The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious

This section is a transcript of a lecture that Jung gave in 1939, focusing on the archetypal experience of rebirth. He proposes that there are five different forms of rebirth that emerge across cultures and archetypes. Jung shows how each type is related to specific mythologies. 

The first type is metempsychosis. In this version of rebirth, the soul transmigrates into another being after death, including animal forms. Metempsychosis is seen in ancient Greek mythology and some Hindu traditions in which the human soul is believed to be in a constant state of flux and can reincarnate into different life forms.

In the second type, rebirth takes the form of reincarnation, in which the individual maintains a concrete personality across different lifetimes, even when the soul is transferred to another human body. Unlike metempsychosis, this form maintains a sense of individuality. 

Resurrection is the third type and is most recognizable for its association with the story of Christ. In this manifestation of rebirth, the individual returns to life in their original body. 

The fourth is rebirth, or renovatio, and refers to a renewal of the self that occurs within the same physical body. A person can experience a spiritual rebirth, as in the Christian tradition of salvation, leading to a transformation of the individual’s essential identity.