Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 9 (Part 2): Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self: The Myth of the Divine Child and the Mysteries of Eleusis

I consider all forms of Christianity to be more or less Gnostic in nature. They all emphasize the importance of knowledge in uncovering the "mysteries" of GOD. I was raised in a Southern Baptist family. Our religious activities were sporadic. Faith lacked any sense of urgency. Because of my early life I did not acquire many of the doctrinal prejudices of Christianity. That being said, I found Jung's approach to the archetypes and symbolism of religions as a whole and Gnosticism in particular extremely fascinating. His concepts of wholeness and balance are Aristotelian, but his view of religion Platonic. I believe Jung misjudged the influence "high religion" played in some of his conclusions. This represents a sort of summation of his life's work and research. Be prepared to look up the definitions of technical psychological terms and various ancient religious and mythological names and terms. Jung was very much a 20th Century man living through the "1950's". If you are prepared to make a serious attempt to understand the material, you will find it the most enlightening book you will ever read. His understanding of people is unparalleled.

If I was forced to have a complaint about this book it would be that you should be well versed in history, literature, mythology, psychology, and the occult to get the most out of Jung. His writing is quite dense, and assumes a base line of knowledge as a context for understanding it. I found it inspired me to research any references he made that I wasn't familiar with. Calling Jung 'astute' is a gross understatement.

Only the first part of this book is explaining Jung's views on the Self, anima/animus and the inconscious, maybe 1/4 of it. So don't expect a practical guide for understanding and therapy.Most chapters detail the historical and cultural origins and symbols of these concepts and archetypes in Christian, Jewish, Gnostic, and Alchemist theories.I'd say the book is maybe excellent as a reference for historical research on the subject, but a bit short about more recent Jungian concepts.The e-Book is +/- 270 pages, followed by 200 + pages of bibliography, index, etc.

I have to admit, many parts of this book were completely incomrehensible to me. My five stars are for the parts of the book that I was able to understand, which completely blew my mind, perhaps even changed my life and view of the world.Be warned, this is not an easy book to read. I would not read this book without Edinger's companion lectures.

always a good read