things to inherently associate with other, compatible thing. Becoming aware of, and delving into, this web, breaks down the apparent linear-causal structure of reality, and things instead become synchronistic.

I find this topic very interesting, the term Archetypes are interesting. Although, so much so in mythology we try to find true symbolism, enough to tear down and label what is what and what isn't isn't.... yes i said, isn't isn't...

I still do not believe it in such a way for me to give up the ideas of real angels, demons. to me the metaphysics are as real as you and me