Wicca and the Collective Unconscious
Magic is within every single person regardless of religion, state of mind or sanity. But why then are Wiccans and other new age practitioners more receptive to magic and the supernatural? Join our resident writer as he uncovers the mystery… By WeatherLight.
No other religion is probably more misunderstood than Wicca. At the same time, there are quite a few religions that actually bring you closer to the divine and one of those religions is Wicca. When a person learns about your being Wiccan and after you’ve defined “Wicca” to them, the next question that will probably come up is “Does that (witchcraft) really work??”
During a particular discussion with a seeker, she asked me “Do I have to be Wiccan to harness my special gifts?” Being safe and not undermining of other religions including hers, I told her that everyone has these special talents we just have to re-discover within ourselves. The keyword there being “re-discover” as those gifts are something we already have. The next question, and probably the first question of its essence that came from that seeker was “Why, then, are Wiccans more sensitive to the magical and predisposed to developing these special talents?” That time, I must have provided a logical answer because that seeker seemed to have agreed or understood why practitioners of the craft possess affinity to magic and perhaps spiritual enlightenment.
In trying to support my theory on the matter while not undermining other religions, I figured one must look into more logical, more philosophical resources. While Kant’s works present parallels on principles of morality among religions, a person’s sense of morality has almost nothing to do regarding a person’s spiritual needs. Religion is supposed to address these spiritual needs – a repository of meaning for the people. Understanding religion on a broader scale, one philosopher, Carl Jung, was able to identify humanity’s spiritual / psychological needs. Thus, I read back into Jungian philosophy.
The Collective Unconscious
Jung’s theory on what he called the “Collective Unconscious” is a philosophical study on the common archetypes of human psychology. According to him, humanity, as a whole, share a similar unconscious mind. Mankind’s manifestations throughout history and civilization are a reflection of this unconscious mind. These manifestations only differ on one’s cultural upbringing but when stripped off the cultural add-ons, the essence is basically the same. According to the theory, there exists a blueprint – the first manifestations of our collective unconscious. These are called the psychological “Archetypes”. In linking Wicca to philosophy, it is first necessary to understand these psychological archetypes.
What are the common archetypes?
In her book Awakening the Heroes Within, Carolyn Pearson identifies twelve archetypes that are fairly easy to understand. These are the Innocent, the Orphan, the Warrior, the Caregiver, the Seeker, the Destroyer, the Lover, the Creator, the Ruler, the Magician, the Sage, and the Fool. If we look at art, literature, mythology and the media, we can easily identify some of these patterns.
The Warrior
One of the most familiar Archetype in contemporary western culture is the Warrior. We find the warrior myth encoded in all the great heroes who ever took on the dragon, stood up to the tyrant, fought the sorcerer, or did battle with the monster, and in so doing rescued himself and others. The warrior fights to protect and ennoble others. The warrior protects the perimeters of the castle or the family or the psyche. The warrior myth is active in each of us any time we stand up against unfair authority, be it a boss, teacher or parent. The highest-level warrior has at some time confronted his or her own inner dragons. We see the Warrior archetype in the form of pagan deities, for example the Greek god of war, Mars. David, who fights Goliath, or Michael, who casts Satan out of Heaven are familiar Biblical warriors. Hercules, Xena (warrior princess) and Conan the Barbarian are more contemporary media forms the warrior takes. And it is in this widely historical variety that we can find an important point about the archetype. It really is unconscious.
The archetype is like the invisible man. It remains invisible until it dons the clothing of its particular culture: in the Middle Ages this was King Arthur; in modern America, it may be Luke Skywalker. But if the archetype were not a universal pattern imprinted on our collective psyche, we would not be able to continue to recognize it over and over. The love goddess is another familiar archetypal pattern. Aphrodite to the Greeks, Venus to the Romans, she now appears in the form of familiar models in magazines like “Elle” and “Vanity Fair.” Whereas in ancient Greece her place of worship was the temple, today is it the movie theatre and the cosmetics counter at Nordstrom’s. The archetype remains; the garments it dawns are those of its particular time and place.
