Червената книга: Liber Novus

by C.G. Jung, Sonu Shamdasani (Introduction), Сону Шамдасани (Introduction)

Червената книга (Liber Novus) на швейцарския психиатър и основател на аналитичната психология Карл Густав Юнг (1875–1961) е непубликуван приживе на автора труд, собственоръчно написан и изрисуван дневник на сънищните и будните му видения, споходили го в периода 1913–1929 г., и оформен като илюстрован средновековен ръкопис, предназначен да бъде съзидан от образ и слово храм на душата.

Книгата, издадена на немски и английски език за първи път през 2009 г., е плод на дългогодишен психологически експеримент, при който Юнг, следвайки примера на античните герои Одисей и Орфей, се осмелява да предприеме νέκυια (некия) – да слезе в бездната на онова, което по-късно сам ще нарече колективно несъзнавано, и да предостави собствения си живот – тялото, душата, ума, дори кръвта си, за арена на праобразите, обитаващи незнайните небеса и преизподни, от които е съставен човекът. Макар да се радва на рано постигнала го светска слава, той се впуска в това пътешествие, по-късно наречено метод на активно въображение, надявайки се отново да намери и да възвърне изгубената си в суетното лутане душа.

В хода на мистерийната драма от несъзнаваното нахлуват неподозирани съдържания, които приемат множество образи, между които тези на старозаветния пророк Илия и юдейската принцеса Саломе, на героя от нибелунгския епос Зигфрид и джуджето Миме, рицаря на Граала Парцифал и кабирите от Самотраки, раннохристиянския анахорет Амоний и божествения шумерски герой от епоса за Гилгамеш (Издубар), предпотопния Овидиев маг Филемон и неговата житейска спътница Бавкида. Воден от архетипния Филемон, Юнг се среща и разговаря с душата си, която се явява ту като змия, ту като птица, слуша седемте поучения на Филемон към мъртвите, от които научава за предвечното съществуване на единия новороден в душата му Бог, повелител на гностическата Плерома.

Сблъсъкът с несъзнаваното, описан в Червената книга, се оказва първовеществото (materia prima), от чието нажежаване и стапяне в сърцето на Юнг през следващите десетилетия изкристализира крайъгълният камък (lapis) за житейското дело (opus) на най-влиятелния и най-оспорвания изследовател на човешката душа, творил през ХХ век – неговото тайнство на единението (mysterium coniunctionis).

Liber Novus, хрониката на този сблъсък, е считана от Юнг за източник на всички идеи, намерили отражение в късното му творчество. Държана в тайна до деветата година на ХХI век, тя е парадоксален случай в историята на четенето след Гутенберг с мощните последици, които е предизвикала -преди още да бъде публикувана. Десет години след счупването на поставения върху нея вековен печат на мълчанието тя вече е в ръцете и на българския читател.

Пламен Хаджийски

Genres: Psychology, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Art, Classics, Psychoanalysis

520 pages, Leather Bound

First published January 1, 2009

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

[Tait · Rating 5 out of 5]

12.1.09
I couldn't sleep last night, as inspired as I was having begun to read Carl Jung's Liber Novus, his "Red Book." My first impression is that this is a massive tome; at 16x12x2'' it is easily the largest book I've ever laid hand on, and just turning the pages takes a substantial effort. But it's well worth it.



The Liber Novus is Jung's account of his decades long process of psychological and subconscious self experimentation, through a technique called "active imagination;" a process that he claimed was the seeds to all his work. Written first in a series of Black Books, this masterpiece was later painstakingly copied into a red leather-bound book, though never finished. And by copy I mean create an entire illuminated manuscript, complete with exquisite calligraphy and full color mandala and dream illustrations, that Jung worked on till his fascination with alchemy took hold, and then sat in a box until long after he died.

This first edition presents not just a translation of the text (by Jung scholar Sonu Shamdasani), but a full facsimile of the original folio plates, which have been kept in a safe deposit box unlooked at for the last 80 years and so are in excellent condition. The edition also includes critical apparatuses; a historical essay to contextualize the significance of the Liber Novus in Jung's life and work (and was the main thrust to convince the Society for the Heirs of Jung to finally let the book be published), as well as paratextual citations to highlight the variety of references in the manuscript itself, which should make the read that much more insightful.

Flipping through the folio I was struck by the richness of the illustrations, some of which I would consider masterpieces in themselves, filled with fractals, swirling colors, archetypal situations, and a surreal dream-sense that was apparently under-appreciated by the Surrealists. The calligraphy is in German, which I unfortunately don't speak, and can only comment on the precise appearance of.

As for the text itself, that will be my next attempt. I will say that it begins with the title: "The way of what is to come," along with some prophetic quotations from Isaiah, and much of it is in dialogue form between Jung and his spirit guide (in the tradition of Mephistopheles), placing the work as a modern take of the tradition of revelatory literature, which isn't so far off considering the inclusion of Jung's dreams prophesying the World Wars.

On the whole, the book seems to be Jung's attempt to reconcile the scientific with the mythic and spiritual, the personal with collective, and as such could not be more timely than to finally see the light of people's eyes. As a writer interested in the use of dreams and personal narratives, as well as having taken this process to my own experimental, revelatory, self-mythology and understand the danger of attempting vs. the incredibly potent imagery that can come out of such a process, I suspect the Liber Novus may have far reaching cultural effects that we could only begin to imagine.

12.11.09
I finally started reading the text of Jung's Red Book last night, and it is as revelatory, revolutionary, and vitally important as I suspected it would be, not just in terms of Jung's psychological theories but in taking a stance for a broader spiritual approach to reality that is even more lacking now than when Jung was writing. Reading this is like reading Blake, I want to quote every passage (as they are almost all brilliant), but if my cat will get off the tome I'll look at some of the important symbols and themes that Jung was attempting to articulate.

The spirit of the times vs. the spirit of the depths - Jung makes a distinction between the spirit or stance of the time in which he lives vs. the spirit of a greater, ancient, and universal reality that is entirely overlooked by the present, and is striving to come forth through Jung. This is historical consciousness vs. the mythic subconsciousness, and Jung frames the Red Book as a way of getting past all the small-minded, violent, materialistic impulses of his age (including a harsh criticism of Christianity), while recognizing that this present world may entirely ignore his warning and call for an understanding of the subconscious.

The supreme meaning - Jung claims that God and gods are only images of an eternal supreme meaning oscillating between meaning and absurdity, and it is this supreme meaning that men must come to recognize as a solution to the spirit of the times. This is entirely consistent with my concept of ultimate significance, in that the supreme meaning is more truly real than the images we conceive of it through.

Dreams and epiphanic visions - Jung recounts a number of visions prophesying the world wars as well as his own future work. He claims an uncontrollable compulsion to record these dreams, though he never did before. Similarly, a number of the passages Jung claims are actually the spirit of the depths or his soul speaking through him as a medium.

The soul - Much of the early part of this book is Jung's attempt to reconnect with his soul. This is the formation of his archetype of the anima/animus, but it is not made explicit in his academic writings that the archetype is not just an image but one's actual, living soul, which encourages us to live and do everything we dream of living and doing. The soul is one's God and opposite, which perfects us in the supreme meaning. The soul is not part of us, we are only the expression and symbol of our soul in the world.

The desert - Though Jung's academic writings discuss the archetypes they do not discuss (as far as I've read) the importance of subconscious locations. In particular Jung discusses here the image of the desert, which is the conception of oneself and soul that one must journey into and rejuvenate in order to overcome the spirit of the times. Jung believes he saw a desert because his soul had been withered (and perhaps those in touch with their souls experience a garden). From my own explorations of the subconscious I also found this "desert of the soul" as the location for the deeper, mythic realities I had to contend with outside of the city (the symbol for the everyday world and times). As my own process continued, this desert was first flooded and became a garden before the entire inner world was set to flames so that a new internal reality could form. I am curious how these locations change through Jung's process in the remainder of the Red Book, as I find such psychogeographies an essential compliment to the character archetypes.

The descent into hell - Jung has a vision in which he realizes that he must descend to hell in order to individuate himself and find the supreme meaning. Such descensus avernum are common in mythic and revelatory literature and serve as another example of the importance of place as symbol for Jung's theories. Jung equates this descent with the possibility of going mad, and sees himself as a sacrificed hero who must overcome that potential madness for a more divine madness lacking in the spirit of the times. This section (and the titles of the other sections) suggest that Jung is on a hero's journey comparable to that described by Joseph Campbell. This hell is all the absurd meaninglessness of our times that we must go through in order to construct our own meaning of events, which is the supreme meaning.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only a few books read in a lifetime actually change you. Can you honestly say you are a different person after the work is absorbed? I feel that my cells have been re-charged with a new vitality.

The Red Book is a lovingly inscribed and illustrated account of a deep inner journey into the heart of god, spirituality, mythology, and primarily the depths that Jung called the Shadow. Within only a few pages I was struck by many synchronicities - (another term coined by Jung) - specific details that connected with scary precision to my own recent ideas, dreams, and other reading.

I put aside writing and other projects and devoted my spare time to The Red Book. Some of the text is heady, analytical stuff to slog through, but much of it is hilarious. Jung's encounters with his soul, Salome, and other mythic beings inside his unconscious read like epic spats, with lots of grumbling and cajoling.

Inspired by Jung's process of 'active imagination,' I opened my mind and heart to encounter what I might find in my own deep unconcious. Fascinated, frightened and yet determined to uncover what was lurking inside, driving my judgments and conflicts, I spent 4 months in my own 'depths.' This process opened a deep, sobering vein of understanding and growth. It's the best work I've ever done, without a therapist or guru - only The Red Book as a road map.

Jung took on his courageous work nearly 100 years ago. I was struck by similarities between his time and ours, from interest in the metaphysical to unrest and uncertainty. It was the foundation of so much exploration - the collective unconscious, mandalas, anima/animus, etc. - Jung's great ideas that our generation takes for granted.

I will celebrate his contribution by living my own life, my way. And with the hope that the jewels I found in my journey will make a difference, too.

[Dream.M · Rating 3 out of 5]

«روانشناس عارف یا عارف روانشناس، مسأله این است.»

