Magic, Archetypes, and the Mysteries of the Unconscious

There are two parts of the mind: the conscious and the unconscious. While the former dominates your attention, the latter actually occupies far more of the brain, influencing your mood, generating inspiration, and making you who you are, all behind the scenes.

My guest would argue that to become all you're meant to be, you have to make your unconscious mind your ally and that this may be life's most important task.

His name is Daniel Z. Lieberman, and he's a psychiatrist and the author of Spellbound: Modern Science, Ancient Magic, and the Hidden Potential of the Unconscious Mind. Today on the show, Daniel first offers an overview of the nature, function, and study of the unconscious. From there we discuss Carl Jung's perspective on the unconscious, and his ideas around its archetypes and shadows. We then get into the way that things which are connected to magic and the supernatural, like fairy tales and tarot cards, can be seen as manifestations of the energy of the unconscious and as age-old attempts to confront and understand it. We end our discussion by talking about the quest for individuation, which requires bringing together the conscious and unconscious minds, and how to go about tapping into the power of the unconscious to become a kind of magician yourself.

Resources Related to the Episode

• Daniel's previous appearance on the show: Episode #429 — Taking Control of the Brain Chemical That Drives Excitement, Motivation, and More
• King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette
• AoM's series on the king, warrior, magician, and lover archetypes 
• AoM Podcast #598: Journeying From the First to the Second Half of Life
• AoM Podcast #335: Exploring Archetypes With Jordan B. Peterson
• "The Golden Bird" fairy tale
• Iron John by Robert Bly

Connect With Daniel Lieberman

• Daniel's Website