What do you think?
Rate this book
Memories, Dreams, Reflections
In the spring of 1957, when he was eighty-one years old, C. G. Jung undertook the telling of his life story. At regular intervals he had conversations with his colleague and friend Aniela Jaffé, and collaborated with her in the preparation of the text based on these talks. On occasion, he was moved to write entire chapters of the book in his own hand, and he continued to work on the final stages of the manuscript until shortly before his death on June 6, 1961.This edition of Memories, Dreams, Reflections includes Jung's VII Sermones ad Mortuos . It is a fully corrected edition. From the Trade Paperback edition.
430 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
4360 people are currently reading
103176 people want to read
About the author
C.G. Jung
1,876 books10.9k followersCarl Gustav Jung (/jʊŋ/; German: [ˈkarl ˈɡʊstaf jʊŋ]), often referred to as C. G. Jung, was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology. Jung proposed and developed the concepts of extraversion and introversion; archetypes, and the collective unconscious. His work has been influential in psychiatry and in the study of religion, philosophy, archeology, anthropology, literature, and related fields. He was a prolific writer, many of whose works were not published until after his death.
The central concept of analytical psychology is individuation—the psychological process of integrating the opposites, including the conscious with the unconscious, while still maintaining their relative autonomy. Jung considered individuation to be the central process of human development.
Jung created some of the best known psychological concepts, including the archetype, the collective unconscious, the complex, and synchronicity. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a popular psychometric instrument, has been developed from Jung's theory of psychological types.
Though he was a practising clinician and considered himself to be a scientist, much of his life's work was spent exploring tangential areas such as Eastern and Western philosophy, alchemy, astrology, and sociology, as well as literature and the arts. Jung's interest in philosophy and the occult led many to view him as a mystic, although his ambition was to be seen as a man of science. His influence on popular psychology, the "psychologization of religion", spirituality and the New Age movement has been immense.
The central concept of analytical psychology is individuation—the psychological process of integrating the opposites, including the conscious with the unconscious, while still maintaining their relative autonomy. Jung considered individuation to be the central process of human development.
Jung created some of the best known psychological concepts, including the archetype, the collective unconscious, the complex, and synchronicity. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a popular psychometric instrument, has been developed from Jung's theory of psychological types.
Though he was a practising clinician and considered himself to be a scientist, much of his life's work was spent exploring tangential areas such as Eastern and Western philosophy, alchemy, astrology, and sociology, as well as literature and the arts. Jung's interest in philosophy and the occult led many to view him as a mystic, although his ambition was to be seen as a man of science. His influence on popular psychology, the "psychologization of religion", spirituality and the New Age movement has been immense.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 1,397 reviews
July 11, 2013
“The meaning of my existence is that life has addressed a question to me. Or, conversely, I myself am a question which is addressed to the world, and I must communicate my answer, for otherwise I am dependent upon the world’s answer.” – Carl Jung; Memories, Dreams, Reflections.
I know very little about psychology but it’s a subject I’m very interested in. A friend recommended Jung to me when I began writing down my dreams some months ago and started noticing some patterns.
I think this is a great introduction to Jung. Jung takes us through his psychic life from a child to an old man, and explains how his experiences, his dreams and interpretations of dreams shaped his life and brought him to self-realization. It also goes into his doomed friendship with Freud, his interest in symbology, and his travels (to India, Africa, New Mexico etc).
This is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I loved Jung’s approach to psychiatry. His quest to understand the human psyche is nothing short of admirable, and it’s clear that so many have been helped by his work. His dedication into his research and understanding is remarkable.
Although Jung’s views on alchemy and religion were definitely a bit out there for me, I still respect him for articulating his beliefs in an intelligent and thoughtful manner.
I recognized a lot of Jung’s thinking patterns in my own, and was quite surprised I wasn’t the only one who’d had those same thoughts. As Carl Jung put it, ““I was going about laden with thoughts of which I could speak to no one; they would have been misunderstood.” A lot of what Jung said greatly resonated with me and I wonder whether his Myer-Briggs typography was similar or the same as mine (INFJ).
This is a book I think everybody should read. Reading it has definitely enriched my life.
“I am astonished, disappointed, pleased with myself. I am distressed, depressed, rapturous. I am all these things at once, and cannot add up the sum.”- Carl Jung
I know very little about psychology but it’s a subject I’m very interested in. A friend recommended Jung to me when I began writing down my dreams some months ago and started noticing some patterns.
I think this is a great introduction to Jung. Jung takes us through his psychic life from a child to an old man, and explains how his experiences, his dreams and interpretations of dreams shaped his life and brought him to self-realization. It also goes into his doomed friendship with Freud, his interest in symbology, and his travels (to India, Africa, New Mexico etc).
This is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I loved Jung’s approach to psychiatry. His quest to understand the human psyche is nothing short of admirable, and it’s clear that so many have been helped by his work. His dedication into his research and understanding is remarkable.
Although Jung’s views on alchemy and religion were definitely a bit out there for me, I still respect him for articulating his beliefs in an intelligent and thoughtful manner.
I recognized a lot of Jung’s thinking patterns in my own, and was quite surprised I wasn’t the only one who’d had those same thoughts. As Carl Jung put it, ““I was going about laden with thoughts of which I could speak to no one; they would have been misunderstood.” A lot of what Jung said greatly resonated with me and I wonder whether his Myer-Briggs typography was similar or the same as mine (INFJ).
This is a book I think everybody should read. Reading it has definitely enriched my life.
“I am astonished, disappointed, pleased with myself. I am distressed, depressed, rapturous. I am all these things at once, and cannot add up the sum.”- Carl Jung
March 2, 2008
I delved into this book, a Christmas present from a friend, to learn more about Jung's psychological concepts, namely the collective unconcious; the anima and animas; the shadow; mandalas; the Self. About twenty pages in, though, I amended my purpose. I sought not facts but an answer to this question: Should I, Jon Medders, let myself be more like C.G. Jung?
See, Jung's narrative demonstrates a way to live one's life that I have often suspected might work well for me: minimize one's tendencies toward rational thought and maximize one's reliance on rationality's opposite (intuition, hunches, coincidences, God, the unconcious). So, as I read Jung's repeated accounts of rushing into projects and life decisions based on dreams, visions, and other numinous experiences, including contact with ghosts, I realized that his willingness to engage "the unseen" was integral to his becoming the creative force he was.
I am still sorting through the answers to my question. I will say that anyone who thinks that reason or intellectual conception provides the only valid basis for action in this world should take a close look at Jung's life and work.
See, Jung's narrative demonstrates a way to live one's life that I have often suspected might work well for me: minimize one's tendencies toward rational thought and maximize one's reliance on rationality's opposite (intuition, hunches, coincidences, God, the unconcious). So, as I read Jung's repeated accounts of rushing into projects and life decisions based on dreams, visions, and other numinous experiences, including contact with ghosts, I realized that his willingness to engage "the unseen" was integral to his becoming the creative force he was.
I am still sorting through the answers to my question. I will say that anyone who thinks that reason or intellectual conception provides the only valid basis for action in this world should take a close look at Jung's life and work.
November 11, 2023
AUTOBIOGRAFIA BIOGRAFICA
Gustav Klimt: Danae (1907-8).
L’impressione più consistente è che il titolo sia più che azzeccato: semplicemente perfetto.
Perché ricordi, sogni e riflessioni sono quello che la lettura mi ha suscitato.
Del libro ricordo pochino, della vita di Jung ancor meno.
Ma ricordo bene i miei primi anni di analisi, il lettino, le parole, i silenzi, le spremute d’occhi, la voce dell’analista, la luce fuori della finestra, che più spesso era luce buia, gli incontri erano quasi sempre serali.
I primi passi di quel percorso che si usa chiamare psicoterapia sono poggiati su ricordi e sogni. I ricordi andavano a go go. I sogni erano più distillati, ma non ne perdevo uno: dormivo col quaderno e la penna a portata di mano, mi svegliavo nel cuore della notte e annotavo, consapevole che al mattino sarebbe rimasta solo una nebbia, palpabile ma comunque imprecisa, sfocata.
Man mano, le sedute aumentano, passano gli anni, e i ricordi diminuiscono, e i sogni diminuiscono, e non occorre più scriverli, si racconta quello che resta, l’essenza.
Le riflessioni, invece, durano più a lungo, cominciano pressoché subito e accompagnano tutto il cammino. E vengono con noi anche quando ci chiudiamo dietro quella porta. Che, proprio grazie alla riflessione, rimane sempre aperta.
Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt: Danae (1907-8).
L’impressione più consistente è che il titolo sia più che azzeccato: semplicemente perfetto.
Perché ricordi, sogni e riflessioni sono quello che la lettura mi ha suscitato.
Del libro ricordo pochino, della vita di Jung ancor meno.
Ma ricordo bene i miei primi anni di analisi, il lettino, le parole, i silenzi, le spremute d’occhi, la voce dell’analista, la luce fuori della finestra, che più spesso era luce buia, gli incontri erano quasi sempre serali.
I primi passi di quel percorso che si usa chiamare psicoterapia sono poggiati su ricordi e sogni. I ricordi andavano a go go. I sogni erano più distillati, ma non ne perdevo uno: dormivo col quaderno e la penna a portata di mano, mi svegliavo nel cuore della notte e annotavo, consapevole che al mattino sarebbe rimasta solo una nebbia, palpabile ma comunque imprecisa, sfocata.
Man mano, le sedute aumentano, passano gli anni, e i ricordi diminuiscono, e i sogni diminuiscono, e non occorre più scriverli, si racconta quello che resta, l’essenza.
Le riflessioni, invece, durano più a lungo, cominciano pressoché subito e accompagnano tutto il cammino. E vengono con noi anche quando ci chiudiamo dietro quella porta. Che, proprio grazie alla riflessione, rimane sempre aperta.
Gustav Klimt
May 22, 2011
Why Memories, Dreams and Reflections is meaningful for me.
I shall begin by telling you of an event that occurred to me at college but which had its genesis four years earlier and the subsequent consequences of which remain to be completely known.
One evening when I was 14 years old I went to bed much as I always had done. Sometime later after falling to sleep I awoke. To my astonishment at the foot of my bed and somewhat elevated into the air were two personages. An elderly man with the wrinkles in his face that bespoke of a life of both dignity and wisdom and alongside him an equally aged woman endowed with a face of gentle kindness. I took them to be husband and wife and decades later would come to name them Philemon and Bacchus.
Upon seeing them I was immediately struck with two emotions. On the one hand I was enraptured by their appearance and on the other hand I was terrified as in my 14 years of life to my knowledge I only knew of two types of people who had visions: Prophets and Madmen. I knew I was not a Prophet.
As I gazed upon them it occurred to me that what I was witnessing may in fact be a dream albeit a most vivid dream. I determined to establish the means of proving whether this was a dream of a waking vision. There was a crayon on my night stand. I slowly reached for the crayon hoping not to interrupt my “visitors.” Gripping the crayon I pressed it against the wall on the side of my bed rubbing it back and forth leaving a most distinguished marking. I figured that when I woke up the following morning that if the mark was not there that I had been dreaming. On the other hand if the mark was on the wall I would know I had had a waking vision and hopefully the marking would prove a stimulus to recalling the episode.
The mark was on my wall upon finally waking.
Jesus famously said that a Prophet is not recognized in his own home. Most assuredly I was not going to tell my family, relatives or friends of my vision fearing ridicule so I remained must as I sought the means of understanding what had happened.
Insofar as I knew that Prophets had visions I determined that I would read the Bible which I had never read before to seek some understanding. I found an old King James Version of the Bible and set about reading it from cover to cover. Every word was read from Genesis straight through Revelations.
This was an enlightening process however the Prophets seems to float above the common humanity within which I lived. Nonetheless I completed my reading of the Bible in about a year’s time and read it completely from cover to cover each successive year until my departure to College.
