Will We Hear the Voice of Wisdom?

Just Published

The Hero and His Shadow
Revised Edition
By Erel Shalit

In an era in which all seemed to dwell in the self-imposed solitary confinement of virtual reality, life in vitro behind the screen, the young take to the streets and gather in the squares. Attempting to break the bonds of oppressive regimes and cold-hearted mammonism, they have raised their voice across the globe, demanding freedom, solidarity, and justice. Will these voices persevere to withstand the strong, silencing forces of darkness, of ruthlessness and oppression? Will the Voice of Wisdom be listened to, so that we may “dwell safely, without fear of evil.” (Prov. 1:33)

The Hero and His Shadow: Psychopolitical Aspects of Myth and Reality in Israel introduces a psychological perspective on the history, development, and myths of modern Israel.

The realization of Zionism relied on the pioneer, who revolted against the Way of the Father and sought spiritual redemption through the revival of Mother Earth in the ancient land. Myth and history, psyche and matter are constantly intertwined in the birth and development of Israel, for example when in the Declaration of Independence we are told that pioneers make deserts bloom, the text actually says they make spirits blossom.

Field, Form and Fate
Patterns in Mind, Nature, and Psyche
by Michael Conforti

C. G. Jung emphasized the deep link to the physical world that exists for the collective unconscious and its archetypes. Our dreams and symbols, as well as the patterns of our behavior, are shaped by the fact that we are creatures of a material universe. Michael Conforti's research has been directed to understanding the nature of these links and patterns in the light of the new sciences-quantum theory, chaos theory, self-organization, and the new biology. Conforti's book successfully integrates this material to offer a new, exciting challenge to psychotherapy. It demonstrates that the study of consciousness cannot neglect the insights of the sciences and in doing so promises a unified view of mind and matter.

Stories of the Jungian Way

Marked By Fire: Stories of the Jungian Way

The Fisher King Review, Volume 1 - Inaugural Edition
Edited by Patricia Damery and Naomi Ruth Lowinsky

"This life is the way, the long sought after way to the unfathomable which we call divine" —C.G. Jung, The Red Book

Marked by Fire: Stories of the Jungian Way is a soulful collection of essays that illuminate the inner life.

When Soul appeared to C.G. Jung and demanded he change his life, he opened himself to the powerful forces of the unconscious. He recorded his inner journey, his conversations with figures that appeared to him in vision and in dream in The Red Book. Although it would be years before The Red Book was published, much of what we now know as Jungian psychology began in those pages, when Jung allowed the irrational to assault him. That was a century ago.

Aurora Consurgens

Aurora Consurgens: A Document Attributed to Thomas Aquinas on the Problem of Opposites in Alchemy : A Companion Work to C.G. Jung's Mysterium Conjunctionis (Studies in Jungian Psychology)

This rare medieval alchemical treatise is scattered throughout with insights relevant to the process of individuation in modern men and women. The penetrating commentary shows how a classical Jungian approach can unlock the meaning of this psychologically significant text. Originally published in 1966 as a companion volume to Jung’s major work, Mysterium Coniunctionis.

Paperback: 576 pages
Publisher: Inner City Books (June 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0919123902
ISBN-13: 978-0919123908

Thomas Moore on Gathering the Light

Gathering the Light 
A Jungian View of Meditation

by V. Walter Odajnyk

The following is Thomas Moore's Foreword to Gathering the Light:

In its basic forms meditation is simply something that human beings do. We stop before a beautiful sunset and take it in as a deep aesthetic experience. We hear bad news and stop and think through all its implications and feel its impact on our emotions. We walk in a forest and can’t help but get quiet to be part of the natural world around us. We think through our problems and wonder about our future and consider the past.

Spiritual traditions offer ways to make these simple, primal ways of meditating more formal and more effective. More sophisticated ways of meditating take us deep and have an even greater impact on our emotions, worldview and sense of self. They calm us not just by quieting the body and the mind, but by cleansing the impurities of our psychological and spiritual condition, a point made by that well-known champion of meditation and the dark night of the soul, John of the Cross.