The Shadow
The Shadow archetype is merely the “dark side” of the psyche. It’s everything that doesn’t fit into the Persona. The word “persona” comes from the theater. In the Roman Theater, characters would put on a mask that represented who the character was in the drama. The word “persona” literally means “mask.” Johnson says that the persona is how we would like to be seen by the world, a kind of psychological clothing that “mediates between our true selves and our environment” in much the same way that clothing gives us an image. The Shadow is what doesn’t fit into this Persona. These “refused and unacceptable” characteristics don’t go away, they are stuffed or repressed and can, if unattended to, begin to take on a life of their own.
One Jungian likens the process to that of filling a bag. We learn at a very young age that there are certain ways of thinking, being and relating that are not acceptable in our culture, and so we stuff them into the shadow bag. In our Western culture, particularly in the United States, thoughts about sex are among the most prevalent that are unacceptable and so sex gets stuffed into the bag. The shadow side of sexuality is quite evident in our culture in the form of pornography, prostitution, and topless bars. Psychic energy that is not dealt with in a healthy way takes a dark or shadow form and begins to take on a life of its own. As children our bag is fairly small, but as we get older, it becomes larger and more difficult to drag.
Religion and the Archetypes
Religion is a manifestation of humanity’s need for a repository of meaning. The need for something to address and explain these archetypes and how to control, overcome and/or treat these psychological needs. The problem with some religions like popular orthodoxy is that they fail to address some of the archetypes - specially the Shadow archetype, causing repression and apprehension against anything that represents it like human sexuality for one which is often categorized into the taboo. Religion tends to force educate doctrines that are not “natural” to being human and thus, alienating our “human nature” or unconscious self.
The emergence of the “new age” and the occult practices of today are signs that the orthodox religions, such as the Church for example, are failing to serve as the repository of meaning. Instead of explaining the things which cannot be denied and inherent among our nature, orthodox religion have ignored them and thrown them into “the things we should never talk about”. The people, never being content or naïve, begin to look outward to other sources for meaning. It can be astronomy, numerology, other forms of divination, yoga, and even the extra-terrestrials.
1ST – 2ND Century Gnosticism
There is another movement that parallels that of the occult and the collective unconscious. This movement is even one of the first off-shoots of Christianity but was persecuted and taken out of the doctrines because the Church claimed it does not follow certain “themes”. As orthodox Christianity was being defined during the 1st to 2nd century AD, there was an emergence of “unconventional” Christian movements then referred to as Gnosticism. Gnostic teachings summarized, encouraged the union of man and the divine by looking in to the inner self and self-spirituality. According to Gnostic thought, man, although not God (yet) is also divine. But one must look deep into oneself where one can find the divine which is inherent in all humanity – the self-within-self. It encourages humanity to be “human” and thus, re-discovering that we our in essence like the Gods.
Magic and Self-Discovery
Take away everything superficial – the clothing, the religions, the man-made beliefs – and we are left with just being human, the way nature created us. Being as “natural” and humanly as possible enables us to be one with nature, to commune with nature, the elements, and the spirits. In re-discovering our inner self, we realize our natural talents, gifts and knowledge – these often referred to as magic.
Why are we then more susceptive to the magical? It is simply because we take away everything that has been taught to us by orthodox religions and we are able to commune with the natural elements. We are able to become what we really are and we move to a goal of finding the divine (through meditation, reincarnation, etc.) so we and the God and Goddess eventually become one and everything becomes possible.
Sources:
Baigent, Leigh, Lincoln, The Messianic Legacy
Gallo, Ernest. "Jung and the Paranormal," The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal edited by Gordon Stein
Gallo, Ernest. "Synchronicity and the Archetypes," Skeptical Inquirer, vol.18, No. 4, Summer 1994.
About the Author: WEATHERLIGHT is a designer working as a project manager for an IT development company. He has always been fascinated by magic and illusions (stage magic) and since high school, he has been a collector of magic effects, props and paraphernalia and has performed for events. Also, he writes for and maintains www.thestorycircle.net, an online magic shop and community and a portal to his researches in Wicca and natural Magic.