At College I enrolled as a History Major although I had no tangible plan to make use of History in my life. Briefly the move to college pressed the thought of my vision to the back of my mind. This would not last for long.
I had been attending classes for about six weeks when one day I was passing through the upstairs area above the cafeteria when I spotted a young man in the crowd of students. He was dressed in Army fatigues and I was struck with the undeniable premonition that he was on campus to commit a mass murder.
I fought against this sense and tried to fight against this idea as it seemed so irrational. I walked around outside of the campus for about an hour trying to shake off this premonition but without success. This presented me with a moral dilemma. If I ignored the premonition and a murder did occurred I would bear some responsibility and be an accomplice of sorts. Should I not ignore the premonition what was I to do? Who would listen to me much less believe me?
Suddenly the name of my History 101 professor came to mind. I had never spoken to him before except to ask a couple of questions in class but I sensed that perhaps I could share my premonition with him and perhaps he would know what to do.
So being around noon time I went to the downstairs cafeteria where I thought he might be having lunch with fellow faculty and staff members. The cafeteria area was packed with nary a seat to be found. Well, except for the one lone empty seat next to my professor.
Girding up my loins and with much trepidation I went and sat next to the professor. I introduced myself to him not certain that he would recall me from his History 101 class and proceeded to tell him of my premonition. Amazingly, I thought, without batting an eyelash he listened to my story and then asked me to go upstairs with him to point out the person who had struck me with such fear. I did.
Then the professor went to the Administration Building and spoke with someone in security as well as the University President.
I was not involved directly in what happened next but since the person in question had not actually done anything wrong yet not much of an official nature could be done but a background check was done and it was found that the person was returned from Vietnam and had a mental history.
The means were “set up” to establish a reason a few days later to enter the person’s apartment where there was a diary indicating the desire to commit a mass murder against students who were perceived to be against the war. Additionally photos taken of a civilian massacre in Vietnam were found and subsequently were used as the means of getting the person off campus and into a V.A. Hospital for mental treatment.
I was quite gratified that my premonition proved valid. This gave me solace.
I was also grateful to my professor because he did not publicize the event or in any way bring undo attention to me. As a matter of fact we never discussed the matter again.
This event brought back to the forefront the vision I had had four years earlier.
It struck me one morning that if I could tell my professor of the premonition that perhaps I could entrust him with the Vision and the fear that had accompanied it.
I went to his office and upon being invited in closed the door behind me and sat down and told him of my Vision. Upon completing my story my professor to told me to go to the library and check out a book entitled: Memories, Dreams and Reflections.
I had never heard of Carl Jung before and knew nothing of his work but went to the library and checked out Memories, Dreams and Reflections and went to find a quiet place to read it.
In the beginning of the book Dr. Jung writes of his childhood and as a youngster how he had had a Vision and how it terrified him and how he felt he could not tell his family or friends of it.
We bonded.
I did not know Dr. Jung but somehow he was more “human” to me that the prophets of the Old and New Testament. This would ultimately lead into a lifelong passion to comprehend the structure and dynamics of the psyche.
I shall begin by telling you of an event that occurred to me at college but which had its genesis four years earlier and the subsequent consequences of which remain to be completely known.
One evening when I was 14 years old I went to bed much as I always had done. Sometime later after falling to sleep I awoke. To my astonishment at the foot of my bed and somewhat elevated into the air were two personages. An elderly man with the wrinkles in his face that bespoke of a life of both dignity and wisdom and alongside him an equally aged woman endowed with a face of gentle kindness. I took them to be husband and wife and decades later would come to name them Philemon and Bacchus.
Upon seeing them I was immediately struck with two emotions. On the one hand I was enraptured by their appearance and on the other hand I was terrified as in my 14 years of life to my knowledge I only knew of two types of people who had visions: Prophets and Madmen. I knew I was not a Prophet.
As I gazed upon them it occurred to me that what I was witnessing may in fact be a dream albeit a most vivid dream. I determined to establish the means of proving whether this was a dream of a waking vision. There was a crayon on my night stand. I slowly reached for the crayon hoping not to interrupt my “visitors.” Gripping the crayon I pressed it against the wall on the side of my bed rubbing it back and forth leaving a most distinguished marking. I figured that when I woke up the following morning that if the mark was not there that I had been dreaming. On the other hand if the mark was on the wall I would know I had had a waking vision and hopefully the marking would prove a stimulus to recalling the episode.
The mark was on my wall upon finally waking.
Jesus famously said that a Prophet is not recognized in his own home. Most assuredly I was not going to tell my family, relatives or friends of my vision fearing ridicule so I remained must as I sought the means of understanding what had happened.
Insofar as I knew that Prophets had visions I determined that I would read the Bible which I had never read before to seek some understanding. I found an old King James Version of the Bible and set about reading it from cover to cover. Every word was read from Genesis straight through Revelations.
This was an enlightening process however the Prophets seems to float above the common humanity within which I lived. Nonetheless I completed my reading of the Bible in about a year’s time and read it completely from cover to cover each successive year until my departure to College.
At College I enrolled as a History Major although I had no tangible plan to make use of History in my life. Briefly the move to college pressed the thought of my vision to the back of my mind. This would not last for long.
I had been attending classes for about six weeks when one day I was passing through the upstairs area above the cafeteria when I spotted a young man in the crowd of students. He was dressed in Army fatigues and I was struck with the undeniable premonition that he was on campus to commit a mass murder.
I fought against this sense and tried to fight against this idea as it seemed so irrational. I walked around outside of the campus for about an hour trying to shake off this premonition but without success. This presented me with a moral dilemma. If I ignored the premonition and a murder did occurred I would bear some responsibility and be an accomplice of sorts. Should I not ignore the premonition what was I to do? Who would listen to me much less believe me?
Suddenly the name of my History 101 professor came to mind. I had never spoken to him before except to ask a couple of questions in class but I sensed that perhaps I could share my premonition with him and perhaps he would know what to do.
So being around noon time I went to the downstairs cafeteria where I thought he might be having lunch with fellow faculty and staff members. The cafeteria area was packed with nary a seat to be found. Well, except for the one lone empty seat next to my professor.
Girding up my loins and with much trepidation I went and sat next to the professor. I introduced myself to him not certain that he would recall me from his History 101 class and proceeded to tell him of my premonition. Amazingly, I thought, without batting an eyelash he listened to my story and then asked me to go upstairs with him to point out the person who had struck me with such fear. I did.
Then the professor went to the Administration Building and spoke with someone in security as well as the University President.
I was not involved directly in what happened next but since the person in question had not actually done anything wrong yet not much of an official nature could be done but a background check was done and it was found that the person was returned from Vietnam and had a mental history.
The means were “set up” to establish a reason a few days later to enter the person’s apartment where there was a diary indicating the desire to commit a mass murder against students who were perceived to be against the war. Additionally photos taken of a civilian massacre in Vietnam were found and subsequently were used as the means of getting the person off campus and into a V.A. Hospital for mental treatment.
I was quite gratified that my premonition proved valid. This gave me solace.
I was also grateful to my professor because he did not publicize the event or in any way bring undo attention to me. As a matter of fact we never discussed the matter again.
This event brought back to the forefront the vision I had had four years earlier.
It struck me one morning that if I could tell my professor of the premonition that perhaps I could entrust him with the Vision and the fear that had accompanied it.
I went to his office and upon being invited in closed the door behind me and sat down and told him of my Vision. Upon completing my story my professor to told me to go to the library and check out a book entitled: Memories, Dreams and Reflections.
I had never heard of Carl Jung before and knew nothing of his work but went to the library and checked out Memories, Dreams and Reflections and went to find a quiet place to read it.
In the beginning of the book Dr. Jung writes of his childhood and as a youngster how he had had a Vision and how it terrified him and how he felt he could not tell his family or friends of it.
We bonded.
I did not know Dr. Jung but somehow he was more “human” to me that the prophets of the Old and New Testament. This would ultimately lead into a lifelong passion to comprehend the structure and dynamics of the psyche.
July 14, 2024
I love Jung even though my profs wanted me to focus on Skinner. I preferred Jung over his mentor Freud because Jung believed the ground root of a person’s being was a spirituality not defined by religion. I found that to be a unique approach to psychology. This is an excellent book for the questing mind. Recommended 🕯️
October 19, 2024
This book – not unlike Jung's life – begins in a tone of sober scientific enquiry, and then unexpectedly morphs into a David Lynch film: strange figures come and go in oneiric landscapes, saying mystical bullshit in forgotten languages; there are ghosts, premonitions, portentous symbols; things operate according to the logic of dreams.
Jung says he's used to living ‘on two planes simultaneously’, one conscious and one un-. But it's clear that the second one is the more significant when it comes to his memoirs, which you sometimes fit on to the timeline of the twentieth century only with some difficulty. I don't know what his daily life was like, or how he met his wife, or what he thought about the rise of Nazism or the sinking of the Titanic. I do know a lot about his communications with the spirit of a mythological Greek peasant called Philemon. Two world wars come and go without comment, but he lavishes several pages on a dream he had when he was six about an underground penis-monster.
This is, frankly, exactly the kind of batshittery that you want from the memoir of a psychoanalyst. Jung definitely gives you your money's worth.
His outlook came from a troubled childhood near Basel, Switzerland. His parents were unhappily married and slept in separate rooms; his father was a parson and his mother seemed determined to terrify her son with superstition and cautionary tales. He grew up seeing visions at night, carving secret totems for himself, and nursing a sense of mystico-religious mission.
His first patient, clearly, was himself. Jung says he was drawn equally to science and to religion, eventually becoming a psychiatrist because this new field was the only one ‘common to biological and spiritual facts’. In practice he often seems not very keen on science at all, bemoaning ‘the dreariness of calculated processes’ and writing with horror of ‘the frightful, not to say diabolic, triumphs of science’. It's very telling, I think, that he is so unsatisfied by the empirical results of psychology:
That's not enough for Jung. He doesn't just want pathological data: he wants nothing less than the meaning of life. The unconscious here takes the place of God in a traditional spiritual autobiography, or – less generously – of aliens in the ramblings of a conspiracy theorist. It explains everything. The unconscious allows Jung to predict the future, see dead people, heal the sick, learn ancient secrets from historical figures, and gain intimations of a life after death.
It's fascinating to read Jung's account of his meeting with Freud in Vienna, where Jung pointed to a knocking from the furniture as evidence of messages from ‘the other side’. Freud (whose letters appear in an appendix) clearly thought the other man was off his rocker, and on balance I'm afraid I'm on Freud's side, which feels like a strange place to be. At first it's welcome to see Jung pushing back against the oversexualisation of Freud's vision, except that he takes it too far the other way, even claiming that incest is not so much a sexual motif as something ‘highly religious’ with ‘spiritual significance’.
In fact, everything for Jung is to be interpreted spiritually – to the extent that when he goes to rural Tunisia and gets a bout of traveller's diarrhoea, he attributes this to becoming ‘psychically infected’ by his encounter with Africa. I would tend to see it as being physically infected by an encounter with E. coli. Doubtless Jung would say that I'm missing the point. And perhaps I am, but for me, however interesting and creatively productive symbols can be, it remains important not to confuse them for the actual physical cause-and-effect of the real world; and in the end, there is simply a distinction between the world of symbols and the real world. Jung, whatever he says, does not respect any such distinction.
All the red flags are here. He talks about the Age of Aquarius, alchemical rites, Paracelsus, the Rosicrucians, the lost secrets of the Gnostics. He lets us know that his grandfather was Grand Master of the Swiss Lodge of Freemasons. He thinks his daughter can sense the presence of dead bodies (a power ‘she inherits from my grandmother on my mother's side’). ‘The future,’ he says, ‘is unconsciously prepared long in advance and therefore can be guessed by clairvoyants,’ though whenever he has dreams that prove this, he always turns out to be interpreting them after the fact.
