Consciousness rises from the deep like islands, then joins into a continent.

Carl Jung, Contributions to Analytical Psychology (1928), 'Marriage as a Psychological Relationship' (1925)

What it means

A small child has moments of awareness separated by sea. Slowly they join up into a lasting sense of 'I'. Jung's image fits all of us: there is far more ocean below than land above.

The source

"Consciousness rises from the deep like islands, then joins into a continent." Carl Jung said it in Contributions to Analytical Psychology (1928), 'Marriage as a Psychological Relationship' (1925). Translated by H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928.

"In the child consciousness rises out of the depths of the unconscious psychic life, at first like separate islands which only gradually unite to form a 'continent', a continuous consciousness."

H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928, Contributions to Analytical Psychology (1928), 'Marriage as a Psychological Relationship' (1925). Text read at archive.org.

Who said it

Carl Jung (1875–1961). Swiss psychiatrist who broke with Freud and founded analytical psychology. He mapped the persona, the shadow, the collective unconscious and the lifelong work of becoming yourself, which he called individuation. Our lines come only from his writings published before 1931, in our own translations from the German or in English translations of the time.

Questions

What does "Consciousness rises from the deep like islands, then joins into a continent." mean?: A small child has moments of awareness separated by sea. Slowly they join up into a lasting sense of 'I'. Jung's image fits all of us: there is far more ocean below than land above.
Who said "Consciousness rises from the deep like islands, then joins into a continent."?: Carl Jung (1875–1961). Source: Contributions to Analytical Psychology (1928), 'Marriage as a Psychological Relationship' (1925).
What is the original wording?: In the child consciousness rises out of the depths of the unconscious psychic life, at first like separate islands which only gradually unite to form a 'continent', a continuous consciousness (H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928). Translated by H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928.
Is "Consciousness rises from the deep like islands, then joins into a continent." on a shirt?: Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"Consciousness rises from the deep like islands, then joins into a continent." (Carl Jung, Contributions to Analytical Psychology (1928), 'Marriage as a Psychological Relationship' (1925), trans. H. G. and C. F. Baynes, 1928). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/consciousness-rises-from-the-deep-like-islands-then