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One of Jung’s most captivating concepts was that within each individual there was a 2-million-year-old man (or women) which contains collective wisdom inherited from evolutionary history. This ancient figure symbolizes the archetypal self, a reservoir of knowledge and instincts that transcends individual lifetimes: a timeless witness to the eons of human existence. There exists within each person an inner sage which carries the echoes of our ancestors’ struggles, triumphs, and survival strategies.

In Jung’s view, our modern lives often clash with this ancient self because the complexities of contemporary society, technological advancements, and cultural shifts which can frustrate the innate wisdom within us. Mental health issues, according to Jung, often stem from the dissonance between modern existence and our primal, ancestral core.