Beyond Jung
BEYOND JUNG
AUTHOR: Paul Budding
Introduction
This essay is personal to me as it tries to take the reader through my journey through the Jungian world. And when I say “through” I mean through. I believe that I have been imprisoned in the Jung Cult but am now free from it. The word ‘cult’ maybe a bit strong here. The point is, as this essay will demonstrate, that it is easy for the Jungian to get bogged down with the feeling that there is something in this work of Jung’s. But much of that feeling is just an attachment to that which sounds esoteric. Once one accepts that fact they are out of the cult and see more clearly.
In Chapter 1 we will look at the historical context of Jungian psychology. Jung attached in a self-imposed way to his contextual influences and froze them in his invented unconscious. This is Wolfgang Giegerich’s view which is outlined and supported in chapter 2 of this essay. The esoteric contents that Jung froze in the unconscious were to be looked at and psychologically felt, but not to be subjected to the critical intellect. It is in that sense that Jung protected the esoteric contents from life and froze them.
The overall conclusion of this essay isn’t anti Jungian as-such. The overall conclusion favors myth that is alive as opposed to Jung’s favoring of dead pre-modern myths. Then one approaches their myth openly, not hiding it away from the intellect and life.
Chapter 1
The historical context of Jungian analytical psychology1
Claire Douglas’ chapter titled ‘The historical
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