Encountering Jung

3 primary works • 7 total works

Jung on Synchronicity and the Paranormal

by C. G. Jung

Published 7 August 1997

Jung's lifelong interest in the paranormal contributed significantly to the development of his influential but controversial theory of synchronicity. In this volume Roderick Main brings together a selection of Jung's writings on topics from well-known and less accessible sources to explore the close relationship between them.
In a searching introduction he addresses all the main aspects of synchronicity and clarifies the confusions and difficulties commonly experienced by readers interested in achieving a real understanding of what Jung had to say.
This book provides an excellent companion to Jung's Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle (Routledge) and reveals the full extent and range of Jung's researches into a range of psychic phenomena which are still not yet adequately explained.

Jung on Mythology

by C. G. Jung

Published 16 August 1998

At least three major questions can be asked of myth: what is its subject matter? what is its origin? and what is its function? Theories of myth may differ on the answers they give to any of these questions, but more basically they may also differ on which of the questions they ask. C. G. Jung's theory is one of the few that purports to answer fully all three questions. This volume collects and organizes the key passages on myth by Jung himself and by some of the most prominent Jungian writers after him: Erich Neumann, Marie-Louise von Franz, and James Hillman. The book synthesizes the discovery of myth as a way of thinking, where it becomes a therapeutic tool providing an entrance to the unconscious. In the first selections, Jung begins to differentiate his theory from Freud's by asserting that there are fantasies and dreams of an "impersonal" nature that cannot be reduced to experiences in a person's past. Jung then asserts that the similarities among myths are the result of the projection of the collective rather than the personal unconscious onto the external world.
Finally, he comes to the conclusion that myth originates and functions to satisfy the psychological need for contact with the unconscious--not merely to announce the existence of the unconscious, but to let us experience it.

Jung on Death and Immortality

by C. G. Jung

Published 24 October 1999

"As a doctor, I make every effort to strengthen the belief in immortality, especially with older patients when such questions come threateningly close. For, seen in correct psychological perspective, death is not an end but a goal, and life's inclination towards death begins as soon as the meridian is past."--C.G. Jung, commentary on The Secret of the Golden Flower Here collected for the first time are Jung's views on death and immortality, his writings often coinciding with the death of the most significant people in his life. The book shows many of the major themes running throughout the writings, including the relativity of space and time surrounding death, the link between transference and death, and the archetypes shared among the world's religions at the depths of the Self. The book includes selections from "On Resurrection," "The Soul and Death," "Concerning Rebirth," "Psychological Commentary on The Tibetan Book of the Dead" from the Collected Works, "Letter to Pastor Pfafflin" from Letters, and "On Life after Death."

Synchronicity

by C. G. Jung

Published 21 December 1973

Introduces the reader to Jung's exciting concept of synchronicity - those meaningful coincidences that happen to all of us and which, Jung claimed, transcend time and space.

Jung on Evil

by C. G. Jung

Published 24 August 1995

Evil became a central issue for Jung as he grew older. His early investigations of the place of evil in the mental processes of the severely disturbed led him to consider the concept of evil in greater depth when exploring the role of analysis in ethical and cultural transformation.
Jung on Evil brings together his important writings on good and evil. It includes his attempts to comprehend the worst excesses of the Second World War, as well as discussions about moral choices, conscience and the continual ethical reflection that is necessary for all of us.
Leading analyst Murray Stein provides a clear and concise introduction that gives an accessible account of Jung's ideas about evil. It will be invaluable to all those interested in the problems of ethics, religion and psychology in the modern world.

Jung on Active Imagination

by C. G. Jung

Published 27 July 1997

All the creative art psychotherapies (art, dance, music, drama, poetry) can trace their roots to C. G. Jung's early work on active imagination. Joan Chodorow here offers a collection of Jung's writings on active imagination, gathered together for the first time. Jung developed this concept between the years 1913 and 1916, following his break with Freud. During this time, he was disoriented and experienced intense inner turmoil --he suffered from lethargy and fears, and his moods threatened to overwhelm him. Jung searched for a method to heal himself from within, and finally decided to engage with the impulses and images of his unconscious. It was through the rediscovery of the symbolic play of his childhood that Jung was able to reconnect with his creative spirit. In a 1925 seminar and again in his memoirs, he tells the remarkable story of his experiments during this time that led to his self-healing. Jung learned to develop an ongoing relationship with his lively creative spirit through the power of imagination and fantasies. He termed this therapeutic method "active imagination." This method is based on the natural healing function of the imagination, and its many expressions.
Chodorow clearly presents the texts, and sets them in the proper context. She also interweaves her discussion of Jung's writings and ideas with contributions from Jungian authors and artists.

Jung on Alchemy

by C. G. Jung

Published 22 December 1994

Jung realized that the fantastic images of alchemy - fire-breathing dragons, hermaphrodites, lions giving birth to the sun - are not so far from our daily lives. He made sense of such seemingly incomprehensible symbols and showed how, in fact, such images represent a usually unseen level that has immense power over how we feel, think and imagine our existence.
Nathan Schwartz-Salant, a leading Jungian analyst with a special interest in alchemy, has brought together a key selection of Jung's writings on alchemy. His lucid introduction provides a clear account of the basics of alchemy and explains to the reader Jung's ideas on alchemical studies.
Jung on Alchemy provides an excellent introduction to one of Jung's most exciting, yet most challenging, fields of study.