Grounded in the natural philosophy of the Middle Ages, alchemy formed a bridge: on the one hand into the past, to Gnosticism, and on the other into the future, to the modern psychology of the unconscious.
Carl JungRead
It is also possible for the unconscious or an archetype to take complete possession of a man and to determine his fate down to the smallest detail
Interpretation
What this quote means
The unconscious mind can control a person's life and destiny in profound ways.
Carl Jung's quote emphasizes the significant role of the unconscious mind and archetypal forces in shaping an individual's life. It suggests that these elements can dominate one's thoughts and decisions, leading to predetermined outcomes, and highlights the complexity of human psychology and the influence of deeper, often hidden, aspects of our psyche on our fate.
Themes
UnconsciousArchetypeFatePsychologyCarl Jung
In practice
Example use cases
In a psychology class discussing the influence of the unconscious on behavior.
More from Carl Jung
All quotes →The majority of my patients consisted not of believers but of those who had lost their faith.
Carl JungRead
Complexes are psychic contents which are outside the control of the conscious mind. They have been split off from consciousness and lead a separate existence in the unconscious, being at all times ready to hinder or to reinforce the conscious intentions.
Carl JungRead
We are in a far better position to observe instincts in animals or in primitives than in ourselves. This is due to the fact that we have grown accustomed to scrutinizing our own actions and to seeking rational explanations for them.
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From the viewpoint of analytic psychology, the theatre, aside from any aesthetic value, may be considered as an institution for the treatment of the mass complex.
Carl JungRead
I have treated many hundreds of patients. Among those in the second half of life - that is to say, over 35 - there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life.
Carl JungRead
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