The Ancient Unconscious

Although cognitive psychology and neuroscience have usurped the influential position once held by psychoanalysis, this volume seeks to reclaim the value of the unconscious as a methodological tool for the study of ancient texts by transforming our understanding of what it means, how it operates, and how it relates to textual hermeneutics.

At a time when the place and significance of myth in society has come under renewed scrutiny, Myth, Literature, and the Unconscious contributes to shaping the new interdisciplinary field of myth studies. The editors find in psychoanalysis a natural and necessary ally for investigations in myth and myth-informed literature and the arts. At the same time the collection re-values myths and myth-based cultural products as vital aids to the discipline and practice of psychoanalysis. The volume spans a vast geo-cultural range (including ancient Egypt, India, Japan, nineteenth-century France, and twentieth-century Germany) and investigates cultural products from the Mahabharata to J. W. Goethe's opus and eighteenth-century Japanese fiction, and from William Blake's visionary poetry to contemporary blockbuster television series. It encompasses mythic topics and figures such as Oedipus, Orpheus, the Scapegoat, and the Hero, while mobilising Freudian, Jungian, object relations, and Lacanian psychoanalytic approaches.

Since Freud published the Interpretation of Dreams in 1900 and utilized Sophocles' Oedipus Rex to work through his developing ideas about the psycho-sexual development of children, it has been virtually impossible to think about psychoanalysis without reference to classical myth. Myth has the capacity to transcend the context of any particular retelling, continuing to transform our understanding of the present. Throughout the twentieth century, experts on the ancient world have turned to the insights of psychoanalytic criticism to supplement and inform their readings of classical myth and literature. This volume examines the inter-relationship of classical myth and psychoanalysis from the generation before Freud to the present day, engaging with debates about the role of classical myth in modernity, the importance of psychoanalytic ideas for cultural critique, and its ongoing relevance to ways of conceiving the self. The chapters trace the historical roots of terms in everyday usage, such as narcissism and the phallic symbol, in the reception of Classical Greece, and cover a variety of both classical and psychoanalytic texts.

• Examines the Oldawan, the Ancient Soul of Africa, and its correlation with what modern psychologists have defined as the collective unconscious • Draws on archaeology, DNA research, history, and depth psychology to reveal how the biological and spiritual roots of religion and science came out of Africa • Explores the reflections of our African unconscious in the present confrontation in the Americas, in the work of the Founding Fathers, and in modern psychospirituality The fossil record confirms that humanity originated in Africa. Yet somehow we have overlooked that Africa is also at the root of all that makes us human--our spirituality, civilization, arts, sciences, philosophy, and our conscious and unconscious minds. In this extensive look at the unfolding of human history and culture, Edward Bruce Bynum reveals how our collective unconscious is African. Drawing on archaeology, DNA research, depth psychology, and the biological and spiritual roots of religion and science, he demonstrates how all modern human beings, regardless of ethnic or racial categorizations, share a common deeper identity, both psychically and genetically--a primordial African unconscious. Exploring the beginning of early religions and mysticism in Africa, the author looks at the Egyptian Nubian role in the rise of civilization, the emergence of Kemetic Egypt, and the Oldawan, the Ancient Soul, and its correlation with what modern psychologists have defined as the collective unconscious. Revealing the spiritual and psychological ramifications of our shared African ancestry, the author examines its reflections in the present confrontation in the Americas, in the work of the Founding Fathers, and in modern Black spirituality, which arose from African diaspora religion and philosophy. By recognizing our shared African unconscious--the matrix that forms the deepest luminous core of human identity--we learn that the differences between one person and another are merely superficial and ultimately there is no real separation between the material and the spiritual.

"The African Unconsciousness, originally published in 1999, is a bold new paradigmatic look at human history based on archaeology, genetics, and the biospiritual roots of religion and science. Author Edward Bruce Bynum offers a captivating and controversial viewpoint on the roots of our human existence, positing that all humans at their deepest core are variations on the African template, creating a shared identity and collective unconscious in all. He looks at both phenotypical types and psychic structures that form and identify us as human beings. Ideal for humanistic and transpersonal psychologists and those interested in African American art and culture, The African Unconsciousness is a blend of modern and ancient psychology that provides a relevant backdrop to humanity and our daily life"--Cover.

Weaving together state-of-the-art research, theory, and clinical insights, this book provides a new understanding of the unconscious and its centrality in human functioning. The authors review heuristics, implicit memory, implicit learning, attribution theory, implicit motivation, automaticity, affective versus cognitive salience, embodied cognition, and clinical theories of unconscious functioning. They integrate this work with cognitive neuroscience views of the mind to create an empirically supported model of the unconscious. Arguing that widely used psychotherapies--including both psychodynamic and cognitive approaches--have not kept pace with current science, the book identifies promising directions for clinical practice. Winner--American Board and Academy of Psychoanalysis Book Prize (Theory)

In 'The Red Book', compiled between 1914 and 1930, Jung develops his principal theories of archetypes, the collective unconscious & the process of individuation.

**Ancient Secrets Of The Mind** What a fantastic book! It's up there with 'Prometheus Rising', 'Undoing Yourself with Energised Mediation' and 'The Game of Life'. Essential Reading for everyone learning how to manifest and truly put the Law of Attraction to work for them at long last. It's easy to imagine 'The Law of Attraction' as a modern breakthrough in lifestyle creation. We often overlook the fact that this system of belief has been alive and kicking for thousands of years before the movie 'The Secret' pushed it openly into public awareness. But for the past 2000 years this ancient belief system was traditionally kept secret, hidden away in the dusty catacombs of the great temples of spiritual learning. Regarded as forbidden knowledge and taught only to societies most accomplished and deserving members. This eBook series finally cracks open the vault and reveals the full system of psychological alchemy employed by the worlds greatest thinkers and leaders throughout history, from the Egyptian Pharaohs building monuments of wonder, to the more modern Freemasons establishing the Bill of Rights to become the Founding Fathers of America. In 'The Ancient Secrets of The Mind' series, you'll be transported back in time to see how 'The Law of Attraction' was really taught to gain mastery of your Unconscious powers, helping those who learn its secrets become the Men and Women capable of influencing nations and shaping societies. Every great mover and shaker through Earths history had access to this knowledge and now you'll be able to join their ranks and take your pride of place standing on the shoulders of giants. Topics include: The Origin of the 'All seeing eye' and how it relates to a psychological process for discerning profound universal truths. The difference between the subconscious vs. the unconscious and how it fits into the holy trinity model of consciousness. The real way the law of attraction works. A comparative study of world religion - highlighting the universal psychological system used globally in Earths past. The 7 creative principles of the unconscious and how they correlate with the chakra system of the human body. Jacobs's ladder, the stairway to heaven and the Unconscious ecology checklist for streamlining productivity. The paradoxical approach to the path of mastery - left brain vs right brain integration. The key of David - the secret code for hacking the creative process and attaining rapid mastery of any discipline. And discover how this ancient psychology was encoded into the Great Seal on the back of the American dollar bill.