Okay, so this is a spectacular quote that I found in that Neumann book, and wanted to write down, because it’s pretty important to the shit that I was getting at in that one article about the polytheistic mind:

page 326

It is a known fact that the “functional” gods of religion eventually become functions of consciousness. Originally, consciousness did not possess enough free libido to perform any activity - plowing, harvesting, hunting, waging war, etc - of its own “free will,” and was obliged to invoke the help of the god who “understood” these things. By means of ceremonial invocation, the ego activated the “help of the god” and thus conducted the flow of libido from the unconscious to the conscious system. The progressive development of consciousness assimilates the functional gods, who go on living as qualities and capacities of the conscious individual who plows, harvests, hunts and wages war as and when he pleases. It is evident, however, that when the conscious manipulation is not successful, as in war, the war-god continues to act as a functional god even today.

Just as a symbolic multiplicity of gods surrounds the primordial God, so, as consciousness develops, every archetypes surrounds itself with its appropriate group of symbols. The original unity breaks down into a solar system of archetypes and symbols grouped round a nuclear archetype, and the archetypal nexus of the collective unconscious comes forth from the darkness into the light.

I’d say that shit’s the real gem of the whole book. Whoo! I like this one too:

page 365

As Jung has shown, the symbol mediates the passage of psychic energy from the unconscious, in order that it may be applied consciously and turned to practical account. He describes the symbol as a “psychological machine” which “transforms energy”… Through the symbol, the energy is freed from the attachment and becomes available for conscious activity and work. The symbol is the transformer of energy, converting into other forms the libido which alone enables primitive man to achieve anything at all. That is why any activity of his has to be initiated and accompanied by a variety of religious and symbolic measures…”