Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, is closely associated with the field of occultism. Although Jung is primarily known for his contributions to psychology, he has also made significant contributions to the understanding and study of the occult. Jung's interest in the occult began early in his career, and he believed that it played a critical role in the development of the human psyche. He viewed the occult as a pathway to understanding the deeper, hidden aspects of the human mind and consciousness. He believed that the study of the occult could shed light on the archetypal symbols and universal themes that are present in all cultures and religions. One of Jung's most notable connections to the occult is his concept of the collective unconscious.

Carl Jung Was Not a Mystic

Carl Jung is one of the most misunderstood thinkers of the twentieth century. This is partly his own fault. While Jung’s teacher, Sigmund Freud, dismissed religious ideas as the expression of an infantile “oceanic feeling,” Jung chose to make the mercurial and undefined world of religious symbolism and mystical thought the central focus of his psychological investigations, particularly in later life. This focus on the psychological role of religion has often led Jung to be classified with mystics and priests rather than with other psychologists. Due to the difficult and often paradoxical nature of religious symbols, Jung has come to be seen as a difficult and paradoxical figure – the man has mirrored his material.

Yet Jung is neither a theologian, nor a mystic. His viewpoint is consistently skeptical and scientific. Jung does not seek to convince his reader that mystical and religious claims are true. On the contrary, he describes the vast treatises written by Medieval and Renaissance religious alchemists as “projections.”

When alchemists write of gold and dwarves in flasks, argues Jung, they are employing a culturally contingent set of symbols to articulate their own unconscious intuitions. Alchemy and astrology, for Jung, are both projections of the human mind onto external matter. He also describes Christian ideas, such as the sacrificial lamb and the son of God, as mental projections. Mystical ideas do not exist in the outside world in Jungian psychology, but emerge from the human psyche. The difference between Jung and modern day psychology is that Jung did not believe that these symbols were arbitrary or random. He believed that the psyche generated these symbols because they correspond to and guide the development of the individual self out of the chaos of unconscious processes.

In Psychology and Alchemy, Jung argues that the philosopher’s stone is not an external object, but a latent reality existing within the self and that it was this dialogue within the self—a conversation between the constituent parts of the human psyche—that the alchemists were seeking to convey, using the arcane symbols and language of their time.

Jungian archetypes are often misunderstood as permanent, fixed symbols pointing to mystical realities. In fact, Jung argues that archetypes are always presented in specific historical garb, as the culturally agreed upon symbols of their time, employed to make sense of psychological phenomena emerging from the unconscious in the form of dreams and autonomous thoughts. The symbol of the lamb in Christianity, for example, does not refer to a divine lamb outside of space and time. It refers to a psychological process represented by Christian symbols, and embodied by sacrificial figures, such as Horus or Attis, in more ancient religious traditions. The Christian context is not the terminal point of the symbol: it instead leads back to the unconscious, which produced the lamb as a symbolic representation of psychological processes.

For Jung, the human being is perpetually stuck in an inner dialogue between the thoughts, intuitions and images which arise seemingly randomly beyond our control, and the conscious mind, which attempts to sort these spontaneous psychological events and make rational sense of them.

The phenomenon of inner voice or self-talk is another way to describe this dialogue in the human psyche. Jordan Peterson has recommended that his patients seek to become aware of those moments at which autonomous self-talk occurs in their minds, and to engage, argue and dialogue with it, as Socrates did with his daemon, the creature which he claimed sat on his shoulder and spoke to him, and provided the source of his wisdom.

Jung provides an objective groundwork against which to discuss such bizarre psychological phenomenon as Socrates’ daemon, and to contextualize similar reports of otherworldly beings within a modern, scientific world. Jung’s work suggests that Socrates’ daemon, the Holy Ghost, and the visions of mystics and monks are culturally mediated ways of discussing the autonomous voices and uncontrollable dream-images of the human psyche. He believed that human behavior could be more deeply understood if we could make sense of what our religious ancestors were referring to in their obscure philosophies and impenetrable manuscripts. For Jung, though we now use different words and symbols to describe the processes of the psyche, the same processes continue to occur and still defy our understanding.

We still live in the same world as our ancestors: we have simply changed our relationship to the aspects of our psyche that we do not understand. Instead of being attacked by demons, we suffer from depression. Instead of hearing the voices of spiritual beings, we engage in self-talk. Despite the best efforts of rationalism, humans are still largely at the mercy of autonomous psychological events, which we cannot control. Now, if you dream about your mother drowning at sea, on awakening you are forced to engage in a dialogue with yourself about this unwanted dream. If you walk past a schoolyard and suddenly think of a beast with seven horns, you have to reconcile yourself to the bizarre imaginative depths that produce such dissonant and random thoughts. If you see an old man and the thought his life is over is voiced in your head before you can stop it, you are at the mercy of the autonomous psyche. We modern people still possess mysterious psyches, which we cannot control, just like our ancestors, who interpreted such psychological events as the work of gods and spirits.

