ABSTRACT

      This research proposal presents a methodology for uniting the conscious ego with the archetypes of the collective unconscious. Experiential encounters between the rational mind and the mythological beings of Western Civilization are brought about through a logical and complex interplay between art and science. Both the theoretical and practical aspects of Jungian psychology, comparative religion and comparative mythology, ancient history, parapsychology, and ritual Magick are focused through analytical, artistic, and poetic mechanisms in order to permit a safe and successful journey for the research investigator through the caverns of the underworld and to the lofty peaks of heaven. Authors to be encountered include Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Robert Graves, Aleister Crowley, Will and Ariel Durant, and E.A. Wallis Budge.

      The specific objective of the proposed effort is to generate documentation which will be appealing to a wide audience including the scientific community, and which will demonstrate the rich appreciation of life which can be gained through a realistic and comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary forces of the historical era which shaped the structure of Western Civilization.