The Rainbow Serpent: Bridge to Consciousness

Robert B. MacIntyre is the Head of the Psychoeducational Clinic at the
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

This slim volume contains two or three related books. It begins as a
recounting, and Jungian interpretation, of one of the ritualized myths
of Australia. The story of the Wawilak sisters and Yurlunggur, the
rainbow serpent, provides the basic images and motifs for an analysis of
the Australian psyche. Gardner emphasizes the deep separation between
the white consciousness and the aboriginal consciousness. The white
culture and myths emphasize the active, masculine energy and repress the
balancing and unifying feminine or anima awareness. The aboriginal myths
discussed show a strong identification with the feminine and a
suppression of the masculine. After a report of the process by which a
native shaman learns to bridge the separated conscious and unconscious
worlds, Gardner explores ways in which these historical and
psychological splits can be overcome and points to possibilities for
integration.

The exploration of Jungian archetypes through the major medium of a
very old and non-Western myth serves to illuminate the conflicts in
cultures called upon to hold and integrate strong polarities. This
analysis also shows the relevance of a deep psychological understanding
of what might otherwise be considered only as a historical and
sociological phenomenon. The result is of interest to those who wish to
understand another cultural viewpoint, or themselves, better.