11.4.11

Excerpt from Carl Jung's 'Man & His Symbols'


"New content which have never been yet conscious can arise from the unconscious. One may have inkling, for instance that something is on the point of breaking into consciousness - that something is 'in the air', or that one 'smells a rat'.

The discovery that the unconscious is no mere depository of the past, but is also full of germs of future psychic situations and ideas, which led Jung to his new approach to psychology. A great deal of controversial discussion has arisen round this point. But it is a fact that in addition to memories from a long-distant conscious past, completely new thoughts and creative ideas can also present themselves from the unconscious - thoughts and ideas that have never been conscious before.

They grow up from the dark depths of the mind like a lotus and form a most important part of the psyche.

We find this in everyday life where dilemmas are sometimes solved by the most surprising new propositions; many artists, philosophers, and even scientists owe some of their best ideas to inspirations that appear suddenly from the unconscious.
The ability to reach into a vein of such material and translate it effectively into philosophy, literature, music, or scientific discovery is one of the hallmarks of what is commonly called genius."

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