The Animal is an archetype described by Carl Jung as sublime. It's a clue to one's connection with primordial nature, based on instinct and the senses. The Animal awakens a primitive part of the mind, both terrestrial and divine.
The Animal archetype is a collection or pattern of characteristics relating to the deeper self. It goes back to time before humans and appears at human emergence, when people have a strong spiritual connection with the environment and natural elements.
This archetype embodies a complex existential duality. Animals are often associated with primal instincts, raw emotions and unexplored wilderness. They connect to rhythms of the Earth and the source of life.
This aspect of the Animal archetype reflects one's innate connection to the natural world, a reminder of profound instinctual drives and basic survival senses. Animals also symbolize qualities such as loyalty, companionship and protection.
Ancient cultures and societies revere certain animals as symbols of strength, wisdom, and guidance. This facet of the Animal archetype bespeaks a desire for companionship, community, and bonds formed with other living beings.
This archetype reaches out with feeling rather than intellect. Driven by deep emotions and instincts, the Animal helps one negotiate the ups and downs of life, become aware of the nature of the beast and using this awareness for grounding.
In the 20th century psychologist Jung examines the relationships of humans, animals and archetypes. According to his theories, animals are not only manifestations of the natural world but portals to realms of wisdom and instinctual knowledge eluding the conscious mind.
Animals, with primal instincts and intuitive senses, are more attuned to the complexities of the unconscious mind than humans, who are further removed from the natural world. They have a unique connection to a more primal order of existence.
By exploring the symbolic meanings and mythic dimensions of animals, Jung seeks to illuminate hidden aspects of the human psyche - his own, as well as those of his patients. The animal archetype is internal to the mortal mind and exists as data, not a living creature.
Snake, lion and dog are common manifestations. But, as the animal archetype speaks in symbols, these might not be animals at all. The Animal archetype can also correspond to the blurred boundaries between the civilized and the wild within each individual.
The Master of Animals or Mistress of Animals (Potnia Theron) motif appears before c. 5000 BCE. It's found especially in Egyptian, near eastern and later Greek and Roman cultures.
The Master of Animals motif in ancient art depicts a human grasping two confronted animals. This signifies control of wild instincts, with a secondary meaning of caring for the welfare of the animals. In Greece, Potnia Theron means Mistress of Animals.
The Animal archetype highlights constant interplay of rational, civilized self and primal, instinctual urges. This duality arises from the psychic depths, giving a person insight into human nature and the constant negotiation of primal instincts and societal conditioning.
The Animal forms the fiber of mortal existence. We are all animals, after all. This archetype encourages integration of the diverse aspects of human nature to achieve a more balanced and harmonious sense of the Whole.
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