When we do not identify with sudden, uncontrolled thoughts in waking life or with the bizarre and grotesque images of our dreams, we enter deep, indeterminate waters. We will be forced to engage in dialogue with these psychological events and integrate them into our rational minds, as long as they continue to harass us. Jung’s great discovery was that what human beings have historically referred to as the spiritual world actually describes phenomena buried in the human psyche. For anyone who is perpetually wrestling with their own thoughts and unable to make sense of the spontaneous images which captivate and bully the mind, Carl Jung is worth reading. You will be in good company.

Carl jung and the occult

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              Psychology and the Occult

              Over his long career, Jung maintained a compelling interest in occult phenomena as a subject of psychological concern. His very first publication, in 1902, was a psychiatric study of a medium, and his letters and autobiography frequently comment on parapsychological phenomena. This collection brings together Jung's writing on the occult, beginning in 1902 and concluding in 1960, the year before his death. Included is the text of a public lecture 'On Spiritualist Phenomena', in which he surveyed the history and psychology of the subject in America and Europe, and told of his experience in investigating eight mediums in Zurich.

              Genres PsychologyNonfictionOccultPhilosophyEssaysMysticismReligion
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              First published January 1, 1982

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              About the author

              C.G. Jung

              1,222 books 9,233 followers

              Carl Gustav Jung (/jʊŋ/; German: [ˈkarl ˈɡʊstaf jʊŋ]), often referred to as C. G. Jung, was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology. Jung proposed and developed the concepts of extraversion and introversion; archetypes, and the collective unconscious. His work has been influential in psychiatry and in the study of religion, philosophy, archeology, anthropology, literature, and related fields. He was a prolific writer, many of whose works were not published until after his death.

              The central concept of analytical psychology is individuation—the psychological process of integrating the opposites, including the conscious with the unconscious, while still maintaining their relative autonomy. Jung considered individuation to be the central process of human development.

              Jung created some of the best known psychological concepts, including the archetype, the collective unconscious, the complex, and synchronicity. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a popular psychometric instrument, has been developed from Jung's theory of psychological types.

              Though he was a practising clinician and considered himself to be a scientist, much of his life's work was spent exploring tangential areas such as Eastern and Western philosophy, alchemy, astrology, and sociology, as well as literature and the arts. Jung's interest in philosophy and the occult led many to view him as a mystic, although his ambition was to be seen as a man of science. His influence on popular psychology, the "psychologization of religion", spirituality and the New Age movement has been immense.
              

              One of Jung's most notable connections to the occult is his concept of the collective unconscious. He believed that there is a shared, inherited reservoir of knowledge and experience that is accessible to all individuals. This collective unconscious is made up of archetypes, or universal symbols and themes, that are present in dreams, myths, and religious beliefs.

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              424 ratings 26 reviews 5 stars 109 (25%) 4 stars 163 (38%) 3 stars 114 (26%) 2 stars 31 (7%) 1 star Search review text English Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews 665 reviews

              jung's writing style is simple and extremely likeable. however, he often uses scientific terminologies that succeed in confusing me. this was a wonderful book, though, that kept up my interest. i'm looking forward to reading more of his work.

              9 likes 128 reviews 30 followers

              This book should be required reading for anyone interested in both psychology and paranormal phenomena. An even better title might have been "Psychology and the Supernatural". I say that because the word "occult" is often closely associated with concepts of evil. In this book Jung describes his experiences while studying spirit phenomena and provides (sometimes) plausible scientific explanations for many of the various "paranormal" events that he witnessed. What I found most interesting was the way Jung's earlier writings differed from his later ones. He was quite skeptical of spiritual explanations early in his career, but his later writings clearly indicate his belief that reality may actually include spiritual components, and that doubters ought to open their minds and objectively examine the existing evidence in favor of paranormal explanations. If you haven't read any Jung yet, start with something else. But those who have read his basic writings would do well to continue with this excellent book.

              7 likes 358 reviews 29 followers This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. Show full review 7 likes 857 reviews 48 followers

              My boy Hot Carl steps up to the plate in order to bust some ghosts. Unfortunately, he was working with the incredibly limited toolkit they had around the turn of the century, so he took a good, hard, squinty look at this shrieking possession case -- nowadays it would be diagnosed as DID or Histrionic, depending on whether or not the headshrinker general believed the patient was malingering or not -- and he said "My prognosis is this bitch is so hysterical that her brain went defective."