ریویوو پیش رو درباره «کتاب سرخ» از کارل گوستاو یونگ ، کتابیه که علیرغم شهرت و محبوبیت نویسنده اش، به احتمال خیلی زیاد جزو «کمتر خوانده شده» های گودریدز فارسی خواهد بود( توی گودریدز غیرفارسی هم فقط مخاطب خاص خودش رو داره)
چرا؟
چون اولا که کتاب پیچیده، سخت خوان و بسیار خاصیه که حجم، فضا، لحن و محتوای اون به هیچ وجه مورد پسند خواننده عام نیست.
دوماً که این کتاب از نظر ظاهر فیزیکی قطع بزرگی داره، سنگین وزنه، و فایلی ازش فعلا وجود نداره، که باعث میشه خوندنش محدود و دشوار بشه. درمورد قیمت کتاب هم که اصلا صحبت نمیکنم.
ریویوویی که من براش نوشتم هم احتمالا به همین سرنوشت دچار میشه و خب این اتفاق طبیعی ایه که برای همچین کتابهایی میفته.
علی ای حال، و برای تنویر افکار عمومی گودریدز فارسی، و کسانیکه تا همینجا هم مطلب رو خوندن بطور خلاصه عرض میکنم که: این کتاب یک دفترخاطرات از مکاشفات شخصی یونگه که اونها رو برای خودش نوشته.
کتاب دارای یک مقدمه بسیار طولانیه که توسط ناشر اضافه شده و تمام زندگی حرفه ای یونگ و سرگذشت کتاب رو پوشش داده و بعد وارد متن اصلی که توسط یونگ نوشته شده، میشه.
قبل از اینکه تصمیم بگیرید ادامه ریویوو رو بخونید یا اون رو اسکیپ کنید هم بگم که کتاب سرخ از نظر محتوا شباهت زیادی به «چنبن گفت زرتشت » از نیچه داره ولی فاقد ظرافت های فلسفی اون یا فراز و فرودهای رو به جلوی نثر نیچه هست. بنابراین کتاب سرخ میتونه جذاب، یا خسته کننده باشه اما شک نکنید کتاب عجیبیه.

این رو هم باز اضافه کنم که برای سهولت مطالعه و استفاده آسان خوانندگان ریویوو، مطالب رو تیتر بندی و شماره گذاری کردم. امیدوارم مفید باشه.و اگر می‌بینید بعضی مطالب تکرار شدن، به دلیل اهمیت اونهاست.
......
⭐️ یونگ که بود؟
کارل گوستاو یونگ (1961_1875) روانپزشک و روانکاو سوئیسی و کسی بود که چندین نظریه تاثیرگذار در روانشناسی ارائه داد. یونگ در سال 1895 برای تحصیل در رشته پزشکی وارد دانشگاه بازل شد و در سال 1900 مدرک خود را دریافت کرد. او تصمیم گرفت در روانپزشکی تخصص بگیرد، رشته ای که به گفته او، در آن زمان به طور کلی مورد تحقیر قرار میگرفت. در سال 1900، یونگ در بیمارستان روانی Burghölzli بخشی از دانشگاه زوریخ شروع به کار نمود و در سال 1902 مدرک پزشکی خود را از آنجا زیر نظر مدیر آن، یوگن بلولر (1857-1939)، روانپزشک برجسته سوئیسی، دریافت نمود. کار پژوهشی یونگ بر تئوری های اسکیزوفرنی (اصطلاح ابداع شده توسط Bleuler) و عقده های روانی، مورد توجه زیگموند فروید، بنیانگذار روانکاوی قرار گرفت. بین سال های 1907 و 1912، یونگ تبدیل به همکار نزدیک فروید شد؛ بطوریکه محتمل ترین جانشین او به عنوان رهبر جنبش روانکاوی بشمار می‌آمد. با این حال، مدتی بعد بعلت اختلاف نظر در مورد ماهیت روان و ناخودآگاه، آن دو از هم جدا شدند.
یونگ فروید را متهم به جزم اندیشی در تقلیل همه مشکلات روانی به مسائل جنسی کرد و فروید یونگ را متهم به تسلیم شدن در برابر اندیشه های عرفانی کرد. یونگ پس از جدایی از فروید، به توسعه سیستم متمایز روان‌شناسی تحلیلی خود که به «نظریات یونگی» شهرت دارند ادامه داد، و آنها را که از طریق تجربیات شهودی دریافت نموده بود در «کتاب سرخ» ثبت و توضیح داد. این دانشمند در طول عمر 85 ساله خود آثار بسیاری از جمله «انسان و سمبل هایش»، «تحلیل رویا»، «پاسخ به ایوب» و «کتاب سرخ» را خلق کرد که همگی در روانپزشکی، مردم شناسی، باستان شناسی، ادبیات، فلسفه و مطالعات دینی بسیار تأثیرگذار بوده و هستند.

⭐️یونگ چه کرد؟ یا تأثیر یونگ بر روانشناسی چیست؟
1- مهمترین کاری که یونگ انجام داد بنیانگذاری «روانشناسی تحلیلی» بود. او این رشته را به عنوان نقطه مقابل روانکاوی زیگموند فروید توسعه داد. در حالی که فروید بر نقش امیال جنسی سرکوب شده در روانشناسی انسان تأکید می کرد، یونگ به کاوش گسترده تری در ناخودآگاه، از جمله معنویت و اسطوره، تاکید داشت.
2- کار مهم دیگر یونگ، معرفی «ناخودآگاه جمعی» بود. او این مفهوم را معرفی کرد، که به عقیده وی بخشی از ضمیر ناخودآگاه مشترک همه انسان ها، و حاوی خاطرات و کهن الگوهای مشترک در همه فرهنگ ها و جوامع، جهانی و موروثی است؛ و بر رفتار و تفکر انسان تأثیر می گذارد.
3-معرفی «آرکی تایپ ها» یا «کهن الگوها» دیگر کار مهم یونگ می باشد. او نمادها یا مضامین جهانی ای را در روان انسان شناسایی کرد که آنها را کهن الگو می نامید. بعضی از مهمترین این مفاهیم عبارتند از: خود ( نماینده وحدت شخصیت )، قهرمان (با شعار خواستن توانستن است)، مادر(وجهی از انسان که به طور مداوم از دیگران حمایت و برای آنها فداکاری می‌کند)، سایه( جنبه های تاریک ناخودآگاه )، نقاب یا پرسونا( ماسکی که ما آن را برای جامعه و اطرافیان بر صورت خود می‌زنیم تا دیگران تصور منفی از ما نداشته باشند) و آنیما/آنیموس (وجه زنانه مرد و وجه مردانه زن) که در رویاها، هنر، مذهب و اسطوره ها ظاهر می شوند.
4- تاکید بر «فردگرایی» و یکپارچگی در روانشناسی از دیگر فعالیت های مهم یونگ می باشد. او معتقد بود هدف زندگی انسان دستیابی به «فردیت» است، فرآیندی از ادغام جنبه های مختلف «خود» برای دستیابی به تمامیت روانی و تعادل. این فرایند شامل آشتی بخش های خودآگاه و ناخودآگاه ذهن است.
5- عمل مهم دیگر یونگ «مطرح ساختن تئوری شخصیت»است. یونگ مفاهیم درونگرایی و برونگرایی را نیز توسعه داد، که توضیح می دهد که آیا فرد بیشتر به دنیای درون خود گرایش دارد یا دنیای بیرون. کار او زمینه ساز شاخص مایرز-بریگز (MBTI)، یک ابزار محبوب ارزیابی شخصیت است. گونه شناسی یونگ شامل دو نگرش (برون گرایی و درون گرایی) و چهار کارکرد (تفکر، احساس، حس و شهود) است.
6- معرفی ایده «همزمانی» نیز از کارهای مهم یونگ است. یونگ ایده همزمانی را معرفی کرد، این باور که رویدادها به طور معنی داری همزمان هستند، حتی اگر به طور علّی به هم مرتبط نباشند، که نشان دهنده ارتباط عمیق تری بین ذهن و دنیای بیرونی است.
7- در آخر مطرح ساختن اهمیت «سایه» در روانشناسی فرد را میتوان از کارهای مهم یونگ برشمرد. یونگ بر اهمیت رویارویی با سایه، بخش ناخودآگاه شخصیت که شامل ضعف ها، امیال و غرایز سرکوب شده است، تاکید کرد. ادغام سایه در آگاهی برای رشد شخصی و درک خود ضروری است.
مهم است بدانید نظریه‌های یونگ بر لایه‌های عمیق و اغلب ناخودآگاه روان، اهمیت نمادها و اسطوره‌ها و پیگیری تعادل و تمامیت در رشد روانی تأکید دارند و به ویژه در زمینه‌هایی که تلاقی روان‌شناسی، فرهنگ و معنویت را بررسی می‌کنند، تأثیرگذار باقی می‌ماند.