If he had a dream, and published something saying, ‘Looks like my dad's about to die and/or a war will break out’, and then this went on to happen, I would be impressed. But somehow, it never works out that way. Something momentous happens, and then, looking back, Jung is convinced that his unconscious knew about it all along. Other explanations, I would suggest, offer themselves.
And yet, it's not easy – especially while reading this – to dismiss him out of hand as a nutter. He was staggeringly well read, worked very hard, and made serious and deep studies of how the unconscious works. But beyond this, he has such an amiable demeanour – like a twinkly, wise old grandfather – that you feel very drawn to him. He doesn't talk like a rabid True Believer. It's only later, reviewing his ideas in peace and away from his magnetic personality, that you realise quite how absurd many of them are.
To me Jung comes across as something like William Blake with a medical degree; Blake saw angels in the trees of London, and Jung sees Christ at the foot of his bed and has waking dreams of global disasters (‘a vision as such is nothing unusual for me,’ he says casually). His deep experience of subjective instability is also very Blakean:
Here we see why Jung was so important for the New Age movement. Casting around for similar books to this one, you think not of other scientific autobiographies, but rather of the memoirs of people like Teresa of Avila or Julian of Norwich. Jung's view of the world is, as he says himself, ‘not a product of rational thinking. It is rather a vision’.
And perhaps that's a clue as to why, despite my rejection of so many of Jung's ideas, I nevertheless found this book so incredibly gripping: because it's ultimately a gigantic psychodrama, a story of a man wrestling with the inside of his own head. It's a colossal application of thought to thought itself, and I find the convolutions involved absolutely fascinating. Jung may have been certifiable, but as a creative thinker – as, I'm tempted to say, an artist – he is endlessly impressive, surprising, and productive.
Jung says he's used to living ‘on two planes simultaneously’, one conscious and one un-. But it's clear that the second one is the more significant when it comes to his memoirs, which you sometimes fit on to the timeline of the twentieth century only with some difficulty. I don't know what his daily life was like, or how he met his wife, or what he thought about the rise of Nazism or the sinking of the Titanic. I do know a lot about his communications with the spirit of a mythological Greek peasant called Philemon. Two world wars come and go without comment, but he lavishes several pages on a dream he had when he was six about an underground penis-monster.
This is, frankly, exactly the kind of batshittery that you want from the memoir of a psychoanalyst. Jung definitely gives you your money's worth.
His outlook came from a troubled childhood near Basel, Switzerland. His parents were unhappily married and slept in separate rooms; his father was a parson and his mother seemed determined to terrify her son with superstition and cautionary tales. He grew up seeing visions at night, carving secret totems for himself, and nursing a sense of mystico-religious mission.
His first patient, clearly, was himself. Jung says he was drawn equally to science and to religion, eventually becoming a psychiatrist because this new field was the only one ‘common to biological and spiritual facts’. In practice he often seems not very keen on science at all, bemoaning ‘the dreariness of calculated processes’ and writing with horror of ‘the frightful, not to say diabolic, triumphs of science’. It's very telling, I think, that he is so unsatisfied by the empirical results of psychology:
To me it was a profound disappointment that all the efforts of the probing mind had apparently succeeded in finding nothing more in the depths of the psyche than the all too familiar and “all-too-human” limitations.
That's not enough for Jung. He doesn't just want pathological data: he wants nothing less than the meaning of life. The unconscious here takes the place of God in a traditional spiritual autobiography, or – less generously – of aliens in the ramblings of a conspiracy theorist. It explains everything. The unconscious allows Jung to predict the future, see dead people, heal the sick, learn ancient secrets from historical figures, and gain intimations of a life after death.
It's fascinating to read Jung's account of his meeting with Freud in Vienna, where Jung pointed to a knocking from the furniture as evidence of messages from ‘the other side’. Freud (whose letters appear in an appendix) clearly thought the other man was off his rocker, and on balance I'm afraid I'm on Freud's side, which feels like a strange place to be. At first it's welcome to see Jung pushing back against the oversexualisation of Freud's vision, except that he takes it too far the other way, even claiming that incest is not so much a sexual motif as something ‘highly religious’ with ‘spiritual significance’.
In fact, everything for Jung is to be interpreted spiritually – to the extent that when he goes to rural Tunisia and gets a bout of traveller's diarrhoea, he attributes this to becoming ‘psychically infected’ by his encounter with Africa. I would tend to see it as being physically infected by an encounter with E. coli. Doubtless Jung would say that I'm missing the point. And perhaps I am, but for me, however interesting and creatively productive symbols can be, it remains important not to confuse them for the actual physical cause-and-effect of the real world; and in the end, there is simply a distinction between the world of symbols and the real world. Jung, whatever he says, does not respect any such distinction.
All the red flags are here. He talks about the Age of Aquarius, alchemical rites, Paracelsus, the Rosicrucians, the lost secrets of the Gnostics. He lets us know that his grandfather was Grand Master of the Swiss Lodge of Freemasons. He thinks his daughter can sense the presence of dead bodies (a power ‘she inherits from my grandmother on my mother's side’). ‘The future,’ he says, ‘is unconsciously prepared long in advance and therefore can be guessed by clairvoyants,’ though whenever he has dreams that prove this, he always turns out to be interpreting them after the fact.
If he had a dream, and published something saying, ‘Looks like my dad's about to die and/or a war will break out’, and then this went on to happen, I would be impressed. But somehow, it never works out that way. Something momentous happens, and then, looking back, Jung is convinced that his unconscious knew about it all along. Other explanations, I would suggest, offer themselves.
And yet, it's not easy – especially while reading this – to dismiss him out of hand as a nutter. He was staggeringly well read, worked very hard, and made serious and deep studies of how the unconscious works. But beyond this, he has such an amiable demeanour – like a twinkly, wise old grandfather – that you feel very drawn to him. He doesn't talk like a rabid True Believer. It's only later, reviewing his ideas in peace and away from his magnetic personality, that you realise quite how absurd many of them are.
To me Jung comes across as something like William Blake with a medical degree; Blake saw angels in the trees of London, and Jung sees Christ at the foot of his bed and has waking dreams of global disasters (‘a vision as such is nothing unusual for me,’ he says casually). His deep experience of subjective instability is also very Blakean:
At times I feel as if I am spread out over the landscape and inside things, and am myself living in every tree, in the plashing of the waves, in the clouds and the animals that come and go, in the procession of the seasons.
Here we see why Jung was so important for the New Age movement. Casting around for similar books to this one, you think not of other scientific autobiographies, but rather of the memoirs of people like Teresa of Avila or Julian of Norwich. Jung's view of the world is, as he says himself, ‘not a product of rational thinking. It is rather a vision’.
And perhaps that's a clue as to why, despite my rejection of so many of Jung's ideas, I nevertheless found this book so incredibly gripping: because it's ultimately a gigantic psychodrama, a story of a man wrestling with the inside of his own head. It's a colossal application of thought to thought itself, and I find the convolutions involved absolutely fascinating. Jung may have been certifiable, but as a creative thinker – as, I'm tempted to say, an artist – he is endlessly impressive, surprising, and productive.
July 9, 2018
"Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible. The loneliness began with the experiences of my early dreams, and reached its climax at the time I was working on the unconscious ... But loneliness is not necessarily inimical to companionship, for no one is more sensitive to companionship than the lonely man, and companionship thrives only when each individual remembers his individuality and does not identify himself with others."
This quotation sums up the spirits of Carl Jung's autobiography, in which restraint in expressing personal matters regarding his closest relationships is more than obvious. A complete bummer for people looking for action-driven and eventual narratives. Outward happenings are naturally compensated by a wonderful portrait of the inner world of Jung, from his earliest childhood dreams to his lonesome school days, student years, relationship with Freud, and finally, my favourite chapter, his encounter with the unconscious—the onslaught of fantasies he experienced in his twenties that ultimately led to his development of analytic psychology.
This book, all in all, keeps true to the title, focusing on inner phenomena rather than external events, as Jung tells us in the prologue.
The one complaint I have against Jung is that he only briefly mentions his wife and kids. I wish Emma had put in the effort in writing a memoir of her own to fill this gap, though I can't help but think that it too would probably have left so much unsaid about their family—she was an introvert as well.
Jung is more vocal when it comes to his mother and father, and, according to Aniela Jaffe, this is the only book in which he talks personally about Christianity.
Anyway, I loved this book for no better reason than seeing pieces of myself in it. Much of what Jung had experienced struck close to home for me.
Memories, Dreams, Reflections is a must-read for anyone interested in Jungian psychology. I think reading Man and His Symbols and then this book would make the perfect introduction into the field.
January 17, 2018
Jung, benim hayatımda ve algı dünyamda çok etkili olmuş biri. Kendisinin, spirituel algısı ve insanın ele alışı aynı zamanda hem bir performanscı olarak müziksel algımda hem de eğitimci olarak çocuklar ve gençleri nasıl bir ayna olabileceğim konusunda hep yönlendirici olmuştur.
Anılar, Düşler ve Düşünceleri için söyleyebileceğim tek şey kendi anılarınıza ve düşleriniza ayna tutacak bir yol gösterici, hem de Jung'u daha yakından tanımak için en iyi kitaplardan biri.
İyi okumalar!
Anılar, Düşler ve Düşünceleri için söyleyebileceğim tek şey kendi anılarınıza ve düşleriniza ayna tutacak bir yol gösterici, hem de Jung'u daha yakından tanımak için en iyi kitaplardan biri.
İyi okumalar!
June 12, 2017
This book is not an autobiography in the normal sense. We are given little information about family details. We are told in one sentence, "I have a wife and five children." That's about it for family details. At the end of the book are four appendixes, two of which are letters written to his wife when he was traveling in the US and then later in Africa. These letters are in fact special; they showed me the ordinary man, not the man espousing his theories. They were delightfully creative and well written, but there are only a few and they are short. This book is instead about Carl Gustav Jung's (1875 - 1961) theories, his philosophy and how it developed.
At the age of 81 he agreed, to sit down one afternoon every week to talk with his colleague and friend Aniela Jaffé. This book is the result of their collaboration. It was decided that he would write a few chapters about his youth, he felt an inner need to do this, but otherwise the book is based on their conversations which she recorded and edited. A chapter entitled Later Thoughts concludes the book. Both this and the chapters on his youth have a different feel and I bet both were written by him. They are more abstruse. These were the hardest to comprehend, particularly in those parts where he speaks of religion. Nevertheless, having read the book, I do now have a better understanding of his philosophy.
The book is very much an expression of Jung's views. He is telling us how he thinks. There is no debate. Jaffé does not critically analyze or counter with opposing views. We hear neither her questions nor her thoughts.
The book could have been tightened and at times better organized. Sometimes it is extremely wordy. Jung tells us that he disagreed with Freud's emphasis on sexuality. Then later in the book we are old that Freud came to modify his view. How his view changed is not clarified, and this could have been mentioned the first time around.
In the latter half of the book Jung travels to Africa and India and Italy. Some other places too. He states he wants to look at Europeans and himself from a different cultural perspective. He wants to look in from the outside. Here we go deeper into his views on myths and culture. Definitely interesting, but I cannot say I would necessarily draw the same conclusions. This doesn’t really matter though; this is a book about his views, certainly not mine. Except maybe his reasoning hasn’t properly been made clear; this could be classified as a weakness of the book.
Dreams....dreams. He tells us of a zillion dreams and what they mean. These dreams are extremely detailed. Let me just state that his ability to recall such details pushes credibility. I had trouble accepting some of the conclusions drawn. On several occasions he explained dreams after time had passed and after other important events had occurred, claiming the dreams foresaw future events. That is explaining after you have the facts, and I don’t buy such reasoning. There is no proof in this.
At points the mystical and paranormal theories espoused pushed credibility for me.
