Erich Neumann's "The Origins and History of Consciousness: A Comprehensive Study"

Alejandro: Exactly as expected.

Spain on Jan 13, 2023

Djalma M. Argollo: Aliás como tudo que Erich Neumann escreveu

Brazil on Oct 01, 2022

Chickenfinger: A very insightful and interesting book that I took a very long time to read. I like both parts of it, which are analysis of the mythologies and analysis of the psyche. It's a book that will probably change your view on yourself, your personal history and your relation to the society you belong to. However if you are not familiar with Jung's theory or psychoanalyses at all I recommend you to familiarize yourself with them because during the second half of the book you are likely to encounter them quite often.

Canada on Apr 11, 2022

Jeronimo Caballero: A difficult read, every paragraph is densely charged with information. That being said, it is a magnificent book, worth the read if you are into Jungian Psychology. Neumann manages to organize and systemise the rather chaotic teachings of Carl Jung, who was a genius, and very difficult to comprehend for his mind did not work in the manner of an ordinary man. Neumann's work is the best shot we mortals will get to understanding the genius of Carl Jung.

United States on Feb 07, 2020

Graham Mummery: Erich Neumann must count as one of Jung's most influential students. Jung himself (who also contributes a forward to the book) is on record in saying Neumann was taking ideas about archetypes further than he had been able. Neumann himself has influenced the likes of Camille Paglia and Jordan Peterson who both have produced interesting essays and talks about him available on the web, and regard this as one of the greatest works of Jungian psychology.

Nuemann's thesis is a mixture of anthropology, mythology as well as psychology observed sometimes, he states, with his patients as a psychotherapist. He shows how certain creation myths reflect how a child becomes conscious of itself while separating from the mother in particular. After the separation there are problems for both and others. Readers of psycho-analytic literature may be familiar with this through say the work of Klein and Winnicott, which has parallels with Jung's idea of the mother archetype. Through all this, Neumann plots a path of human consciousness as emerged from the Great Mother who was worshipped in ancient times. Neumann has written more about the Great Mother elsewhere. He suggests changes in human...

United Kingdom on Dec 13, 2018

Spaulding: Das Buch ist ausgezeichnet und genau was ich erwartet hatte. Neumann als Schüler Jungs erklärt wie sich menschl. Bewusstsein bildet und wie sich dieser Vorgang symbolisch und mythologisch in der Menschheitsgeschichte manifestiert hat.
Da Englisch nicht meine erste Sprache ist, hatte ich die Befürchtung, dass ich mit der engl. Ausgabe nicht zurecht komme. Carl Jung z.B. ist schon auf deutsch schwer zu verstehen. Aber die deutsche Version war für mich unbezahlbar (ca. 180 €) Neumanns Buch ist aber in einer sehr verständlichen Sprache gehalten. Nur ab und zu musste ich zu einem Wörterbuch greifen.
Es ist wahrscheinlich nützlich, wenn man sich schon ein bisschen mit Jungs Ideen auskennt. Begriffe wie "Individuation" z.B. könnten verwirrend sein. Auch Jungs Nutzung des Begriffs "Libido" ist eine andere als die geläufige, die eher auf Freud zurückgeht.
Insgesamt ist das Buch sehr empfehlenswert. Ich verstehe Jungs Ideen jetzt wesentlich besser und werde wahrscheinlich noch andere Bücher von Neumann lesen (zumindest "Die große Mutter").
Einen Punkt würde ich normalerweise abziehen, weil das Buch beschädigt angekommen ist. Der Buchrücken hatte einen Riss und...

Germany on Aug 21, 2018

Kindle Customer: This books will have loss you, find you, and then toss you in the abyss of consciousness, (oh, the labrynth of consciouness). Indeed, not for faint hearted. The only drawback is that the books is dense. "I found myself" having to adjust my present consciousness, in a literal way, to percieve exactly what Neumann was attempting to explain.

United States on Jul 04, 2018

Nickolas: A great book, it gives you a comprehensive and understandable rundown of the psychological archetypes and their significance in mythology. Take your time with the book, there's a lot of ground to cover if you're unfamiliar with Jungian psychology. It will probably be a lot to take in though it is an undoubtedly fun ride. Also for whatever it's worth, if you're a fan of Jordan Peterson this book would be invaluable to you if you want to understand what he's actually saying when he talks of the archetypal stories and their significance. Though as always, don't let your excitement over these concepts stop you from being mindful that there's always another perspective.

United States on Feb 19, 2018

DJD: This book changed the way I think about mythology, history, philosophy and psychology. All the more fascinating, since the subject matter lies at the intersection of so many related topics, it led me to tie together what were previously separate or fragmented areas of thought. A reader would, however, need to be much better read than I in order to understand everything in the book. Much of it is over my head, but it's a great book nonetheless.

United States on Feb 09, 2018

Michael Levenhagen: Neuman's ideas and book need considerable study, I think, not only to understand them but to assess them. I had considerable training in archetypal theory in literature, so I hesitated reading Neuman's book. However, Neuman's ideas came alive for me as I worked through the book. Indeed, there were days when I could not get his notions out of my head. I began to see their application everywhere throughout contemporary life. The book added dimensions to my awareness. It has also provided useful explanations to Buddhist teachings in Zen, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen for me.

I found the writing difficult to read, sometimes. The writing repeats itself, but in different ways. What one reads in later chapters was often written in an earlier chapter. To be fair, though, that redundancy was helpful as there were some ideas / concepts that I still struggle with definitively--especially when I have to explain them to someone else outside of this field of study.

Last, I disagree with reviews who claim that Neuman's book and ideas are dated or no longer applicable. That would be like claiming that the love of a mother for its child is dated and no longer applicable. I think such...

United States on Oct 16, 2011