⭐️«کتاب سرخ» یونگ چیست ؟ یا این ریویوو درباره چه کتابی است؟
«کتاب سرخ» اثر کارل گوستاو یونگ، یکی از شاخص ترین و اسرارآمیزترین آثار تاریخ روانشناسی محسوب می‌شود. این کتاب که با نام «Liber Novus» نیز شناخته می شود، دارای یک جلد بزرگ قرمز چرمی است که یونگ از سال 1914 تا 1930 روی آن کار کرد، اما تا سال 2009 منتشر نشده بود. این کتاب یک اثر عمیقا شخصی و نمادین است که اساساً تصویری از رویارویی خود یونگ با ضمیر ناخودآگاهش را به خواننده ارایه می‌کند.
یونگ از 11 سالگی یادداشت های روزانه می نوشت. اما کتاب سرخ او فرصتی بود تا تمام تجربیات گذشته خود را در یک اثر واحد جمع کند. در اواخر دهه 30 زندگی‌اش، یونگ از صحافی خواست که برای او یک کتاب بزرگ چرمی قرمز رنگ با صفحات سفید بسازد و سپس آن را با یک سری کاوش های ذهنی خود پر کرد. اینها از نوشته های روزانه عمیقاً خصوصی تا فرآیند نوشتن آزاد که او آن را «تخیل فعال» نامید را دربرداشت. او این کتاب را «رویرویی با ناخودآگاه » نامید.
یونگ 16 سال روی کتاب سرخ کار کرد. او در نسخه خطی جلد چرمی قرمز کاملاً با دست نوشت و صفحات آن را با خوشنویسی رسمی دقیق گوتیک خود آراست. او همچنین تصاویر پرجزئیات خود را نیز در آن گنجاند . هنر و دقت بسیار بالای این کتاب آنچنان است که با هنر نقاش و شاعر برجسته بریتانیایی «ویلیام بلیک» مقایسه می‌شود.
یونگ کار بر روی کتاب سرخ را به عنوان نوعی درمان، و در یک دوره بحران شخصی آغاز کرد. او قبلاً به عنوان یک روانکاو بسیار موفق حرفه ای در شغل خود تثبیت شده بود، اما احساس می کرد ارتباطش را با روح درونی خود از دست داده است. بنابراین کتاب سرخ را فرصتی برای ارتباط مجدد با روان درونی خود و فرصتی برای گفتگو با روح خود یا «روح اعماق» می دانست. در طول این دوره از خود تحلیلی عمیق و شدید، یونگ به تصویرسازی رویاهای خود پرداخت، حالت های مراقبه ای و خلسه مانند را تجربه و برای القای توهم مواد مخدر مصرف کرد. نتیجه در نهایت مجموعه ای از موجودات سورئال و گاهی هیولاوار بود که یونگ درباره آنها نوشت و با تصاویر بسیار دقیق ترسیم کرد .
اگرچه یونگ این کتاب را مهم ترین اثر تمام دوران حرفه ای خود نامید، اما آن را پنهان نگه داشت. به این دلیل که یکی از بزرگ‌ترین ترس‌های او این بود که خوانندگان فکر کنند او کاملاً دیوانه است، همانطور که در پایان کتاب می‌نویسد: «از دید ناظر سطحی، این ها دیوانگی به نظر می‌رسد.» پس از مرگ یونگ، وارثان او کتاب را تا سال 1984 به دلیل ناقص بودن، در صندوق امانات بانکی مخفی کرده بودند. آنها نیز می‌ترسیدند که این کتاب شهرت علمی این روانکاو را از بین ببرد. حتی امروزه نیز تعداد انگشت شماری از مردم نسخه اصلی را دیده اند.
نهایتا خانواده یونگ به سونو شامداسانی، استاد تاریخ در دانشگاه کالج لندن اجازه دسترسی انحصاری به کتاب سرخ را دادند. شمداسانی سیزده سال بعد را صرف تکمیل این جلد کرد که در سال 2009 منتشر شد و اکنون در دسترس عموم قرار دارد.
«کتاب سرخ» فقط یک متن روانشناختی نیست، بلکه یک سفر معنوی و فلسفی است که بینشی عمیق از روان یونگ و توسعه ایده های کلیدی او ارائه می دهد که شاکله کل مجموعه آثار او را شکل می دهد.

⭐️در «کتاب سرخ» یونگ چه می‌خوانیم؟
«کتاب سرخ» به دو بخش اصلی تقسیم می شود: متن و تصاویر.
1- متن کتاب با ترکیبی از خط و تایپ گوتیک نوشته شده و روایتی استادانه از رویاها، خیالات و مکاشفات یونگ است. یونگ این تجربیات معنوی را به شکل یک سلسله گفت و گو با چهره هایی از ناخودآگاه اش مانند پیرمرد خردمند، کودک و آنیما (جنبه زنانه روان او) ارائه نموده است. تصاویر و زبان کتاب از نظر نمادگرایی غنی هستند زیرا به شدت از اساطیر، مذهب و کیمیاگری نشأت می‌گیرند.
2- آثار هنری یونگ در «کتاب سرخ» به اندازه متن کتاب قابل توجه هستند زیرا حاوی بسیاری از ماندالاها، نقاشی های پیچیده و سایر نقاشی های نمادینی اند که کاوش های روانشناختی یونگ را به شکل بصری نشان می دهند. خواننده کتاب نباید به این تصاویر صرفاً به چشم چند نقاشی نگاه کند، زیرا برای درک سفر درونی یونگ مطالعه و توجه به آنها ضروری می باشد.

⭐️مضامین اصلی «کتاب سرخ» یونگ چه هستند ؟
1- مضمون و بینش هسته ای روانشناختی در «کتاب سرخ» درباره فردیت است، فرآیندی که طی آن فرد از واقعیت روانشناختی منحصر به فرد خود آگاه می شود. سفر نمادین یونگ در این کتاب منعکس کننده تلاش او برای یکپارچه کردن جنبه های مختلف روانش است که منجر به توسعه نظریه های او در مورد ناخودآگاه جمعی، کهن الگوها و اهمیت تعادل ضمیر خودآگاه و ناخودآگاه می شود.
2- این کتاب همچنین به مفهوم «سایه» می‌پردازد، بخش‌های تاریک‌تر و سرکوب‌شده‌ای از روان که برای یکپارچگی روان‌شناختی نیاز به تایید و ادغام دارند. این مضمون را می توان در تمام گفتگوهای یونگ با چهره های درونی اش در کتاب مشاهده کرد.
3- رویارویی با ناخودآگاه مضمون اصلی دیگر در کتاب سرخ می‌باشد. یونگ در این کتاب عمدتاً به طور فعالانه با ضمیر ناخودآگاهش درگیر است. او رویاها، خیالات، مکاشفات و خواب‌های خود را ضبط و بعد بررسی کرده و آنها را به عنوان ارتباطاتی از ناخودآگاه دیده است که باید شناخته و درک و سپس در زندگی بطور آگاهانه ادغام شوند.
4- ایده «خود»؛ خود در روانشناسی یونگ نمایانگر کلیت روان است که هر دو جنبه خودآگاه و ناخودآگاه را شامل می شود. یونگ در این کتاب اغلب به خود به عنوان نیروی هدایت کننده در فرآیند فردیت اشاره می کند که فرد را به سمت کامل شدن روانشناختی سوق می دهد.
5- برخورد با چهره های کهن الگویی؛ یونگ در کتاب سرخ با چهره های کهن الگویی مانند فیلمون (که نشان دهنده خرد و راهنمایی است)، و سالومه(که تجسم آنیما/جنبه زنانه در روان یک مرداست) برخورد و گفتگو میکند. این تجربیات، کلیدی برای درک او از ناخودآگاه جمعی هستند.
6- تخیل اسطوره ای؛ یونگ برای بیان تجربیات خود از سبک اسطوره‌ای استفاده می‌کند و اسطوره‌شناسی، مذهب و نمادگرایی را در هم می‌آمیزد. او معتقد است که مطالب ناخودآگاه شخصی و جمعی اغلب در قالب نقوش اساطیری ظاهر می شود که می تواند منبع بینش و شفا دهنده باشد.
7- نقش خلاقیت و هنر؛ استفاده از خلاقیت در کار یونگ در «کتاب سرخ» نقش اساسی دارد. او نقاشی می کند، می نویسد و خلق می کند تا راهی برای شکل دادن به تجربیات درونی خود بازیابد. یونگ خلاقیت را وسیله ای حیاتی برای بیان و درک ناخودآگاه می داند.
8- آشتی اضداد؛ یک موضوع تکراری در «کتاب سرخ» نیاز به آشتی دادن متضادهای درون روان است، مانند روشنایی و تاریکی، خوب و بد، مردانه و زنانه. یونگ معتقد است که سلامت روانی از حفظ تنش بین این اضداد و یافتن راهی میانه که آنها را یکپارچه می کند ناشی می شود.
9- مضامین مذهبی و معنوی؛ کاوش یونگ در این کتاب مملو از تصاویر مذهبی و معنوی است. او اغلب از سنت‌های عرفانی مسیحی، گنوسی و دیگر عرفان‌ ها اقتباس کرده که نشان‌دهنده اعتقاد او به اهمیت معنویت در رشد روانی است.
10- قدرت رستگاری رنج؛ یونگ با این ایده دست و پنجه نرم می کند که رنج بخشی اجتناب ناپذیر از تجربه انسان است و مواجهه مستقیم با آن می تواند به دگرگونی منجر شود. او رنج را راهی برای درک عمیق‌تر خود و رشد شخصی می‌داند.

⭐️ چرا «کتاب سرخ» یونگ مهم است؟
این کتاب به چند دلیل مهم است:
1-بینش روانشناختی؛ زیرا این کتاب سفر شخصی یونگ به اعماق ناخودآگاهش را مستند می کند.
2- مکاشفه شخصی:این کتاب نگاهی صادقانه به روان یونگ در یک دوره بحران شخصی شدید انداخته و مبارزات، ترس‌ها و دیدگاه‌های نمادین او را که منجر به توسعه نظریه‌های اصلی روان‌شناختی او شده است را آشکار می‌کند.
3- اهمیت هنری: این کتاب یک اثر هنری است. یونگ آن را با تصاویر استادانه ای از ��اندالا و خوشنویسی پر کرده است.
4- زمینه تاریخی: این کتاب در دوره ای مهم از زندگی یونگ، بین سال های 1913 و 1930 تالیف شده است. در این دوره بود که او با زیگموند فروید قطع رابطه و شروع به توسعه ایده های خود در مورد روان کرد که باعث شداین کتاب را به اثری ضروری برای درک تکامل اندیشه او‌ تبدیل شود .
5-ابعاد فلسفی و معنوی: این کتاب به سؤالات عمیقی در مورد ماهیت خود، روح و سفر معنوی می پردازد که باعث می‌شود از کتابی صرفاً روانشناسانه فاصله گرفته و دربرگیرنده درگیری عمیق یونگ با سنت های عرفانی فرهنگ های مختلف باشد.
6- تأثیر فرهنگی: از زمان انتشار این کتاب در سال 2009، «کتاب سرخ » نه تنها بر روانشناسی، بلکه بر هنر، ادبیات و معنویت نیز تأثیر گذاشته است. این اثر نقطه عطف برای کسانی است که علاقه مند به تلاقی روانشناسی، هنر و مکاشفات معنوی هستند.
7- رازداری و مکاشفه: برای سال‌ها، «کتا�� سرخ» خصوصی نگه داشته می‌شد و فقط چند نفر از همکاران نزدیک یونگ از وجود آن مطلع بودند. انتشار نهایی آن یک رویداد بزرگ در هر دو حوزه دانشگاهی و عمومی بود که اعماق پنهان زندگی خلاقانه و فکری یونگ را آشکار کرد. به طور خلاصه، «کتاب سرخ» مهم است زیرا بینشی کمیاب و عمیق از ذهن یکی از تأثیرگذارترین متفکران قرن بیستم ارائه می‌کند و روانشناسی، هنر، فلسفه و معنویت را به شیوه‌ای منحصر به فرد و قانع‌کننده ترکیب می‌کند.

