Jung and his daring vision of flying saucers
In the late 1950s, Carl Gustav Jung, who brought to light the concept of the unconscious, published the book A Modern Myth About Things Seen in Heaven.
Credits: RAFAEL AMORIM, EXCLUSIVE FOR UFO MAGAZINE
In the late 1950s, none other than Carl Gustav Jung, the man who brought to light the concept of the collective unconscious, launched the book A Modern Myth About Things Seen in Heaven [Editora Vozes, 1958]. The text had an impact, of course, and Jung himself declared that he was aware of the professional and credibility risks he ran in expressing his opinion “on certain contemporary events”, in his own words. The book is a gem and elevates the study of ufology to such a level that few have the reach to understand its ideas.
The most interesting thing is that, although the text had an impact, it did so only among intellectuals who appreciate psychoanalysis and among psychology professionals. It was not, of course, a popular sales success and to this day it is not even considered a bibliographic reference by many self-styled ufologists or UFO investigators.
And yet, true to the style of boundless intellectual audacity that has always characterized him, Jung traces a passionate path in the book that goes beyond the structure of the mind and points to the very heart of cosmic nature. More than 60 years have passed and it still generates opposing feelings to observe, on the one hand, the infinite field of possibilities, both of investigation and of reflection and speculation that the essayist proposes, and, on the other hand, the indifference and ignorance on the part of those who should be their grateful recipients.
The UFOs, by Jung
The book’s low popularity is only the first of the problems. The second is its misinterpretation. In fact, some authors – especially those who in a ufological context made an effort, and are still making an effort, to disqualify the academics – even today continue to insist that Jung proposed in his work a psychological explanation for the phenomenon. This is not true and points to a false interpretation of the content of the text, either in bad faith or due to the deficiency of the person who read it. It also points to a lack of knowledge of Jung’s work in general.
But for the avoidance of doubt, let’s see what Jung himself said about the materiality of the UFO Phenomenon, and his words are clear: “The more I delved into the insecurities of explanations, the greater the possibility that this notoriously complex phenomenon possessed together with a physical foundation also an essential psychic component. The material that I know so far, that is, that I have examined over a decade, justifies two ways of thinking. In one case, there is a real objective process, that is, physical, which constitutes the terrain of the accompanying myth. In another, an archetype generates the corresponding vision.”
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