There is, the influential Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung believed, a good reason why ancient symbols have been passed on from generation to generation, transcending both time and cultures. Jung believed that everyone in the world possessed a collective unconscious or memories that are shared by humanity. This collective unconscious responds, often inexplicably, to certain symbols. You might say that the collective unconscious experiences the same psychological effects from the same ancient symbols that have been passed on to another generation and certain shapes that have evolved through the years.

Jung on Humanity and Symbols

In his book Man and His Symbols, Jung writes "What we call a symbol is a term, a name or even a picture that may be familiar in daily life, yet that possesses specific connotations in additional to its conventional and obvious meaning. It implies something vague, unknown or hidden from us."

Jung then goes on to describe how certain shapes or symbols have a deeper effect on a man's subconscious. He says, for instance, that the mind can reach out to grasp for meaning that is "beyond the grasp of reason." A wheel may cause you to picture the divine, or to get a good glimpse of eternity. But because man cannot every fully grasp such abstract things as divinity, symbols are used to represent concepts that cannot be fully understood. This is the reason why ancient and modern religions use symbols, such as the Christian cross, the Greek Eye of Horus or the Bodhi Tree to signify ideals that are beyond the physical realm.