⭐️حرف آخر یا آیا «کتاب سرخ» یونگ ارزش خواندن دارد؟
همانطور که بالاتر بارها گفته شد ، «کتاب سرخ» یونگ یک اثر علمی و آکادمیک نیست ولی یکی از مهم ترین و شخصی ترین آثار او به حساب می آید، اما اینکه آیا ارزش خواندن دارد یا خیر بستگی به علاقه شما به روانشناسی، عرفان و رویکرد منحصر به فرد یونگ به روان انسان دارد. پس اگر به روانشناسی با متد یونگ، یا کاوش در ضمیر ناخودآگاه علاقه دارید، این کتاب قطعاً ارزش خواندن را دارد. با این حال، خواندن آن اصلا آسان نیست و ممکن است برای کسانی که قبلاً با آثار یونگ آشنا هستند، مفیدتر باشد.
زیرا محتوای کتاب بسیار پیچیده و اغلب انتزاعی است، که می تواند درک آن را دشوار کند. یونگ خود فرآیند تالیف «کتاب سرخ» را انعکاس دوره ای از آشفتگی شدید درونی توصیف کرد؛ بنابراین محتوای آن می‌تواند ناراحت‌کننده یا حتی آزاردهنده باشد، زیرا به جنبه‌های تاریک‌تر روان می‌پردازد.
در آخر پیشنهاد میکنم اگر با یونگ تازه آشنا شدهاید، مطالعه آثار او را با برخی از نوشته های قابل درک تر او همچون انسان و سمبول هایش، تعبیر رویا، انسان در جستجوی هویت خویشتن، ناخوداگاه و کهن الگوی جمعی ، شروع کنید.

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"أبعدت ذاتي عن الأشياء والبشر، وهكذا بالضبط أصبحت فريسة لأفكاري، نعم، أصبحت أفكاري بالكامل." كارل غوستاف يونغ

كارل غوستاف يونغ هو أحد أهم المؤسسين لحركة التحليل النفسي مع فرويد وأدلر.

يعد الكتاب من أهم الإنتاجات الفكرية الملهمة والمؤثرة في التاريخ الاجتماعي الفكري للقرن العشرين. (علم أكوان سيكولوجي لاهوتي.)
كما لا يمكن فهم أعمال يونغ دون دراسة الكتاب الأحمر" الكتاب المركزي في مجموعة أعماله الكاملة." تعتبر "الكتب السوداء" ليونغ اشتقاق جزئي لعمله في الكتاب الأحمر.

في بداية دراسته للطب، عكف يونغ على قراءة أعمال خارجية لعدد من الفلاسفة والروحانيين والأدباء ، تأثر بشوبنهاور، وسويندبرغ، إكهرت، غوته ،دانتي و نيتشه اذ ترك كتابه هكذا تكلم زرادشت انطباعا قويا لديه اذ شعر بأن شخصيته تتوافق معه كما ذكر.

كان من الواضح ‏جداً أثر دانتي، ونيتشه الذي غلب على فكره وخطابه، وأسلوبه في الكتابة، كما أن الأساطير لعبت دوراً محورياً في بلورة أفكاره.

(شهد النصف الثاني من القرن التاسع عشر ظهور الروحانية الحديثة وجذبت اهتمام علماء النفس بمن فيهم فرويد وبلولر وآخرون.)

كما شهدت نهاية القرن التاسع عشر انفجاراً في الثقافة العلمية في فرعي علم الأديان المقارن وعلم النفس الإثني المؤسسين حديثاً. وبالنسبة لكثيرين مثلت هذه الأعمال تعديلاً هاماً للنظرة العالمية للمسيحية.

عمل يونغ وبشكل مكثف على لاهوت القرون الوسطى+ إبحاره في الغنوصية الباطنية والمسيحية وبدى ذلك في فكره حول الخلاص والتحرر أو التوحد مع الله + كنه النفس. إلى جانب اهتمامه ب التحولات التاريخية للمسيحية، وتاريخية الأشكال الرمزية. ساهمت تجاربه الذاتية في تغيير عمله التحليلي.( التعمق في سيكولوجية الخيمياء ، وسيكولوجيا العقيدة المسيحية.)

شهد الكتاب مواجهات يونغ الخيالية مع شخصياته الداخلية " شخصيات اللاوعي."/ وهي محاولة يونغ باستيعاب المعنى السيكولوجي للأخيولات .
الذي تميز ب تعددية الأصوات بين فصل وآخر مع غلبة المفاهيمية كقالب + الكتابة بطريقة تكهنية أو رومانسية مثيرة للعواطف . و بالنسبة للغة شهدت تحولات كبيرة ولا خطية وفق التحولات النفسية والفكرية التي خاضها يونغ في عزلته خلال عملية الكتابة التي دامت ست عشرة سنة. بدت وتيرة الأنا متذبذبة؛ تصعد وتخبو بين المتناقضات والأقطاب؛ تنمو تضمحل وتنضج! تلمس بين فنية وأخرى عذابات يونغ، فوضاه وتمزقاته الدفينة وولادته بعد كل صراع مرير مع فكره وذاته وهذيانه الباطني الواقع بين الشك واليقين.
استخدم يونغ في سبر أفكاره عدة تقنيات أميزها
مبدأ الانقلاب الضدي ( الإينانتيودروميا) الذي يقول : كل شيء يتحول إلى نقيضه، والذي ينسب إلى هيراقليطس. + عقلنة الخيال وأنسنته وكذا هالة الرمزية. تعدد الأنظمة الفكرية أثرى العمل ومنحه أبعاد سيكولوجية وفنية مختلفة.

باختصار هذا الكتاب هو محاولة يونغ لفهم ذاته باستبطان كل ما يثير النفس ويخلقها من الداخل والخارج ووفق النسيج التاريخي الزمني التي تعاصره ! هو محاولة لفهم الشخصية الإنسانية عامة "فكرة أن الإنسان متعدد وذو ماهية لحظية."

لقد عانى يونغ في محاكاة النفس وتهذيبها واستطاع أن يثبت عبر الكتاب الأحمر بأن شدة الوعي هي في اللاوعي!

كارل يونغ يكتب وكأنّه يفرّغ نفسه. قراءة هذا الكتاب يجعلك تفكر وبشكل مهووس بالفرق بين ( الشيء كما هو) و ( الشيء كما يدركه الوعي). This is literally gonna blow your mind

ملاحظة هامة: هذا الكتاب مخطوطة غير منجزة ، كما أنه من غير الواضح للمنوطين بهذا العمل كيف كان يونغ ينوي إكمالها.

[Ed Smiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea how to rank this book, nor am I even quite sure what the hell I read.

Although I know a little German, I read the accompanying English text. However one thing is certain, the experience was powerful, and the impact of the combination of the hand lettering, calligraphy and the careful illuminations with a bewildering flood of psychic imagery is something not to be forgotten.

Here's a sample:
The noise of the days of the world falls silent and the warming fire blazes inside.

Sitting at the fire, the shades of those gone before wail softly and give news of the past.

Come to the solitary fire, you blind and lame ones and hear both kinds of truth: the blind will be lamed and the lame will be blinded, yet the shared fire warms both in the lengthening night.

An old secret fire burns between us, giving sparse light and ample warmth.

The primordial fire that conquers every necessity shall burn again, since the night of the world is wide and cold and the need is great.

The well protected fire brings together those from far away and those who are cold; those who do not see each other and those who cannot reach each other, and it conquers suffering and shatters need.

The words uttered at the fire are ambiguous and deep and show life the right way.

The blind shall be lamed, so that he will not run into the abyss, and the lamed shall be blind, so that he will not look at things beyond his reach with longing and contempt.

Both may be aware of their deep helplessness so that they will respect the holy fire again, as well as the shade sitting at the hearth, and the words that encircle the flames.

[Shaikha Alkhaldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب عظيم..
ستبدو وكأنها كتابات شخص في مستشفى المجانين لمن لم يستوعبه ويفهمه.
.
الكتاب الأحمر عبارة عن مخطوطة غير منتهية، وليس من الواضح تماماً كيف أراد "يونغ" إكمالها، أو كيف سينشرها لو أنه قرر القيام بهذا.
.
يقدم الكتاب الأحمر سلسلة من المخيلات الفعالة مع محاولة "يونغ" لفهم معناها وفهم نفسه ودمج مكونات الشخصية وتطورها.
كما يناقش "يونغ" عدة مواضيع أخرى في هذا العمل كطبيعة معرفة الذات، وطبيعة الروح وعلاقات التفكير والشعور والأنماط السيكولوجية، وعلاقة الذكورة والأنوثة الداخلية والخارجية، العزلة، قيمة الثقافة والتعلم، الجنون، الموت، وعلاقة السحر بالمنطق، وغيرها..
فالموضوع الإجمالي للكتاب الأحمر هو مصالحة روح الزمن مع روح الأعماق.
.
بمعنى آخر، الكتاب الأحمر عبارة عن مواجهات "يونغ" الخيالية مع شخصياته الداخلية، واختباراته مع نفسه بما أصبح معروفاً بـ "مواجهاته مع اللاوعي" من حقبة تمتد ستة عشرة سنة، بدءاً من قبل الحرب العالمية الأولى وما بعدها، فهو يروي المعركة بين عالم الواقع وعالم الروح وهو يعيد تخيل الأشياء التي تحيّر كل من يحاول العثور على معنى للحياة ويوضحها، وقد صاغها بكل جمال الخطابة بطريقة مباشرة وبسيطة ورومانسية مثيرة للعواطف.

[Mir · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was described when I ordered it as a facsimile edition of Jung's notebooks.
That is not at all the case. It is a typed and annotated version of his text, without the pictures. Since both Jung and the editor are discussing the images, trying to read a book about pictures one hasn't seen seems fairly pointless. The only use I can see for this volume is as a neatly printed read-long for someone who does have a facsimile edition.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What dead souls lie under your sunken tired eyes? What true selves have you let die within yourself? -Carl Jung
I’ll bring this book with me in my heart for the rest of my life. Some of the time I think I needed to be able to read Jung's mind, but eventually the bits that came together were lovely. This book, by carl jung is about his own journey through depression while trying to treat himself, and hover over his own psychosis without letting it take over his mind completely. What a gift to be able to get into the mind of a psychiatrist. This book was more of a journal where Jung recorded his spiritual meanderings. Some of the time I felt sympathy for him, his poor mind would not give him a break, other times I could relate, and felt love for his deep endeavors. If you read this, take your time, peruse it with care, if you look everything up as you go along (because you will need to) it will be worth it. It will change your brain chemistry.