Jung does not consider this book to be one of the set defining his philosophy. We are quite often referred to those books instead.
The audiobook narration by James Cameron Stewart was absolutely excellent. It could not in any way have been improved. Simple to follow. All of the words are clear, and the speed with which it is read gives you time to think. You need time to think when you read this book! Jung uses lots of terms that you have to get glued into your head if you are to follow his thought processes.
I am glad I read the book. I see it as a primer on Jung’s philosophy much more than a biography / autobiography of his life.
At the age of 81 he agreed, to sit down one afternoon every week to talk with his colleague and friend Aniela Jaffé. This book is the result of their collaboration. It was decided that he would write a few chapters about his youth, he felt an inner need to do this, but otherwise the book is based on their conversations which she recorded and edited. A chapter entitled Later Thoughts concludes the book. Both this and the chapters on his youth have a different feel and I bet both were written by him. They are more abstruse. These were the hardest to comprehend, particularly in those parts where he speaks of religion. Nevertheless, having read the book, I do now have a better understanding of his philosophy.
The book is very much an expression of Jung's views. He is telling us how he thinks. There is no debate. Jaffé does not critically analyze or counter with opposing views. We hear neither her questions nor her thoughts.
The book could have been tightened and at times better organized. Sometimes it is extremely wordy. Jung tells us that he disagreed with Freud's emphasis on sexuality. Then later in the book we are old that Freud came to modify his view. How his view changed is not clarified, and this could have been mentioned the first time around.
In the latter half of the book Jung travels to Africa and India and Italy. Some other places too. He states he wants to look at Europeans and himself from a different cultural perspective. He wants to look in from the outside. Here we go deeper into his views on myths and culture. Definitely interesting, but I cannot say I would necessarily draw the same conclusions. This doesn’t really matter though; this is a book about his views, certainly not mine. Except maybe his reasoning hasn’t properly been made clear; this could be classified as a weakness of the book.
Dreams....dreams. He tells us of a zillion dreams and what they mean. These dreams are extremely detailed. Let me just state that his ability to recall such details pushes credibility. I had trouble accepting some of the conclusions drawn. On several occasions he explained dreams after time had passed and after other important events had occurred, claiming the dreams foresaw future events. That is explaining after you have the facts, and I don’t buy such reasoning. There is no proof in this.
At points the mystical and paranormal theories espoused pushed credibility for me.
Jung does not consider this book to be one of the set defining his philosophy. We are quite often referred to those books instead.
The audiobook narration by James Cameron Stewart was absolutely excellent. It could not in any way have been improved. Simple to follow. All of the words are clear, and the speed with which it is read gives you time to think. You need time to think when you read this book! Jung uses lots of terms that you have to get glued into your head if you are to follow his thought processes.
I am glad I read the book. I see it as a primer on Jung’s philosophy much more than a biography / autobiography of his life.
March 17, 2020
Από αυτά τα βιβλία που σου ανοίγουν νέους ορίζοντες στη σκέψη.
«Η επαφή με το κακό κρύβει τον θανάσιμο κίνδυνο της υποταγής σε αυτό. Επομένως, πρέπει να πάψουμε να υποκύπτουμε σε οτιδήποτε, ακόμα και στο καλό. Το λεγόμενο καλό στο οποίο υποτασσόμεθα χάνει τον ηθικό του χαρακτήρα. Όχι ότι υπάρχει τίποτα κακό σε αυτό, αλλά η υποταγή αυτή καθ’ αυτήν εκτρέφει ανωμαλίες. Κάθε μορφή εθισμού είναι κακή, άσχετα αν ο ναρκωτικός παράγοντας είναι το αλκοόλ, η μορφίνη ή ο ιδεαλισμός. Και πρέπει να προσέχουμε να μη θεωρούμε το καλό και το κακό ως απόλυτα αντίθετα, διότι το κριτήριο της ηθικής δράσης δεν μπορεί να στηρίζεται στην απλοϊκή άποψη ότι το καλό έχει πίσω του τη δύναμη της επιτακτικής αναγκαιότητας, ενώ το λεγόμενο κακό πρέπει να αποφεύγεται πάσης θυσία.»
Δεν έχω συναντήσει ποτέ αντίστοιχη επιμέλεια και ποιότητα έκδοσης. Ούτε σε ξενόγλωσσους εκδοτικούς.
«Η επαφή με το κακό κρύβει τον θανάσιμο κίνδυνο της υποταγής σε αυτό. Επομένως, πρέπει να πάψουμε να υποκύπτουμε σε οτιδήποτε, ακόμα και στο καλό. Το λεγόμενο καλό στο οποίο υποτασσόμεθα χάνει τον ηθικό του χαρακτήρα. Όχι ότι υπάρχει τίποτα κακό σε αυτό, αλλά η υποταγή αυτή καθ’ αυτήν εκτρέφει ανωμαλίες. Κάθε μορφή εθισμού είναι κακή, άσχετα αν ο ναρκωτικός παράγοντας είναι το αλκοόλ, η μορφίνη ή ο ιδεαλισμός. Και πρέπει να προσέχουμε να μη θεωρούμε το καλό και το κακό ως απόλυτα αντίθετα, διότι το κριτήριο της ηθικής δράσης δεν μπορεί να στηρίζεται στην απλοϊκή άποψη ότι το καλό έχει πίσω του τη δύναμη της επιτακτικής αναγκαιότητας, ενώ το λεγόμενο κακό πρέπει να αποφεύγεται πάσης θυσία.»
Δεν έχω συναντήσει ποτέ αντίστοιχη επιμέλεια και ποιότητα έκδοσης. Ούτε σε ξενόγλωσσους εκδοτικούς.
January 3, 2008
This is an amazing book, from a truly amazing man. Some of the concepts that we toss around that came from Jung:
* The concept of introversion vs. extroversion
* The concept of the complex
* Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was inspired by Jung's psychological types theory.
* Socionics, similar to MBTI, is also based on Jung's psychological types.
* Archetype concept, as an element of the archaic common substratum of the mind, or Collective Unconscious mind.
* Synchronicity idea, as an alternative to the Causality Principle, that has influence even on modern physicists.
Memories Dreams Reflections tells a lot about how he came to some of these discoveries, his inspiration and how he nurtured it (e.g., active imagination, what some term a shamanic process). He was truly unafraid, in a repressive time, to use whatever systems and methods, western or eastern, that would help.
* The concept of introversion vs. extroversion
* The concept of the complex
* Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was inspired by Jung's psychological types theory.
* Socionics, similar to MBTI, is also based on Jung's psychological types.
* Archetype concept, as an element of the archaic common substratum of the mind, or Collective Unconscious mind.
* Synchronicity idea, as an alternative to the Causality Principle, that has influence even on modern physicists.
Memories Dreams Reflections tells a lot about how he came to some of these discoveries, his inspiration and how he nurtured it (e.g., active imagination, what some term a shamanic process). He was truly unafraid, in a repressive time, to use whatever systems and methods, western or eastern, that would help.
September 14, 2015
A lucid and precise book, that is also easy to read. These points touched me the most:
That Jung gives his internal experiences a much higher value than his external experiences. I wonder how long it took him to do that.
That he could continue treating people without fear, even after his life was threatened so many times by crazy patients. I used to think this was a modern disease, but hell no!
The difficulties Jung faced with Freud, and the courage he required to break away from him, yet not criticize nor undermine him. It taught me a valuable lesson.
The part that absorbed me the most was his notion of the collective conscious & unconscious, which are formed through generations, and guide our instincts and logic. It’s really great how he used the mythology from different cultures to prove this.
His trip to India, and how he used Yoga to sustain his work, and his scientific understanding of the spirituality from the East. It opened my eyes really.
That Jung gives his internal experiences a much higher value than his external experiences. I wonder how long it took him to do that.
That he could continue treating people without fear, even after his life was threatened so many times by crazy patients. I used to think this was a modern disease, but hell no!
The difficulties Jung faced with Freud, and the courage he required to break away from him, yet not criticize nor undermine him. It taught me a valuable lesson.
The part that absorbed me the most was his notion of the collective conscious & unconscious, which are formed through generations, and guide our instincts and logic. It’s really great how he used the mythology from different cultures to prove this.
His trip to India, and how he used Yoga to sustain his work, and his scientific understanding of the spirituality from the East. It opened my eyes really.
January 10, 2022
As I am discovering more of Carl Jung, my respect for this intellectual giant keeps growing. Anthony Stevens’ compact introduction to Jung’s work was an excellent curtain raiser. This book, Jung’s (quasi-)autobiography, was an ideal follow-up.
According to scientific standards it almost goes without saying that someone who writes about life after death and about UFOs should be dismissed as a crackpot. But that judgment vanishes when one learns about the disciplined and rational way in which Jung approaches these subjects.
His take on the ‘hereafter’, for instance, goes as follows. Jung starts with the observation that nowadays the mythic side of man is given short shrift. He can no longer create fables. “As a result, a great deal escapes him; for it is important and salutory to speak also of incomprehensible things. (…) We are strictly limited by our innate structure and therefore bound by our whole being and thinking to this world of ours. Mythic man, to be sure, demands a ‘going beyond all that,’ but scientific man cannot permit this. To the intellect, all mythologising is futile speculation. To the emotions, however, it is a healing and valid activity; it gives a existence a glamour which we would not like to do without. Nor is there any good reason why we should. (…) A man should be able to say he has done his best to form a conception of life after death, or to create some image of it - even if he must confess his failure. Not to have done so is a vital loss. For the question that is posed to him is the age-old heritage of humanity: an archetype, rich in secret life, which seeks to add itself to our own individual life in order to make it whole. Reason sets the boundaries far to narrowly for us.”
This way of thinking is exemplary for Jung, and I find it truly empowering. Jung’s whole life work was devoted to bringing to light and tapping into repressed potential. The process of individuation invites us to go beyond the bounds of reason, to establish a connection with the mysterious realm of the unconscious and to connect with our guilt-laden shadow persona. We would do well to embrace this disposition also as a planetary society because our collective neuroses are leading us inexorably into catastrophe.
Jung’s accomplishment was huge. He developed a highly idiosyncratic but compelling theory and a powerful therapeutic practice. In this book he narrates how these insights emerged from seminal childhood dreams and visions. Seen from a wider historical perspective, Jung saw his work as a continuation of long tradition of inquiry into matters of mind and spirit, connecting late Antiquity Gnostics to medieval alchemists. All this unfolded in persistent friction with a rationalist Zeitgeist.
The book traces the full arc of his life and intellectual development. While much in the later chapters was edited by his secretary Aniela Jaffé, the voice throughout feels unmistakibly Jung’s. The prose is refreshingly straightforward and clear, even when it deals with matters far beyond the conscious intellect.
The concluding ‘Retrospect’ offers one of the most perplexing sections in this book. It’s a monumental and very moving assessment of Jung’s ultimate place in life. The modesty and honesty are sobering and unique. There is not the slightest impulse to ingratiate himself with his readers. The lines bristle with competing emotions: “I am astonished, disappointed, pleased with myself. I am distressed, depressed, rapturous. I am all these things at once, and cannot add up the sum. I am incapable of determining ultimate worth or worthlessness. I have no judgment about myself and my life. There is nothing I am quite sure about (…) The more uncertain I have felt about myself, the more there has grown up in me a feeling of kinship with all things.”
The discovery of Jung’s thought has been for me a mind-bending experience.
According to scientific standards it almost goes without saying that someone who writes about life after death and about UFOs should be dismissed as a crackpot. But that judgment vanishes when one learns about the disciplined and rational way in which Jung approaches these subjects.
