Books to Read: Psychology

“The true University of these days is a Collection of Books.”
— Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), The Hero as a Man of Letters

Psychology Books: understanding the soul & letting the butterfly fly out...
	*Carl Gustav Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections* (reissue 1989), Vintage Books, ISBN: 0679723951*— An autobiography put together from conversations, writings and lectures with Jung's cooperation, at the end of his life by Aniela Jaffé (1961). This classic introduces the reader to Jung's work and his rich inner life, dreams, fantasies, premonitions, and insights into the mythic dimensions of human experience. Jung writes in the Prologue: “I speak chiefly of inner experiences, amongst which I include my dreams and visions. These form the prima materia* of my scientific work. They were the fiery magma out of which the stone that had to be worked was crystallized.” I enjoyed reading about Jung's alchemical studies, his fascination with the I Ching, and especially his transatlantic voyage with Sigmund Freud in 1909 from Bremen to Clark University in Worcester to attend the first Psychology Conference in America. Jung's description of the exact moment when he ended his friendship with his mentor on this trip gives us insights on these two giants of psychology. Avg. Review (4):
	*Edward F. Edinger, The Mysterium Lectures: A Journey Through C.G. Jung's Mysterium Coniunctionis* (1995), Inner City Books; ISBN: 091912366X*— The subject matter of Mysterium Coniunctionis, Jung's last major work and perhaps his most difficult, is the parallel between arcane alchemical procedures and the psychological process of individuation. In The Mysterium Lectures,originally presented over six months to members of the Los Angeles Jung Society, Dr. Edinger works his way through Jung's magnum opus paragraph by paragraph, illuminating its depth and scope as well as its continuing relevance to everyday life. Profusely illustrated with alchemical drawings and art work of all ages, and copiously indexed, with 297 footnotes to original sources, these lectures provide a wealth of material for understanding modern dreams and other unconscious contents. Anyone involved with his or her own psychological development is in effect an alchemist. The Mysterium Lectures*is first and foremost a practical guide to what is going on in the laboratory of the unconscious. Avg. Review (1):
	*James Hillman, A Blue Fire: Selected Writings* (1991), HarperPerennial Library; ISBN: 0060921013*— The poet Robert Bly said: “In some ways James Hillman is the most lively and original psychologist we have had in America since William James. I honor him, and read something in his work almost every day.” In A Blue Fire, Thomas Moore (author of Care of the Soul)* has gathered selected passages from many of Hillman's seminal essays on archetypal psychology. The book has 12 chapters divided in three sections: Soul, World, Eros, with insightful essays by Moore on each chapter. Hillman's contrast between soul and spirit is truly illuminating— Psyche in Greek, besides being soul, is also a butterfly and a beautiful girl in the legend of Eros & Psyche. Soul is feminine, night, moon, imagination while Spirit is masculine, day, sun, intellect. You'll feel spiritually enriched reading the many gems in this book. Avg. Review (2):