Deep Blues and Unitary Reality

Deep Blues: Human Soundscapes for the Archetypal Journey explores the journey of the human psyche through an examination of the blues as a musical genre. The genesis, history, and thematic patterns of the blues are examined from an archetypal perspective and various analytic theories – especially the interaction between Erich Neumann’s concept of unitary reality and the blues experience. Mythological and shamanistic parallels are used to provide a deeper understanding of the role of the bluesman, the blues performance, and the innate healing potential of the music. Universal aspects of human experience and transcendence are revealed through the creative medium of the blues. The atmosphere of Deep Blues is enhanced by the black and white photographs of Tom Smith which capture striking blues performances in the Maxwell Street section of Chicago. Jungian analysts, therapists and psychoanalytic practitioners with an interest in the interaction between creative expression and human experience should find Deep Blues a worthy contribution. Deep Blues also appeals to ethnomusicologists and enthusiasts of all forms of music.

A True Note on a Slack String

A True Note on a Slack String
The Poetry of Patrick Kavanagh and the Psychology of Carl Jung:
An Imaginal Basis for Personal Change
by Réamonn Ó Donnchadha

A True Note on a Slack String weaves together the poetry of Patrick Kavanagh and the psychology of C.G. Jung to offer an imaginal basis for individual change. It addresses key concepts which inform psychological thought, such as attachment, shadow, individuation, sexuality, masculinity, femininity, and love from the perspective of Jungian psychology and through the lens of Kavanagh's poetry, so that doors may open to readers into their own innate resilience and capability not only to survive, but to grow.

Réamonn Ó'Donnchadha, Ph.D., is a practicing psychotherapist, university professor, and author of three books about psychology and children. He lives in Connemara, in the west of Ireland, and practices and teaches in Dublin.


Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: Spring Journal, Inc. (June 14, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935528122
ISBN-13: 978-1935528128

Working in the Spirit of Carl Jung

Jungian Psychoanalysis: Working in the Spirit of Carl Jung

Written by 40 of the most notable Jungian psychoanalysts — spanning 11 countries, and boasting decades of study and expertise — Jungian Psychoanalysis represents the pinnacle of Jungian thought. This handbook brings up to date the perspectives in the field of clinically applied analytical psychology, centering on five areas of interest: the fundamental goals of Jungian psychoanalysis, the methods of treatment used in pursuit of these goals, reflections on the analytic process, the training of future analysts, and special issues, such as working with trauma victims, handicapped patients, or children and adolescents, and emergent religious and spiritual issues. Discussing not only the history of Jungian analysis but its present and future applications, this book marks a major contribution to the worldwide study of psychoanalysis.

Paperback: 488 pages
Publisher: Open Court (September 7, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0812696689
ISBN-13: 978-0812696684

Gathering the Light in the 21st Century

Gathering the Light: A Jungian View of Meditation
by V. Walter Odajnyk

Publication Date Dec 2011 - Advance Orders Welcomed.

Originally published by Shambhala in 1993, Gathering the Light is a significant contribution to Jungian psychology and to research concerning the relationship between psychological and spiritual development.

Gathering the Light remains a groundbreaking work that integrates Jungian psychology, alchemy, and the practice of meditation. It is one of very few, if not the only Jungian book that demonstrates that the alchemical opus is not only an analogy of the individuation process, but also a depiction of various experiential stages encountered in the course of meditation.

Gathering the Light compares Western and Eastern images of the goal of alchemy and of meditation practice; it offers a psychological interpretation of the Zen Ox Herding pictures; it argues that in essence both psychological and spiritual development consists of the withdrawal of projections; and the appendix offers a critique of Wilber’s mistaken view of Jung’s conception of archetypes and provides a critical review of Thomas Cleary’s translation of The Secret of the Golden Flower.

About the Author
V. Walter Odajnyk, Ph.D. is a Jungian analyst, and serves as a Core Faculty member and is the Research Coordinator for Pacifica Graduate Institute's Mythological Studies Program.

