We find similar views [of Mana] in the tondi concept of the Batak’s, the atua of the Maoris, in the ani or han of Ponape, the kasinge of kalit of Palau, the anut of Kusaie, the yaris of Tobi, the ngai of the Masai, the andriamanitra of the Malagasy, the njom of the Ehoi, etc. A complete survey is given by Söderblom in his book Das Werden des Gottesglaubens.
Lovejoy is of the opinion – with which I am in full agreement – that these concepts “are not primarily names for the ‘supernormal’ or the astonishing and certainly not for that which evokes awe, respect and love – bit rather for the efficacious, the powerful, the productive”. The concept in question really concerns the idea of “a diffused substance or energy upon the possession of which all exceptional power or ability or fecundity depends. The energy is, to be sure, terrible (under certain circumstances) and it is mysterious and incomprehensible; but it is so because it is vastly powerful, not because the things that manifest it are unusual and ‘supernatural’ or such as ‘defeat reasonable expectation.’” The pre-animistic principle is the belief in “a force which is conceived as working according to quite regular and intelligible laws, a force which can be studied and controlled”. For these concepts Lovejoy suggests the term “primitive energetics”. (Lovejoy, the fundamental concept of the primitive philosophy ??) ---Links to Wilhelm Reich’s theories on ‘Orgones’.
“A Concept of Primitive Philosophy,” as Lovejoy calls it, is an idea obviously born out of our own mentality; that is to say, for us mana would be a psychological concept of energy, but for the primitive it is a psychic phenomenon at is perceived as something inseparable from the object….Thus mana is not a concept but a representation based on the perception of a “phenomenal” relationship.
Page 64
We cannot escape the impression that the primitive view of mana is a forerunner of our concept of psychic energy and, most probably, of energy in general.
The basic conception of mana crops up again on the animistic level in personified form. Here it is souls, demons, gods, who produce the extraordinary effect….Another essential precondition is personification…
Page 65-66
The almost universal incidence of the primitive concept of energy is a clear expression of the fact that even at early levels of human consciousness man felt the need to represent the sensed dynamism of psychic events in a concrete way. It, therefore, in our psychology we lay stress on the energic point of view, this is in accord with the psychic facts which have been graven on the mind of man since primordial times.
Page 66
The Transcendent Function – written in 1916
…the unconscious is not this thing or that; it is the Unknown as it immediately affects us. (This could be linked to Madlibs making of the unseen, and ‘discovering’ Quas while on a vision quest).
…subliminal contents already possess such a high energy charge that, when afforded an outlet by active imagination, they may overpower the conscious mind and take possession of the personality. This gives rise to a condition which – temporarily, at least – cannot easily be distinguished from schizophrenia, and may lead to a genuine “psychotic interval”. The method of active imagination, therefore, is not a plaything for children.
Page 68
The psychological “transcendent function” arises from the union of conscious and unconscious contents.
The unconscious contains all the fantasy combinations which have not yet attained the threshold intensity, but which in the course of time and under suitable conditions will enter the light of consciousness. (Possible links to “A Day in the Life of….”)
The definiteness and directedness of the conscious mind are qualities that have been acquired relatively late in the history of the human race. These qualities are often impaired in the neurotic patient, who differs from the normal person in that his threshold of consciousness gets shifted more easily; in other words, the partition between conscious and unconscious is much more permeable. The psychotic, on the other hand, is under the direct influence of the unconscious.
Page 69
….artists and others distinguished by creative gifts are, of course, exceptions to this rule. The very advantage that such individuals enjoy consists precisely in the permeability of the partition separating the conscious and the unconscious.
Page 70
Civilised life today demands concentrated, directed conscious functioning, and this entails the risk of a considerable dissociation from the unconscious. The further we are able to remove ourselves from the unconscious through directed functioning, the more readily a powerful counter-position can build up in the unconscious, and when this breaks out it may have disagreeable consequences.
Page 71
…there is absolutely no collective norm that could replace an individual solution without loss.
…the psyche, is so infinitely diverse in its manifestations, so indefinite and unbounded, that the definitions given of it are difficult if not impossible to interpret…
Page 92
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