What moderation is really about

What moderation is really about

Even a mountain can be brought back down to earth.

That is the image of Hexagram 15 in the I Ching: the earth and mountain balancing each other out; the valleys are filling up and the mountains are wearing down.

This is a reminder to bring ourselves back down to earth when we are caught up in the heights, so we can better fill in our own depths.

We can all probably think of times when not attending to a small issue in the physical world led to a bigger problem, such as an expensive repair. That is certainly true of me with my inferior sensation function! (INFJ, INTJ, ENFP, and ENTP types all have inferior sensation).

If nothing else, the inferior function will help do the job of bringing us back down to earth. Author Michael Pierce correlates introverted sensation to the Mountain trigram and extraverted sensation to the Earth trigram. So there is some serious sensation energy in this hexagram.

What is especially intriguing is the idea that moderation can come through experiencing something new; it isn’t just about restriction.

As R.L. Wing says in his I Ching Workbook: “It must be understood that acting with MODERATION means not only limiting the obvious excess, but also exposing yourself to new areas of experience. Through MODERATION you can now gain some real control over your destiny. In this way you use the balancing tendency of the current forces to center yourself.”

Which reminds me, the Sun entered Cancer today, but this hexagram also applies to the last few days of Gemini*. Gemini is curious and loves new areas of experience.

The rhythm of our Gemini journey was as follows:

Hexagram 20 – Contemplation
Hexagram 16 – Enthusiasm
Hexagram 35 – Progress
Hexagram 45 – Gathering
Hexagram 12 – Stagnation
Hexagram 15 – Moderation

This moderation now carries us into Cancer season. It’s interesting how we hit the brakes a bit with Stagnation and Moderation before entering the feminine water sign of Cancer.

When we are talking about Cancer we are really talking about the Moon, its planetary host. The Moon prefers the comfort of Cancer, which is conducive for moderation.

The last gasp of Gemini, especially with that recent Gemini New Moon, and Mercury being in Gemini for a couple more weeks, hopefully has us thinking about and experiencing new things, which we can now more quietly actualize as we center ourselves in Cancer season.


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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

References:

Motes and Beams by Michael Pierce

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingWhat moderation is really about

How stagnation can ease our psychic indigestion

How stagnation can ease our psychic indigestion

If there is one thing that Gemini has a hard time with it’s stagnation.

If you have Gemini rising, Moon, Sun, or other natal planets in Gemini, you know what that’s like.

Mercury is the planetary host of Gemini, and is at its the most swift and curious in Gemini, so it doesn’t like to stagnate.

But, Gemini or not, we all go through stagnant periods.

Per the image of Hexagram 12: Stagnation, which correlates to this period of Gemini,* heaven and earth are not united.

As above is NOT as it is below.

Workplaces, schools, relationships, religious groups, fitness routines, are some of the main places where we can feel stagnated.

There is likely at least one of these areas of life at any given time where we feel that there isn’t a larger cosmic purpose and the energy feels dense all the time.

As we enter the final stretch of Gemini season, it seems appropriate to ponder stagnation before moving on to Cancer. We kicked off Gemini with Contemplation and then have had Enthusiasm, Progress, and Gathering. As wonderful as those last three activities are, they might have our wheels spinning a bit, and needing a kind of forced return to contemplation via stagnation.

As James Hillman says in Healing Fiction, having more events than we can experience (a common Gemini thing) gives us” “indigestion,” so to speak. When we stand still and process our events through an “imaginative process” we can ease “mental turbulence.”

The New Moon in Gemini on June 17 should help alleviate any psychic indigestion. New Moons represent new beginnings in that area of life in your chart. This isn’t an eclipse, so it won’t be dramatic, but it offers a little bit of an energetic boost.

Working with your typology can also be helpful and narrow down the types of things to help you work with this New Moon. If you know your personalitly type, tapping into your inferior function offers an opportunity to see things from a fresh perspective. For example, for an ENFP type, introverted sensation (Si) is the inferior function. Taking a break from the dominant extraverted intuition (Ne) activities by cooking, organizing a closet, indulging in some aromatherapy, and other Si pursuits could you help break through stagnation.

By focusing on the Below, we can start to feel the Above again.

