A year with C.G. Jung
Psychology, spirituality, art
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Who looks outside, dreams;
who looks inside, awakes.
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- C.G. Jung -
A year with C.G. Jung
Psychology, spirituality, art
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Carl Gustav Jung was one of the most fascinating figures of the twentieth century. A wide-ranging thinker, he was not only among the most influential psychologists of his time, but also a profoundly creative mind whose work extended into architecture and the visual arts—fields in which his contributions have lost none of their relevance or expressive power.
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As the founder of the typology that later informed the widely used Myers–Briggs test, it is no coincidence that Jung’s work consistently bridges thinking and feeling. Although Jung himself always emphasised the scientific and empirical character of his psychology, the posthumous publication of The Red Book made unmistakably clear that his thinking was also deeply rooted in his own inner and emotional life.
The Red Book and Jung's descent into the psyche
The publication of The Red Book in 2009—almost half a century after Jung’s death—established him as one of the great explorers of the modern psyche. It revealed a thinker who deliberately entered the depths of his own inner world, fully aware that this descent into the unconscious might overwhelm him. This period followed Jung’s decisive break with Sigmund Freud in 1912 and coincided with a time of profound personal and professional isolation, marked by severe depressive symptoms. During these years, Jung made himself the subject of a long-term psychological experiment, applying to his own life the ideas that had earlier driven him and Freud apart.
Jung later remarked that it took him the rest of his life to integrate what he encountered during his confrontation with the unconscious following his break with Freud.
While The Red Book gives artistic form to these experiences, many of the central concepts of Jung’s psychological work can be traced back to this time. What Jung discovered was that autonomous forces operate within the psyche beyond conscious control, exerting a direct influence on human behaviour. These forces often appeared as archetypal or mythic figures, encountered in dreams and visions as independent presences within the psyche—linking the individual mind to a deeper psychic reality that exceeds the personal.
Why this book club - and why now​
After decades in the shadow of Freud’s influence, Jung’s work has experienced a renewed and growing interest in recent years. This revival extends beyond psychology into scientific, cultural, and spiritual fields. As global attention to questions of meaning and spirituality increases, Jung’s psychology has undergone a genuine renaissance.
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In a world increasingly shaped by materialist worldviews—and now by artificial intelligence, which risks reducing the human mind to data and computation—Jung offers an alternative vision of the psyche: not as a mechanism, but as a living whole, oriented toward meaning and connected to dimensions that transcend the individual.
Jung did not only write about the unconscious, he also drew, painted, and sculpted it.
On a personal level, Jung’s work marked a decisive shift in my own thinking and way of life. It offered a framework that is intellectually responsible while remaining grounded in inner experience and oriented toward long-term transformation—a process Jung called individuation.
Structure and focus​
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Over the course of a year, we read key texts from Jung’s oeuvre, beginning with his autobiography Memories, Dreams, Reflections and The Red Book, and continuing with central themes such as archetypes, dreams, synchronicity, art and symbolism, and cultural critique.
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Alongside close reading, we explicitly explore the implications of Jung’s psychology for spirituality and art. Particular attention is given to Jung’s understanding of religious experience, symbolic imagination, and the role of creativity in psychological transformation. We also engage with Jung’s own artistic work — including drawings, paintings, and architectural projects — not as marginal curiosities, but as integral expressions of his psychological insight.
Meetings take place every two weeks and combine close reading with open conversation. The emphasis lies on careful engagement, reflection, and dialogue rather than interpretation or analysis in a therapeutic sense.
Who is this book club for?
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This book club is intended for readers who seek psychological and spiritual depth, are interested in myth and symbolism, and are willing to commit to a year of careful reading and shared inquiry. No prior knowledge of Jung is required.
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- writing - ​
