Book Talk: The Red Book by Carl Jung

[image error] Not everyone is interested in individuation but Carl Gustav Jung was and his work is some of the most interesting you can find on the subject. Jung worked on this book for years and his family kept it from being seen or sold. It was a "private" work although aspects of it were apparently made available to the writer who helped pull together the book Memories, Dreams and Reflections. It seems the writer of that book didn't really "get" what was going on in The Red Book and didn't take advantage of what was being presented in that material. So we all remained in the dark.

Jung's worry was that the contents of his The Red Book, wasn't "professional" or serious enough. This work is basically an accumulation of "active imagination" exercises, where Jung engaged in awake dream states in order to meet all aspects of what he called Personality II, that deep unconscious material that existed in the realm of shadow and at the animus/anima level. His goal, of course, was to meet the ultimate self at the core of being.

As he did this work, he gathered others to a salon format, to make the journey inward with him. He would often show clients and fellow seekers The Red Book, but again, he was uneasy with what he was creating. He felt it wouldn't be understood.

How interesting, the Buddha felt the same thing about his teachings called Dharma. He didn't think people would understand and almost didn't teach it but after great pressure from his followers, he decided to try. Look what we have now.

Jung's work is very interesting to me. I have spent 18 years of my own life meeting all aspects of Personality I, which is the conditioned outer self because I am searching for Self. Of course. What else is there? Fame passes. Beauty is just a bridge. Even money isn't all one hopes...yes, you are more comfortable but you are still in the miserable dark most nights.

I want to know the Self and as enlightened masters in all traditions will tell us, the Self isn't out there...it's in here. In the core of the house that is our being. Jung went there and this book is his map. I want to go and so I am reading this book very carefully. The illustrations and insights are stunning.

This book was a gift, for my birthday and it is huge and amazing. We are so blessed that the book is now available, due to much perserveance of those who follow Jung's work and brought it to the world in published form.