[Vartan · Rating 5 out of 5]

حتی اگه نور به این کتابِ برزخی یونگ بخوره عضلاتش میگیره.

یونگ از سمت دیگه‌ی مرز، مرز عصیان و رویا وِ جنون و تعالی، برای شما دست تکون میده. جایی که ژرار دونروال و آرتو رفتند و نتونستند برگردند. جایی که ژرار دونروال زیر مهتاب در کوچه‌ای تاریک خودش رو آویزون کرد، یونگ از همونجا برای شما بهره‌ای به ارمغان آورده، بهره‌ای که برای فهم‌ش نیاز به سالها بازی با تعلیمات یونگ و دستکاری مرز تنهایی و جنون دارید. انسان‌های بسیار کمی هستند که می‌تونن به چنین عظمتی برسند. یونگ دقیقن از جایی برای شما پیام آورده که حتی نیچه و هولدرلین نتونستند به انعکاس پیشین خودشون برگردند.
اون به کوه المپ رفته اون پشت پرده‌ی ضمیر نامکشوف رو کشف کرده.
به گمان من این اثر جایی رو فتح کرده که علم‌ و ‌منطق از درک اون عقیم و ناتوانند.
جایی که فروید هم از فهم‌ یا رسیدن بهش جا موند یا ترسید از دریدن این مرز و جابه‌جا کردنش.
_یونگ حق داشته د�� وصیت‌نامه‌ش ذکر کنه: باید بیش از نیم‌قرن از مرگ‌ش بگذره بعد اقدام به انتشار این کتاب کنند، نه زودتر!!
ملغمه‌ای از عرفان و فلسفه و افیون و عصیان پاک و اسطوره‌شناسی و روانشناسی و ادبیاتِ محض و ماورا و اثیر و خیال و مجرایی از حقیقتی دیگرگون و والا...

در تمام لحظات خوانش این ابرکتاب فکر می‌کردم اگر کسی مثل گاستون باشلار، نیچه، هراکلیتوس، نروال، بودلر، رمبو، هولدرلین و... با چنین اثری مواجه می‌شدند چه می‌نوشتند یا چه می‌کردند!

چه طرح‌هایی چه رنگ‌هایی، دروازه‌ و تونلی در منشور رنگ و نور... طرح‌هایی که یونگ از مشاهدات و دریافت‌هاش کشیده خیره‌کننده است به گونه‌ای که انگار تحت تاثیر اسید لیکوئید و ماشروم بوده!
اما جهان و روایت یونگ از سیاره‌ و مداری متفاوت سخن به میان آورده و با جهان و روایات کورواک و گینزبرگ و باروز و حتی کاستاندا بسیار بسیار بسیار متفاوت و به غایت غنی‌تر و فنی‌تر و والاترِ.

این کتاب، مثل کتاب شاخه‌‌ی زرین باید توی کتابخونه‌ی هر مجنونِ کتابی جا بگیره. حالا اگه نویسنده یا روان‌شناس و روان‌کاو یا اسطوره‌شناس و محقق باشه دیگه حتمن...
هرچند با قیمت‌های کنونی دیگه‌ تهیه‌ی کتب حجیم اونم مصور با کاغذ تحریر و گلاسه در قطع وزیری با جلد گالینگور و روکش‌دار، یه آرزو و حسرت محسوب می‌شه.

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The years, of which I have spoken to you, when I pursued the inner images, were the most important time of my life. Everything else is to be derived from this." preface

The Red Book is a stunning publication. It is a physically large book which mimics Jung's own handwritten copy which measured 11.57 inches by 15.35 inches.

The contents are just as impressive. The first part is a brief history of Jung and his publications. The second contains pages of calligraphy in both German and Latin of his "active imagination" visualizations as well as sketches and paintings created by Jung to accompany the text.

The last section of the book is the English translation of the second part.

"Jung described his technique for inducing such spontaneous fantasies: 'The training consists first of all in systematic exercises to eliminating critical attention, thus producing a vacuum in consciousness.'" pg 209

The visions themselves are interactions between Jung and voices or figures that he named his soul, gods and other archetypical figures.

"To this my soul spoke a word that roused my anger: 'My light is not of this world.' I cried, "I know of no other world." The soul answered, "Should it not exist because you know nothing of it?" pg 240

As he stated in the preface, Jung felt as if his 'confrontations with his subconscious' affected his work for the rest of his life. It is a fascinating, little-examined side of a man who has had a huge effect on psychology and is credited, by some, as being one of the leading figures of the New Age movement.

The road to publication for this book is a story in itself. At first, Jung's family carefully kept The Red Book in a safe deposit box to protect it as they recognized its value as a one-of-a-kind creation. They also believed that Jung wouldn't have wanted its contents made public as he hadn't left any specific instructions in his will about it.

However, researchers and scholars have since examined the text and found parts where Jung addresses, "my dear friends," leading to the opinion that he did intend to share it with a wider audience. They also point to its importance to Jung's following works as another reason why it should be published.

Whatever their reasoning, I'm so very glad his family and foundation made the decision to publish. This book is a treasure.

Curiously, The Red Book ends in an incomplete sentence.

Here it is:"I knew of nothing better than to write them down in a 'precious,' that is to say, costly book and to paint the images that emerged through reliving it all- as well as I could. I knew how frightfully inadequate this undertaking was, but despite much work and many distractions I remained true to it, even if another/possibility never..." epilogue

I wonder what he was going to write next.

Though I didn't use Jung's method of active imagination, I too have undertaken lengthy 'confrontations' of my subconscious and have come back with pages of material that read, in some ways, quite similar to this book.

Perhaps, one day, I will also find the courage to publish it.

Highly recommended for any readers interested in Carl Jung's methods, archetypes or dream interpretation.

[Kraig Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Already the Book has broaden my feel for a man whose works i spent 10 years reading. This is 2/3 of the collected works. My dreams intensified by just looking at the paintings of really a remarkable and underrated visual artist. It might be the sequel to Blake's 'Island in the moon' in spirit and not an reference to the style. It changes the meaning of that Blake's work for me. CGJ has always been a path of precognative and synchronistic experience. I don't see how it cannot alter the reader or even the world. It might be the last book of this kind.

[Beauregard Bottomley · Rating 1 out of 5]

There’s no way to sugar-coat this book. It’s written by somebody with an unhealthy relationship to reality.

Jung clearly thinks his dreams have prophetic mystical powers and they foresaw WW I for him, or did they create WW I? I have no way of knowing by the way Jung tells his story and confounds the collective unconsciousness with the real.

The vignettes considered individually are quite good, but when the reader puts them together as Jung obviously wants the reader to do, the book is perniciously pathological. Thus Spake Zarathustra is clearly an inspiration for this book but Jung clearly doesn’t have the philosophical heft that Nietzsche did, also The Divine Comedy is inspirational for this book while Jung’s theology is muddled.

Freud places our hidden meaning nexus inside of us but hidden within our unconscious and only accessible by psycho-analysis and preferably with high hourly fees given to a psychoanalyst.

Jung is looking for meaning where it is not. Jung places our meaning outside of us through a collective unconsciousness that is accessible through archetypes and universal motifs that we as a species have mystically connected through magical processes and understanding that are discoverable by analytical-psychology and seeing the symbolic for the real that it must represent, at least Jung will imply that.

In this book, Jung will not embrace Christianity while still arguing for the logical necessity of a bloody cruel sacrifice of a God in human form who encourages us to eat his flesh and drink his blood since it is part of the requirement of the collective unconsciousness since for him the symbol is more important than the thing and vicarious redemption makes sense, at least to Jung.

Jung’s dreams and stories create a self and its soul that explains Jung’s nonsense to each other. The soul is outside of the self but part of the self and is in touch with the wisdom of the ages through a collective unconsciousness.

This book is not void of useful ways of seeing the world, but there are other books that cover such things and are not enshrined with nonsense such as this book is. Jung gets the big point that we are a victim of the world that we are thrown into, that our facticity determines who we are, Heidegger says that in Being and Time, for example, but doesn’t make the mistake of creating truth when it is not there. Jung goes off the rails when he goes full on ‘100th monkey’ collective unconsciousness with archetypes and universals. Jordan Peterson actually seems to fall prey to the worst parts of Jung.

Jung also understands well the lessons of the German Idealist from 1800 to 1830 and their goal of trying to have a thought that was unthinkable leading to resolving the paradox of existence. Kant’s paradox between an individual’s freedom and spontaneity gets overcorrected by Jung when he places truth outside of us and has it reside as part of the human species as a whole and makes it archetypal and universal and places it in a collective unconsciousness.

The good parts of this book clearly do not outweigh the stupid. The stupid from this book is painful to experience. Jung thinks what he is presenting is coherent and meaningful. It is not. Jung is looking for meaning where it cannot possibly be, outside of us through magic. He does have a chapter or two on magic and magicians. For him, symbols are more important than reality and our real meaning (purpose in life) lies in representations and they reside in the ether of an undefinable collective unconsciousness from all mankind.

Oh, yeah, there is definitely long incoherent segues into misogynism with his feminist and masculine framing for the soul, and he definitely said some absurd sounding things about Jews.

We do ourselves a disservice reading dribble like this book espouses. Jung tries to make myths real and creates an incoherent collective unconsciousness and makes it real, while I say our myths separate us from each other and their beliefs reenforce the cult of the oneness and sameness and give credence to those who want revenge and retribution since they cannot find meaning within their own life and must outsource their meaning to myths, or magic, collective unconsciousness, or in this case all three. That to me, describes today’s MAGA hat Republicans perfectly. They are not semi-fascist, they are fascist and Trump creates their myths for them.

Seriously, my dreams are a gateway to a collective unconsciousness? Synchronicity is real? The unreasonableness of reason leading to a feeling-based approach to truth rather than science? Overall, this kind of thinking gives credence to Oswald Spengler and Arnold Toynbee, and who are all part of a fascist world view and are pseudo-scientific. Fascism at its core needs myths (lies) that separate us and allows the in-group to feel superior to others while not actually being superior since for a fascist hating makes them feel superior not be superior and it is always about their feelings not reality.

