The structure of biblical myths: The ontogenesis of the psyche

Rating:
Summary: Vast Vision of the Evolution of the Human Psyche
Review: This book is so vast in scope and profound in depth that a review of it is virtually impossible. Though not publicly well known, Heinz Westman is on of the great psychotherapists and cultural philosophers of the twentieth century. He was a colleague of Carl Jung and a founder of the field of art therapy, publishing the first case study on the use of art in the therapeutic process. The Structure of Biblical Myths is the fruit of 50 years as a psychotherapist, truly a magnum opus. Drawing on biblical, classical and oriental mythology, modern biology and quantum mechanics, and a wealth of literary sources, Westman illuminates the deep principles guiding the evolution of the psyche and the origins of creativity in the individual and in the history of culture. I know of no writer who offers so many profound insights into the spiritual and psychological meaning of biblical myth, including the legends of Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Job and Jesus Christ. From his own perspective as an émigré from Nazi Germany, who later lived in Switzerland, England, and the United States, he offers a prophetic critique of modern totalitarianism, materialism, and religious dogma. The book is a generous contribution to Christian-Jewish dialogue after the Holocaust. It should be mandatory reading for religion and divinity students and trainees in depth psychology and for any reader on a pilgrimage toward greater spiritual and psychological awareness and a more creative life.

Rating:
Summary: Vast Vision of the Evolution of the Human Psyche
Review: This book is so vast in scope and profound in depth that a review of it is virtually impossible. Though not publicly well known, Heinz Westman is on of the great psychotherapists and cultural philosophers of the twentieth century. He was a colleague of Carl Jung and a founder of the field of art therapy, publishing the first case study on the use of art in the therapeutic process. The Structure of Biblical Myths is the fruit of 50 years as a psychotherapist, truly a magnum opus. Drawing on biblical, classical and oriental mythology, modern biology and quantum mechanics, and a wealth of literary sources, Westman illuminates the deep principles guiding the evolution of the psyche and the origins of creativity in the individual and in the history of culture. I know of no writer who offers so many profound insights into the spiritual and psychological meaning of biblical myth, including the legends of Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Job and Jesus Christ. From his own perspective as an émigré from Nazi Germany, who later lived in Switzerland, England, and the United States, he offers a prophetic critique of modern totalitarianism, materialism, and religious dogma. The book is a generous contribution to Christian-Jewish dialogue after the Holocaust. It should be mandatory reading for religion and divinity students and trainees in depth psychology and for any reader on a pilgrimage toward greater spiritual and psychological awareness and a more creative life.