His take on the ‘hereafter’, for instance, goes as follows. Jung starts with the observation that nowadays the mythic side of man is given short shrift. He can no longer create fables. “As a result, a great deal escapes him; for it is important and salutory to speak also of incomprehensible things. (…) We are strictly limited by our innate structure and therefore bound by our whole being and thinking to this world of ours. Mythic man, to be sure, demands a ‘going beyond all that,’ but scientific man cannot permit this. To the intellect, all mythologising is futile speculation. To the emotions, however, it is a healing and valid activity; it gives a existence a glamour which we would not like to do without. Nor is there any good reason why we should. (…) A man should be able to say he has done his best to form a conception of life after death, or to create some image of it - even if he must confess his failure. Not to have done so is a vital loss. For the question that is posed to him is the age-old heritage of humanity: an archetype, rich in secret life, which seeks to add itself to our own individual life in order to make it whole. Reason sets the boundaries far to narrowly for us.”
This way of thinking is exemplary for Jung, and I find it truly empowering. Jung’s whole life work was devoted to bringing to light and tapping into repressed potential. The process of individuation invites us to go beyond the bounds of reason, to establish a connection with the mysterious realm of the unconscious and to connect with our guilt-laden shadow persona. We would do well to embrace this disposition also as a planetary society because our collective neuroses are leading us inexorably into catastrophe.
Jung’s accomplishment was huge. He developed a highly idiosyncratic but compelling theory and a powerful therapeutic practice. In this book he narrates how these insights emerged from seminal childhood dreams and visions. Seen from a wider historical perspective, Jung saw his work as a continuation of long tradition of inquiry into matters of mind and spirit, connecting late Antiquity Gnostics to medieval alchemists. All this unfolded in persistent friction with a rationalist Zeitgeist.
The book traces the full arc of his life and intellectual development. While much in the later chapters was edited by his secretary Aniela Jaffé, the voice throughout feels unmistakibly Jung’s. The prose is refreshingly straightforward and clear, even when it deals with matters far beyond the conscious intellect.
The concluding ‘Retrospect’ offers one of the most perplexing sections in this book. It’s a monumental and very moving assessment of Jung’s ultimate place in life. The modesty and honesty are sobering and unique. There is not the slightest impulse to ingratiate himself with his readers. The lines bristle with competing emotions: “I am astonished, disappointed, pleased with myself. I am distressed, depressed, rapturous. I am all these things at once, and cannot add up the sum. I am incapable of determining ultimate worth or worthlessness. I have no judgment about myself and my life. There is nothing I am quite sure about (…) The more uncertain I have felt about myself, the more there has grown up in me a feeling of kinship with all things.”
The discovery of Jung’s thought has been for me a mind-bending experience.
May 13, 2010
I love Jung. I love him so much I bought the t-shirt. Seriously, for my birthday I got a t-shirt with Jung's big white face on it, and I wear it all the time. He looks pretty serious. I want people to know that Jung is watching them, so behave.
Sometimes I wonder, Am I a Jungian? Not really. But I could be. Everytime I read Jung I feel a greater part of myself converted. I do have a compulsive interest in dreams. Murakami's short stories do strike a chord with me. As skeptical as I am about everything I have to admit that in my heart I'm monk who yearns for a religion.
I love Jung because:
His psycho-gospel is a path of intense personal spirituality. It's an attitude of searching for and claiming a truth peculiar to oneself. It's a cry against the materialism of super-rational modernism. Meaninglessness, he says, is a mental illness. The alternative is a milieu of your own images and symbols and intuitive experiences, that while deeply subjective, serves to make the world a bigger place. Now how could an aspiring writer like me not sign up for that? The individuation process is basically what a novel does.
The seriousness of his play. When Jung got stuck he drew mandalas and built sandcastles. He approached these playful activities with all seriousness of thought. I admire anyone who "works out his own salvation with fear and trembling" by playing games, by trying on costumes, by making up stories.
He considered himself a man of science. I have to laugh at that sometimes. Like when he says things such as, "Astrology is in the process of becoming a science," I have to wonder how scientific his science is. And yet he did shed his dogmas and he did seek to observe the psyche with all objectivity. His psycho-gospel was born from those conclusions. And he was most certainly willing to sacrifice to the gods he discovered behind the curtain. When I think of that, all the rigor he applied the texts of dreams and fairy tales and alchemy and gnosticism and crazy-talk, it occurs to me that he may very well have dedicated his entire life to nonsense; and yet something inside me, rather than being turned off by that, says RIGHT ON!
~~~~~~
This is a great book. He loses me at times — he always does — but even when I don't find his conclusions compelling, he, as a character, always compels me. I loved learning that he was a creepy child. I loved the first-hand account of his falling out with Freud. The prologue exudes a wisdom that I can't put a finger on and might function better as an epilogue. It presents, I think, a man reposed in a world of his own making. His world is huge and so he's free to move around it as he pleases. It's well lit too, so he's warm and sure footed and is able to see far ahead.
Sometimes I wonder, Am I a Jungian? Not really. But I could be. Everytime I read Jung I feel a greater part of myself converted. I do have a compulsive interest in dreams. Murakami's short stories do strike a chord with me. As skeptical as I am about everything I have to admit that in my heart I'm monk who yearns for a religion.
I love Jung because:
His psycho-gospel is a path of intense personal spirituality. It's an attitude of searching for and claiming a truth peculiar to oneself. It's a cry against the materialism of super-rational modernism. Meaninglessness, he says, is a mental illness. The alternative is a milieu of your own images and symbols and intuitive experiences, that while deeply subjective, serves to make the world a bigger place. Now how could an aspiring writer like me not sign up for that? The individuation process is basically what a novel does.
The seriousness of his play. When Jung got stuck he drew mandalas and built sandcastles. He approached these playful activities with all seriousness of thought. I admire anyone who "works out his own salvation with fear and trembling" by playing games, by trying on costumes, by making up stories.
He considered himself a man of science. I have to laugh at that sometimes. Like when he says things such as, "Astrology is in the process of becoming a science," I have to wonder how scientific his science is. And yet he did shed his dogmas and he did seek to observe the psyche with all objectivity. His psycho-gospel was born from those conclusions. And he was most certainly willing to sacrifice to the gods he discovered behind the curtain. When I think of that, all the rigor he applied the texts of dreams and fairy tales and alchemy and gnosticism and crazy-talk, it occurs to me that he may very well have dedicated his entire life to nonsense; and yet something inside me, rather than being turned off by that, says RIGHT ON!
~~~~~~
This is a great book. He loses me at times — he always does — but even when I don't find his conclusions compelling, he, as a character, always compels me. I loved learning that he was a creepy child. I loved the first-hand account of his falling out with Freud. The prologue exudes a wisdom that I can't put a finger on and might function better as an epilogue. It presents, I think, a man reposed in a world of his own making. His world is huge and so he's free to move around it as he pleases. It's well lit too, so he's warm and sure footed and is able to see far ahead.
Read
January 14, 2024A fost o surpriza aceasta carte - suntem purtati prin etape ale vietii, calatorii, vise si viziuni ce au avut un impact important pentru C. G. Jung, intr-o naratiune confesionala. Nu ma asteptam la elementele de misticism si spiritualitate, insa a fost interesant sa vad si argumentele prezentate in acest sens.
"Este sensul existentei mele ca viata sa-mi poata pune o intrebare. Sau, invers: eu insumi sunt o intrebare adresata lumii, iar eu trebuie sa furnizez raspunsul meu, caci altfel sunt redus la raspunsul pe care mi-l va da lumea."
"Este sensul existentei mele ca viata sa-mi poata pune o intrebare. Sau, invers: eu insumi sunt o intrebare adresata lumii, iar eu trebuie sa furnizez raspunsul meu, caci altfel sunt redus la raspunsul pe care mi-l va da lumea."
July 12, 2019
I love this memoir because it is so deeply personal. I don't fully accept Jung's world view but I've always admired him and appreciated his brilliant mind. These stories of his life and work are so rich and interesting. Unfortunately for him, Jung was often dismissed as a mere mystic by his peers which is professional death for a serious scientist ... And yet, I think it would be hard to come away from this memoir without thinking of him as a mystic and visionary. But I think no less of him for that. In fact, I admire his courage and honesty in sharing his ideas and so much personal information about himself. It's a rare quality in psychiatrists even now, let alone in his era.
Read
June 6, 2016وقتی انسان راه تفرد را دنبال می کند، وقتی زندگی خودش را زندگی می کند، باید خطاها را پبذیرد، زیرا زندگی بدون این اشتباهات کامل نمی شود و یا حتی برای یک لحظه تضمینی نیست که گرفتار خطا نشویم. شاید بیندیشیم راه امنی نیز وجود دارد، اما آن راه، راه مرگ خواهد بود: آنگاه دیگر چیزی رخ نخواهد داد، یعنی لااقل چیزهای درست. آن کس که راه مطمئن در پیش می گیرد با مرده فرقی ندارد...!
July 19, 2018
(You can find the better looking version of this review on my blog: http://elephantsonclouds.blogspot.com...)
At the time when he became a psychiatrist, nobody really understood much how mental conditions could be treated and they were not even trying to find ways to help the patients. They were just diagnosing most people with mental conditions as suffering from schizophrenia and considered them freaks, putting them in secluded places so as to keep them from harming themselves or others. Jung regarded his work as a psychiatrist as a challenge, as a way to better understand himself and mind in general and he succeeded greatly at that, becoming a pioneer in treating these conditions through psychoanalysis. Most of his theories are, even if some might not be regarded as entirely correct, really very interesting and intriguing and they are great food for thought. This book presents how he reached most of his conclusions and how they all presented to him in a way or another through dreams and visions. His continuous struggles and victories to decipher them displayed vastly in this book made me realize how great and superior a mind he had.
Most of what he said seemed somehow familiar to me. I have, sometimes in the past, in one moment or another, felt the way he had felt and I was not able to reach a conclusion or put the feeling into words as well as he did. Like the passage below, for instance:
Mystics, Gnostics, alchemists, Buddhists, Taoists, philosophers and many others were preoccupied with understanding the mind better. Jung studied all of them by himself, read anything that he could put his hands on about myths, ancient religions, behavior of the primitives. He also studied and interpreted his own dreams, taking into account symbols discovered in all the books he read, his visions, his memories, his encounters with other cultures and his patients’ behavior and connected in his mind all the knowledge he could get (and believe me, it is pretty clear in this book that he was like a sponge for any knowledge of this kind) and reached mindblowing conclusions.
At the time when he became a psychiatrist, nobody really understood much how mental conditions could be treated and they were not even trying to find ways to help the patients. They were just diagnosing most people with mental conditions as suffering from schizophrenia and considered them freaks, putting them in secluded places so as to keep them from harming themselves or others. Jung regarded his work as a psychiatrist as a challenge, as a way to better understand himself and mind in general and he succeeded greatly at that, becoming a pioneer in treating these conditions through psychoanalysis. Most of his theories are, even if some might not be regarded as entirely correct, really very interesting and intriguing and they are great food for thought. This book presents how he reached most of his conclusions and how they all presented to him in a way or another through dreams and visions. His continuous struggles and victories to decipher them displayed vastly in this book made me realize how great and superior a mind he had.
His theories about the collective unconscious, about good and evil as being facets of a whole (pertaining to his theory about the shadows which is brilliant), of God arranging in his omniscience so that Adam and Eve would have to sin by having created the serpent before them and therefore placing in them the possibility of doing it (this echoed both Steinbeck’s view from East of Eden and Spinoza’s philosophy of the lack of will and of a God who sees the bigger picture in which bad is not really bad which I was happening to read in the morning – should I categorize this as synchronicity, a concept also defined by Jung?), all these helped me have a more comprehensive view of life and they also helped me understand myself better.