During a particular discussion with a seeker, she asked me “Do I have to be Wiccan to harness my special gifts?” Being safe and not undermining of other religions including hers, I told her that everyone has these special talents we just have to re-discover within ourselves. The keyword there being “re-discover” as those gifts are something we already have. The next question, and probably the first question of its essence that came from that seeker was “Why, then, are Wiccans more sensitive to the magical and predisposed to developing these special talents?” That time, I must have provided a logical answer because that seeker seemed to have agreed or understood why practitioners of the craft possess affinity to magic and perhaps spiritual enlightenment.
In trying to support my theory on the matter while not undermining other religions, I figured one must look into more logical, more philosophical resources. While Kant’s works present parallels on principles of morality among religions, a person’s sense of morality has almost nothing to do regarding a person’s spiritual needs. Religion is supposed to address these spiritual needs – a repository of meaning for the people. Understanding religion on a broader scale, one philosopher, Carl Jung, was able to identify humanity’s spiritual / psychological needs. Thus, I read back into Jungian philosophy.
The Collective Unconscious
Jung’s theory on what he called the “Collective Unconscious” is a philosophical study on the common archetypes of human psychology. According to him, humanity, as a whole, share a similar unconscious mind. Mankind’s manifestations throughout history and civilization are a reflection of this unconscious mind. These manifestations only differ on one’s cultural upbringing but when stripped off the cultural add-ons, the essence is basically the same. According to the theory, there exists a blueprint – the first manifestations of our collective unconscious. These are called the psychological “Archetypes”. In linking Wicca to philosophy, it is first necessary to understand these psychological archetypes.
What are the common archetypes?
In her book Awakening the Heroes Within, Carolyn Pearson identifies twelve archetypes that are fairly easy to understand. These are the Innocent, the Orphan, the Warrior, the Caregiver, the Seeker, the Destroyer, the Lover, the Creator, the Ruler, the Magician, the Sage, and the Fool. If we look at art, literature, mythology and the media, we can easily identify some of these patterns.
The Warrior
One of the most familiar Archetype in contemporary western culture is the Warrior. We find the warrior myth encoded in all the great heroes who ever took on the dragon, stood up to the tyrant, fought the sorcerer, or did battle with the monster, and in so doing rescued himself and others. The warrior fights to protect and ennoble others. The warrior protects the perimeters of the castle or the family or the psyche. The warrior myth is active in each of us any time we stand up against unfair authority, be it a boss, teacher or parent. The highest-level warrior has at some time confronted his or her own inner dragons. We see the Warrior archetype in the form of pagan deities, for example the Greek god of war, Mars. David, who fights Goliath, or Michael, who casts Satan out of Heaven are familiar Biblical warriors. Hercules, Xena (warrior princess) and Conan the Barbarian are more contemporary media forms the warrior takes. And it is in this widely historical variety that we can find an important point about the archetype. It really is unconscious.
The archetype is like the invisible man. It remains invisible until it dons the clothing of its particular culture: in the Middle Ages this was King Arthur; in modern America, it may be Luke Skywalker. But if the archetype were not a universal pattern imprinted on our collective psyche, we would not be able to continue to recognize it over and over. The love goddess is another familiar archetypal pattern. Aphrodite to the Greeks, Venus to the Romans, she now appears in the form of familiar models in magazines like “Elle” and “Vanity Fair.” Whereas in ancient Greece her place of worship was the temple, today is it the movie theatre and the cosmetics counter at Nordstrom’s. The archetype remains; the garments it dawns are those of its particular time and place.
The Shadow
The Shadow archetype is merely the “dark side” of the psyche. It’s everything that doesn’t fit into the Persona. The word “persona” comes from the theater. In the Roman Theater, characters would put on a mask that represented who the character was in the drama. The word “persona” literally means “mask.” Johnson says that the persona is how we would like to be seen by the world, a kind of psychological clothing that “mediates between our true selves and our environment” in much the same way that clothing gives us an image. The Shadow is what doesn’t fit into this Persona. These “refused and unacceptable” characteristics don’t go away, they are stuffed or repressed and can, if unattended to, begin to take on a life of their own.