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

References:

Healing Fiction by James Hillman

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingHow stagnation can ease our psychic indigestion

Gathering together with caring detachment

Gathering together with caring detachment

There is much gathering together during this time of Gemini season, at least here in the northern hemisphere.

Cookouts and parades.

School concerts and other end-of-the-school year activities.

Family reunions. Weddings.

Softball leagues, baseball games, outdoor pickleball play, and on and on.

So it seems appropriate that Hexagram 45: Gathering Together is the hexagram for this section of Gemini.*

Those of us who are introverts may feel out of sync with this.

Ironically, even though I have a stellium of natal planets in Gemini, I am an introvert, and sometimes wonder if I can just contemplate the people instead of gathering with them?

Fortunately, we can do both at the same time, as R.L. Wing describes it in his I Ching Workbook:

Note the quality of your interactions. Self-observation within a group can speed you toward an expanded awareness. The original Chinese text points out that ‘by observing the way gatherings evolve, we can perceive the inner tendencies of heaven and earth and of all things.’

Well then.

That almost makes going to a family reunion sound appealing.

We can’t individuate – or become more whole – on our own.

We can do this when attuning ourselves to the energy of the group consciousness without simultaneously being swept up in it. I like how Jungian analyst and psychiatrist Ashok Bedi describes this as “caring detachment:”

Caring detachment comes from living life fully, not from avoiding it. The caringly detached person is a very active participant in the affairs of self, family, community, and the spirit, yet detached from the outcome of his or her endeavors. Work and life then become God’s work, not a personal quest.

Path to the Soul by Ashok Bedi, M.D.

Strengthening the groups we are in, and being unattached to the outcomes, is a practical way to experience that ancient concept of “as above, so below.” Or, as Marion Woodman said, “The deeper you go into your uniquness the more you are connected to everybody else. At the profoundest soul level we are one.”

Continue ReadingGathering together with caring detachment

On your way to an enlightened destiny

On your way to an enlightened destiny

Quite often progress is gradual and incremental and most noticeable in retrospect.

Sometimes it’s circular like a mandela and the difficulty of going backwards can be the path to progress.

Kind of like how I recently switched my pickleball serve to a volley serve, which is ultimately a more powerful and effective one, but in the short term I’m now missing a couple of serves each game as I make the transition.

But none of that is what Hexagram 35: Progress in the I Ching, an ancient book of Chinese wisdom, is about.

Here it’s about rapid, easy progress.

We’ve contemplated the people and fostered enthusiasm within them with the intent of creating meaningful change.

Now that change is here.

The image of Hexagram 35: Progress is the sun rising over the earth.

The sun represents clarity and spreads its rays over a large area. The I Ching compares this to the clarity of vision of a leader who is both an “enlightened ruler and an obedient servant” all at once.

That combination isn’t always so present in the leaders of our society today. But we can cultivate it within ourselves.

How so? R.L. Wing gives some practical advice in his I Ching translation: “Communication is now of vast importance during a time of rapid PROGRESS. It is wise for you to stay in close touch with all levels of your social world. Monitor the needs of others and be supportive of progressive improvements. Take an active part in the affairs of society now in order to refine and enhance your inner worth.”

How appropriate that this takes place in airy and social Gemini season.*

Once again this brings to mind the extraverted feeling function, which Dario Nardi calls the “friendly hosting” function: “Empathically respond to others’ needs and values, and take on their needs as your own. Check for respect and trust. Give and receive support to grow closer to people.”

All of us have access, in varying degrees, to extraverted feeling. It is one of the eight energy pathways of our personality types.

We all have a Gemini area of life, too, as represented in the natal chart. It’s being lit up right now by the transiting Sun and will more naturally be an area of focus for you, even if you don’t have natal planets here.

Wing says that taking an altrustic approach and becoming influential with people helps us progress in our inner development. If you can progress in both your relationship with yourself and with others “you are on your way to an enlightened destiny.”


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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

To receive my blog posts by email, please click here to subscribe.

References:

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingOn your way to an enlightened destiny

Using thunder to find harmony and your inner voice

Using thunder to find harmony and your inner voice

Whenever I hear thunder, I don’t tend to feel enthusiasm. Yet the image of thunder over the earth is associated with Hexagram 16 (Enthusiasm) in the I Ching, an ancient Chinese book of wisdom that is important in the Jungian world.

