Carl Jung: The idea is that man is the representative of the whole of creation
Visions : Notes of the seminar given in 1930-1934 (2 Volume Set) (Bollingen)
You may remember that passage in St. Paul about the “apokatastasis,” which is this same idea that the whole of nature, all creatures, are expecting the revelation.
As we are expecting the manifestation as the children of god, a revelation of the Holy Ghost within us, so all creation, even the animals and the plants are waiting for it too; that spiritual miracle of redemption or completion which happens in n=man means the crowning of all nature at the same time.
So everything that has been fettered will be released with the liberation of the children of God.
The idea is that man is the representative of the whole of creation, and whatever happens to him happens in a magic way to the whole world.
One finds the same idea among very primitive people.
The members of a totem clan, for instance, undergo certain ceremonials in order to change themselves; and because of that change, the nature of the totem will change also.
The totem animal is also affected in a way; by their getting into a certain psychical conditions, the fertility of the totem animal is assured.
In the center of Australia the growth of grass is exceedingly important, so they have a variety of grass seed as their totem; they perform their rites and the grass-seed totem is responsible for the crops.
And there is a water totem in places where water is very scarce; they believe that through their ceremonies the water totem will secure enough rain and drinking water. So the primitive idea is also the idea of the “apokatasta- sis.”
It is an exceedingly mystical idea.
And as Paul thought, so the unconscious still thinks. Carl Jung, Visions Seminar, Page 144.
