Jung on Death and Immortality

Several friends have died recently. And I am nearing the last stage of mortality. When I was a university professor, I used Jung's works to teach university classes on the archetypal journey in Literature and Film, including popular culture. Jung's understanding of the unconscious, individuation, and the quaternity came out of life-long study, experiences, and professional interactions with patients and world-class scholars. He was/is an excellent healer and his insights invariably useful. That he viewed death as a goal is worth processing.

The prose is a bit dense and the subject matter sometimes too esoteric to hold my interest. I ended up just skimming most of it. I'm keeping it, however, because of Jung's description of his near-death experience, which is quite interesting.

Although all talk about 'life after death' is absurd according to the basic axioms of modern, materialistic science, there is still those who like to think deeper over the matter. Not surprisingly Carl Jung - one of the greatest psychologists and philosophers ever - was among those who could see beyond the prejudices of his time.In this book we get all the colors of Jung's rainbow: the depth of his wisdom, his profound intellectual knowledge, but also his complete inability to see anything in any text except a reflection of his own ideas.Jenny Yates has made a brilliant selection, mixing the obvious excerpts from Jung's memoires and the introduction to "The Tibetan Book of The Death" with some real gems. She has also written an excellent introduction making this one of the best volumes of the 'encountering Jung' series.Essential for everyone interested in the more spiritual/mystical side of Jung. As well as for anyone fascinated with the eternal mystery of death and dying.

Although all talk about 'life after death' is absurd according to the basic axioms of modern, materialistic science, there is still those who like to think deeper over the matter. Not surprisingly Carl Jung - one of the greatest psychologists and philosophers ever - was among those who could see beyond the prejudices of his time.In this book we get all the colors of Jung's rainbow: the depth of his wisdom, his profound intellectual knowledge, but also his complete inability to see anything in any text except a reflection of his own ideas.Jenny Yates has made a brilliant selection, mixing the obvious excerpts from Jung's memoires and the introduction to "The Tibetan Book of The Death" with some real gems. She has also written an excellent introduction making this one of the best volumes of the 'encountering Jung' series.Essential for everyone interested in the more spiritual/mystical side of Jung. As well as for anyone fascinated with the eternal mystery of death and dying.

Fascinating read