Edward F. Edinger (1922–1998)

With popular culture and media constantly promoting imminent doom - from preppers concerned about zombies and civil unrest, to environmentalists fretting over imminent climate catastrophes, to Christian rapturists - this book is highly psychologically relevant today. It does however, focus on the Judaeo-Christian mythology of apocalypse in its analysis and it is not really intended for those unfamiliar with Jungian psychology.

I found this book somewhat useful as a point of departure while reading widely on Jung's theory of the collective unconscious. Edinger believes that human beings can achieve completeness only through a conscious merging of the ego and the unconscious, and in the third chapter of the book, "Encounters with the Self," he explores the role of the collective in the formation of identity.

He argues that "modern man" desperately needs to re-establish a connection with the primitive psyche, but show more this re-establishment of primitiveness must manifest itself in the individual's relationship with the conscious inner world. To be primitive in relation to the outer world is to be "superstitious." I think this is an interesting distinction in some ways, but since this isn't really my area of interest, I might be inclined to suggest skipping straight to the Jung. show less

A medical psychiatrist and founding member of the Jung Foundation explores a pivotal part of analytical psychology: encountering the self through individuation. This book is about the individual’s journey to psychological wholeness, known in analytical psychology as the process of individuation. Edward Edinger traces the stages in this process and relates them to the search for meaning through encounters with symbolism in religion, myth, dreams, and art. For contemporary men and women, show more Edinger believes, the encounter with the self is equivalent to the discovery of God. The result of the dialogue between the ego and the archetypal image of God is an experience that dramatically changes the individual’s worldview and makes possible a new and more meaningful way of life.
Source: Shambala's 1992 Edition show less

This is a thorough discussion of the ego, its relationship to the Self and the archetypes normally associated with religious experience and myth. It focuses heavily on the symbolism of alchemy and is not intended for someone unfamiliar with Jung and the symbolic importance of alchemy to the unconscious.