Illuminating selections from Jung's writings on the nature of evil Well-known for his articulation of the "shadow side" of human individuality and culture, C. G. Jung wrote a great deal about the question of evil throughout his life and in scattered places in his work. In this book, Murray Stein brings together key selections of Jung's writings on the subject. In Jung's early work on the unconscious, he considered the role of evil in the mental processes of the severely disturbed. Later, he viewed the question of moral choice within the framework of his ideas about archetypes and discussions about moral choices, conscience, and the continual ethical reflection that is necessary for all of us. The material here includes letters to Freud and Father Victor White and writings ranging from his Answer to Job to his travel piece on North Africa.

Illuminating selections from Jung's writings on alchemy and the transformation of the human spirit The ancient practice of alchemy, which thrived in Europe until the seventeenth century, dealt with the phenomenon of transformation—not only of ore into gold but also of the self into Other. Through their work in the material realm, alchemists discovered personal rebirth as well as a linking between outer and inner dimensions. C. G. Jung first turned to alchemy for personal illumination in coping with trauma brought on by his break with Freud. Alchemical symbolism eventually suggested to Jung that there was a process in the unconscious, one that had a goal beyond discharging tension and hiding pain. In this book, Nathan Schwartz-Salant brings together key selections of Jung's writings on the subject. These writings expose us to Jung's fascinating reflections on the symbols of alchemy—such as the three-headed Mercurial dragon, hermaphrodites, and lions devouring the sun—and brings us closer to the spirit of his approach to the unconscious, closer than his purely scientific concepts often allow.

In this book, Dr. Jung, who has been the author of some of the most provocative hypotheses in modern psychology, describes what he regards as an authentic religious function in the unconscious mind. Using a wealth of material from ancient and medieval gnostic, alchemistic, and occultistic literature, he discusses the religious symbolism of unconscious processes and the possible continuity of religious forms that have appeared and reappeared through the centuries.