Thunder is a symbol of sudden change and transformation, while the earth represents stability and grounding. Together, they represent the power of enthusiasm to inspire change and create something new.

This requires getting others on board, however. This is why hexagram 16 is also sometimes referred to as “harmonize.”

How best to generate this enthusiasm and harmony? You could start by “contemplating the people” and then aligning yourself with their values.

I can’t help but notice that these are extraverted feeling kinds of activites. Extraverted feeling adjusts itself to external conditions and social, rather than personal, values. R.L. Wing’s description of hexagram 64 could also serve as a description of extraverted feeling:

If you can grasp the direction of the tendencies around you, you can parallel them and accomplish great deeds. …Penetrate the popular sentiment of society, anticipate what will be needed and supported, and choose able helpers who will be enthusiastically attracted to your compelling inspiration.

R.L. Wing, The I Ching Workbook

All of us have extraverted feeling as one of our eight energy pathways. People with ESFJ, ENFJ, INFJ, and ISFJ tendencies have it as one of the top two, where it is more easily accessible.

This adaptability is also charateristic of Mercury, the planetary host of Gemini.

And speaking of astrology, here is. R.L. Wing again: “Obey your inner voice if you wish to behave correctly in the current situation. If there is a decision to be made, surrender to the impulses of your true nature. Choose the path of least resistance. Move with the rhythm of the moment. In this way you will be relieved of tensions and open to inspired accord with the cosmos.”

Astrology is a practical way to form an inspired accord with the cosmos. Hexagram 16 correlates to these next 5-6 days of Gemini season.* If you have natal planets in Gemini, tune into them this week and access your inner voice. If you don’t have natal planets in Gemini, the Sun is currently in Gemini and lighting up the area of life that Gemini represents in your chart.

We don’t always know when thunder will arrive, but a greater awareness of your extraverted feeling energy pathway, and the Gemini area of your life, will better prepare you for it. Then you’ll experience the joy and relief that follows after the thunderstorm refreshes nature and relieves the tension that had built up.

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

Sources:

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingUsing thunder to find harmony and your inner voice

Contemplating the people

Contemplating the people

At first glance, contemplation doesn’t seem like a Gemini type of activity.

To contemplate is to pause and enter our own center. Through the calm and quiet state of contemplation we can bring our inner and outer lives into balance. We emerge better prepared to face life’s emotional ups and downs with equanimity.

I love how Henri Nouwen described contemplation: “It offers the freedom to stroll through your own inner yard and rake up the leaves and clear the path so you can easily find the way to your heart.”

By contrast, the bright, social, and analytical air sign of Gemini is speedy and curious about what lies ahead.

There’s more contemplative depth to Gemini than one might first realize, however.

For starters, Gemini is ruled by Mercury. Mercury was the only god who could move back and forth between earth and the underworld and is the psychopomp – the guide of souls in the underworld.

Also, Gemini occurs during the time of year where we reach the maximum amount of light in the year, which then hands off to Cancer where the light starts to decrease. Contemplation is especially important during the busy Gemini season where the increase of light in the spring prompts us to be busy and active in our outer lives. Contemplation will help us remember and prepare for the decrease in light right around the corner.

Why am I writing about contemplation on this first day of Gemini? Hexagram 20 of the I Ching, an ancient Chinese text that was a favorite of Jung’s, correlates to the first 5.3 days of Gemini season.* This hexagram is called Contemplation.

The image of Hexagram 20, per Richard Wilhelm’s translation of the I Ching (he was good friends with Jung) is:

The wind blows over the earth:

The image of contemplation.

Thus the kings of old visited the regions of the world,

Contemplated the people,

And gave them instruction

Let’s stay with that image of “contemplating the people.”

Listening is one of the best ways to contemplate the people and of my favorite descriptions of listening comes from James Hillman: “Inquisitive curiosity into the lives of others extends our lives. This is not sharing; it is artful listening.. The other person is a fount of lifeblood, which transfuses vitality into your soul if you can provoke the other with your listening.”