"Life has always seemed to me like a plant that lives on its rhizome. Its true life is invisible, hidden in the rhizome. The part that appears above ground lasts only a single summer. Then it withers away – an ephemeral apparition. When we think of the unending growth and decay of life and civilizations, we cannot escape the impression of absolute nullity. Yet I have never lost a sense of something that lives and endures underneath the eternal flux. What we see is the blossom, which passes. The rhizome remains."No, this is not a biography per se. So, if you expect it to be like one, you’ll be disappointed. Jung chiefly speaks here of inner experiences, being most certain that these and only these form the prima materia of his scientific work. He is sure that inner experiences also set their seal on the outward experiences that came his way and assumed importance for him in his youth or later on. He discovered that anxiety presented itself in dreams of objects that were now small, now suffocatingly large (God, I’ve wondered so many times why, when I closed my eyes sometimes, I had this very disturbing image in my head). He discovered the basis for his theory of persona (the mask that we are wearing when interacting with others) when he was in primary school, he became conscious of the concept of ego in himself at some point when he was seized with rage that someone had dared to insult him.
Most of what he said seemed somehow familiar to me. I have, sometimes in the past, in one moment or another, felt the way he had felt and I was not able to reach a conclusion or put the feeling into words as well as he did. Like the passage below, for instance:
"I knew so little about myself, and the little was so contradictory that I could not with a good conscience reject any accusations. As a matter of fact I always had a guilty conscience and was aware of both actual and potential faults. For that reason I was particularly sensitive to reproofs, since all of them more or less struck home. Although I had not in reality done what I was accused of, I felt that I might have done it. I would even draw up a list of alibis in case I should be accused of something. I felt positively relieved when I had actually done something wrong. Then, at least I knew what my guilty conscience was for. Naturally I compensated my inner insecurity by an outward show of security, or – to put it better – the defect compensated itself without the intervention of my will."The dream that he had which made him realize what consciousness really means in our human psyche is most interesting and I choose to add it here below. I will however add this as a spoiler (and the rest of the review as well) as I feel that I cannot summarize the richness of his ideas in a short text and this review will become way too long if I do not do this. It is up to you if you choose to read on or not.
February 19, 2011
I really, really, really, really, really enjoyed the first part of this book. I developed a strong crush on Dr. Jung due to his extreme sensitivity, reflection, and openmindedness displayed naturally from a very young age. We often fall for those who've been through the same fundamental inner experiences; I related so hard to his battle with religious doubt as a pre-teen and teenager. I highlighted so much of the section of this book in which he explains his thoughts about God, as I'd had the same thoughts growing up in a religious home. Additionally, I was an "outsider" type as a child, an experience he documents as part of his own childhood pain. The integrity with which he approaches his personal belief system as a child impressed me, and he took that quality with him through the rest of his life, pursuing all of his interests with such analysis and then adding intuition on top of it, to enhance this already-solid eye. An amazing man.
I was into this book up through the parts where he described some patients, establishing himself as a psychiatrist, having fallouts with Freud. Once he started going into his visions (not just dreams--visions!), he started to lose me. I haven't read any of his other works yet, so I don't know how "ready" I am to "get" the symbolism he seems to see in his subconscious expressions. It was at least interesting for a while, but then I started finding the analyses to be tedious, far-fetched, and even anxiety-provoking. Perhaps my own subconscious is being repressed and is fighting back against being seen!?!?! Ha. Who knows. I sure don't, and I'm too much of a psych-n00b to really get why.
I started keeping a dream log as a result of this reading. I had originally decided to read this book because I wanted to have more insight into my dreams, but I didn't realize what I was in for. Maybe after reading more accessible works I'll be able to return to Jung's self-analytics and appreciate them more. For now, ignorance colors it hokey and far-fetched. At least I'm keeping tabs on my dreams for future reference.
Some quotes of note:
"I was concerned with investigating truth, not with questions of personal prestige."
"...it sometimes happens to the best analyst that he is unable to unlock the riddle of a dream."
"The collective unconscious is common to all; it is the foundation of what the ancients called the 'sympathy of all things'."
"The kernel of all jealousy is lack of love."
"Dreams are, after all, compensations for the conscious attitude."
I was into this book up through the parts where he described some patients, establishing himself as a psychiatrist, having fallouts with Freud. Once he started going into his visions (not just dreams--visions!), he started to lose me. I haven't read any of his other works yet, so I don't know how "ready" I am to "get" the symbolism he seems to see in his subconscious expressions. It was at least interesting for a while, but then I started finding the analyses to be tedious, far-fetched, and even anxiety-provoking. Perhaps my own subconscious is being repressed and is fighting back against being seen!?!?! Ha. Who knows. I sure don't, and I'm too much of a psych-n00b to really get why.
I started keeping a dream log as a result of this reading. I had originally decided to read this book because I wanted to have more insight into my dreams, but I didn't realize what I was in for. Maybe after reading more accessible works I'll be able to return to Jung's self-analytics and appreciate them more. For now, ignorance colors it hokey and far-fetched. At least I'm keeping tabs on my dreams for future reference.
Some quotes of note:
"I was concerned with investigating truth, not with questions of personal prestige."
"...it sometimes happens to the best analyst that he is unable to unlock the riddle of a dream."
"The collective unconscious is common to all; it is the foundation of what the ancients called the 'sympathy of all things'."
"The kernel of all jealousy is lack of love."
"Dreams are, after all, compensations for the conscious attitude."
June 14, 2020
اگر یونگ در زندگیتون موثر بوده و میخواین بدونین چطوری یونگ شد این کتاب کاملا آگاهتون میکنه.
برام دشواره با همه ی عقاید یونگ عزیز و به قول فروید موهوم پرستی ها و علاقه ش به علوم مرموز موافق باشم. حداقل الان نه. این نفرت عجیب یونگ از علم مداری و عقل گرایی فعلا برام غامضه. اما با همه ی اینها توی زندگی و خط فکری من و مسیر خودشناسیم راهنما و پیشروست. یونگ مثل هیچکس دیگه ای نبود و خودش این رو از کودکی میدونست و تنهایی رو به این صورت تعریف میکرد که "تنهایی از این نیست که آدم کسانی را در اطراف نداشته باشد از این است که آدم نتواند چیزهایی را منتقل کند که مهم می پندارد، از این است که آدم صاحب عقایدی باشد که برای دیگران پذیرفتنی نیست."
یونگ برای عقایدش کتابها خوند و سفرها کرد. با آدمهای زیادی همکلام شد و دائما در تکاپو و جست و جو و درون کاوی بود و این ها یونگ رو از خیلی افراد دیگه متمایز میکنه.
کتاب رو پیشنهاد میکنم که با ذهنی بازو حتما در کنار بقیه کتابهای یونگ بخونین.
برام دشواره با همه ی عقاید یونگ عزیز و به قول فروید موهوم پرستی ها و علاقه ش به علوم مرموز موافق باشم. حداقل الان نه. این نفرت عجیب یونگ از علم مداری و عقل گرایی فعلا برام غامضه. اما با همه ی اینها توی زندگی و خط فکری من و مسیر خودشناسیم راهنما و پیشروست. یونگ مثل هیچکس دیگه ای نبود و خودش این رو از کودکی میدونست و تنهایی رو به این صورت تعریف میکرد که "تنهایی از این نیست که آدم کسانی را در اطراف نداشته باشد از این است که آدم نتواند چیزهایی را منتقل کند که مهم می پندارد، از این است که آدم صاحب عقایدی باشد که برای دیگران پذیرفتنی نیست."
یونگ برای عقایدش کتابها خوند و سفرها کرد. با آدمهای زیادی همکلام شد و دائما در تکاپو و جست و جو و درون کاوی بود و این ها یونگ رو از خیلی افراد دیگه متمایز میکنه.
کتاب رو پیشنهاد میکنم که با ذهنی بازو حتما در کنار بقیه کتابهای یونگ بخونین.
April 26, 2022
Amintirile, visele si reflectiile lui Jung (colectate sub forma unor conversatii ulterior transcrise de fosta lui asistenta) acopera viata acestuia, din primii ani, pana aproape de moarte.
Împărțite in capitole, copilaria, adolescenta , universitatea, capata ulterior limite mai putin precise .
Mi a placut si nu mi a placut.
Prima jumatate a cartii, prima jumatate a vietii , pana spre 40 de ani mi s a parut extrem de interesanta.
Intamplarile, reactiile la ce vine din afara si analiza lor minutioasa m au intrigat si poate, sper eu , am si invatat ceva de acolo.
Un moment important al vietii lui -explorarea inconstientului propriu dureaza cativa ani, timp in care Jung este foarte retras, deseneaza, sculpteaza, noteaza vise.
Consecutiv acelei perioade iau nastere conceptele moderne de arhetip , anima si animus, inconstient colectiv, notiuni care vor ajuta indirect (prin ajutorul psihologilor profesionisti ; exista oare psihologi care sa il fi citit integral si inteles macar partial?) oamenii sa aiba o viata mai buna. Aportul cultural, stiintific si medical adus de Jung este incontestabil.
Totusi, ce m a frapat , la sfarsitul acelui capitol a fost marturia lui Jung.
Afundant in abisul propriului inconstient , povesteste ca ar fi luat calea lui Nietzsche sau a altora care au avut un sfarsit tragic si prematur, daca nu ar fi avut pe pamantul si in realitatea aceastei lumi ancora ferma a propriei familii -sotia si copiii lui l au "extras" din "ghearele nebuniei".
Este periculos , fascinant, misterios psihicul uman, asa-i ?
A doua jumatate a cartii/ vietii -calatoriile prin lume, interesul pentru alchimie si diverse fenomene oculte mi s a parut cel putin bizara Ce am gasit bizar a fost felul in care in calatorii, dar si mai tarziu, isi autointerpreta visele pe care si le amintește si descrie "en detail" .
Ulterior, intr o etapa a vietii mature, experientele parapsihologice, capacitatea declarata de a prevedea anumite intamplari si inca o data analiza viselor au facut aceasta "autobiografie" mai putin atragatoare pentru mine. Fara a nega faptul ca un vis poate avea o semnificatie, fara a nega , dar nici afirma capacitatea unor oameni de a avea experiente parapsihologice sau ca exista / nu exista UFO , recunosc ca aceste subiecte, cel putin in momentul cand scriu aceste randuri, nu prezinta interes pentru mine.
In schimb, renunțarea la religia locului unde intamplarea a facut sa se nasca si câștigarea in timp a propriei viziuni asupra eternitatii universului din care venim si catre care ne intoarcem , mi au placut si m au interesat.
Bref, cartea este o mica fereastra pe care Jung o deschide, pentru noi , catre interiorul lui. Fara sa atinga deloc subiectele sotie, copii, amante, exploreaza relatiile din copilarie si impactul lor asupra a ceea ce Jung a devenit.
Spune undeva in carte, ca multe ganduri proprii le a tinut pentru el. Nu a crezut ca poate fi inteles corect si pana la capat. Totodata celebra "carte rosie" desenele de o frumusete si simbolistica rara, a fost publicata de familia psihiatrului la 50 de ani de la moartea acestuia, si , cu toate ca a scris si publicat nenumarate carti si articole, multe sunt inca, la cererea lui, in paza familiei, departe de ochii curiosilor ca mine.
Adevarat, citind anumite lucruri in carte, ma gandeam este aici o minte tulburata. A mea sau a lui? Glumesc. Pur si simplu m am luptat sa nu pun etichete, dar iata, am pierdut acesta lupta. Geniile au momentele lor , in care pentru noi ,cei de rand, ar trece drept momente de nebunie curata.
O personalitate cu o sete nestavilita de cunoastere, un om de o vasta cultura , un creator si un vizionar, un scriitor prolific, si totodata un barbat longeviv si cu o mare pofta de viata.
Pentru o biografie a lui Jung, cautati in alta parte.
Pentru a ne face o idee despre cum a ajuns Jung sa gandeasca si sa scrie ceea ce a scris, este o lectura ideala.
"La urma urmei, omul este un eveniment care nu se judeca singur, ci cade prada judecatii altora-for better or worse".
