Again Jung wanted to make contact with “archaic man” and…
““Again Jung wanted to make contact with “archaic man” and he asked the Pueblo chief why he thought the whites were mad. Ochwiay told him it was because they think with their heads, while the Indians think with their hearts, a remark the esoteric Egyptologist René Schwaller de Lubicz would have appreciated.43 Ochwiay’s remark led Jung to a searing vision of Roman and Christian supremacy, bringing fear and suffering to their victims with “fire, sword, torture, and Christianity.” Western civilization, Jung saw, had the “face of a bird of prey seeking with cruel intentness for distant quarry,” a mea culpa regarding indigenous people well in advance of our own fashionable political correctness. One form of “thinking with the heart” impressed Jung deeply. The Pueblos performed a ritual that they insisted helped the sun in its daily course across the heavens. Jung, of course, knew that the sun was an average-sized star and that the earth moved around it, but in their hearts the Indians knew it was a god—the god—and that without their participation it would stop rising and then “it would be night forever.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Jung contrasted Western rational thought with Indigenous heart‑based thinking, seeing Western dominance as predatory and warning of its destructive impact on other cultures.
In simple terms: Jung saw Western thought as cruel and predatory compared to Indigenous heart‑based spirituality.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and respect diverse ways of knowing.
Themes
culture
colonialism
spirituality
psychology
power
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic study
- cross‑cultural dialogue
- personal reflection
- policy making
Key Concepts
anthropology
symbolism
collective unconscious
Questions to Reflect On
- How can modern societies integrate heart‑based perspectives without losing scientific rigor?
- What are the risks of viewing other cultures as merely symbolic?
A Different Perspective
Western rationalism can overlook emotional and spiritual dimensions, leading to conflict.