Astrology, typology, and artful listening are just a few ways to contemplate the people. Speaking of astrology, it’s worth noting that contemplation is a lunar activity.  Looking at where the natal Moon is in your chart can show the manner in which you like to contemplate.

A practical application of this hexagram per R.L. Wing in The I Ching Workbook: “Take this time of contemplating to move freely through society. Experience new ideas fully, then offer your advice.”

This sounds like an activity perfectly suited to Gemini, doesn’t it?

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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.

Sources:

The Force of Character by James Hillman

You are the Beloved: 365 Daily Readings and Meditations for Spiritual Living by Henri J.M. Nouwen

I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm

The I Ching Workbook by R.L. Wing

Continue ReadingContemplating the people

Questions to Help You Identify Your Personality Type

Questions to Help You Identify Your Personality Type

The best way to determine your personality type is on your own through daily observations.

Eugene Pascal, in his book Jung to Live By, recommends starting by determining your inferior function: “Since it is the inferior function that always fouls up our daily life, simply observe if you fail most in perceiving reality via sensation or intuition or in evaluating reality via thinking or feeling.” He then provides questions to ponder, which I have summarized below. Keep in mind these are very broad and are meant to help you get in the general vicinity of your type:

  • Do others tell you that you do not perceive objective reality very well? That you miss the obvious? That you are a dreamer? That you always show up late for appointments, if at all? If so, your sensation function is causing you trouble and you are probably an intuitive type (INFJ, INTJ, ENFP, and ENTP).
  • Do others accuse you of not being able to read between the lines, of not being able to see behind the facades people present to you, of taking everything literally or of being gullible, than you are most likely a sensation type (ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTP, ESFP).
  • Do others accuse you of putting your foot in your mouth and saying inappropriate things? Of being cold and of being staunchly moral but unethical? Then you are probably a thinking type (INTP, ISTP, ENTJ, ESTJ).
  • Are you hopeless at making logical inferences, are a bad mathematician, misinterpret other people’s intentions and motivations and gush effusively at everything that happens outwardly or inwardly, or if you keep the gushing all bottled up, you are probably a feeling type (INFP, ISFP, ESFJ, ENFJ).

For more about the inferior function, I recommend Lectures on Jung’s Typology by Marie-Louise von Franz and James Hillman. Naomi Quenk’s books are excellent too.

Once you have the inferior function type determined, you can narrow it down a little more by determining if you are J or P. Carol Shumane, author of my favorite typology book, Projection and Personality Development via the Eight-Function Model, which clearly explains John Beebe’s 8 function model, says that it is actually difficult to determine if one is primarily extraverted or introverted. Therefore she advises by starting out to determine if you are J or P, as that is easiest to identify:

  • Select J or P in your type code. To do this, consider two questions:

Did you appear organized or messy during your childhood?

Do you like to have structure and plans (J), or do you have a strong need for freedom from constraints (P)?

This narrows it down to either a P or J type. Table 1 in the book goes into more detail and provides visual clues as well. The P functions are extraverted sensation (Se), extraverted intuition (Ne), introverted thinking (Ti) and introverted thinking (Fi). The J functions arer introverted sensation (Si), introverted intuition (Ni), extraverted thinking (Te), and extraverted feeling (Fe). She instructs you to choose your top two functions from all eight.

The appendixes in the back of the book with tables showing how each function displays itself in each of the 8 function roles, and the 16 type profiles, are worth the price of the book.

To further refine your observations about your type to help determine which of the 16 types might be the best fit, I recommend my post on journal prompts to use on a daily basis.

Jungian analyst Thomas Patrick Lavin recommends re-evaluating your type once a year, to see if the energy flow has changed. I think that is a great idea. Most of us are not an exact type, and it fluctuates throughout life.

I’ll close with a quote from Shumate about why it is worth discovering your type and the type of others:

“We judge others through the filter of our own psychological type. Knowledge of psychological type enables an understanding that some personality types are in constant motion whereas others tend to be still, that some types are verbose and others untalkative, that some types have a flat affect and others are animated. Jung’s type system saves us from the error of attributing such personality characteristics to grief or remorse, or to guilt or innocence. It helps us distinguish the core self from the mask of personality. [Emphasis mine]

Shumate also says: The result of [Jung’s] effort, Psychological Types, succeeded to the extent that it has been called “the world’s greatest treatise on tolerance” by Jungian analyst Rafael López-Pedraza.” [Emphasis mine]

Continue ReadingQuestions to Help You Identify Your Personality Type

The Sanguine (Air) Type in Astrology and Personality Types

Now we come to the fourth and final temperament: air (or sanguine).

