The anima mundi, world soul or soul of the world is an analogy used to explain the interconnectedness of all things. This idea suggests a flowing, vibrant universal essence, acting in the way a vital force sustains the human body.
The terms psychḕ in Greek and anima in Latin encapsulate this notion of a unifying principle transcending individual existence. Originating from classical antiquity, the concept of a world soul influences European philosophers such as Spinoza, Kant, and Hegel.
Hegel, in particular, introduces the concept of Weltgeist or world spirit, further expanding on the interconnectedness of all things on a global scale. The term Weltgeist (world spirit) first appears in the 16th century.
In the sense of "secularism, impiety, irreligiosity" (spiritus mundi) describes a "person of the world", "mundane or secular person". Originating in the 17th century, the concept of Weltgeist is similar to Panentheism, suggesting a spiritual essence pervading all nature.
It is the active principle bringing life to the universe, akin to natural forces like magnetism and gravity. Weltgeist embodies a holistic universal view, emphasizing the connection of spiritual and material elements, and the unity within diversity.
Engaging in active imagination helps connect to the unconscious in creative ways. This technique can be practiced through automatic writing or various artistic endeavors like dance, music, painting, sculpting, ceramics, crafts, pertaining to right brain activity.
The right side of the brain connects to creative energies, emotions and intuition. Although the left brain / right brain stereotypes aren't used today, the two sides of the brain do contain different sets of characteristics. Through cause and effect they manifest as personality traits.
But what has this to do with the world soul? In tapping into one's reservoir of creative energy, the control freak mind dissolves into a quintessential flow. The personality (psyche) is composed of three parts:
... based on the work of early 20th century depth therapists including Freud, Jung and Adler, these levels of spiritual perception reach into the endless compendium of universal images and archetypes, which is the collective conscious. Here lie answers to many questions.
In active imagination, a crucial aspect involves preventing the conscious mind from controlling internal images as they develop. Becoming an impartial observer of the self is easier for some practitioners than others.
People with the medical mental disorder Borderline Personality Syndrome are particularly good at stepping out the body to watch it wander around. Some people have to be patient. Deep, personal experiences can come from this type of perspective.
In Jungian psychology the Child archetype is helpful and the appearance of this archetype's manifestations or signs mean hope and a bright future. It symbolizes forces not yet mature, perhaps in the practitioner, which need to grow or develop.
The archetype grounds a person in the present but exposes past issues which could become worse in the future. The Child archetype plays a crucial role in the process of individuation. Combined with Mother and Father archetypes it forms a divine trio.
All archetypes have light and dark sides. The Child can also inhibit psychological growth, forming patterns of thought and behavior viewed as societally inappropriate. The Child may personify temper tantrums and neediness.
The Child Archetype is a complex idea deeply rooted in psychology and mythology. It embodies youth and beginnings to characterize curiosity, wonder, and vulnerability. This archetype reflects the human ability to grow, learn, create and transform.
Hermetic view of Alchemy
Many philosophies embrace this concept. In the Hermetic view, alchemy, or the operation of the Sun, is an investigation into the spiritual constitution, or life, of matter and material existence by applying the mysteries of birth, death, and resurrection.
The Hermetic view of alchemy explores the connection between the physical and spiritual realms. Going beyond transmutation of base metals practitioners examine deeper mysteries of existence. Alchemy is a spiritual journey towards understanding the essence of life itself.
In essence, the Hermetic view of alchemy offers a holistic perspective on the nature of reality. Practitioners explore the depths of their being and their genuine feelings, ultimately leading to a greater understanding of the mysteries of life and existence.
In 1944, Carl Jung has a near-fatal heart attack. During a state of ecstasy between life and death, Jung observes the earth's globe far below him.
He perceives the release from the opposites as a "painful process of defoliation." Everything he desires, wishes for, or thinks, as well as the entire illusion of earthly existence, falls away or is stripped from him.
Yet something endures, no matter how insignificant. It represents the core of his being, quintessence. During his long recovery, Jung has joyous visions of the hieros gamos (divine marriage), whose magnificent beauty gives him a feeling of timeless reality.
Jung’s visionary experience of the conjunction of opposites (hieros gamos) appears as a new birth within the beatific womb of a unitary reality, the unus mundus. It provides an essential restoration of life after the bond of body and psyche is almost irremediably cut.
Later on, Jung realizes the goal of individuation is union with the unus mundus, prepared during life by reaching a “defoliated” form of cognition. In this state one is completely detached from valuation, desires, and emotional ties.
"Objective cognition" builds a bridge between West and Eastern traditions. Like the unus mundus the Soul of the World or anima mundus links all creatures, creating coincidences or synchronicity. It's an awareness shared by every other being and its depth is limitless.
Unus mundus underlies concepts of archetypes and synchronicity. An archetype is an expression of unus mundus. Synchronicity, or "meaningful coincidence", is possible, as both observer and phenomena come from the same source - unus mundus or One World.
In the natural philosophy of the Middle Ages, the energetic, animated principle of world soul (anima mundi) is the life essence of the unus mundus. The power of anima mundi organizes the whole universe and coordinates its parts.
"Thus, then, in accordance with the likely account, we must declare that this Cosmos has verily come into existence as a Living Creature endowed with soul and reason [...] a Living Creature, one and visible, containing within itself all the living creatures which are by nature akin to itself."
~ Plato, 360 BCE
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