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The Great Mother
The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype (German: Die große Mutter. Der Archetyp des grossen Weiblichen) is a depth psychology study of the Great Mother archetype, as it appears throughout history, mythology, religion, and culture, by the psychologist Erich Neumann. The dedication reads, "To C. G. Jung friend and master in his eightieth year". Although Neumann completed the German manuscript in Israel in 1951, The Great Mother was first published in English in 1955.
Neumann’s Great Mother presents a diagrammatic model ("Schema III"), known as the Great Round, to illustrate the dynamic nature of the feminine archetype in psychological development. This structure is not a religious typology but a depth psychology schema representing the evolutionary and ambivalent nature of the feminine archetype in mythology, culture, and the psyche.
At the outer rim of the Great Round, Neumann places archetypal figures drawn from mythology and world religions, representing universal psychological forces rather than fixed deities of any single tradition. To illustrate, Neumann presents six archetypes in his mandala diagram Schema III. Several figures each are opposites of the Mother archetype and of the Anima archetype respectively (these axes intersect forming an X at the center), the two Feminine figures above and below signify positive and negative transformation:
A mandala, as symbol of a numinous nature, impresses beholders with the "transcendental order of the unconscious" and fosters "ritual circumambulation". The lower quadrant although described as "negative" in a developmental sense, cannot be an absolute moral judgment, e.g., both Kali and Lilith can embody creative and destructive forces simultaneously. Neumann also cautions that each archetype in the Great Round is fluid and multidimensional, shifting depending on psychological context and personal integration.
Anticipating criticism, Neumann explicitly warned that this schema is reductionist, meant for conceptual clarity rather than rigid classification. Each of these figures is to be regarded as ambivalent, overlapping, and transformative, as archetypal structures are not fixed but evolve over time. Neumann describes these figures as dynamic energies that can shift or reverse into their opposites, depending on psychological and cultural influences. Neumann’s analysis is both historical and psychological, incorporating traditional mythological interpretations while exploring their manifestation in individual and collective psychology. He argues that in-depth psychological work involves integrating these archetypal forces, rather than abstractly repressing or idealizing them.
These female figures are not of precise attributes, nor rigid, fixed characteristics, but are changeable, as explained both objectively by religious history, and subjectively by archetypal psychology. Hence, there is overlap in the Great Round positions.
Following the theme of his The Origins and History of Consciousness (1949; 1954), Neumann tracks the development of feminine archetypes from their original uroboros, a symbol of primordial unconsciousness, which forms the symbolic matrix of the Great Round. These archetypes undergo differentiation, leading to the formation of new symbolic constellations (as briefly introduced above). "The psychological development [of humankind]... begins with the 'matriarchal' stage in which the archetype of the Great Mother dominates and the unconscious directs the psychic process of the individual and the group." Eventually, from the symbolic Great Round, new psychic constellations are differentiated out and become articulated in the culture, e.g., the Eleusinian Mysteries.
In ancient cultures, the emergence of structured spiritual transformation provided pathways for the gradual differentiation of ego-consciousness from the collective unconscious. This process caused the rise of consciousness, which emerged through semi-unconscious collective processes, becoming embedded in cultural institutions such as initiatory rituals and mystery traditions. Over time, more individualized paths emerged, further advancing this process.
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The Great Mother
The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype (German: Die große Mutter. Der Archetyp des grossen Weiblichen) is a depth psychology study of the Great Mother archetype, as it appears throughout history, mythology, religion, and culture, by the psychologist Erich Neumann. The dedication reads, "To C. G. Jung friend and master in his eightieth year". Although Neumann completed the German manuscript in Israel in 1951, The Great Mother was first published in English in 1955.
Neumann’s Great Mother presents a diagrammatic model ("Schema III"), known as the Great Round, to illustrate the dynamic nature of the feminine archetype in psychological development. This structure is not a religious typology but a depth psychology schema representing the evolutionary and ambivalent nature of the feminine archetype in mythology, culture, and the psyche.
At the outer rim of the Great Round, Neumann places archetypal figures drawn from mythology and world religions, representing universal psychological forces rather than fixed deities of any single tradition. To illustrate, Neumann presents six archetypes in his mandala diagram Schema III. Several figures each are opposites of the Mother archetype and of the Anima archetype respectively (these axes intersect forming an X at the center), the two Feminine figures above and below signify positive and negative transformation:
A mandala, as symbol of a numinous nature, impresses beholders with the "transcendental order of the unconscious" and fosters "ritual circumambulation". The lower quadrant although described as "negative" in a developmental sense, cannot be an absolute moral judgment, e.g., both Kali and Lilith can embody creative and destructive forces simultaneously. Neumann also cautions that each archetype in the Great Round is fluid and multidimensional, shifting depending on psychological context and personal integration.
Anticipating criticism, Neumann explicitly warned that this schema is reductionist, meant for conceptual clarity rather than rigid classification. Each of these figures is to be regarded as ambivalent, overlapping, and transformative, as archetypal structures are not fixed but evolve over time. Neumann describes these figures as dynamic energies that can shift or reverse into their opposites, depending on psychological and cultural influences. Neumann’s analysis is both historical and psychological, incorporating traditional mythological interpretations while exploring their manifestation in individual and collective psychology. He argues that in-depth psychological work involves integrating these archetypal forces, rather than abstractly repressing or idealizing them.
These female figures are not of precise attributes, nor rigid, fixed characteristics, but are changeable, as explained both objectively by religious history, and subjectively by archetypal psychology. Hence, there is overlap in the Great Round positions.
Following the theme of his The Origins and History of Consciousness (1949; 1954), Neumann tracks the development of feminine archetypes from their original uroboros, a symbol of primordial unconsciousness, which forms the symbolic matrix of the Great Round. These archetypes undergo differentiation, leading to the formation of new symbolic constellations (as briefly introduced above). "The psychological development [of humankind]... begins with the 'matriarchal' stage in which the archetype of the Great Mother dominates and the unconscious directs the psychic process of the individual and the group." Eventually, from the symbolic Great Round, new psychic constellations are differentiated out and become articulated in the culture, e.g., the Eleusinian Mysteries.
In ancient cultures, the emergence of structured spiritual transformation provided pathways for the gradual differentiation of ego-consciousness from the collective unconscious. This process caused the rise of consciousness, which emerged through semi-unconscious collective processes, becoming embedded in cultural institutions such as initiatory rituals and mystery traditions. Over time, more individualized paths emerged, further advancing this process.