John Frawley summarizes the four temperaments as follows: “The sanguine [air] wants to think; the choleric [fire] wants to act; the melancholic [earth] wants to have and to hold. What the phlegmatic [water] type wants is to feel.”

The air temperament relates to the spring season and is comprised of hot and wet qualities.

Here is a nice list of phrases about the sanguine/air temperament from Dorian Greenbaum’s book Temperament: Astrology’s Forgotten Key:

  • Never met a party they didn’t like.
  • Networking is an art form.
  • Speak first – think afterwards.
  • New places are wonderful – never want to travel to the same place twice.
  • Life is a popularity contest.

Linda Berens describes the air/sanguine temperament as Artisan in her temperament system and says the core needs of this temperament are the “freedom to act on impulse’ an “ability to make an impact.” She associates this temperament with ISTP, ISFP, ESTP, and ESFP.

One of my favorite examples of a pure air/sanguine type is tennis legend Steffi Graf. Most people have a compound temperament where two types are dominant. She is that rare person who is 100% sanguine. And yet, it doesn’t seem that any of the stereotypical descriptions of air apply to her. She is reserved, rarely gives interviews, is content to be behind the scenes. Therefore ISTP or ISFP might be a likely MBTI type for her. By contrast, Queen Victoria, another triple Gemini, was close to 100% sanguine/air and the more typical descriptions do seem to apply to her.

This goes to show that you may not see temperament in a person’s nature. Temperament is separate from personality. After you calculate temperament you then look at the natal chart for those qualifying factors that bring a decided introverted or extraverted tone to the personality. The placement of Saturn in the chart and aspects to Mercury, the house placement of the Moon, and several other factors need to be taken into account. The MBTI type also helps give additional insight. That is why, going forward, I will occasionally post a temperament analysis of a famous person that takes these additional factors into account. I will, of course, start with Carl Jung. Stay tuned!

Continue ReadingThe Sanguine (Air) Type in Astrology and Personality Types

Your life as an astrological musical score (or, the anti-aging effects of astrology)

Your life as an astrological musical score (or, the anti-aging effects of astrology)

There is a lot of focus in online discussion about astrology on how to use it to describe future events, which overlooks one of astrology’s biggest benefits: it can help us live more fully in the present.

I thought of that when reading this passage in The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts:

There can be no doubt that the power to remember and predict, to make an ordered sequence out of a helter-skelter chaos of disconnected moments, is a wonderful development of sensitivity. …But the way in which we generally use this power is apt to destroy all its advantages. For it is of little use to us to be able to remember and predict if it makes us unable to live fully in the present.

The Wisdom of Insecrity, page 34

Thanks to astrology I often forget my exact age because I instead focus on which year I’m in astrologically. For example, in the current year I’m living since my most recent birthday, I’m in a 9th house of Leo year and the Sun is the highlighted planet of my year because the Sun rules Leo. That means 9th house topics such as astrology, higher education, religion, philosophy, and so on will be more pronounced. Planets that visit Leo during the year will speak more loudly as will my natal Gemini Sun. The last time I was in a 9th house year was 12 years ago and will be again 12 years from now. This helps me remember that time is circular, not linear, so focus on the present and not on next year’s 10th house of Virgo year.

Way back when I was in high school I played violin in the school orchestra and I also played in church bell choirs back in the day, I enjoyed how we would work on only parts of a muscial score at a time. If it was a part with a lot of rests sometimes I would get bored and lose track of the count, which was never good, because it could make me miss my entrance when it was time to play again (a bell or violin played at the wrong moment can be excruciating to listen to). Staying in that moment of rests contributes to the greater good of the musical score just as much as the extreme focus needed when playing a bunch of sixteenth notes for several measures. All of this is analogous astrology and our lived experiences.

Yes, it’s fun to muse about what Pluto in Aquarius will be like during the next 20 years. But what part of your musical score are you working on right now? Are you paying attention to the rests and practicing the complicated bits of melody? What type of musician are you (something your astrological temperament, rising sign, and more can give insight into)?