Product Details
* Paperback: 264 pages
* Publisher: Fisher King Press; Reprint (Dec 2011)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1926715551
* ISBN-13: 978-1926715551

Trampled to Death by Geese

Trampled to Death by Geese: More Eros, and a Lot More Nonsense
A Jungian analyst's whimsical perspective on the inner life by Daryl Sharp. Book Two of The Eros Trilogy.

This is almost a sequel to Live Your Nonsense, last year's triumphal Jungian-style odyssey by the author. Do not be misled by the recounting of sexual encounters or the profuse lacing of song lyrics throughout the text. This one is a serious application of Jungian depth psychology to the real world. In addition to his own practice, and the stacks of books heís written, Sharp is the publisher of books on modern Jungian psychology, working steadily with the likes of Marion Woodman, Marie-Louise von Franz, and Edward Edinger. Immersed in the world of Jungian psychology, Sharp's knowledge of the man and his legacy is unique. Teachings, born of the master and honed by practical application through the decades, flow out of him almost like throwaway asides. Sometimes self-effacing, often humorous, Sharp confidently uses his inner dialogue to put Jung on paper, in context, and accessible to the non-clinical mind. He dresses it all up with talking iMacs, trips to Starbucks, and Sinatra -  lots and lots of Sinatra. This one won't be for everyone, but it might entice more readers than you think.

Eros and the Shattering Gaze: Transcending Narcissism

Eros and the Shattering Gaze: Transcending Narcissism
by Kenneth A. Kimmel

This timely and innovative expose by contemporary Jungian psychoanalyst, Ken Kimmel, reveals a culturally and historically embedded narcissism underlying men’s endlessly driven romantic projections and erotic fantasies, that has appropriated their understanding of what love is. Men enveloped in narcissism fear their interiority and all relationships with emotional depth that prove too overwhelming and penetrating to bear—so much so that the other must either be colonized or devalued. This wide-ranging work offers them hope for transcendence.

"A skilful and articulate interweave of the best of traditional views on 'relationality' and more contemporary critique. The vivid clinical vignettes bring the arguments alive and the result is a stimulating and fresh take on this ever-timely topic. The sections on the 'split feminine' in contemporary men are especially fine, eschewing sentimentality without abandoning hope."

—Professor Andrew Samuels, Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex.

"The author is an extremely sensitive and experienced specialist who possesses a broad perspective and profound historical psychological knowledge. The content is carefully observed and conveyed with great precision. The contemplative and self-reflective reader who seeks to grasp the full measure of this rich manuscript, can expect to gain substantially in both knowledge and inner maturation."

—Mario Jacoby, PhD, senior Jungian Analyst, Zurich, author of 

Individuation and Narcissism: The Psychology of Self in Jung and Kohut

That old time religion, it's good enough for me . . . or is it?

by Mel Mathews

Perhaps that 'Old Time' religion has failed us, or at least the deeper meaning of symbols and metaphors have been lost to misinterpreted literalism and that 'old king,' religious fundamentalism. Blindly following old time beliefs and attitudes in their many forms and guises is following our forefathers right over the cliff and into a vast sea of disillusionment and meaninglessness. Will we repeat this by following along with a host of fundamentalist ideals, the endless pursuit of materialism at the expense of our ecology, and other forms of meaningless neurotic suffering, or we will be moved to willingly and consciously suffer the unknown, until these old time religious symbols become alive within and take on authentic meaning as opposed to being a useless, lifeless, hand-me-down relic?

Instead of completely running away from, or blindly following, perhaps we could begin to question these old religions and fundamentalisms, begin to confront and dialogue with these calcified God-Images, and find that lost nugget of gold - the transcendent. After all, like a reoccurring nightmare, these haunting literalized religious concepts and other 'old king' values will not go away until their embedded images are exposed and truly given their due.

Living in the Borderland by Jerome Bernstein

Living in the Borderland: The Evolution of Consciousness and the Challenge of Healing Trauma

by Jerome Bernstein

Living in the Borderland addresses the evolution of Western consciousness and describes the emergence of the 'Borderland,' a spectrum of reality that is beyond the rational yet is palpable to an increasing number of individuals. Building on Jungian theory, Jerome Bernstein argues that a greater openness to transrational reality experienced by Borderland personalities allows new possibilities for understanding and healing confounding clinical and developmental enigmas.

