The origins of consciousness according to Erich Neumann

In 1949, Jung hailed the publication of Erich Neumann’s book The Origins and History of the Consciousness, and agreed to write a foreword to it. The first part of Neumann’s analysis is devoted to the stages of mythological development. Starting with the creation myth, Neumann shows how the embryonic sprout of the ego frees itself little by little from the Ouroboros, the perfect circle that encompasses all opposites. The second part of Neumann’s book draws parallels between these mythological stages and the stages of psychological development of the consciousness. At the dawn of humanity, the individual and the group, the ego and the unconscious, mankind and the world are all still melded together in a mystical participation. But consciousness gradually frees itself from this fascination. It becomes capable of reflecting, understanding, and interpreting.