The Deep Wells of Mythological Consciousness

The Deep Wells of Mythological Consciousness

In our discussions of collective consciousness, we’ve explored how certain ideas act as gravitational wells, shaping thought for generations—sometimes millennia. This is not only true in philosophy, as with Plato’s idealism or Descartes’ dualism, but also in mythology, where vast traditions have structured human meaning in ways that remain difficult to escape.

The Cosmic Order: The Well of Eternal Structure

One of the deepest wells in mythological consciousness is the idea of the cosmos as an ordered structure, governed by divine or metaphysical principles. From the Egyptian Maat to the Hindu concept of Rta to the medieval Great Chain of Being, myths have repeatedly reinforced a vision of the universe where everything has its fixed place. Even modern physics, with its search for ultimate laws, often mirrors this instinct for order. The gravitational pull of this well is strong—resisting it means embracing chaos, contingency, and indeterminacy, which many worldviews find deeply unsettling.

The Fall from Grace: The Well of Lost Perfection

The myth of a lost golden age—whether in Eden, Atlantis, or the Satya Yuga—is another powerful attractor in human consciousness. It shapes religious eschatologies, nostalgia for past traditions, and even secular movements that frame history as a story of decline from an original state of purity. Even when people reject this myth explicitly, they often reframe it in different terms, imagining that humanity has ‘fallen’ into materialism, technology, or alienation. Once inside this well, it is difficult to accept that change is not necessarily decline.

The Hero’s Journey: The Well of Individual Ascent

Joseph Campbell famously charted the monomythic pattern of the hero’s journey, where a figure embarks on an adventure, faces trials, and returns transformed. This well exerts an enormous gravitational force on narrative structures, shaping everything from ancient epics to Hollywood blockbusters. But its pull extends beyond storytelling—many people see their lives through this myth, interpreting personal struggles as necessary trials leading toward some ultimate triumph. Alternative models of transformation, such as collective change rather than individual ascent, struggle to compete with the heroic well.

The Cyclical Return: The Well of Eternal Recurrence

Many mythologies—from Hindu and Buddhist reincarnation cycles to the Mayan calendar—envision time not as a linear progression but as an endless cycle. This well exerts its pull in different ways, shaping both spiritual beliefs and modern theories of history that see civilisations rising and falling in inevitable patterns. Even when progressivist worldviews dominate, elements of cyclical thought remain embedded in how we imagine human fate.

Can We Escape the Wells?

Some of these wells may be inescapable—perhaps they reflect fundamental aspects of how human beings structure meaning. Others may be contingent, shaped by specific historical and cultural conditions. The gravitational pull of these wells is not just about belief; it is about the way they structure possibilities for thought itself.

If we want to step outside them, we must first recognise the wells we are in. But even then, we might find that leaving one well simply means entering another, shaped by different contours but exerting just as strong a pull on our consciousness. The challenge is not simply to escape, but to navigate wisely among the wells, understanding their depth and influence rather than being blindly drawn into them.