The Collective Mind

The existence of a collective mind 

By Jimmy Henderson (Hons BA (phil) MA (psychology) FRC

There is evidence to suggest that the unconscious mind of each person may be inextricably linked at a very deep level to a universal sea of consciousness. This is based on the many cases in which metaphysical practitioners have been able to access this ultimate level of mind during deep meditation and have had some remarkable inner experiences in which they discovered an expanded awareness and were able to make contact with the thoughts and personalities of other persons.

Regular sojourns into this realm of mind also result in very powerful, lucid and complex dreams which reflect a mythological and highly symbolic content, which all points to Carl Jung’s research into the 'Collective unconscious', in which he suggested that this area of the mind can be viewed as a vast storehouse of sensations, impressions and images representing the thoughts, memories and collective knowledge of mankind over many eons. In some ancient texts this stored collective knowledge is referred to as the Akashic records. 

However, in terms of Jung’s explanation, this common area of mind also contains a host of universal archetypes which provide its content and structure. Due to the structuring of our human processes of perception, these archetypes usually present themselves during deep meditation as human-like figures or even mythological creatures which appear to have a life and consciousness of their own. This inner experience possibly represents that which has given rise to the many tales of fantasy, myths and legends (and possibly even religions) of old.

One needs to understand that  the veil separating us from this alternate experience of reality is actually so thin that it is possible to move beyond it simply by shifting one’s perception. However, one is usually held back by fear or strongly-held religious beliefs, as preparing to consciously move beyond this veil can be compared to standing on the edge of a precipice, which, on one side, remains the known, familiar everyday world, and beyond, an unknown reality exists. 

In this reality the laws of the physical world no longer seem to be effective and new principles of the mind will be seen to apply. For example, once entering this universal realm of mind, one’s symbolic processes of interpretation automatically translate any thought, emotion or impression into a visual representation. The resulting images create completely new and strange scenarios in which one is able to interact with representations of one's own psyche, deceased friends and relatives as well as those archetypal beings mentioned earlier which could be said to be embodying energies and patterns of the collective unconscious in a symbolic form. 

The journey into the deepest areas of one's mind to connect with this collective unconscious is normally reserved for those who are fully familiar with such advanced inner work 

Jimmy Henderson is a philosopher, cognitive specialist, metaphysician and the author of a number of books and articles on self-development. He has an Honours degree in philosophy (metaphysics) and a Masters degree in Psychology. His books ‘Multi-Dimensional Thinking’ (2007) and ‘Multi-dimensional Perception’ (2010) are available on Amazon.com and Kalahari.com and can also be ordered via his website www.jimmyhendersonbooks.com