Alan Watts again:

If, then, my awareness of the past and future makes me less aware of the present, I must begin to wonder whether I am actually living in the real world.

The Wisdom of Insecurity p. 35

Continue ReadingYour life as an astrological musical score (or, the anti-aging effects of astrology)

The best Jungian psychology books I read in 2022

The best Jungian psychology books I read in 2022

Below are my top 10 favorite Jungian books that I read this year. I have a monthly newsletter where I share the best of what I read each month. I don’t put those in blog posts, so feel free to subscribe if you’d like to get that book email.

Here is my list:

  1. The Broken Mirror by James Hollis – This is my favorite of his 18 books, as it is the most autobiographical, and manages to be even more densely packed with wisdom. Hollis is such an inspiration. Chapter 6 Doing Difficult Therapy is outstanding and could be a stand alone book. This chapter is a must-read if you are married or in a serious relationship.
  2. The Dream of the Cosmos: A Quest for the Soul by Anne Baring – This is like a Bible of Jungian psychology and picks up where Jung left off in regards to metaphysics and topics like reincarnation and the after-life. A deep, rich book that I will revisit again and again.
  3. The Eden Project: In Search of the Magical Other by James Hollis. James Hollis said at a workshop I attended that “this book will ruin your love life.” Which is exactly what you should read it. He reminds us again and again in this book to withdraw the projections from our partner and not put upon them that which we should be doing for ourselves.
  4. Other Lives, Other Selves by Roger Woolger. This is similar to Anne Baring’s book in that it picks up where Jung left off. Jung spoke against hypnosis early in his career, but beginning in the 1960’s the field has advanced greatly. Beginning in the 1980’s, which is when several other therapists such as Brian Weiss discovered past-life regression hypnosis, Jungian analyst Roger Woolger began focusing on past life regression. His results showed him that it gives a more expanded picture of the psyche and can shave many years off of analytic work.
  5. The Racial Complex: A Jungian Perspective on Culture and Race by Fanny Brewster brings a much-needed perspective on Jungian psychology. In this book she writes about what she calls the racial complex, which broadens Jung’s idea of the individual complex. She cites studies that show how even two generations of trauma will cause trauma in many generations to come.
  6. The Practice of Dream Healing: Bringing Ancient Greek Mysteries into Modern Medicine by Edward Tick. Asklepios was the gentle Greek god of healing and the priests were considered the first therapists. Marcus Aurelius and Socrates were two devotees of Asklepios. There were 300+ healing sites and dream incubators in Greece during a 1000+ year period ending roughly 500 CE.Modern medicine would benefit from learning more about this ancient practice that understood how healing means becoming whole; it is about repairing our souls, not just our bodies.
  7. Personality Types: Jung’s Model of Typology by Daryl Sharp is required reading if you want a solid overview of Jung’s typology that is clear and easy to understand. He gives an overview of the eight main personality types and explains the practical use of typology. It is an important reference book that you’ll refer to again and again if you are interesting in typology.
  8. Writing Towards Wholeness by Susan Tiberghien Although the title implies this book is about writing and journaling, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was much more than that. It is a primer on Jungian psychology with easy to understand chapters about dream work, active imagination, Jung’s Red Book, and alchemy. Even if you know a lot about Jungian psychology, it’s always good to have a refresh on the basics.
  9.  Towards Mystical Union: A Modern Commentary on the Mystical Text  the Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila by Julienne McLean . The author is both a Jungian analyst and an Anglican spiritual director in England. She compares Jungian depth work to The Interior Castle, which I found interesting.This book will especially be of interest to current, or former, contemplative Christians, particularly Anglican, Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox.
  10. Reflections of a Passerby: Jesus, Jung, and the Power of Choice by Eleanor Norris. This is another book that will be of interest to those that are recovering or practicing Christians that are interested in Jungian psychology. She provides a Jungian perspective on the Gospels.

If you read any of these books, or have any favorite books of your own you’d like to share, please email me or message me on Instagram. I’d like to hear from you! Click here to see my list from 2021.

Continue ReadingThe best Jungian psychology books I read in 2022