Here is a unique analysis of Carl Jung's thought from the perspective of the history of religions. Using a religious and historical approach, the author identifies the religious goal or ultimate concern of Jung's psychological system, and traces the evolution of that goal throughout his Collected Works. This book focuses on the historical development of a key component of Jung's thought--the quest for wholeness--and shows how it functions as the ultimate concern of his psychotherapeutic system. The relationships among many of Jung's important concepts, such as his "complex" theory, the individuation process, archetypal symbolism, therapeutic concerns, alchemy, and Eastern religions, are given a new sense of order and significance when viewed in this historical light. Rather than presenting a haphazard array of seemingly endless topics, this work emphasizes the continuity underlying Jung's early and later writings. The evolution of Jung's work is divided into three distinct phases: developmental, formative, and elaborative. Whereas the developmental period consists of the time prior to the creation of Jung's ultimate concern, it was during the formative phase that Jung began to consolidate the contours of his newly emerging system. During the elaborative phase, Jung expanded and clarified his ultimate concern and pattern of ultimacy. This book shows that the evolution of Jung's thought moved from a concern with psychic fragmentation, to individual wholeness, and then to cosmic unity.

This comprehensive study of the affinity of thought between Friedrich Nietzsche and C. G. Jung reveals that the quest for wholeness, the central theme in Jung's psychology, is the dominant thread that runs through the entire fabric of Nietzsche's writings. Emerging in his earliest essays and ultimately interweaving the major philosophical concepts of his latest works, this underlying theme provides the pull-thread for unraveling the intricately entwined skein of Nietzsche's complex but coherent philosophy. This book aims, on the one hand, to expose the extraordinary reflection of Nietzsche's ideas in Jung's writings, and, at the same time, to employ the language of analytical psychology to illustrate and clarify Nietzsche's message. Holding that Jung's perception of Nietzsche's philosophy belies the uncanny similarity of their thought and perpetuates popular misunderstandings of Nietzsche, the author offers an extensive critique of Jung's analyses of Nietzsche's philosophy and his assessment of Nietzsche's psychic disturbance.

This volume of essays is thematically governed by the notion of art as a vehicle for interreligious dialogue. The interfaces explored by the various contributors to this volume indicate the rich and complex definitions of religious and religions.

The largest work ever published in the social and behavioural sciences. It contains 4000 signed articles, 15 million words of text, 90,000 bibliographic references and 150 biographical entries.

Carl Jung praised Fr. Victor White, O.P.as the only theologian to truly understand his work, and even considered him his only worthy successor. Clodagh Weldon's new biography explores the life and theology of this Dominican priest, focusing particularly on the influence of Jung's work on White's own religious writings. Grounded in extensive research of primary and, until now, unseen documents, including letters, diaries, and even White's descriptions of his dreams, this book will be valuable reading for theologians, psychologists, and anyone interested in Carl Jung and the relationship between psychology and religion.

"The energy of Eros is powerful--alluring, fascinating, compelling. Many people--especially those who are single or celibate by choice or by circumstance--struggle with the containment of erotic energies. Many people in all walks of life wonder how sexuality and spirituality can live together in harmony. The instinctual energy of Eros and the compelling archetype of Self fire and guide the desires that lead to psychological growth and ultimate spiritual development." "These issues were central to Jung as he began to formulate his theories over against Freud's. The Fires of Desire explores the consequences of Jung's split with Freud over the nature of libido as sexual energy and describes the vicissitudes of that energy's unfolding. The central question is: What is the nature of erotic energy and how may it be transmuted? Just as Jung looked to mythology and the alchemical mysteries of medieval Europe to find answers from the realm of the deep psyche, today one continues to wonder: How is the lead of life transformed into gold? How are ordinary erotic energies transmuted into the passionate yearning that leads the soul to mystical union with the Divine?" "In this book leading Jungians--psychotherapists, analysts, educators, and theologians--revisit the issue that created the Freud/Jung split and attempt to reformulate our understanding of Eros in relation to Spirit. The Fires of Desire follows a developmental path depicting human experience. It marks out the similarities and differences between psychosis and mystical experience. It sketches the structure of feminine and masculine development. It looks at the process of psychospiritual growth and at the transformations of religious experience. In addressing the essential question of the transmutation of erotic energy, it asks: After therapy, what then? In its answer, it delineates four stages in the quest for the Divine and describes the nature of conjunctio or mystical union."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved