Theos-Talk Archives (March 2009 Message tt00219)

Cosmic Man
>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Jungian theory, the Cosmic Man is an archetypical figure that
appears in creation myths of a wide variety of mythology. Generally
he is described as helpful or positive, and is also frequently the
physical basis of the world, such that after death parts of his body
became physical parts of the universe. He also represents the oneness
of human existence, or the universe.

For example, in Chinese legend, Pangu is thought to have given the
natural features of the Earth their form, and when he died his body
became the Sacred Mountains of China. The Persian equivalent,
Gayomart, released semen when he died, out of which came the first
human couple.

In some Jewish legends, Adam was created from dust from the four
corners of the Earth, and, when bent down, his head was the East and
his feet the West. In another legend, he contained the soul of
everybody who would ever be born. In the teachings of Kabbalah, such
a primordial man is referred to as Adam Kadmon. In Indian mythology,
Purusha is a similar figure, who is considered the part of the
individual which is immortal.

In many myths, the Cosmic Man is not just the beginning but also the
final goal of life or creation. This is not necessarily a physical
event, but may refer to the identification of the conscious ego with
the self.

See also:

Purusha
>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Hinduism, Purusha...; Cosmic Man"...is the "self" which pervades
the universe. The Vedic divinities are considered to be the human
mind's interpretation of the many facets of Purusha. According to the
Rigvedic Purusha sukta, Purusha was dismembered by the devas -- his
mind is the Moon, his eyes are the Sun, and his breath is the wind.

In the Rigveda, Purusha is described as a primeval giant, not unlike
the Norse Ymir[citation needed], that is sacrificed by the gods (see
Purushamedha) and from whose body the world and the varnas (castes)
are built. He is described as having a thousand heads and a thousand
feet. He emanated Viraj, the female creative principle, from which he
is reborn in turn before the world was made out of his parts.

In the sacrifice of Purusha, the Vedic chants were first created. The
horses and cows were born, the Brahmins were made from Purusha's
mouth, the Kshatriyas from his arms, the Vaishyas from his thighs,
and the Shudras from his feet.[2] The Moon was born from his spirit,
the Sun from his eyes, the heavens from his skull. Indra and Agni
emerged from his mouth.

The parallel to Norse Ymir is often considered to reflect the myth's
origin in Proto-Indo-European religion.

In Samkhya, a school of Hindu philosophy, Purusha is pure
consciousness. It is thought to be our true identity, to be
contrasted with Prakrti, or the material world, which contains all of
our organs, senses, and intellectual faculties.