Jung, clearly, gives an opening for fascist thinking in this book by placing truth at a focal point outside of us hidden in the ether discoverable with magic or feelings accessible in dreams or with an aid of an analytical-psychologist or otherwise part of his mumbo-jumbo feeling based path to truth that is nothing but speculation or experiences stripped from rational, logical or analytical reasoning. For Jung, science bad, feelings good.

This book espouses rubbish and had to be written mostly as a series of dreams or fantasies in order to cover-up the real inanity that is with in it.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, for us Carl Jung fans this book is the Grail, but really it is kind of a let down. Aesthetically this book is the revelation all of us hoped it would be. The paper, the typography, the reproductions are scrumptious. (Yes, I ate them.)

But there is a little bit of the presentation that leaves me head scratching. There is sort of this "introduction to Carl Jung," section and I think to myself, why would anyone interested in this book need an introduction to Carl Jung? And let's be serious: this is Jung's dream journal. There's your content. I loved looking at the pictures. If you wanted something else you are barking up the wrong tree.

Speaking of the pictures, I was struck by similarity to Crowley & Harris' Thoth tarot deck. That tightly wound bear trap is where I am going to leave it.

[Flarne]

Quite literally the best self-help book I have ever lain my eyes on.

Jung circumvented the biggest issue when it comes to self help in the most charming of ways. Furthermore, the theme underlying it is the one and unique theme that explain every other themes in the human experience.. the “original theme” if I may say.


‘I have come looking for my soul through external entities, instead of asking directly to my own soul.’

Instead of seeking answers to our issues onto philosophical books or just advice given by other people, he wants us to ask directly our soul how to solved issues that trouble her.. ‘cause only she, knows best what’s bothering her, and what will really help alleviating her suffering.


But how do I speak to my soul ? Or how does my soul speaks to me ?

He wants us to think profoundly into things/issues by ourselves, but in a particular manner depending on the issue!

this book will give us tools in order to live in a more concordant manner with our inward self.
Not only that, but from the way it is narrated, its mysticism with desert, jungle, sea imageries, and its cohesion all along added an exotic charm during the reading experience, as well as intellectual stimulation to reason out these puzzling figures.

Moreover, this puzzling narration indirectly constrains the reader to look into himself, in order to decipher the meanings depicted.
As he said at the beginning, C. Jung doesn’t want us to find answers of our problems onto philosophical books or others, so he wrote the book in a way that *obliged* us to seek answers within ourselves …

but of course, not in a lazy manner.

He meticulously insisted on recurrent themes, but laid out in different ways each times, giving us hints here and there.

The time he spent at vivifying these helpful ideas, and fit them into his enigmatic narration, is as though, it is impossible to finish this book and not come out with something lasting for the better. (In my opinion)

There is point in life when you realize your soul is your only torch in this world. Picture yourself a body in a dark setting-

Walking not knowing exactly where, and then you hit a wall, because everything around you it’s dark and obscure , you hit a wall, it’s painful and frustrating because you didn’t even know there were a wall there,

and you are not even sure if it’s actually a wall, so you tell yourself you just go in the opposite direction , but still you don’t have a torch fully bright so you can always hit that thing that hurt you or another object.

By knowing your soul, its needs and warnings, even though you don’t know where you go, this torch will brighten your way. If there is wall , you will perceive it, if you trip somewhere by accident, you will know *exactly* what made you trip back then.

And now that the torch made you perceive clearly the thing that hit you, the next time you will walk, you will pay more attention to its possible future presence.

When you understand precisely the reason behind your insatisfaction with life; like the roots of it, you reach such a fresh, divine feeling of actually knowing why things happen, of somewhat being in control. it's fucking frustrating not to be able to explain with reason your "qualms".

It feels like you have ascended to a God status, once you finally reach these depths of your soul and connect all the dots. Awareness can bring peace of mind sometimes…

because, you will be able to find more fulfilling ways to approach your problem if you are intricately aware of its sources… at least compared to, if you were not aware of them.

C. Jung’s method to trigger the unconscious of his audience is by attempting the artificial creation of a soul in a textual medium; the richness of the book comes from this atmosphere whose origins are known to 1/8th and unknown to 7/8th. By trying to reproduce the human experience in front of his soul, this entity only partially known, before our eyes.:: the red book forces us to spend time with it due to our daily activities which prevent us from doing so.

The following review is made of my own personal interpretation of Jung’s presentation, you are allowed to quit the review from now😭
———


I-/ Elijah & Salome: Forethinking and Pleasure

I just love the stoical message and how everything is brought up??

“I see Elijah high above me: this indicates that forethinking stands nearer to love than, I, a man do””.

Elijah symbolizing forethinking, this means for us to love someone we need the latter. “Love is empty without thinking. Thinking hollow without love. The serpent lurks behind the pure principle.”


Let me take an example, imagine your girlfriend cheats on you with another guy.

-By forethinking *alone* (it makes you hate her cos logically, she did smth morally wrong to you)....
but is it really sane for us to torment ourselves with this? What can I do to alleviate my hateful feelings towards her ?
...


Well, as it is said, for you to “love” your gf again , you need to think that by being “aggravated against your brother, think that you are aggravated against the brother in you, -that is-, against what in you is similar to your brother”.

Your girlfriend cheated on you, maybe you too have had thoughts of lust upon someone else, her actions came from a place that is universal to all of us... like I get it , that unlike her, you didn’t cheat. But you can understand than what led her to cheating come from a feeling that belongs to us as well.

You understand that by trying to fight her bc of that feeling, is trying to fight yourself in a way.

You are going to have this soul/body for the rest of your life, By making peace with yourself, as in with every single bits of yourself, -even that feeling of lust that we all share that led your gf to cheaiting - by this forethinking and LOVE of those feelings you’d be able to reach inner tranquility.

Silence and peace come over you if you begin to comprehend the darkness.



“If you are aggravated against your brother, think that you are aggravated against the brother in you, that is, against what in you is similar to your brother.”

Be glad that you can recognize the darkness, for you will thus avoid becoming its victim.

I would like to add that, this might not work for everyone.
Knowing my personality, This would work for me. This would help me hate that person, that cheating partner or whatever, less. But if it doesn’t work for you that’s fine.

As it is stated in the book, you should find what’s work for you through your own soul, and NOT onto philosophical books or other ppl. It might overlaps with solutions for your personality sometimes, but not always. You, alone, can find the most fitting way to alleviate your soul’s negative feelings. Think profoundly into what can do it.

—-
II-/ “How much our life needs death!”

Sometimes when something negative happens to us, we tend to work our ass off to overcome it.. and we tend to expect that by trying hard, by working our ass off, we’d gonna reach a certain point where we’d be free from that negative pain/misfortune.

But the thing is, expecting *abscence of evilness* in this world is utopic and impossible, it is always gonna be here.

Most people (esp the depressed ones) are gonna torment themselves about their inescapable fate despite all their efforts to overcome its bad sides, but the thing is,


I shouldn’t have EXPECTED that no additional evil/bad occurrence will happen despite my efforts.


Should we work our ass off to overcome our obstacles in life and get what we want ? Absolutely yes.
Should we expect *abscence of additional evilness* after reaching that point? Absolutely no.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Because evilness in this world makes us appreciate the good moments of life so much more. Without evil there’s no joy... How much our life needs death ...

“Without the depths, I do not have the heights. I may be on the heights, but precisely because of that I do not become aware of the heights. I therefore need the bottommost for my renewal.”

For me for example, It’s so sad to think that we weren’t prepared to have friendships with certain really great people

That our friendship probably woulda turned out so much better if I had met them in my current state of mind.
But the thing is, I only got to this more positive mindstate bc I’ve went through lot of stuff.. “How much our life needs death”..

—-

III-/ My animalistic nature :

The animalistic nature of humans.

Your love of your neighbour is your bad love of yourself. You flee away from yourself and seek salvation through external people ,

whether through their knowledge, their company, through desiring what other people have etc.. like animals feed off on other animals to survive/(for salvation)


For example, some people think their life would be so much better when they’d get a girlfriend, or if they’d get tons of friends... and that is not healthy cos human beings are unpredictable, you shouldn’t rely on them

He wants us to seek salvation within ourself.. within our soul.

—

The devil always belongs to God

Don’t follow beautiful things, cos by striving for them we forget our essence. We endeavor to attain the good but at the same time seize the devil. And no one wants the devil (basically misfortune, -causes of- negative emotions)


We should remain true to our essence, which differentiates ourselves from the good and beautiful and hence from the devil.

Our essence is differentiation, but we shouldn’t SEEK from it through thinking/reasoning etc. You should strive for your own essence, just listen to your heart and you know EXACTLY what you want if you pay close attention to your soul, sometimes we don’t wanna admit it ourself, bc of external factors have a weight on our thoughts and so on.

But by striving for your soul, for your essence, what you truly want , and not the beautiful, we escape from the devil as well. (Negative emotions)


——

“God” here can be assimilated as something good happening to you.

He goes first:

1- “Happy am I who recognize the multiplicity and diversity of the Gods. But woe, unto you who replace this incompatible multiplicity with a single God.”

People tend to assume everything good in their life has only 1 function : creating good upon their life. Jung debunks 4 “Gods” within such thing instead :
a- the sun, the creation of that happiness, that thing will bring u happiness
b- Eros, binds himself together and spreads himself out in brightness
c- the three of life, it fills space with bodies
d- the devil, he dissolved everything formed and physical, that good thing, that god in your life will destroy what he has formed at some point


A lot of people tend to perceive that “God” only as the brightness they will procure upon their life but by doing so, you produce the torment, incomprehension (when that happiness turned out not being only happiness).

Basically Never expect things to be only positive 100% in this world.

Cause What you do unto the Gods is done likewise unto you. You all become equal and thus your nature is maimed.

What you do onto that thing that provided happiness, you assumed it will only bring u happiness, so when he brings you happiness then you are happy atm, but when it doesn’t, when it dissolves everything it has brought onto you, you dissolves yourself too, as in you breaks down.. because you didn’t recognize the multiplicity and diversity of your God from the get-go.

