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
Magic is the science of the jungle.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that what we perceive as magical is rooted in a deeper scientific understanding, particularly in the complexities of nature and the human psyche.
Carl Jung's quote, 'Magic is the science of the jungle,' captures the idea that the extraordinary phenomena often associated with magic are intimately connected to scientific truths and natural laws, particularly those hidden in the wild and primal aspects of our existence. It emphasizes the importance of exploring the deeper layers of reality, suggesting that there is a profound knowledge that can be gained from understanding the natural world and the unconscious aspects of ourselves, akin to the mysterious forces of the jungle.
Themes
MagicScienceJungleNaturePsyche
In practice
Example use cases
In a talk about the importance of understanding nature, you might say, 'As Carl Jung said, magic is the science of the jungle, reminding us to explore the mysteries around us.'
More from Carl Jung
All quotes βThe 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.
Carl JungRead
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
Similar quotes
I often worry that my idea of personhood is nostalgic, irrational, inaccurate.
Zadie SmithRead
How do we transform mere power into justice, mere sentiment into love?
Barack ObamaRead
It has always irked me as improper that there are still so many people for whom the sky is no more than a mass of random points of light. I do not see why we should recognize a house, a tree, or a flower here below and not, for example, the red Arcturus up there in the heavens as it hangs from its constellation Bootes, like a basket hanging from a balloon.
M. C. EscherRead
A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don't know ourselves! Why, thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox's or bear's, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there.
Meister EckhartRead
I am the passenger, I stay under glass. I look through my window so bright, I see the stars come out tonight. I see the bright and hollow sky, over the city's ripped backsides and everything looks good tonight.
Iggy PopRead
Then Morgoth stretching out his long arm towards Dor-lomin cursed Hurin and Morwen and their offspring, saying: 'Behold! The shadow of my thought shall lie upon them wherever they go, and my hate shall pursue them to the ends of the world.
J. R. R. TolkienRead