![]() The term collective unconsciousness was first coined by the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. Since the blueprint of stories are all very similar across cultures, it might be that the human psyche possesses a universal collective unconsciousness from which certain mental phenomenon are derived. “We don’t go beyond this mountain because… there be dragons!” or “After we come back from hunting, we always have to go through cleansing to redeem ourselves for slaying the animal.” Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious It’s also a way to promote certain behavior in younger less experienced individuals. Earth shakes when the giant upon who’s shoulders the entire world is standing upon moves. Why does it rain and how does lightning strike? It’s the thunder deity playing tricks on us. The elders would gather the younglings around them and teach them about the Cosmos. Imagine yourself sitting around a fireplace in an after sunset setting of the savannah. Stories and myths are means of explaining mysterious phenomenon of the world and giving guidance to others. It promotes higher executive functioning that was accompanied by an increase in brain size, especially the neocortex. Storytelling is an effective evolutionary strategy that promotes social co-operation and reproductive success. The invisible law of natural selection favored those individuals of the Homo phylogenetic tree that developed the ability for higher abstraction and language. I don’t want to be a harsh evolutionary psychologist and take out all of the seeming beauty and meaning from storytelling, but the reason is simple. Homo Habilis developed proto-language, Homo Erectus had symbolic communication and Homo Sapiens proper language, estimated less than 200 000 years ago. However, it’s clear that real stories began to be told only after the appearance of Homo some 2.5 million years ago. Gestures, body language and cave paintings were probably used to convey concepts and phenomenon in the world as well. It would be difficult to predict when we started actually telling stories. Storytelling is an innate part of our psyche and nature. It enables us to use our imagination and creativity to scheme up incredible narratives that describe the world as well as nourish the soul. Thanks to the advanced development of our neocortex and consciousness, we possess the ability of language and abstraction. To make sense of the Universe and understand ourselves in the midst of its cosmos, we create stories. We have realized that there’s more to reality than meets the naked eye and are seeking out MEANING to our existence. Us humans are spiritual creatures, which is the notion of believing in something higher than oneself. Star Wars is nothing else but Homer’s Iliad taking place in a galactic setting. No matter the time or place, the stories stay the same in their core. That’s how most fairytales and epics usually begin, which you’ve heard countless times before. “In a kingdom far far away there lived an ordinary farmboy, who one day received a memorable call to adventure…” It’s a long piece but well worth the read, as it will help you manifest the hero within you. This post explains the concept of the monomyth and goes through all of the stages of the hero’s journey. ![]()
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