Jung makes a revolutionary statement which amounts to the announcement of a whole new world view. The statement is that Christ exemplifies the archetype of the Self ( CW9.2: par. 70 ):
CHRIST AS ARCHETYPE
OF THE SELF
That is a simple sentence, but it is a blockbuster once it is understood in its full reality, not just as an intellectual token. It is the first clear announcement that Western man's experience of the Self has shifted from religious projection, into the human psyche, and that man, at least one man, Jung, is conscious of that fact
AL ¶ 0Human consciousness has discovered the religion-creating archetype, of which the figure of Christ is just one expression, though the relevant one for our particular culture
AL ¶ 0We can now see what is prior to, or behind, the metaphysical projection which is personified by Christ. What is prior to it is what goes by the name of the Self
AL ¶ 0EVIDENCE
Let us consider some of the evidence that Christ exemplifies the archetype of the Self. The characteristics that have gathered around the Christ image correspond in many respects to the phenomenology of the Self as it is observed empirically
AL ¶ 0CHRIST AS CENTRAL SOURCE
For example, Christ is identified as the central source in such phrases as, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” (John 15 : 5, JB) This is a symbolic feature of the Self
AL ¶ 0UNION OF OPPOSITES
Christ is also described as a union of opposites. He says, “I am Alpha and Omega” (Rev. 1 : 8, AV)
AL ¶ 0FOUR AND TWELVE
The symbolism of four and twelve, commonly occurring in association with the Self, is also associated with Christ who is surrounded by the disciples corresponding to the twelve signs of the Zodiac
AL ¶ 0There is the fourfold symbolism of the cross, and the image of Christ as the center of Christian mandalas, surrounded by symbols of the four evangelists
AL ¶ 0IMAGES SYMBOLIZING THE
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Various images symbolizing the kingdom of heaven are practically identical with the image of Christ, such as the pearl of great price, or the treasure buried in the field, or the mustard seed that grows to be the great tree, or the heavenly city
AL ¶ 0SELF AS `IMAGE OF GOD,' OR
THE `IMAGO DEI'
The archetype of the Self can also be spoken of as the image of God in the human psyche, the imago dei. With certain ideas such as this, it is helpful to follow Jung and use the Latin terminology. This emphasizes that we are dealing with a technical term in Jungian psychology, and fixes it in mind by baptizing the term in Latin, so to speak
AL ¶ 0CHRIST'S DESCENT
Jung writes about Christ as being equated with the imago dei, psychologically speaking, with the Self. He quotes several texts related to Christ as the imago dei, starting with the first chapter of Genesis. God says, “Let us make man in our own image” (Gen. 1 : 26, JB)
AL ¶ 0This passage at the beginning of the Bible establishes that man contains an imago dei, and this basic mythological fact has undergone immense reflection, theological scrutiny, and elaboration. It is this original imago dei which is considered to have been damaged by the Fall of man
AL ¶ 0CHRIST'S DESCENT INTO
HELL OR LIMBO
According to the legends which became quite widespread in the pictorial material of the Middle Ages, between the time of Christ's death on the cross and his resurrection, he descended into hell, or more specifically, into limbo
AL ¶ 0He broke the brass gates of hell and rescued the ancient worthies, leading them back to the upper realm
AL ¶ 0Jung refers to this image as symbolizing the integration of the collective unconscious. In other words, one aspect of individuation involves the descent to hell and the rescuing of the lost worthies, their redemption and restoration to consciousness
AL ¶ 0Jung mentions four different words for this restoration, which relate to the return of the state of wholeness. They all have very rich associative connections. The words are:
AL ¶ 0Anamnesis
Apocatastasis
Reformation
Renewal
THE TERM `APOCATASTASIS' IN
LIEU OF `RESTORATION'
Apocatastasis is a term Jung was fond of. He uses it quite a few times in his works. It is important to understand the word, as it leads to an understanding of the essential nature of Jungian analysis. This word shows up only once in the New Testament, in Acts 3 : 19ff. Peter is speaking to a crowd of people
AL ¶ 0This is not the word that is usually used in English translations; the usual word is restorationtill the universal restoration comesbut we will use the original word apocatastasis. Jung refers to the use of the term by the prophets for the return of the Jews to their homeland from the Babylonian exile
AL ¶ 0The restoration of the temple was referred to as the apocatastasis
AL ¶ 0A REMEMBERING
The term apocatastasis corresponds to the Platonic idea of anamnesis, or what is called recollection. Jung uses the term anamnesis in the Platonic sense that as we acquire consciousness, knowledge, all our learning is only a remembering of prenatal knowledge. All our cognition is no more than re-cognition, a remembering of what we once knew and had forgotten
AL ¶ 0This archetypal theme is important to Jungian analysts because analysis is just that: a deliberate, orderly process of anamnesis which starts with a recollection of the personal life and then keeps going deeper
AL ¶ 0