Jung & The Collective unconscious

[Illuminaughty]

The collective unconscious-

What exactly is it?

How does it exist?

When did it come into being?

I ask this because I've come across radically different understandings of Jungs concept of the collective unconscious. Some seem to understand it in a more metaphysical sense like a world soul or universal mind and others think of it more in material terms. The thing is I can see how both those views might arise when reading his writings. There seems to be a bit of ambiguity. Can anyone set me straight here?

 

[Illuminaughty]

Here is brief description given by Jung:

“My thesis then, is as follows: in addition to our immediate consciousness, which is of a thoroughly personal nature and which we believe to be the only empirical psyche (even if we tack on the personal unconscious as an appendix), there exists a second psychic system of a collective, universal, and impersonal nature which is identical in all individuals. This collective unconscious does not develop individually but is inherited. It consists of pre-existent forms, the archetypes, which can only become conscious secondarily and which give definite form to certain psychic contents.”

 

[WonderBeat]

Here is brief description given by Jung:

“My thesis then, is as follows: in addition to our immediate consciousness, which is of a thoroughly personal nature and which we believe to be the only empirical psyche (even if we tack on the personal unconscious as an appendix), there exists a second psychic system of a collective, universal, and impersonal nature which is identical in all individuals. This collective unconscious does not develop individually but is inherited. It consists of pre-existent forms, the archetypes, which can only become conscious secondarily and which give definite form to certain psychic contents.”

"Because of the power of maya, a soul residing in the material work imagines that she is male. In the understanding of pure spirit, God is the only male and all others are female. In spirit, there is no sign of material male or female."

-Bhaktivinod Thakur

 

[Illuminaughty]

Interesting quote.

I'm still a little puzzled regarding the questions I asked above though. He never seems to clearly states when the collective unconscious first came into being. Does it predate humans? Does it predate biological life all together?