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.

I read a bunch of books in 2021. I thought the total was 85, but a recount just now shows it was 91, which is the most I’ve ever read in one year. I will share below the eight books I enjoyed the most. They aren’t all Jungian psychology, typology, and astrology, I promise.

Also, 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.

OK, here is my top 8 of the year:

1. C.G. Jung Speaking – This was my favorite of the year. It contains excerpts from his letters and observations from people who knew him. It is arranged chronologically so you can see the progression of his career and thoughts. It is much easier reading than his books and gives you a feel for what he must have been like as a person. I will definitely reread this.
2. The Forsaken Garden by Nancy Ryley. This was a very close second. It is a collection of interviews with Marion Woodman, Ross Woodman, Thomas Berry, and Laurens Van Der Post. They share very deep insights about the meaning of environmental illness from a Jungian perspective. I also learned a lot more about the Romantic poets.
3. The Overstory by Richard Powers. This novel is simply stunning. Trees are some of the main characters and I learned so much about trees that I never knew before. The first half of the book is like a collection of short stories about different characters and trees. Then in the last half of the book all the characters come together. It starts slow, but please stay with it.
4. Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk. This book takes a unique angle of examining Lincoln’s childhood and career through the lens of his melancholy. You come away feeling like you know Lincoln on a personal level. It also shows how suffering can be transformed into serving others.
5. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. I so enjoyed learning about President James Garfield, who unfortunately was assassinated a year into his presidency. This book also gives a fascinating look at the history of medicine at the time. Garfield would have survived if the American doctors who treated him hadn’t shunned the new discovery of germs and importance of antisepsis that Europe was already using.
6. Myers-Briggs Typology vs. Jungian Individuation by Steve Myers. At last, a book that carefully explains the difference between MBTI and Jungian personality typology. He is respectful towards MBTI and not hyper-critical the way so many are these days. He also shows how to use typology to further individuation and overcome one-sidedness.
7. The Heavens Declare: Astrological Ages and the Evolution of Consciousness by Alice O. Howell. What a delight it is to read Alice O. Howell. She was a Jungian astrologer who helped bridge the gap between Jungian psychology and astrology. She was allowed to teach at Jung Institutes even though she wasn’t an analyst. This book, and her Jungian Symbols in Astrology book, are collections of letters she wrote to a Jungian analyst. In addition to being fun to read they have many profound Jungian insights.
8. Jungian Spirituality by Vivianne Crowley. This gives a brief overview of Jung’s biography and his main areas of expertise, such as alchemy, astrology, personality types, and more. I especially enjoyed the chapters about Jung’s insights on Christianity and eastern religions. This is written in a way that accessible to those who don’t know much about Jung’s psychology.

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!