Ce bucurie sa vezi omul si viata ca pe un eveniment!
Sau asa cum atat de frumos spunea Nichita, prin intermediul lui Nicu Alifantis:
"Ce bine ca ești, ce mirare ca sunt!"
Împărțite in capitole, copilaria, adolescenta , universitatea, capata ulterior limite mai putin precise .
Mi a placut si nu mi a placut.
Prima jumatate a cartii, prima jumatate a vietii , pana spre 40 de ani mi s a parut extrem de interesanta.
Intamplarile, reactiile la ce vine din afara si analiza lor minutioasa m au intrigat si poate, sper eu , am si invatat ceva de acolo.
Un moment important al vietii lui -explorarea inconstientului propriu dureaza cativa ani, timp in care Jung este foarte retras, deseneaza, sculpteaza, noteaza vise.
Consecutiv acelei perioade iau nastere conceptele moderne de arhetip , anima si animus, inconstient colectiv, notiuni care vor ajuta indirect (prin ajutorul psihologilor profesionisti ; exista oare psihologi care sa il fi citit integral si inteles macar partial?) oamenii sa aiba o viata mai buna. Aportul cultural, stiintific si medical adus de Jung este incontestabil.
Totusi, ce m a frapat , la sfarsitul acelui capitol a fost marturia lui Jung.
Afundant in abisul propriului inconstient , povesteste ca ar fi luat calea lui Nietzsche sau a altora care au avut un sfarsit tragic si prematur, daca nu ar fi avut pe pamantul si in realitatea aceastei lumi ancora ferma a propriei familii -sotia si copiii lui l au "extras" din "ghearele nebuniei".
Este periculos , fascinant, misterios psihicul uman, asa-i ?
A doua jumatate a cartii/ vietii -calatoriile prin lume, interesul pentru alchimie si diverse fenomene oculte mi s a parut cel putin bizara Ce am gasit bizar a fost felul in care in calatorii, dar si mai tarziu, isi autointerpreta visele pe care si le amintește si descrie "en detail" .
Ulterior, intr o etapa a vietii mature, experientele parapsihologice, capacitatea declarata de a prevedea anumite intamplari si inca o data analiza viselor au facut aceasta "autobiografie" mai putin atragatoare pentru mine. Fara a nega faptul ca un vis poate avea o semnificatie, fara a nega , dar nici afirma capacitatea unor oameni de a avea experiente parapsihologice sau ca exista / nu exista UFO , recunosc ca aceste subiecte, cel putin in momentul cand scriu aceste randuri, nu prezinta interes pentru mine.
In schimb, renunțarea la religia locului unde intamplarea a facut sa se nasca si câștigarea in timp a propriei viziuni asupra eternitatii universului din care venim si catre care ne intoarcem , mi au placut si m au interesat.
Bref, cartea este o mica fereastra pe care Jung o deschide, pentru noi , catre interiorul lui. Fara sa atinga deloc subiectele sotie, copii, amante, exploreaza relatiile din copilarie si impactul lor asupra a ceea ce Jung a devenit.
Spune undeva in carte, ca multe ganduri proprii le a tinut pentru el. Nu a crezut ca poate fi inteles corect si pana la capat. Totodata celebra "carte rosie" desenele de o frumusete si simbolistica rara, a fost publicata de familia psihiatrului la 50 de ani de la moartea acestuia, si , cu toate ca a scris si publicat nenumarate carti si articole, multe sunt inca, la cererea lui, in paza familiei, departe de ochii curiosilor ca mine.
Adevarat, citind anumite lucruri in carte, ma gandeam este aici o minte tulburata. A mea sau a lui? Glumesc. Pur si simplu m am luptat sa nu pun etichete, dar iata, am pierdut acesta lupta. Geniile au momentele lor , in care pentru noi ,cei de rand, ar trece drept momente de nebunie curata.
O personalitate cu o sete nestavilita de cunoastere, un om de o vasta cultura , un creator si un vizionar, un scriitor prolific, si totodata un barbat longeviv si cu o mare pofta de viata.
Pentru o biografie a lui Jung, cautati in alta parte.
Pentru a ne face o idee despre cum a ajuns Jung sa gandeasca si sa scrie ceea ce a scris, este o lectura ideala.
"La urma urmei, omul este un eveniment care nu se judeca singur, ci cade prada judecatii altora-for better or worse".
Ce bucurie sa vezi omul si viata ca pe un eveniment!
Sau asa cum atat de frumos spunea Nichita, prin intermediul lui Nicu Alifantis:
"Ce bine ca ești, ce mirare ca sunt!"
December 22, 2015
If you only read one book that is written by Carl Jung, this is the book to read. It is the most understandable book he has written and one I enjoy reading over and over!
Jung wrote this book as more of a case study than as an autobiography, giving you a first hand understanding of his inner process. We do not usually get this kind of information from our great ones in psychology, rather we only get to read of their theories once formed and perhaps studies with their clients. But we rarely are privileged to the inner story like Jung reveals in this book, with the history and questions about self, along with his process of introspection and self-discovery that propelled his curiosity of the human condition and lead him to formulate his psychological theories about the individuation process.
Martha Love,
Author of What's Behind Your Belly Button? A Psychological Perspective of the Intelligence of Human Nature and Gut Instinct and
Increasing Intuitional Intelligence: How the Awareness of Instinctual Gut Feelings Fosters Human Learning, Intuition, and Longevity
Jung wrote this book as more of a case study than as an autobiography, giving you a first hand understanding of his inner process. We do not usually get this kind of information from our great ones in psychology, rather we only get to read of their theories once formed and perhaps studies with their clients. But we rarely are privileged to the inner story like Jung reveals in this book, with the history and questions about self, along with his process of introspection and self-discovery that propelled his curiosity of the human condition and lead him to formulate his psychological theories about the individuation process.
Martha Love,
Author of What's Behind Your Belly Button? A Psychological Perspective of the Intelligence of Human Nature and Gut Instinct and
Increasing Intuitional Intelligence: How the Awareness of Instinctual Gut Feelings Fosters Human Learning, Intuition, and Longevity
July 18, 2010
If you read anything by Jung, read this book. This deals with his psychological theories in a much more personal way than his other work, and, as it is written in the twilight of his life, he has no fear of academic or personal reprisal. His analysis of Freud is particularly revealing- both damning and humanizing. It also gives a very powerful insight into the way that myths can be opened up for personal growth & analysis. Of course, if you want to get the most out of this book, it may help to have a book such as the Complete Works of Jung handy, so you can familiarize yourself with his terminology and the progress of his ideas.
On the other hand, if you get pissed off when "scholars" begin sentences with "I think..." or "I feel...", leave it be. You'll just hurt yourself. He's completely fine with subjectivity.
Read for the Immanence of Myth project www.modernmythology.net
On the other hand, if you get pissed off when "scholars" begin sentences with "I think..." or "I feel...", leave it be. You'll just hurt yourself. He's completely fine with subjectivity.
Read for the Immanence of Myth project www.modernmythology.net
February 7, 2019
“Geçmiş ürkünç bir gerçektir ve varlığını sürdürürken tatmin edici bir yanıt bulup canını kurtaramayan herkesi yakalar.”
Genelde okuduğumuz kitaplara kıyasla yer yer “yavaş ilerleyen” bir kitap olduğunu inkar edemeyeceğim. Ama sonuçta bu her şeyden önce “ruhun çok derin bir gerçek olduğuna inanan” bir adamın otobiyografisi, fazla aksiyon içermiyor.
Elimde olsa herkesin -kendileri için doğru zaman geldiğinde- bu kitabı okumasını sağlardım. Carl Jung psikoloji ve psikiyatri için varlığına şükredeceğimiz bir isim ve anılarını okumak benim için en az psikoloji ders kitabımız kadar faydalı oldu.
“Birey, bilincine varabilirse dünyanın yarısının ruhtan oluştuğunu anlar. Bu nedenle ruh bireysel bir sorun değil bir dünya sorunsalıdır ve bir psikiyatrist tüm dünyayla uğraşmak zorundadır.”
Genelde okuduğumuz kitaplara kıyasla yer yer “yavaş ilerleyen” bir kitap olduğunu inkar edemeyeceğim. Ama sonuçta bu her şeyden önce “ruhun çok derin bir gerçek olduğuna inanan” bir adamın otobiyografisi, fazla aksiyon içermiyor.
Elimde olsa herkesin -kendileri için doğru zaman geldiğinde- bu kitabı okumasını sağlardım. Carl Jung psikoloji ve psikiyatri için varlığına şükredeceğimiz bir isim ve anılarını okumak benim için en az psikoloji ders kitabımız kadar faydalı oldu.
“Birey, bilincine varabilirse dünyanın yarısının ruhtan oluştuğunu anlar. Bu nedenle ruh bireysel bir sorun değil bir dünya sorunsalıdır ve bir psikiyatrist tüm dünyayla uğraşmak zorundadır.”
August 18, 2020
Down the rabbit hole I went, upwards into the ethereal realm of the unconscious, looking sideways at the mirrored self, reflecting on the emerging patterns of reflections, dreams, memories, backwards turning forwards. Is it synchronicity or confirmation bias… I enjoyed the spirit and energy of this but as open minded as I am, as soon as Jung began insisting on the validity of clairvoyance he lost me as a reader and I closed the book.
February 11, 2022
Một ai đó trên Quora hướng dẫn t khi đọc các cuốn sách của Carl Jung. Nếu như ko đủ thời gian thì t nên bắt đầu nên đọc "Memories, Dreams, Reflections" (MDR); sau đó là "Man and his symbols" và cuối cùng đọc "The Red Book". Và nếu như t ko tìm thấy một điều gì đó để đi sâu hơn thì t nên dừng lại như vậy bởi vì Jung ko phải là một tác giả dễ đọc.
Trong 3 cuốn thì MDR là dễ đọc nhất. Nhưng điều đáng buồn là cuốn sách được đánh giá ít "Jung" nhất.
Dù bị đánh giá như vậy, cuốn sách cũng hé mở một chút thế giới quan của Jung. Khi đọc những chương đầu tiên t thâý như thể nó động chạm vào một cái gì đó riêng tư và căn bản ở trong t.
"I early arrived at the insight that when no answer comes from within to the problems and complexities of life, they ultimately mean very little."
Khi cùng tác giả rà soát lại những ký ức tuổi thơ, t nhận ra mình vẫn còn lưu giữ khá nhiều kỷ niệm lúc còn rất nhỏ, chắc có lẽ bắt đầu từ lúc 2 tuổi. Mặc dù ko có một trí tưởng tượng mạnh mẽ và phong phú như Jung, t vẫn nhớ những hoang tưởng kỳ lạ mà vào thời điểm đó, t thực sự tin là sự thật. T từng tin rằng cha mẹ mình mỗi tối sẽ bị 2 con quái vật nuốt chửng, sau đó 2 con quái vật này sẽ lột da để biến thành cha mẹ. Đến tối hôm sau chúng lại bị 2 quái vật khác nuốt chửng... Thật mừng là khi đọc Jung, t nhận ra rằng mình ko phải là đứa trẻ lập dị duy nhất.
Một quan sát thú vị khác của Jung mà t đồng cảm: "I return now to the discovery I made in the course of associating with my rustic schoolmates. I found that they alienated me from myself. When I was with them I became diferent from the way I was at home". Điều này ko rõ ràng khi t còn là một đứa trẻ. Khi ở bên bạn học lúc còn bé t thấy một sự vui vẻ phấn chấn kỳ lạ, nó bù đắp cho những lúc ở nhà với những bất ổn trong gia đình. Sự tách biệt nhân cách này rõ ràng hơn ở những năm tháng sau này và t hoàn toàn ý thức đc nó. Phải chăng đây là sự tách biệt giữa mặt nạ (persona) và bản ngã (ego)? T sẽ cần tiếp tục tìm hiểu để biết điều này.
