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MEM,DRMS,REFLECTNS AUD

MEM,DRMS,REFLECTNS AUD

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: To thine own Self be true
Review: Contrary to more voluminous magna opera like "Mysterium Coniunctionis" or "Psychology and Alchemy", this is a more accessible and, at the same time, central book of Jungian myth. Having seen various elements of this popular hagiography dismantled by mordant & unrelenting Jungophobes like Richard Noll, I would only stress what I consider the lasting value & glowing inspiration for modern ( Western ) (wo)man in search of her/his soul. I'll post my review in a half-humorous form of a fragment of a dialogue, the now extinct form venerated by Plato, Galileo or Bruno.

Q. What, then, is the message of Jung's life, that,what William James had described as ordeal of consciousness ?

A. The goal of Jungian individuation is expansion & integration of the psychic contents ("soul") within the field of awareness, the ego being the center of conscious life. The grand finale would be fusion, coniunctio, of the "soul" ( psyche ) and "Spirit" ( pneuma/Self ), with ego retaining its "privileged" position as the center of the conscious life.

Q. So is this expansion and integration something one is aware of when it is happening or when it has happened ?

A. Well, that's a tricky subject. I'll try to give some hints a few outspoken Jungians like Marie Louise von Franz, and Jung himself have adumbrated. Of course, the entire spiritual "enterprise" is based on the Western Hermetic/Gnostic tradition, from Corpus Hermeticum to alchemists's "opera". In short, you got a growth of inner ( and outer life ) on various levels of consciousness ( altered states, dreams, hypnagogic dreams, guided imagination, prayer, conscious ponderings, listening your inner daemon/voice, ordeals of emotional & family life,....). The goal is "individuated" man/woman: that is, someone who lives an authentic life ( Shakespearean "to thine own self be true" ), not an onedimensional spiritual saintly prototype nor a conformistic ego- centered mediocre. I suppose the ultimate ideal would be someone like Goethe or Plato- a multidimensional, creative individuum with strong sense of "I", yet in deep contact/fusion with the divine wellspring within- in sum, ideal of the "Renaissance man".

Q. Was Jung able to achieve the "fusion" in his own life?

A. From what is described in his spiritual autobiography- yes. Yet, I suspect he went even a step beyond: his final stage was that of a deified psyche ( with ego/ I-sense still present, but somehow subdued & the eternal/divine life perpetually glowing in the background of waking consciousness.)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Memories, Dreams, Reflections
Review: HOW CAN YOU HAVE ANY PUDDING IF YOU DON'T EAT YOUR MEAT?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A book about his enlightenment not for finding your own
Review: I am a bit conflicted over this book. On the one hand I am a great admirer or Jung - he has brought a lot to my life. His writings on and abotu Gnosticism and his Answer to Job are some of the most spiritual-awakening things I have ever read. Yet, this book I just didn't find as enlightening as these other works. Don't misunderstand - I liked it but found myself a little bored at times. However (let the contradictions cease!!) I liked the format of this book as autobiogrpahy more than most of the others I have read. I would recommend this to people who want to know about him and the way he thinks (the way he became enlightende) but I would recommend some of his others book for those looking to be enlightened!
Thanks

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Revealing Autobiography
Review: I enjoyed this (simply from the standpoint of its being a very well-written autobiography). Though I do not pretend to be an authority on psychology myself - I find something in Jung that is almost more spiritual than scientific. Of course, Jung will not be readily excepted in modern circles for his lack of empirical evidence - but that is not what concerns me - he is a fascinating figure and writer. All I know is there will always be something in life and science that is inexplicable - and this is what makes people like Freud and Jung live on forever - they are so willing to search for what is unknown.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Editing out the heart of darkness
Review: I found this book both wonderful for all that it opens up as psychic possibilities, and sad for what it reveals of one of the "enlightened" minds of the times. The author's brief treatments of the primitive savage, the black servant, the exotic Oriental Other, and the madonna/whore are about as subtle and articulate of examples of ethnocentrism, racism, and sexism as you would want to consider. These passages recalled "Into the Heart of Darkness" ...the horror, the horror. It is also a sad "autobiography" that contains no treatment of the importance or meaning of one's spouse and five children, not to mention all the lovers. Jung appears to be a man who fought institutional rules, made his own, and then broke those,too. Most likely the experts who carry on his legacy have dealth with all this, but it left me wondering... if Jung (and his co-writer) was not capable of honestly facing his "outer" or worldly experience, why should I believe that he was capable of honestly treating his "inner" experiences? And if it's true his family edited out the difficult parts, it makes it even more suspect. The preface could have at least dealth with it. Time to find a biography, I guess.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A real gem!
Review: I usually read fiction and autobiographies are not my favorite subject. I'm not into psycology or the human mind, but as a human being I always wonder... Why I'm reading this book? Somebody recommended it as one of the best books written last century. And I think it's one of those books that could change your life. This book opens the door to all of us not familiar with Jung teories and psycoanalisis. Usually we read master pieces but have little clue under what circunstances they were created or what was in the writer's mind at the moment. Jung give us the key to his work. If you decide to open the door, fastern your seatbelt. It's a bumpy but amaizing jorney.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The book is pure wisdom!
Review: If I really cared for someone, and wanted to give that someone a great gift, something that would help them understand many of the most confusing variables in life, I'd surely give them this book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is it
Review: If you're going to purchase one book about the Swiss psychologist C. G. Jung, this is it. Jung takes the reader on a journey through an ambivalently painful and inspired life, and shares a mine of accumulated learning and insight along the way. Jung is a multifaceted person. The age-old quest for meaning through self-knowledge isn't new to him. The account reveals how thoroughly Jung acts as a bridge between the ancient and modern, esoteric and scientific traditions. But above all, it's Jung's sincerity that places this highly readable book at the top of our list.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: shaman of the West
Review: Jung was not only a brilliant intellectual; he was a traveler in consciousness whose key breakthroughs came from personal experience of nonordinary reality. Unlike some "Jungians" who have turned his terms and models into a catechism, he was constantly improvising and shapeshifting the language and concepts he used to evoke multidimensional reality. If he were still with us, he would be using a new vocabulary, and reporting from further frontiers. Read this account of his soul's journey to expand your horizons of possibility, and read Robert Moss' "Conscious Dreaming" and "Dreamgates" to learn how to practice the art of dream travel and visit the places where Jung received inspiration.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Brilliant Autobiography
Review: Jung's Autobiography is highly readable, and thoroughly enjoyable. In an often mythic style, it demonstrates his commitment to the truth of experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the life of Jung and the events in his life that influenced his work.


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