              Still, he stuck it out until she shook it off in like, 6 weeks, and now she's a productive member of society. So that's a much happier ending than any of Freud's case studies I've read.

              3 likes 1 comment 79 reviews 6 followers

              ". in this age of materialism - the inevitable consequence of rationalistic enlightenment - there has been a revival of the belief in spirits, but this time on a higher level."

              "Rationalism and superstition are complementary. It is a psychological rule that the brighter the light, the blacker the shadow; in other words, the more rationalistic we are in our conscious minds, the more alive becomes the spectral world of the unconscious."

              Despite his dissertation, "On the Psychology and Pathology of So-Called Occult Phenomena" being rather dull; the essays following were incredibly illuminating concerning the psychologization of the occult.

              2 likes 437 reviews 102 followers

              This selection or writings reveals an interesting shift in Jung's thinking on so-called occult phenomena.
              Moving from an overtly scientific and rational viewpoint to one of attempting to conceptualize the experiences of the unconscious, one can follow (in ways) Jung's transitional transcendence of reason into a thought functioning through the conjunction of opposites.

              2 likes 161 reviews 4 followers

              Se riandiamo con la mente alla storia passata dell’uomo, troviamo, tra molte altre convinzioni religiose, una fede universale nell’esistenza di fantasmi o esseri eterei che sono vicini agli uomini ed esercitano su diredi un’influenza invisibile ma possente. In genere si crede che tali esseri siano spiriti o anime dei trapassati. È una credenza che si trovi tanto tra popoli altamente civilizzati, quanto tra gli aborigeni dell’Australia, che vivono ancora nell’età della pietra. Però, tra i popoli occidentali la credenza negli spiriti è stata combattuta dal razionalismo e dall’ illuminismo scientifico degli ultimi centocinquanta anni, per cui, presso la maggioranza delle persone istruite di oggi (1920), tale credenza è stata repressa insieme con altre opinioni metafisiche.”
              Psicologia dei fenomeni occulti è il primo saggio del noto psicoanalista Jung. Vengono affrontati temi quali il sonnambulismo, l’isteria e alcuni aspetti paranormali (medium); nel saggio vengono riportati molti casi ed esperienze vissute in prima persona con i suoi pazienti. Assurdo come nei primi del ‘900 si parlasse così apertamente di “poteri paranormali” e ci fossero persone quotate, come Jung e Freud, a studiarne la scientificità di ciò, quando nel 2022 se uno anche solo pensa un po’ fuori dalle righe, viene additato come pazzo (o come un hippie-drogato). È comunque un’analisi molto professionale, in quanto viene fatta con rigore e criticità, ma anche con grande apertura mentale.
              Interessante, di rapida lettura ma assolutamente non di facile comprensione.
              4 stelle.

              When Psychoanalysts Believed in Magic

              Sigmund Freud told Carl Jung it was important to keep sexuality at the center of the human psyche, rather than anything spiritualist.

              Group photo in front of Clark University: Front row: Sigmund Freud, G. Stanley Hall, C. G. Jung; Back row: Abraham A. Brill, Ernest Jones, Sándor Ferenczi.

              January 22, 2019 February 24, 2020 3 minutes The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR.

              The discipline of psychoanalysis has always struggled to define itself as truly scientific. As psychologist and historian Júlia Gyimesi writes, something that made this difficult from the get-go was the deep interest many early Freudians had in the occult.

              The psychoanalytic view that people are subject to drives hidden from the conscious mind had a natural connection with spiritualists’ ideas. If we, as rational beings, are not in control of our minds, it wasn’t that far of a leap to imagine that some mysterious force—internal or external—must be influencing our actions.

              Despite his skepticism about supernatural phenomena, Freud himself was also interested in the occult.

              So it may not be surprising that a number of early Freudians attempted to study spiritualists’ claims of telepathy and other supposed psychic phenomena. For example, Gyimesi writes, Sándor Ferenczi, Freud’s close collaborator and founder of the Budapest School of psychoanalysis, conducted experiments with mediums and clairvoyants. Ferenczi argued that thought-transference was common among his patients. In a 1910 letter to Freud, he wrote “I am reading my patients’ thoughts (in my free associations) … This method will be suitable to catch the patient’s most active complexes at work.”

              Freud, always deeply worried about the reputation of psychoanalysis, warned Ferenczi that he was “throwing a bomb into the psychoanalytic edifice.” But, despite his skepticism about supernatural phenomena, Freud himself was also interested in the occult. In a 1921 letter, he wrote:

              I am not one of those who dismiss a priori the study of so-called occult psychic phenomena as unscientific, discreditable or even as dangerous. If I were at the beginning rather than at the end of a scientific career, as I am today, I might possibly choose just this field of research, in spite of all difficulties.

