Carl Jung and the Rebirth of the Soul: A New Myth for the 21st
Although many great books have already been written on the ideas of Carl Jung, it was until the Black Books were published in 2020 (more than 60 years after Jung’s death) not possible to incorporate Jung’s initial fantasies and dreams into such a book. Even though the Black Books were written by Jung between 1913 and 1932, Jung kept his initial fantasies largely to himself, however, as Jung would later claim as well, his most important ideas originated from these initial fantasies and dreams. Therefore, in order to acquire a deeper understanding of the ideas of one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century, it is essential to examine Jung’s preliminary works as well.
As a result, it is the aim of this book to provide its reader with an understanding of the contents of Jung’s initial fantasies and dreams and illustrate how these impacted Jung’s most important ideas. Interestingly, however, the contents of the Black Books and the Red Book (Published in 2009), and the way in which these books have been written is, at the least, untypical. For some it might simply be strange, unbelievable, and unscientific. For others, it might be extremely impressive, thought-provoking, and even life changing.
Correspondingly, this book also discusses how the publication of the Red Book and the Black Books in recent years can shed a new light on Jung’s theories and explore how they might perhaps help us deal with some of our current dilemmas. Whereas our external world continues to develop rapidly, our internal world is often neglected and left in the dark. Jung noticed that this applied to himself as well and throughout the exploration of his initial fantasies and dreams, Jung attempted to reconnect with his own unconscious world and his own soul. This was not an easy journey, and Jung’s discoveries can teach us a lot about our own unconscious world. At the same time, they can also illustrate how we might attempt to reconnect with our own soul. Moreover, as discussed throughout this book with the help of the ideas of Ernest Becker and Joseph Campbell, I believe that Jung’s personal journey might be the source of a new myth for the 21st century; a myth characterized by the rebirth of the soul within each unique individual.