One Jungian likens the process to that of filling a bag. We learn at a very young age that there are certain ways of thinking, being and relating that are not acceptable in our culture, and so we stuff them into the shadow bag. In our Western culture, particularly in the United States, thoughts about sex are among the most prevalent that are unacceptable and so sex gets stuffed into the bag. The shadow side of sexuality is quite evident in our culture in the form of pornography, prostitution, and topless bars. Psychic energy that is not dealt with in a healthy way takes a dark or shadow form and begins to take on a life of its own. As children our bag is fairly small, but as we get older, it becomes larger and more difficult to drag.
Religion and the Archetypes
Religion is a manifestation of humanity’s need for a repository of meaning. The need for something to address and explain these archetypes and how to control, overcome and/or treat these psychological needs. The problem with some religions like popular orthodoxy is that they fail to address some of the archetypes - specially the Shadow archetype, causing repression and apprehension against anything that represents it like human sexuality for one which is often categorized into the taboo. Religion tends to force educate doctrines that are not “natural” to being human and thus, alienating our “human nature” or unconscious self.
The emergence of the “new age” and the occult practices of today are signs that the orthodox religions, such as the Church for example, are failing to serve as the repository of meaning. Instead of explaining the things which cannot be denied and inherent among our nature, orthodox religion have ignored them and thrown them into “the things we should never talk about”. The people, never being content or naïve, begin to look outward to other sources for meaning. It can be astronomy, numerology, other forms of divination, yoga, and even the extra-terrestrials.
1ST – 2ND Century Gnosticism
There is another movement that parallels that of the occult and the collective unconscious. This movement is even one of the first off-shoots of Christianity but was persecuted and taken out of the doctrines because the Church claimed it does not follow certain “themes”. As orthodox Christianity was being defined during the 1st to 2nd century AD, there was an emergence of “unconventional” Christian movements then referred to as Gnosticism. Gnostic teachings summarized, encouraged the union of man and the divine by looking in to the inner self and self-spirituality. According to Gnostic thought, man, although not God (yet) is also divine. But one must look deep into oneself where one can find the divine which is inherent in all humanity – the self-within-self. It encourages humanity to be “human” and thus, re-discovering that we our in essence like the Gods.
Magic and Self-Discovery
Take away everything superficial – the clothing, the religions, the man-made beliefs – and we are left with just being human, the way nature created us. Being as “natural” and humanly as possible enables us to be one with nature, to commune with nature, the elements, and the spirits. In re-discovering our inner self, we realize our natural talents, gifts and knowledge – these often referred to as magic.
Why are we then more susceptive to the magical? It is simply because we take away everything that has been taught to us by orthodox religions and we are able to commune with the natural elements. We are able to become what we really are and we move to a goal of finding the divine (through meditation, reincarnation, etc.) so we and the God and Goddess eventually become one and everything becomes possible.
Sources:
Baigent, Leigh, Lincoln, The Messianic Legacy
Gallo, Ernest. "Jung and the Paranormal," The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal edited by Gordon Stein
Gallo, Ernest. "Synchronicity and the Archetypes," Skeptical Inquirer, vol.18, No. 4, Summer 1994.
About the Author: WEATHERLIGHT is a designer working as a project manager for an IT development company. He has always been fascinated by magic and illusions (stage magic) and since high school, he has been a collector of magic effects, props and paraphernalia and has performed for events. Also, he writes for and maintains www.thestorycircle.net, an online magic shop and community and a portal to his researches in Wicca and natural Magic.
© 2006 Manggagaway E-magazine. Articles may be distributed freely on the condition that all accreditation is acknowledged, no part is altered and this notice is attached and the website: http://manggagaway-central.blogspot.com is included. ~ Thank you
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