Gods, Deities

Gods in dreams are generally metaphors for the psychological content they represent. For example, a naked, flying boy may be identified as Eros, which, simply put, would symbolize love. Since this content appears as a deity, it remains unconscious and autonomous, beyond the conscious mind’s grasp (at the moment of the dream). At the same time, unconscious, autonomous content often carries a divine or demonic quality, indifferent to our personal desires or efforts. This is why emotions (love, hate, etc.) tend to be personified in polytheistic religions; we become possessed by them, as if controlled by an external force.

Jung suggests that all the ancient gods were psychological facts that later became ideas, components of the human psyche. What Jung would call an archetype or an autonomous complex, a Greek 2,500 years ago might have identified as, for example, Eros or Ares.

A god approaches a person if it so chooses; it is not something humans can decide. If it becomes integrated, so to speak, it brings with it a new spirit, a new attitude for the individual. This is a common theme in Christianity, for example, where a person encounters Christ and is filled with the Holy Spirit, and so forth.

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