—


The world would be such a better place for all humans if everyone did an effort to thoroughly understand their psychology and inner self

[Sultan76 · Rating 5 out of 5]

الكتاب الاحمر. للكاتب السويسري كارل غوستاف يونغ ، تم نشر الكتاب بعد وفاه الكاتب ب ٥٠ عام هو عالم نفس وقد مكث ١٦ عاما في كتابته ، و أقر ورثته نشره عام ٢٠٠٩

الكتاب فلسفي وخليط من علم النفس يحاكي فيه يونغ معاناته مع اللاوعي خلال ١٦ عام حينما ظن انه أُصيب بانفصام في الشخصيه


بالكتاب جلد للذات بشكل مهول ويحتاج ممن يقرأة الكثير من التروي والتركيز، عُد هذا الكتاب كمرجع نفسي تحليلي للحديث مع النفس و الروح

فتارة نجد يونغ يتحدث مع سحرة وتارة مع الموت وتارة مع قديسين هاجروا للصحراء ، يونغ خليط من المؤمن والمتشكك

كتاب يونغ يأتي قريبا من كتاب هكذا تكلم زرادشت ولكن الفرق ان نيتشه متعالي كثيرا في حين يأتي يونغ كحمل وديع يجلد ذاته متنقلا بين روحه وعدة ارواح

تم ادراج كتاب السبر العميق ضمن نفس الكتاب وفيه يحاكي يونغ ذاته من خلال صفحات بلا فصول كالكتاب الاحمر


فلسفه يونغ عميقه جدا وفريق العمل الذي قام ع نشر وترجمه الكتاب امضى فترة طويله من خلال عمليات حذف وتنقيح ليخرج بتلك الصورة

لازلت اردد ان كتب الفلاسفه الغربيين تبدو صعبه وتحتاج لتركيز كون ثقافتهم مختلفه عن ثقافتنا


الكتاب الاحمر يعد مرجعا نفسيا فلسفيا لمن يحب المجالين

كونوا بخير

اخوكم سلطان

[CedarMoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"All the works of man have their origin in creative fantasy. What right have we then to depreciate imagination." CG JUNG

Beautiful Beautiful book. Jung was truly a talented man, who was and is respected in his field.

Some people have left negative reviews regarding the packaging. It is a big big book, but It needs to be to show the plates that is Jungs own handwriting. I wouldn't have it any other way. In saying that tho it is awkward. Maybe the publishers should have included a smaller book with just the english translation so you can read it whilst enjoying the full thing.

However that said, i don't rate a book by its cover. I might not read it, but it will never impact the rating, as thats not really anything to do with the content and the ideas of the author. So one star woman further down the list, I am unsure how you can give so much love to the late Jung, and then provide a one star...

Jung's idea of the collective unconscious is something that has been widely discussed. This is quite an interesting topic as it is what caused Jung and Freud to split from their shared work and beliefs and branch out into they're own.

Jung was often challenged by his own unconscious, as he himself would put it, hearing voices and seeing visions. This book is a record of one of those periods. Jung's art through the book is quite beautiful; it is also important to the writing, as one of his beliefs was that Art is a healing tool to be used. The calligraphy to die for. His message through history important.

Yes the book is expensive. But its worth it....

"Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better take things as they come along with patience and equanimity." CG JUNG

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interested in symbolism, mythology and archetypes, I started reading Jung in my 20's. When this book came out, I had to own it, despite the price and its huge size. The timing is good for me, being in my early 50's and trying to let go of whom I think (or others think) I should be, versus being who I am. This book was Jung's personal diary as he struggled with integrating his own 'dark side' and was kept from publication by his family for many years. Just the act of reading it - propped awkwardly from the base of my thighs to my knees, sucking in my waist to turn each page - is a journey in itself. The first 1/3 of the book contains actual scans of Jung's book, written in ornate script with paintings of some of his dreams or waking visions and illuminated like ancient manuscripts. I took my time going from page to page, absorbing the art. Now, the second 1/3 of the book contains background information on Jung's life, philosophies and studies, which is preparing me for the final 1/3 - a translation of Jung's text.

This is not light reading by any stretch of the imagination. But I have a feeling it will be transformational for me at this crossroad in my life.

[HaifaAhrari · Rating 5 out of 5]

کتاب سرخ یکی از کتاب‌های روانکاو آلمانی، کارل گوستاو یونگ است. متن اصلی این کتاب با مرگ یونگ در سال ۱۹۶۱ به صندوق امانات بانک سپرده شد و تا سال ۱۹۹۷ وراث او اجازه انتشار آن را نمی دادند. نوشتن این کتاب برای یونگ ده سال زمان برد و موضوع اصلی آن غرق شدن در عالم ناخودآگاه بود. اما خود یونگ از وارثینش خواست چون هیچ یک از هم عصرانش، این کتاب را درک نخواهند کرد، انتشار آن را تا چند دهه بعد از مرگش به تعویق بیاندازند. کتاب سرخ درواقع داستان سفرهای یونگ به عالم ناخودآگاه است که با تصاویری همراه شده و چون جلد دفتر دست‌نویس آن سرخ رنگ بود در جامعه انگلیسی زبانان به این نام شناخته شد و بعدها هم به همین نام به فارسی ترجمه شد.در مقدمه این کتاب از زبان یونگ می خوانیم:
«سال‌هایی که از آن‌ها با شما سخن گفته‌ام مهم‌ترین ایام زندگی من بوده‌اند. هر چیز دیگر که هست از اینجا سرچشمه می‌گیرد… و جزئیاتِِ پس از آن، دیگر اهمیت چندانی ندارند.»

📖 ⁠حیوان بر علیه خود نمی‌شورد.

حیوانات را بنگرید: اینکه چقدر موثر هستند، چقدر خوب و مهربانند، چقدر سنن دیرین را محترم می‌شمارند، چقدر بر سر زمینی که آنان را زاده است و فادارند، چقدر به مسیرهای مرسومشان پایبندند، چقدر جوانان را مراقب‌اند، چقدر در هنگام چرا کنار همدیگرند، و چگونه یکدیگر را به چشمه رهنمون می‌کنند، یکی در میان آنها نیست که وفور نعمت را پنهان کند، و بگذارد که برادرش در گرسنگی بماند. یکی در میان آنها نیست که بر تحمیل ارادهاش بر نوع خود بکوشد. یکی در میان آنان نیست که پشه باشد و به خطا خیال کند که فیل است. حیوان، شایسته و متناسب زیست می‌کند و به زندگانی گونه‌های خود وفادار است. و نه از آن فراتر می‌رود و نه از آن کوتاه می‌آید. کسی که هرگز حیوان خود را زندگی نکند باید با برادرش همچون حیوان رفتار کند.
خود را خوار بشمارید و حیوان خودتان را از زندگی کنید. بدین گونه تمامی آن مردگان پرسه زن را نجات می‌بخشید، مردگانی که تقلا دارند از زندگان تغذیه کنند. از کارها را که می‌کنید به قانون بدل نکنید چون این نخوت ناشی از قدرت است.

[Yelda Basar Moers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would you like to take a spiral staircase down to the realm of the soul? Because in a nutshell that is what Jung has done in these pages.

Jung is popularly known for coining the term "synchronicity” and he is the founder of analytical psychology. I first heard about The Red Book many years ago when it was featured on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. I read the article and was left fascinated.

In The Red Book, Jung has willingly entered into the realm of the unconscious and into conversations with his soul (he used his own “active imagination” method for access). And he called it “my most difficult experiment.” The Red Book was unpublished during his lifetime and after his death kept in a vault. Jung considered it his most important work, though only a few had actually read it. He was concerned about its implications for his reputation. It's quite an incredible reading experience and one I recommend for those of you interested in spirituality or psychology.

Much of The Red Book went right over my head! There are so many characters, symbols, figures. To fully grasp its meaning, a guidebook could help (examples suggested to me by some Jung expert pals are Reading the Red Book and Jung's Red Book for Our Time). I didn’t have these books so I just carefully and slowly read its pages! Its 100 page plus intro helped me and is excellent as background! I believe The Red Book will go down in history as one of the most important works of literature in the 20th century.

“If you enter into the world of the soul, you are like a madman and a doctor would consider you to be sick.”

[Ahmet Bakir Sbaai · Rating 5 out of 5]

واحد من أهم كتب الأدب/علم النفس في التاريخ.
غامض، روحاني، علمي، حميمي، هادئ ومربك أيضا.
وضعني كتاب يونغ هذا في مواجهة مباشرة مع لاوعيي الفردي ولاوعينا الجماعي مرة واحدة..
أنصح بقراءة كتب يونغ بهذا الترتيب: الانسانن ورموزه (لكونه الأخير ولبساطته)، ثم هذا الكتاب للأوصاف التي ذكرت آنفا، ثم بقية كتبه بالترتيب الكرونولوجي.
مع هذا الكتاب وقع لي شيء غامض وكثيف ومربك لرجل يترجم أحد كتب فيتغنشتاين الصارم.. حلم أيظني من النوم فزعا.. وتحقق منه جزؤه الأدق حرفيا في الواقع..

[Daniel T]

شاید بعدا برم سراغش، نه میفهمم چی میگه، نه جذابیتی داره
علت محبوبیت یونگ هم نمیفهمم
شاید بهتر میبود (مسلما باید اینطور میشد) سراغ آثار اولیه تری از این نویسنده میرفتم.

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opening this book is like entering a magical world of wonders. It is an adventure in and of itself.
I am so glad the public can finally see this notebook.
I even think the size serves the purpose: a very large volume comparable to some kind of rare Medieval book that you would need a beautifully ornate lectern for!!!

And then there is the text, illuminated as it is... it is more powerful.

[Ştefan Bolea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clearly Nietzschean, inspired by esoteric Christianity, alchemy and Tarot and written by a spirit different (perhaps stronger) than Nietzsche. Some of Jung's ideas are delelopped in Meyrink's work as well. A piece of experimental psychology with a touch of Medievalism in it. I'm not very fond of the parodical and satirical pages.

[M●13RA · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Hell is when you know that everything serious that you have planned with yourself is also laughable, that everything fine is also brutal, that everything good is also bad, that everything high is also low, and that everything pleasant is also shameful.”
“The deepest Hell is when you realize that Hell is also no Hell, but a cheerful Heaven, not a Heaven in itself, but in this respect a Heaven, and in that respect a Hell.”

