Man and His Symbols summary

Our unconscious minds contain vast amounts of subliminal material: urges, impulses, feelings, intentions, and thoughts that live below the threshold of our awareness, but can be expressed symbolically in our dreams.

However, the unconscious is much more than a mere repository of material that sometimes leaks into our dreams. It can also create brand-new ideas. Just look at the many stories of artists, poets, mathematicians, and scientists whose life’s work was revealed to them in dreams.

Once upon a time, humans lived in a world shaped by gods and demons. Religious myths – and the symbols within them – gave our lives meaning and helped us endure our suffering. They provided us with ways of understanding the universe and our place within it.

In the modern era, however, reason and rationality dominate. This makes us more efficient, since we can take action without praying to a higher power or engaging in complex rituals. But our newfound efficiency comes at a hefty cost. Our world has become dehumanized and coldly intellectual. We no longer feel a part of nature, but isolated outside of it.

The best-known myth in the world is that of the hero. Its basic pattern is always the same. First, an individual is born into humble circumstances. Then he begins to exhibit superhuman abilities, eventually rises to power, and struggles against the forces of evil. Ultimately, he dies through either betrayal or a heroic sacrifice.

Throughout his journey, the hero undergoes considerable personal growth. He encounters challenges and meets mentor figures who help him become aware of his strengths and weaknesses. Through these experiences, he develops a sense of his own individuality. 

Interpreting dreams is no easy task. But if you were to observe your dreams carefully, night after night, year after year, you might begin to see a pattern emerge. 

Perhaps you have recurring dreams. Or maybe you find yourself repeatedly dreaming about similar symbols, figures, or landscapes. And if you started to interpret your dreams consciously and change your attitude or behaviors accordingly, you’d see the patterns shift in subtle ways. 

When we, as dreamers, first encounter our animus or anima, we feel identified with and connected to him or her. But it can take us quite a long time to understand fully what this figure represents and how it applies to our lives and personalities.

With enough wrestling, however, we can break away from our identification with the animus or anima. Afterward, the form of our unconscious shifts, taking on a new symbolic representation in our dreams. It appears as the Self – the word Jung uses to refer to our entire psyche in its totality. For male dreamers, the Self can be represented by a priestess, sorceress, Earth Mother, or goddess of love. For female dreamers, it may take the form of a guardian, king, wise old man, or spirit of nature.

Stones, plants, animals, numbers, shapes, celestial bodies – anything in the world can become a symbol. For that, we can thank the human psyche. By design, it searches for objects and forms to imbue with psychological significance.

When we are emotionally moved by symbols, we enshrine them in our religions and art. These two have always been deeply intertwined – and that’s true even today, when religion has largely been discarded.

A man named Henry dreamed he was hiking toward a mountain, accompanied by a group of strangers. After only an hour of walking, he and his companions decided to set up camp. But it was midday, and Henry eventually wanted to get moving again. The others, however, wished to stay behind. So Henry decided to depart on his own and continue toward the mountain pass.

Suddenly, the dream transported Henry to a different side of the mountain. He found himself terribly disoriented and wasn’t sure which way to go. But then, out of nowhere, an old woman appeared to show him the right way. Soon, Henry began to ascend the mountain.