The idea of polytheistic myth as having psychological value is one theorem of

archetypal psychology Archetypal psychology was initiated as a distinct movement in the early 1970s by James Hillman, a psychologist who trained in analytical psychology and became the first Director of the C. G. Jung Institute, Zürich, Jung Institute in Zürich. Hill ...

as defined by

James Hillman James Hillman (April 12, 1926 – October 27, 2011) was an American psychologist. He studied at, and then guided studies for, the C.G. Jung Institute in Zürich. He founded a movement toward archetypal psychology and retired into private practic ...

, and explored in current Jungian mythology literature. According to proponents of this theory,

polytheistic Polytheism is the belief in or worship of more than one Deity, god. According to Oxford Reference, it is not easy to count gods, and so not always obvious whether an apparently polytheistic religion, such as Chinese folk religions, is really so, ...

myths can provide psychological insight.

Perspectives

Christine Downing Christine Downing (born March 21, 1931) is a scholar, educator, and author in the fields of mythology, religion, depth psychology, and feminist studies. Early life and education Christine Downing was born in 1931 in Leipzig, Germany. Her mother, ...

recounts the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

view of the gods as archetypes that affect everyone. In so being they are referred to "as ''theos'', that is, as immortal, permanent, ineluctable aspects of the world". According to Downing, disputes among the

Greek pantheon Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories concern the ancie ...

were frequent, yet no god in the

Classical era Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the interwoven civilization ...

ever denied the existence of another god. She also cautions that to deny even one member of the pantheon diminishes the richness of individuals and of the world. For

Carl Gustav Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of over 20 books, illustrator, and correspondent, Jung was a ...

, the primary function of myth is psychological — to shed light on the workings of the

unconscious Unconscious may refer to: Physiology * Unconsciousness, the lack of consciousness or responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli Psychology * Unconscious mind, the mind operating well outside the attention of the conscious mind a ...

. The cornerstone of his therapeutic approach is working with a patient’s dreams and fantasies. To be of help, then, it is imperative to have knowledge of the details of the patient’s life as well as knowledge of “…symbols, and therefore of mythology and the history of religions”. Jung implies the diversity of psychic energies inhabiting the unconscious mind. He also cautions readers to know these energies rather than force them into one’s shadow, lest one’s “…moods, nervous states, and delusions make it clear in the most painful way that neis not the only master in ne'shouse…" Thomas Moore says of

’s teaching that he “portrays the psyche as inherently multiple”. In Hillman’s archetypal/polytheistic view, the psyche or soul has many directions and sources of meaning—and this can feel like an ongoing state of conflict—a struggle with one’s

daimons The daimon (), also spelled daemon (meaning "god", "godlike", "power", "fate"), denotes an "unknown superfactor", which can be either good or hostile. In ancient Greek religion and mythology a daimon was imagined to be a lesser deity or guiding ...

. According to Hillman, “polytheistic psychology can give sacred differentiation to our psychic turmoil…”. Furthermore, Hillman states that, "The power of myth, its reality, resides precisely in its power to seize and influence psychic life. The Greeks knew this so well, and so they had no

depth psychology Depth psychology (from the German term ''Tiefenpsychologie'') refers to the practice and research of the science of the unconscious, covering both psychoanalysis and psychology. It is also defined as the psychological theory that explores the rel ...

and

psychopathology Psychopathology is the study of mental illness. It includes the signs and symptoms of all mental disorders. The field includes Abnormal psychology, abnormal cognition, maladaptive behavior, and experiences which differ according to social norms ...

such as we have. They had myths. And we have no myths as such -instead, depth psychology and psychopathology. Therefore... psychology shows myths in modern dress and myths show our depth psychology in ancient dress." Hillman qualifies his many references to gods as differing from a literalistic approach saying that for him they are ''aides memoires'', i.e. sounding boards employed "for echoing life today or as bass chords giving resonance to the little melodies of life."SPRING Journal 56, p.5 (1994) Spring Publications Hillman further asserts that he does not view the pantheon of gods as a 'master matrix' against which we should measure today and thereby decry modern loss of richness. Other proponents of this view are

Jean Shinoda Bolen Jean Shinoda Bolen (born June 29, 1936) is an American psychiatrist, Jungian analyst and author. She is of Japanese descent. A Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry a ...

and Ginette Paris.Paris, G. (1990) ''Pagan Grace'', Spring.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polytheistic Myth As Psychology Mythological archetypes Archetypal psychology Jungian archetypes Polytheism Carl Jung

Perspectives

See also

References