Browsing by Author "Eggers, Vivienne Tobassa"

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    Sacred star songs of consciousness : cultural contexts of consciousness as symbolic transmission : thesis for the award of Master of Arts, in Social Anthropology at Massey University, School of People, Environment and Planning, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until 17th April 2025.
    (Massey University, 2024) Eggers, Vivienne Tobassa
    Consciousness is a holistic existential phenomenon. It infuses human culture across personal, social, environmental, and universal domains. Recent interdisciplinary attempts to define consciousness reveal disciplinary divergence and challenge consensual understanding. Anthropological studies attempt to provide deeper cultural insights, but experience issues as contemporary science often dismisses socio-cultural theories as subjective and non-empirical. In neuroscience, the focus on mind, body and brain as internal, biological processes disregards Jungian and other theories on consciousness as external, non-local phenomena, that engage with metaphysics. This research explores consciousness within cultural contexts, investigating its topography, expression and transmission. I observe its phenomenal influence on human experiences and challenge neuroscience's viewpoint of exclusive internal derivation. I propose a phenomenology of cross cultural symbolic communication, that is archetypal and metaphoric in nature. I realign Jung’s concept of the Great Mother Archetype, self and Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey’ to demonstrate a cosmic fundamental source with forces that arise in humanity in processes of alternative consciousness. From review of theoretical literature and visual ethnographies, I apply symbolic anthropology and examine aspects of consciousness, human perceptions and their integral relationships with meaning-making. My research involves cultural astronomy and identifies the role of neurodiversity in the transmission of consciousness from archaic hominins into contemporary society. I find consistency in the monomyth when applied within a panpsychist model of astronomically bound and interconnected forms. The celestial framework denotes a fundamental essence of forces and operating aspects, responsible for the symbolic messages that interact and constitutively influence humanity. This concept is a deviation from Plato’s idea of mathematical forms and Jung’s idea of collective consciousness and unconscious as an immaterial and mental repository of symbols. From research findings, I propose that the intentional and unconscious transmission of primordial symbolism invokes human internal processes, external actions and behaviours. The operations of these cosmic forces and our responsive, human interaction drive the desire for cultural meaning making and explanations of existence in the formation of ritualistic relationships with ‘the other’. I conclude with the reflection of transformation from researching the anthropology of consciousness and describe a forming hypothesis and a conceptual framework for future studies.