ABSTRACT
A glaring anomaly about human beings is that they can seem so spiritually elevated at one moment and so demonically possessed at another. Archetypal forces can profoundly disturb consciousness, as important as the experience of them may be for linking the ego to the reality of the self. Numinous contents of the unconscious pull thinking magnetically into an orbit where it becomes merely ingenious rationalization. The convincing power of the archetypal image and presence also shielded people from the awareness of guilt for their criminal behavior. Jung placed himself and his depth psychology directly in line with the tradition of the ancient Gnostics and consequently with their severe critique of one-sided egoism and so-called rationality. There is more to the human personality than the ego and its shadow. Human culture stands now at the conclusion of a development that began aeons ago. Its culmination is represented in contemporary politics, economics, religion, and in their conscious attitudes.