              The most famous advocate for an expansion of psychoanalytic theory into the realm of the occult was Freud’s favorite disciple, Carl Jung. Jung’s interest in the supernatural developed before he met Freud; several members of his mother’s family claimed supernatural abilities. In his professional lectures, Jung critiqued purely materialist thinking as “intellectual death.” He argued for the existence of an immortal soul, with a presence outside space and time. Gyimesi writes that Jung’s theory “desexualized the motivational basis of psychoanalysis and posited an obscure, scarcely rational life-force at the center of the human psyche.”

              This horrified Freud. Jung later recalled a conversation in which Freud asked him to pledge never to abandon the sexual theory. “You see we must make a dogma of it, an unshakable bulwark,” Jung recalled Freud saying. Jung wrote that, “In some astonishment I asked him, ‘A bulwark—against what?’ To which he replied, ‘Against the black tide of mud’—and here he hesitated for a moment, then added, ‘of occultism.’”

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              By highlighting sex, Gyimesi writes, Freud insisted on the unconscious as a biological phenomenon, closing off interpretations based in mental states that transcended the individual mind.

              Today, of course, many of us consider Freud’s ideas about sexuality pseudoscientific, even as we take for granted that our behavior is often motivated by unconscious drives of some sort.

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              Jung saw the study of the occult as a way to explore these archetypes and gain a deeper understanding of the human psyche. In his research, Jung often drew upon occult texts and practices to support his theories. He studied alchemy, astrology, and other mystical traditions, and believed that they held valuable insights into the workings of the human mind. He was particularly interested in alchemy, seeing it as a symbolic representation of the individuation process – the journey towards wholeness and self-realization. Despite his interest in the occult, Jung was always careful to distinguish between the scientific and psychological aspects of his work. He recognized that while the occult provided valuable insights into the human psyche, it was not a substitute for empirical evidence and rational inquiry. He sought to integrate the occult into his scientific framework, using it as a tool for understanding rather than as a belief system. In conclusion, Carl Jung's interest in the occult has played a significant role in his understanding of the human psyche. Jung saw the occult as a valuable source of knowledge and insight, particularly in relation to the collective unconscious and the archetypes. However, he always maintained a scientific approach, using the occult as a means of exploration rather than a basis for belief. By bridging the gap between psychology and the occult, Jung has left a lasting impact on both fields..

              Reviews for "Carl Jung's Exploration of the Occult: Journey to the Unknown"

              1. John Smith - 2/5 - Although I was intrigued by the subject matter of "Carl Jung and the Occult," I found the book to be incredibly difficult to follow. The author seemed to assume a great deal of prior knowledge on the part of the reader, making it inaccessible to someone like me who was not well-versed in Jungian psychology or occult practices. Additionally, the writing style was overly academic and dense, making it a struggle to get through each chapter. Overall, I was disappointed with the book and would not recommend it to anyone looking for an introduction to Jung or the occult.

              2. Sarah Davis - 1/5 - I recently attempted to read "Carl Jung and the Occult" and was left feeling utterly confused and frustrated. The author's writing style was so convoluted that even after multiple attempts to understand the concepts being presented, I was still left with more questions than answers. The lack of clarity and organization made it impossible for me to fully grasp the topic at hand. I would not recommend this book to anyone unless they already have a deep understanding of Jung and the occult.

              3. Michael Thompson - 2/5 - "Carl Jung and the Occult" was a disappointment for me. While I appreciated the author's attempt to delve into the relationship between Jung and the occult, I found the book to be overly speculative and lacking in concrete evidence. The arguments presented often felt like conjecture and left me wanting more substantial information and analysis. Additionally, the writing style was dry and academic, making it difficult to maintain interest in the subject matter. Overall, I would not recommend this book to someone looking for a comprehensive exploration of Jung's involvement with the occult.

              4. Jennifer Martinez - 2/5 - As a fan of both Carl Jung and the occult, I was excited to read this book. However, I was left disappointed by the lack of depth and analysis within its pages. The author seemed to skim over important aspects of Jung's work and instead focused on speculative theories and personal anecdotes. Furthermore, the writing style was disjointed and confusing, making it difficult to follow the author's train of thought. I was left wanting more substance and a more cohesive narrative. I would not recommend this book to anyone seeking a comprehensive exploration of Jung's connection to the occult.

              Carl Jung and the Occult: Exploring the Collective Unconscious