“My soul cannot be the object of my judgement and knowledge; much more are my judgement and knowledge the objects of my soul.”
“He whose desire turns away from outer things, reaches the place of the soul. If he does not find the soul, the horror of emptiness will overcome him, and fear will drive him with a whip lashing time and time again in a desperate endeavor and a blind desire for the hollow things of the world.”
“My friends, it is wise to nourish the soul, otherwise you will breed dragons and devils in your heart.”
“Dreams are the guiding words of the soul. Why should I henceforth not love my dreams and not make their riddling images into objects of my daily consideration?”
“If your creative force now turns to the place of the soul, you will see how your soul becomes green and how its field bears wonderful fruit"

[J. Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the most important documents of the soul of the twentieth century. For anyone interested in psychology it is a must-read.

[Biale Drageo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Red Book is one of those books where the “plot” is less important than what it stirs up in you. It reads like a dream journal, a myth, a confession, and a private argument with the soul all at once. And honestly, I think it’s meant to be that way. You don’t solve it. You sit with it.

My main takeaway: this isn’t a book about being “good” or “bad.” It’s about being whole. About stopping the constant self-editing. About meeting the parts of yourself you’d rather label as “not me” and realizing they’re still… you. Not to excuse anything, just to stop living split in half.

Some pages felt profound. Some felt confusing. A few felt like Jung was staring directly into a psychic storm and taking notes. But the overall message (for me) was surprisingly simple: acceptance isn’t passive. It’s brave. And wholeness beats perfection.

Not an easy read, but if you’re in the mood for something that’s more mirror than manual, it’s unforgettable.

[Menna · Rating 3 out of 5]

مش فاهمه إزاي وصلتله,ومش هقدر اقيمه مش تقليل منه بس يعني لازم أفهمه كويس :D
الكتاب مش هتقدر تدركه مره واحده كده محتاج إعاده قراءه بعد فتره علشان تستوعب الكم الفظيع اللي أنتجه اللاوعي , وغالبًا اللاوعي بيكون أكثر إثمـار من الوعي , ليهم حق في عدم نشر الكتاب يمكن لان عقلنا مش هيقدر يستوعبه بالبساطه دي
.. بغض النظر عن المقدمه الـ 100 صفحه كانت مضايقاني :D

لا أحد ولا شئ يستطيع تبرير ما يجب أن أعلنه لك.

ينمو الناس كالنباتات تمامًا, البعض في الضوء والبعض الاخر في الظلال,هناك العديد من الناس يحتاجون الظل ولا يحتاجون الضوء.

دربي لبيس دربك. ولذلك لا أسنطيع تعليمك, الطريق بداخلنا, وليس في التعاليم ولا القوانين. يكمن في داخلنا الطريق والحق والحياة .

من الحكمة تغذية الروح, وإلا فسوف تتكاثر التانين والشياطين في قلوبكم.

ان دخلت عالم الروح, فأنت تشبه المجنون, وسوف يعتبرك الطبيب مريضًا.

الرحلة إلي الجحيم تعني أن يصبح المرء جحيمًا بذاته.

لكن الجحيم الأعمق يكون عندما تدرك أن الجحيم ليس جحيمًا أيضا, بل جنة مبهجة,ليس جنة بحد ذاتها ,بل بهذا المعني جنة وبذلك المعني جحيم.

الشيطان هو عنصر شرير, أما الفرح؟ إن سعيت وراء الفرح ,فسوف تري انه يحتوي علي الشر أيضًا , لأنك ستصل حينئذ إلي المتعة , وتذهب من المتعة إلي الجحيم بشكل مباشر, تذهب إلي جحيمك الخاص الذي يختلف بين شخص وأخر.

نظرت حولي ورأيت أن العزله تمتد بشكل غير متناه, و أخترقتني ببرودة مرعبة , لا تزال الشمس تتوهج بداخلي, لكن أستطيع أن أشعر بنفسي أني أدخل في الظل العظيم . أتبعت التيار الذي يشق طريقه ببطء إلي الأعماق ,إلي أعماق ماهو آت ...

أنت لا تعرف أي الشياطين أعظم, رذائلك أم فضائلك , لكنك متأكد من أمر واحد وهو أن الفضائل والرذائل أخوة .

نحن نحتاج برودة الموت من أجل الرؤيه بوضوح ..

وكفايه مقتبسات كده :D

[Joseph]

What an amazing book! The historical background, the high-quality copy of original calligraphy & drawings, the interpretive notes, and, of course, the penetrations of Jung during his descent into the soul. From opening pages: "The spirit of the depths has subjugated all pride and arrogance to the power of judgment. He took away my belief in science, he robbed me of the joy of explaining and ordering things, and he let devotion to the ideals of this time die out in me. he forced me down to the last and simplest things. The spirit of the depths took my understanding and all my knowledge and placed them at the service of the inexplicable and the paradoxical. he robbed me of speech and writing for everything that was not in his service, namely the melting together of sense and nonsense, which produces the supreme meaning."

[Adira · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more esoteric books you can get your hands on. A true masterpiece that at times felt as if I was catching a glimpse of a very private inner world. One of the many things that I love about Jung is in one of the last interviews he gave he tells the interviewer that he doesn’t “believe” in anything and that he doesn’t need to believe in god because he just simply knows. I felt like The Red Book was a constant reinforcement of that statement for him.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I believe the effect of and my opinion of this book will better develop over time, I can convey a basic imprint. Jung created this book over several decades, nurturing it with the same care and privacy as one gives to their diary. Few people read it during his lifetime, though some tailored excerpts made there way into others of his publications. The writing tone of this work highly contrasts that of his books and lectures, being more an attempt at creative literature or myth, much in the same way that Nietzsche's Zarathustra contrasts with the writing style of his normal rhetoric. Jung seems to have been embarrassed at the thought of publishing this, either because it wasn't on par with creative writings of professional novelists, poets, and artists or because it would negatively affect the way the professional psychological publications of his were treated from then on out. So at his wishes, the publication of this book was delayed for a long time after his death. In fact, it was only released for the first time a couple years ago, now a hundred years since he began working on it.

In the realm of Jungian psychology the term "active imagination" sometimes comes up and traces its root to the process that Jung himself began a hundred years ago when he started working on this book. It is a form of creative exploration of unconscious contents of the human mind in which one is totally absorbed in the process of a creative waking fantasy or daydream. It is can be used in therapy or for the psychologist's personal exploratory purposes, however the latter seems to be a less popular approach to psychologists outside of the whole Carl Jung and William James schools of thought (those that wish to maintain a safe and scientifically immune & observable distance from the unpredictable realm of direct experience with the unconscious). The decision for Jung to begin nurturing this private painting and creative writing "hobby" came about after the outbreak of World War I, leading up to which he had been experiencing nearly a year's worth of severely disturbing cataclysmic dreams affecting all of Europe. These dreams were happening so regularly and were so morbidly focused that he began to fear he was on the verge of some kind of nervous breakdown or impending psychosis. Being quite familiar with using dreams for symbolic psychoanalysis, it wasn't hard for him to see these as perhaps symbolizing some cataclysmic breakdown of his mind. After the war broke out (and being a war on such a large scale), he wondered if it may have been some type of collective impression he had been dealing with, and after then learning of numerous cases of similar dreams and foreboding creative visions many people were also having up until that time, he began to better formulate his theory of the collective unconscious (one of his most well-known contributions to the study of psychology). At the same time his explorer's interest had been stimulated and he began to wonder if over time and practice he could induce a sort of controlled psychosis, where one engages the unconscious mind in an active, waking state. This book was the product of that exploration and had a core and most profound effect on all his ensuing psychological studies.

The book is divided into three separate "episodes" which were separated by certain lengths of time (as well as being logical divisions that were made for the purpose of theme of a developed story). They take on the tone of mythology and tell the story of a man in search of his soul and to rebirth the old God. Excerpts from the third section have been published before and may be familiar to students of Jungian psychology as the "seven sermons to the dead". The first two sections of the book were written in calligraphic German by Jung himself and it is all included in the book. In addition to the text are numerous paintings Jung did himself, mostly of mandalas but also of characters related to the stories and inspired by his encounters with the unconscious in his "active imagination" technique. So the book itself is divided in half, the first being an exact printing of his paintings and calligraphy and the second half being an English translation of all the calligraphic text, and an additional non-calligraphic section (called "Scrutinies"). Though the text seems to move slow at times and is hard to perceive the plot and direction he's taking, the story does evolve meaningfully and ends with a philosophically stimulating set of speeches that constitute a nice ending.

While the readable text for English speakers starts on about page 195 and constitutes a little under two hundred pages, these pages themselves are enormous and contain about four times the text of a standard book page (unless you choose to skip all the footnotes, which would be a bad idea). So really you're looking at about a 700 page book if compared to a standard book. Combine the length of the book with the slower, more absorbing rhythm required for reading highly-annotated mythological & philosophical text and it could be a long (though enjoyable) read. I had to read much quicker than I was comfortable with to meet the maximum length of time the local library allows for their books. This is really the type of book to be studied, and done at a more thoughtful pace, so keep that in mind if picking it up at a library instead of shelling out a couple hundred bucks for a personal copy.

The footnotes are highly detailed and the annotations are placed relevantly throughout the text, however there are some works which would be a good idea to read beforehand. First and foremost, do not read this if it is your introduction to Carl Jung. Don't even think about it. Stop right now and read through some of his works (there are good reference texts out there that can help you figure out where to start). You will not like this book at all if it is your starting point with Jung, unless you've read a lot of Joseph Campbell instead. Second, Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a must-read. It was a heavy influence on the style, plot, and purpose of this work, and even with footnotes to refer to it wont be a steady and coherent read. It may not be essential, but helpful to be familiar with Biblical and Greek mythology as there are many quotes from biblical texts and allusions to Greek gods and heroes.

Also, the appendices are worth reading. They only span about eight pages, but it is the only section of the book in which Jung writes in the same style that he does in all his other books, and they are an invaluable tool for helping to understand and analyse the symbolism of the whole book.

I believe this book is a worthwhile read for those who enjoy psychology, mythology, and philosophy. Again, I wish I could have taken my time with it more so than I did, but perhaps I'll pick it up again in the future. It's the type of book that ventures some profound ideas (or re-packages them in modern terms) and more than anything else has value to those who wish to see the results (from a psychotherapist perspective) of someone who practiced and grew proficient in a technique that actively engages the unconscious mind.