An Archetypal Profile of Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Four as Wholeness

Abstract

This hermeneutic study explores potential connections between Carl Jung’s idea of the number four representing wholeness and possible archetypal profiles of the four classical elements of fire, earth, air, and water. Viewed as archetypal symbols of potential psychic functions, the elements may present as patterns within psyche, building a possible bridge between alchemical processes of psyche and Jung’s concept of four as wholeness. Findings suggest that four may be a viable way of representing Unus Mundus through number theory and fractal geometry. Unus Mundus is Latin for one world and is viewed as the unified realm of psyche and matter. In addition this study suggests that archetypal patterns of the elements may also be present in Unus Mundus. This research may offer a step in depth psychology to expand on Jung’s concept of four as wholeness and its implications to patterns within psyche, which may be symbolically represented by the four classical elements.