The Element Encyclopedia of 20,000 Dreams: The Ultimate A–Z to Interpret the Secrets of Your Dreams. Theresa Cheung

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       ARCHETYPES

      ‘Collective unconscious’ is the term Carl Jung used to describe the part of the unconscious that everyone has access to, a sort of psychic storehouse for all humankind.

      The contents of this storehouse are called ‘archetypes’: patterns and symbols that can be found within the unconscious of everyone. These archetypes represent the broad human memory within each of us. They appear as mythical images that occur in every culture throughout recorded history—the images appearing in the dreams of our ancestors are those that speak to us today.

      According to Jung, dreams are attempts to guide the waking self. He thought that the purpose of life—and for him, dreams play an important role in it—is to understand and integrate all parts of ourselves; dreams are simply one aspect of the self trying to communicate with the conscious part. Dreams don’t disguise the unconscious, they reveal it, through archetypes.

      Sigmund Freud disagreed with Jung, as he believed that dreams were disguised attempts to hide, not reveal, true feelings from the waking mind. Freud did, however, recognize a concept of ‘archaic remnants’, inherited—rather than learned—beliefs, through which basic emotions and responses are represented. For example, the mother figure is a universal symbol of nurturing and protection.

      Today, most dream researchers believe that we are more likely to see archetypal figures in our dreams at transition points in our lives than at other, more stable times. Change generally brings about anxiety and self-reflection. Going from education to the workforce, singlehood to marriage, or childless to parent are some typical archetypal transitions. Many of these archetypes are very familiar to us already, because they can be found in myths, legends, fairy tales, books and movies: the wicked stepmother, the authoritative father and the vulnerable maiden. We are as familiar with the superhero in films like Spiderman or Batman, as we are with the character of the dastardly joker or villain. All these characters are archetypes, and enduring representations of basic human qualities, instincts and experiences.

      The first step in analysing an archetype, as with any symbol, is through personal reference. For example, a dream about monsters may refer to our inner fears, but it

       Jungian constructs

       The Persona

      In your dreams are you wearing a disguise or mask? Are you a regal persona or did you become a superhero? Are you using cosmetics or wearing a wig? Are you worried about your appearance in some way? Are you naked? Are your clothes torn and ragged? If so, this kind of dream concerns your persona or personas, as we all have more than one.

      The persona represents your public image, the part of yourself that is presented externally by what you say, wear and look like. The word is obviously related to the words ‘person’ and ‘personality’, and comes from the Latin word for mask. So the persona is the mask you put on before you show yourself to the outside world.

      Your persona’s wardrobe of masks comprises the various faces you use to present yourself to different audiences in waking life—for example, your family, friends, colleagues and strangers. We wear these masks to help us relate better to different groups of people, but these masks are not the СКАЧАТЬ