Great book. Carl summarizes the history of primitive man and how humans are psychological functions are derived from this primitive way of life. He makes the case that dramas, stories, myths, and religions are early forms of thinking that make up the basis for our psychology. He shows that the man was born into unconsciousness , much like early childhood. Then we develop an ego consciousness that yearns to separate from unconsciousness. And this separation is an evolution of mans desire for development and progress. But because of this progress, the gap between our primitive base and our future oriented consciousness is widened and leads to dissociations in out psyche.
This book is a deep dive into the symbolism of the stages of life and psychic energy that goes on in every human. He categorizes and shows the development of these different stages.
This helps the reader to understand the gap between one's conscious and unconscious life, thus helping the reader understand healing process of the unconscious psyche towards its ultimate goal, individuation.