Religions & Societal Sequences: Aions (eons)

Hermes & Hanuman: Heroes Bridging Worlds Divine and Human -- As Above So Below. The most widely-known mythical figures symbolizing communication include: Hermes, Hanuman and Ganesh. All three excell at applying their liminality (category and boundary crossing capacities.) Ganesh especially symbolizes writing.

Religions and Societal Sequences: Carl Jung’s Typology of Aions (Aeons; eons; ages)

Adapted from Edward Edinger’s The New God Image; http://www.symbolism.org/writing/books/spc/sequence/page5.html (I have added Islam as an essential entry during the aeon (eon) of “Universal Monotheism”) Also I identify a seventh age, the Transpersonal Global Communication Age symbolized by Hermes, Hanuman and Ganesha.

1. Animism Hunting & gathering; animated world
2. Matriarchy Agriculture & settlement; Earth Mother
(Attis-Cybele myth)
Symbolism: son (psyche) can be reborn
in Earth Mother (nature) but never matures

3. Hierarchical Polytheism Cities development; urban society; patriarchy
Symbolism: Sky gods and kings

What role does writing play in changing socio-economic and political structures and in also transforming the psyche? (cf. Lawrence Schlain, The Goddess and the Alphabet

4. Tribal Monotheism Ancient Hebrews; monotheistic God
Symbolism: personal One God

5. Universal Monotheism The Axial Age (Karl Jaspers) Emergence of Christianity,
god-split; Islam


Upanishads, Zoroaster [Zarathustra], Buddha, Mahavira, Confucius, Lao-Tzu, Socrates
Second Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, etc. promote a single Universal God who is not limited to a particular tribe or temple.

Satan steps forward taking major role as symbol & scriptural character

6. Individuation Religion as phenomenology of psyche

Jung compared the symbolism of the aeon of Pisces (fish in water) to symbolism of Aeon of Aquarius: instead of fish (for Jung a symbol of the psyche) being contained, psyche now holds the container, the psyche stands outside the container

7. Transpersonal Religion as balance of mind, heart, soul and body
in a globalized network