In this episode Jungian analysts Lisa Marchiano and Deborah Stewart explore Erich Neumann’s The Great Mother and his and Jung’s concept of the unconscious as devouring mother.
Every archetype has a dual aspect: light and dark, and ‘mother’ as devouring and destructive is the dark side of this ever-present, over-arching archetype. The mother’s life-giving, bright aspect is counterbalanced by her engulfing, attacking aspect. The devouring mother is present across cultures in myth, fairy tale, religion, and literature, and most of us have at least had glimpses of her in our experiences as children or later, as parents.
Drawing on myths of the Aztec goddess Tlaltecuhtli, the Hindu goddess Kali, the tale of Snow White, and the film Black Swan, we examine the archetypal image of the mother who nourishes and devours, protects and possesses.
We also look at how the devouring mother shows up in ourselves and in our own parents. This dynamic can present as enmeshment, helicopter parenting, fear-based control, or an inability to allow our children to separate and become fully themselves.
In this episode we cover:
Erich Neumann and the Devouring Mother
Central to Neumann’s work is the idea that consciousness arises out of the generative ‘womb’ of the unconscious. The mysterious depths of the unconscious create and birth consciousness, but this ‘mother’ is also possessive, and wants to hold onto the life she has generated.
Our psychological emergence from an unconsciousness state into consciousness is a fight. We are born into a state of uroboric bliss, of oceanic oneness, and must struggle to achieve the separation that is consciousness. Jung describes this process as slaying the dragon—the devouring mother that is the regressive pull of unconsciousness.
Meeting the Devouring Mother
In real life, the devouring mother may seem protective and loving while denying a shadowy desire to keep her children to herself and prevent them being claimed by the world. If we have trouble launching into the world, finding a partner, or embracing a career, there could be an underlying unconscious pull to remain in the maternal nest and forgo the risks of a wholly independent life.
In her book, Meeting the Madwoman, Jungian author Linda Leonard shows us various manifestations of the devouring mother. Some may demand saintly compliance and behavior. Others exert power through weakness, using frailty as a weapon to prevent their children from leaving. The mother who has herself not found fulfilment, “the caged bird,” does not want her own birds to fly away, either. Mothers who are envious of their children or feel threatened by their growing independence can wreak havoc and take revenge upon their children.
This manifestation of devouring is depicted in the film Black Swan. The mother character subtly undermines her daughter’s blossoming career as a ballerina while presenting herself as wholly devoted to her daughter’s success. The fairy tale Snow White depicts the devouring mother more literally: the stepmother eats what she believes to be Snow White’s heart (a deer’s heart was cleverly substituted by the savior huntsman).
The Devouring Mother and Helicopter Parenting
More recently, the devouring mother shows up as the ‘helicopter parent’ who carries extreme levels of anxiety about her child. She may obsess over what her children eat, who their friends are, or which extracurricular activities they undertake, without realizing she is loading them down with her own anxiety. Instead of over-concern about possible disasters or missed opportunities, we can release our children to their chosen adventures and mistakes.
Whereas a healthy parent will set and enforce firm boundaries, the devouring mother communicates a feeling tone of fear of the world and mistrust of a child’s capabilities. We may end up saddling our child with a responsibility to soothe parental anxiety, creating resentment and confusion.
The Aztec Myth of Tlaltecuhtli
The Aztec story of Tlaltecuhtli shows us the great earth mother who is “both womb and tomb.” Her story encompasses the creation of earth and sky. She produces the life-sustaining bounty of the earth but requires regular human sacrifice as payment. Tlaltecuhtli shows us the life/death cycle that is a source of human fear—and is also an essential story of human life.
Sri Ramakrishna’s Vision of Kali
In The Hero with a Thousand Faces Joseph Campbell describes a vision in which Sri Ramakrishna sees the goddess Kali (the creator and destroyer of life) give birth, gently nurse her infant, and then take him into her mouth, chewing and crushing him.
This offers us a graphic, memorable representation of the archetypal force that births and nourishes life–and can also dispassionately turn and destroy it.
The Task of Protecting Consciousness
We can find ourselves slipping into blissful unconsciousness–perhaps we waste important hours of our lives scrolling on our phones or watching Netflix. It takes effort to remain aware of how our life is unfolding and hold onto the hard-won thread of consciousness.
Jung had an important dream about this task: a fragile light showed the difficulty of protecting our consciousness, which is always under threat:
“About this time I had a dream which both frightened and encouraged me. It was night in some unknown place, and I was making slow and painful headway against a mighty wind. Dense fog was flying along everywhere. I had my hands cupped around a tiny light which threatened to go out at any moment. Everything depended on my keeping this little light alive. Suddenly I had the feeling that something was coming up behind me. I looked back, and saw a gigantic black figure following me. But at the same moment I was conscious, in spite of my terror, that I must keep my little light going through night and wind, regardless of all dangers. When I awoke I realized at once that the figure was a “specter of the Brocken,” my own shadow on the swirling mists, brought into being by the little light I was carrying. I knew, too, that this little light was my consciousness, the only light I have. My own understanding is the sole treasure I possess, and the greatest. Though infinitely small and fragile in comparison with the powers of darkness, it is still a light, my only light.” (C.G Jung & Aniela Jaffe, Memories, Dreams and Reflections).
The Life/Death Cycle Experience
The devouring mother’s cycle of creation / destruction shows up repeatedly in our lives. A common example is the organization built from shared creativity that later turns darker: the initial creative surge may abate or grow stale; the product or service created may be supplanted by new technology or competitors; faithful employees may be disillusioned by leaders’ appropriating their creative contributions and fair share of remuneration.
Experiences of being chewed up by life are inevitable and can birth new and productive experiences, but the various cycles of life and death also entail suffering.
Questions of Gender
Throughout human history, the creation and destruction of life have been given gendered representation in our cultural stories. We can undertake a psychological examination of the devouring mother without literalizing gender roles (although if this seizes your attention, it may well be worth your exploration). We can hold the gendered aspect of the archetype lightly while exploring the profound truth it holds. Everyone can find aspects of the devouring mother that have deep resonance and meaning.
The Devouring Father
Myth and story also present a devouring father archetype. The Greek God Cronus, father of Zeus, is one example. Cronus attempts to defy a prophecy of being supplanted by his children by eating them; he does not want to be overthrown. This is an archetype of intergenerational competition and power; we will inevitably be succeeded by a younger generation. Although loss of power relates to egoic death, the devouring mother is the overarching, archetypal symbol of the great round of life and death in all its manifestations. None of us escapes her.
Here is the Dream We Analyze
I’m in a small spaceship with my husband and son. I look out. It’s very dark but I can see the planets – they are aligned and look colourful and glowing and beautiful. Inside the spaceship it feels like it’s normal gravity like on the earth. We wonder if we could go outside for a while to feel the weightlessness, but realise there won’t be oxygen and it’ll be too cold. We land back on earth, like a plane landing at the airport. It’s dark but I can see the bright lights of the city and the airport.
Resources Discussed In This Episode
- Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces
- C.G. Jung & Aniela Jaffe, Memories, Dreams, Reflections
- Linda Schierse Leonard, Meeting the Madwoman
- Erich Neumann, The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype
- “The Black Swan” – find trailer here.
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