C. G. Jung Foundation Books Series

"Today there is much discussion of the liberation of women," writes Marie-Louise von Franz, "but it is sometimes overlooked that this can only succeed if there is a change in men as well. Just as women have to overcome the patriarchal tyrant in their own souls, men have to liberate and differentiate their inner femininity. Only then will a better relationship of the sexes be possible." It is this timely theme that Dr. von Franz explores in her psychological study of a classic work of the second century, The Golden Ass by Apuleius of Madaura. The novel recounts the adventures of a young Roman who is transformed into an ass and eventually finds spiritual renewal through initiation into the Isis mysteries. With its many tales within a tale (including the celebrated story of Psyche and Eros), the text as interpreted by Dr. von Franz is a rich source of insights, anecdotes, and scholarly amplification.

Here is a classic study of the feminine principle in myths, dreams, and religious symbolism. In presenting the archetypal foundations of feminine psychology, the author shows how the ancient religious initiations of the moon goddess symbolized the development of the emotions. Understanding the psychological meaning of these initiations, she believes, can help to heal the troubled relations between men and women today.

Acclaimed as one of the best works available on feminine psychology from the time it first appeared in 1933, The Way of All Women discusses topics such as work, marriage, motherhood, old age, and women’s relationships with family, friends, and lovers. Dr. Harding, who was best known for her work with women and families, stresses the need for a woman to work toward her own wholeness and develop the many sides of her nature, and emphasizes the importance of unconscious processes.

A Jungian analyst examines masculine identity and the psychological repercussions of ‘fatherlessness’—whether literal, spiritual, or emotional—in the baby boom generation
 
An experience of the fragility of conventional images of masculinity is something many modern men share. Psychoanalyst Guy Corneau traces this experience to an even deeper feeling men have of their fathers’ silence or absence—sometimes literal, but especially emotional and spiritual. Why is this feeling so profound in the lives of the postwar “baby boom” generation—men who are now approaching middle age? Because, he says, this generation marks a critical phase in the loss of the masculine initiation rituals that in the past ensured a boy’s passage into manhood.
 
In his engaging examination of the many different ways this missing link manifests in men’s lives, Corneau shows that, for men today, regaining the essential “second birth” into manhood lies in gaining the ability to be a father to themselves—not only as a means of healing psychological pain, but as a necessary step in the process of becoming whole.

A leading expert on the teachings of C.G. Jung explores the connection between mind and matter, drawing on classic Jungian themes like archetypes, dreams, synchronicity, and more
 
Twelve essays by the distinguished analyst Marie-Louise von Franz—five of them appearing in English for the first time—discuss synchronicity, number and time, and contemporary areas of rapprochement between the natural sciences and analytical psychology with regard to the relationship between mind and matter. This last question is among the most crucial today for fields as varied as microphysics, psychosomatic medicine, biology, quantum physics, and depth psychology.

This comparative study of the basic concepts of Freud and Jung is designed to give a comprehensive understanding of Jung’s work. The author traces the development of Jung from his initial fascination with Freud’s ideas to his gradual liberation from these powerful concepts and the final breakthrough into his own unique theories of man and the cosmos. Jung’s fundamental view—that the psyche is a totality of conscious and unconscious elements that seeks to realize itself—stands in sharp contrast to Freud’s early view of the psyche as primarily the effect of prior causes. Hence Freud tends to stress the pathological, whereas Jung looks to the creative and self-transcending aspects of human nature. The final section of the book describes the development of Jung’s ideas after the death of Freud, particularly his concept of the archetypes.

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, 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.

With a text revised and corrected by the author, this definitive edition of Individuation in Fairy Tales is rich with insights from religion, literature, and myth. Dr. von Franz focuses on the symbolism of the bird motif in six fairy tales of Europe and Asia: "The White Parrot" (Spain), "The Bath Bagerd" (Persia), "Princess Hassan Pasha" (Turkestan), "The Bid Flower Triller" (Iran), "The Nightingale Giser" (Balkans), and "The Bird Wehmus" (Austria). She explores the themes of psychological and spiritual transformation in the varied images of birds, such as the phoenix, the parrot, and the griffin. Special attention is given to the connection between fairy tales and alchemy and to the guidance that fairy tales give to therapeutic work.

An understanding of the symbolism of the child in dreams can help us make contact with our own inner child—both the child we once were and the spontaneous, childlike side of our nature. Using examples of dreamwork from her analytical practice as well as themes from art, children’s literature, and folklore, Dr. Asper shows how the motif of the child may point to:

   •  Important information about forgotten experiences of the past
   •  New and future possibilities in our lives, especially during depression or transitional periods such as midlife
   •  Our capacity for play, creativity, and joy
   •  A renewal of spiritual life and the rediscovery of a lost childlike faith
   •  A way to hear the psychological wounds of childhood and embrace the future more freely and innocently