Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 13: Alchemical Studies

Jung's Collected Works #13

by C.G. Jung

Five long essays that trace Jung's developing interest in alchemy from 1929 onward. An introduction and supplement to his major works on the subject, illustrated with 42 patients' drawings and paintings.

Genres: Psychology, Alchemy, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Religion, History, Psychoanalysis

518 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Carl 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.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of Jung's works not to be read by the neophyte.

Medieval alchemy is usually treated in histories of science as a dead end in proto-chemistry, charlatanism or just as symptomatic of the fevered imaginations of Christians of the Dark Ages. Jung picks up on the latter theme, but takes their imaginings seriously. Thinking his theories of psychic development (shadow, anima/us, Self) adequate, he characterizes the alchemical work in those terms, seeing it as, on the one hand, further proof of his hypothesis and as, on the other hand, explicable in terms of the hypothesis.

Having taken much advantage of interlibrary loan privileges in college, I was, for two years or so, on top of journal articles about Jung. One thing that struck me was his influence in fields, like folklore studies and the history of religions, concerned with the study of alchemy. I took this as some indication that Jung was causing at least some scholars to look at the phenomenon with new eyes, having found Jung's approach insightful. Indeed, I, too, found Jung making sense of what had hitherto seemed to me to be gibberish.

This is not to say that all self-styled alchemists of the Middle Ages and Renaissance were spirital men seeking wholeness and wisdom by the hypostatization of their own psychic processes into their alembics and retorts. Jung does not emphasize the charlatans and the out-and-out nuts. He does not provide an objective survey description of what has passed as alchemy in times past. He, as always, pans the sand for gold.

[Didymus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be read last (third) among Jung's works on Alchemy. I read it out of order and thus made a challenging read even more difficult.

[بثينة العيسى · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich and interesting

[Audrey Driscoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars because who am I to rate a book never intended to be read by someone with limited knowledge of the field of psychology? I'm going with Jung's unquestioned reputation and by the incredibly broad range of his background reading to produce this and his other writings on alchemy. There was no way I would ever read all those ancient treatises on the subject, but because Jung did, and quotes extensively from them, this book gives the reader with an interest in alchemy a good picture of the symbols and thought processes of alchemists over a period of more than a thousand years.
I must say, however, that it's not an easy read, and that my lack of knowledge of psychology and its language was a handicap.
A note on my reading progress: my copy has a total of 444 pages, with nearly 100 being the bibliography and index. Thus the final page of text is p. 349.

[Timothy Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

"No one can claim to be immune to the spirit
of his own epoch or to possess anything like a complete knowledge of it.
Regardless of our conscious convictions, we are all without exception, in
so far as we are particles in the mass, gnawed at and undermined by the
spirit that runs through the masses. Our freedom extends only as far as our
consciousness reaches. Beyond that, we succumb to the unconscious
influences of our environment. Though we may not be clear in a logical
sense about the deepest meanings of our words and actions, these
meanings nevertheless exist and they have a psychological effect. Whether
we know it or not, there remains in each of us the tremendous tension
between the man who serves God and the man who commands God to do
his bidding."

C.G. Jung

[Deken Flaherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book after vol 12, psychology and alchemy. In that book he proves that alchemy was thought and felt of as a psychological experience and how the art was likened to a religious experience of god by those who practiced it.
In this book he keeps the assumption that alchemy is a psychological practice and goes through evidence to shed light on what the art meant psychologically to men then and men today.
To me, the biggest take away is that mercurious, the characterization of the unconscious for the alchemist, is richly experienced as a god, a demon and earthly numa.

I will definitely read again, this book is dense and interesting.

[Alissa Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty academic read and I feel like a good chunk of it went over my head but some points I came away with were:
-Appreciation for the sophistication of ancient Chinese culture and philosophy.
-Realizing how little thought I have ever given to the Middle Ages.
-Realizing how deeply ingrained and collectively shared symbolism, religious, natural or otherwise is.

I don't know if I'd exactly recommend this one, but I would definitely like to read more Jung!

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5/5