T có rất nhiều thứ yêu thích ở Jung, từ học thuyết ông đề ra cho đến những câu chuyện trị liệu bệnh nhân tâm thần. T sẽ cố ghi lại ở đây những thứ mà t đang tưởng tượng về Jung, có thể t sẽ xem lại những điều này khi biết hơn về ông:
1. Thông tin di truyền ngoài kiểu hình (cơ thể) hay tính cách thì có những ký ức hay hình ảnh được truyền từ nhiều thế hệ trước. Những ký ức và hình ảnh này có thể đc truy cập bằng giấc mơ hoặc tưởng tượng. Đoạn trích khiến t nghĩ vậy: "In the course of my life it has often happened to me that I suddenly knew something which I really could not know at all. The knowledge came to me as though it were my own idea. It was the same with my mother. She did not know what she was saying; it was like a voice wielding absolute authority, which said exactly what fitted the situation."
2. Jung về Nietzscshe. Jung hiểu phát kiến của Nietzsche về con người hiện đại, về sự biến mất của giá trị hàng ngàn năm nằm trong tôn giáo và truyền thống. Jung giống như Nietzsche, phê bình sự "tôn thờ" khoa học của người hiện đại, quên đi cái linh hồn ngàn năm. Ông nói về Nietzsche "...all a vain attempt to catch the ear of a world which had sold it soul for a mass of disconnected facts." hay ở một đoạn khác "The spirit does not dwell in concepts, but in deeds and facts".
3. Jung cùng một số ít đồng nghiệp vào đầu tk 20, quyết định thay đổi ngành trị liệu tâm thần. Thay vì chỉ chữa trị triệu chứng bằng những phương pháp tàn nhẫn ("lobotomize" là 1 ví dụ), ông quyết định bước vào cơn điên của bệnh nhân, để hiểu, giải mã từng hoang tưởng, từng cơn điên. Jung viết: "A personality, a life history, a pattern of hopes and desires lie behind the psychosis. The fault is ours if we do not understand them."
4. Trích trực tiếp vì nó hay: "I have frequently seen people become neurotic when they content themselves with inadequate or wrong answers to the problem of life. They seek position, marriage, reputation, outward success or money, and remain unhappy and neurotic even when they have attained what they were seeking"
5. Tội ác kinh tởm của con người như loạn luân chẳng hạn, ko quá đặc biệt với Jung: "Incest and perversions were no remarkable, and did not call for any special explanantion" bởi vì "It's just that all of those people are city folks who know nothing about nature and the human stable". Vì sự ngây thơ này mà người hiện đại thần kinh (neurotic). Jung viết tiếp: "They are too naive, like children, and it is necessary to tell them the facts of life, so to speak"
Trong 3 cuốn thì MDR là dễ đọc nhất. Nhưng điều đáng buồn là cuốn sách được đánh giá ít "Jung" nhất.
Dù bị đánh giá như vậy, cuốn sách cũng hé mở một chút thế giới quan của Jung. Khi đọc những chương đầu tiên t thâý như thể nó động chạm vào một cái gì đó riêng tư và căn bản ở trong t.
"I early arrived at the insight that when no answer comes from within to the problems and complexities of life, they ultimately mean very little."
Khi cùng tác giả rà soát lại những ký ức tuổi thơ, t nhận ra mình vẫn còn lưu giữ khá nhiều kỷ niệm lúc còn rất nhỏ, chắc có lẽ bắt đầu từ lúc 2 tuổi. Mặc dù ko có một trí tưởng tượng mạnh mẽ và phong phú như Jung, t vẫn nhớ những hoang tưởng kỳ lạ mà vào thời điểm đó, t thực sự tin là sự thật. T từng tin rằng cha mẹ mình mỗi tối sẽ bị 2 con quái vật nuốt chửng, sau đó 2 con quái vật này sẽ lột da để biến thành cha mẹ. Đến tối hôm sau chúng lại bị 2 quái vật khác nuốt chửng... Thật mừng là khi đọc Jung, t nhận ra rằng mình ko phải là đứa trẻ lập dị duy nhất.
Một quan sát thú vị khác của Jung mà t đồng cảm: "I return now to the discovery I made in the course of associating with my rustic schoolmates. I found that they alienated me from myself. When I was with them I became diferent from the way I was at home". Điều này ko rõ ràng khi t còn là một đứa trẻ. Khi ở bên bạn học lúc còn bé t thấy một sự vui vẻ phấn chấn kỳ lạ, nó bù đắp cho những lúc ở nhà với những bất ổn trong gia đình. Sự tách biệt nhân cách này rõ ràng hơn ở những năm tháng sau này và t hoàn toàn ý thức đc nó. Phải chăng đây là sự tách biệt giữa mặt nạ (persona) và bản ngã (ego)? T sẽ cần tiếp tục tìm hiểu để biết điều này.
T có rất nhiều thứ yêu thích ở Jung, từ học thuyết ông đề ra cho đến những câu chuyện trị liệu bệnh nhân tâm thần. T sẽ cố ghi lại ở đây những thứ mà t đang tưởng tượng về Jung, có thể t sẽ xem lại những điều này khi biết hơn về ông:
1. Thông tin di truyền ngoài kiểu hình (cơ thể) hay tính cách thì có những ký ức hay hình ảnh được truyền từ nhiều thế hệ trước. Những ký ức và hình ảnh này có thể đc truy cập bằng giấc mơ hoặc tưởng tượng. Đoạn trích khiến t nghĩ vậy: "In the course of my life it has often happened to me that I suddenly knew something which I really could not know at all. The knowledge came to me as though it were my own idea. It was the same with my mother. She did not know what she was saying; it was like a voice wielding absolute authority, which said exactly what fitted the situation."
2. Jung về Nietzscshe. Jung hiểu phát kiến của Nietzsche về con người hiện đại, về sự biến mất của giá trị hàng ngàn năm nằm trong tôn giáo và truyền thống. Jung giống như Nietzsche, phê bình sự "tôn thờ" khoa học của người hiện đại, quên đi cái linh hồn ngàn năm. Ông nói về Nietzsche "...all a vain attempt to catch the ear of a world which had sold it soul for a mass of disconnected facts." hay ở một đoạn khác "The spirit does not dwell in concepts, but in deeds and facts".
3. Jung cùng một số ít đồng nghiệp vào đầu tk 20, quyết định thay đổi ngành trị liệu tâm thần. Thay vì chỉ chữa trị triệu chứng bằng những phương pháp tàn nhẫn ("lobotomize" là 1 ví dụ), ông quyết định bước vào cơn điên của bệnh nhân, để hiểu, giải mã từng hoang tưởng, từng cơn điên. Jung viết: "A personality, a life history, a pattern of hopes and desires lie behind the psychosis. The fault is ours if we do not understand them."
4. Trích trực tiếp vì nó hay: "I have frequently seen people become neurotic when they content themselves with inadequate or wrong answers to the problem of life. They seek position, marriage, reputation, outward success or money, and remain unhappy and neurotic even when they have attained what they were seeking"
5. Tội ác kinh tởm của con người như loạn luân chẳng hạn, ko quá đặc biệt với Jung: "Incest and perversions were no remarkable, and did not call for any special explanantion" bởi vì "It's just that all of those people are city folks who know nothing about nature and the human stable". Vì sự ngây thơ này mà người hiện đại thần kinh (neurotic). Jung viết tiếp: "They are too naive, like children, and it is necessary to tell them the facts of life, so to speak"
April 19, 2022
ne benim ne de başkalarının anlayabildiği şeylerle uğraşmam beni çok büyük bir yalnızlığa itti. hiç kimseye sözünü edemeyeceğim düşüncelerin ağırlığı altında eziliyordum. anlatsam yanlış anlaşılacaktı. iç dünyanın imgeleriyle dış dünya arasındaki uçurumun acısını çok derinden hissedebiliyordum. bugün artık anlayabildiğim iki dünya arasındaki etkileşimi o zamanlar henüz çözememiştim. tek gördüğüm "içsel" ve "dışsal" olanın uzlaşmaz karşıtlıklarıydı.
carl gustav jung. analitik psikolojinin kurucusu olmanın ötesinde bir yandan da saklı bir kişilik, bir hazine. jung'un içsel dünyası harika motiflerle dolu; yoğun rüyalar çok katlı, grift bir yapı örmüş gören gözler için. anılar, düşler, düşünceler isimli eseri ise bu yapının içerisinde sarmal merdivenleri tırmanmak gibi. ve sonunda gerçekten bir kuleye çıkıyorsunuz. jung'un yaşlılık döneminde huzur bulduğu kendi kulesine.
kitap elimde dolaşırken bir gün zeynep'le buluştuk. bana okumamın nasıl gittiğini sordu, ben de iyi gidiyor ya "konuşuyorum" bu aralar bayağı dedim. aslında okuyorum demek istediğimi fark ettim ama çoktan çıkmıştı ağzımdan konuşuyorum demek. hayret içerisinde "bak görüyo musun okuyorum bile diyemedim, resmen karşılıklı konuşuyoruz, jung'un zihninde kendimi büyük oranda buldum, bence harika biri" diye özetledim kitap hakkında hislerimi. sayfa kenarlarına aldığım notları gösterdim. oldukça uzun bir okuma sürecim oldu, hızlıca okuyup kaldırabileceğim bir kitap değildi benim için. her 50-60 sayfada bir kendi içime döndüm, ne düşündüğümü, ne hissettiğimi sorguladım. hissettiğim şey çözemediğim bir tonda zenginlik ve doyum hisleriydi.
non foras ire, in interiore homine habitat veritas! dışarıda arama; gerçek, insanın içindedir.
yaşamın belirgin olmayan, uçup gidici tarafları karşısında nietzsche'nin felsefesine sığınmak, onun soğuk düşünceleri içerisinde oradan oraya anlamsızca savrulmak sonu gelmeyen acı verici bir süreç olarak canlanıyor zihnimde. jung ise, yaşamı kök gövdeden beslenen bir bitkiye benzetiyor. yaşamın kök gövdede saklandığını, görünmez olduğunu söylüyor. toprağın üzerinde görünenin yalnızca bir ay dayandığını, sonra solup gittiğini anlatıyor; yaşamı, sonsuz akışın altında yaşayan ve sürekliliği olan bir şeye benzetiyor. ona göre, geçmişimiz ile bağlantımız yalnızca çocukluğumuzla sınırlı değil, kendi türümüzün geçmişini, hatta tüm evrimini içeriyor. böylesi bir düşünce yapısı içerisinde, çocukluk yıllarından ölene kadar gördüğü, okuduğu, düşündüğü her şeyi, açık yüreklilikle, çekinmeden okuruna anlatıyor. büyük oranda, ölümsüz olmak istiyor bana kalırsa.
December 25, 2012
Jung's autobiography was not really written by Jung. As the cover says, it was "recorded and edited by Aniela Jaffe" between 1957 and his death in 1961. She therefore deserves much credit for producing a readable narrative which is quite entertaining, though not to be completely trusted.
I reread the book and indexed it when taking a course on Jung with the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago during the first semester of 1982/83. Ironically, although the copy of the first edition I read had no index, a subsequent copy purchased did, so the work did not have its intended benefit.
I reread the book and indexed it when taking a course on Jung with the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago during the first semester of 1982/83. Ironically, although the copy of the first edition I read had no index, a subsequent copy purchased did, so the work did not have its intended benefit.
August 23, 2019
If this book shows us anything, it’s that Jung straddled the line between madman and mystic for his entire life. His life is peppered with paranormal occurrences, his mind responsible for some of the most beautiful theories of the human experience that could never be verified by much beyond intuition, and his dreams and visions place him in that uncomfortable category of people—is he a prophet or a schizophrenic? It can meander a bit, but it’s still a great time from start to finish.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 1,397 reviews