In three sections, this book charts the evolution of Western consciousness, examines the psychological and clinical implications and looks at how the new Borderland consciousness bridges the mind-body divide. It challenges the standard clinical model, which views normality as an absence of pathology and equates normality with the rational, and abnormality with the transrational. Jerome Bernstein describes how psychotherapy itself often contributes to the alienation of many Borderland personalities by misdiagnosing the difference between the pathological and the sacred and uses case studies to illustrate the potential such misdiagnoses have for causing serious psychic and emotional damage to the patient.

Jung Lexicon: A Primer of Terms and Concepts

by Daryl Sharp

C. G. Jung died in 1961, without ever having presented a systematic summary of his psychology. For the past thirty years his ideas have been explained, explored and amplified by thousands of others, with varying results.

Jung Lexicon takes the reader to the source. It was designed for those seeking an understanding of relevant terms and concepts as they were used by Jung himself. There are choice extracts from Jung's Collected Works, but no references to other writers.

Jung Lexicon is not a critique or a defence of Jung's thoughts, but a guide to its richness and an illustration of the broad scope and interrelationship of his interests. Informed by a close reading of Jung's major writings, Jung Lexicon contains a comprehensive overview of the basic principles of Jungian psychology. The implications and practical application of Jung's ideas are well covered by other volumes in the Inner City Books: Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts series.

Paperback: 159 pages
Publisher: Inner City Books (December 1990)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0919123489

Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero's Path

by Erel Shalit

Product Description
In Enemy, Cripple, Beggar: Shadows in the Hero's Path, Erel Shalit provides new thoughts and views on the concepts of Hero and Shadow. From a Jungian perspective, this Fisher King Press publication elaborates on mythological and psychological images. Myths and fairy tales explored include Perseus and Andersen's The Cripple. You'll also enjoy the psychological deciphering of Biblical stories such as Amalek - The Wicked Warrior, Samson - The Impoverished Sun, and Jacob & the Divine Adversary. With the recent discovery of The Gospel of Judas, Dr. Shalit also delves into the symbolic relationship between Jesus and Judas Iscariot to illustrate the hero-function's inevitable need of a shadow. Clinical material concerning a case of a powerful erotic counter-transference is also an integral part of this deeply insightful body of work.

The Hero is that aspect of our psyche, or in society, who dares to venture into the unknown, into the shadow of the unconscious, bringing us in touch with the darker aspects in our soul and in the world. In fact, it is the hero whom we send each night into the land of dreams to bring home the treasures of the unconscious. He, or no less she, will have to struggle with the Enemy that so often is mis-projected onto the detested Other, learn to care and attend to the Cripple who carries our crippling complexes and weaknesses, and develop respect for the shabby Beggar to whom we so often turn our backs - for it is the 'beggar in need' who holds the key to our inner Self.

Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales

by Marie-Louise von Franz

Fairy tales seem to be innocent stories, yet they contain profound lessons for those who would dive deep into their waters of meaning. In this book, Marie-Louise von Franz uncovers some of the important lessons concealed in tales from around the world, drawing on the wealth of her knowledge of folklore, her experience as a psychoanalyst and a collaborator with Jung, and her great personal wisdom. Among the many topics discussed in relation to the dark side of life and human psychology, both individual and collective, are:

• How different aspects of the "shadow"—all the affects and attitudes that are unconscious to the ego personality—are personified in the giants and monsters, ghosts, and demons, evil kings and wicked witches of fairy tales 
• How problems of the shadow manifest differently in men and women 
• What fairy tales say about the kinds of behavior and attitudes that invite evil 
• How Jung's technique of Active imagination can be used to overcome overwhelming negative emotions 
• How ghost stories and superstitions reflect the psychology of grieving 
• What fairy tales advise us about whether to struggle against evil or turn the other cheek 

Golden Ass of Apuleius: The Liberation of the Feminine in Man

by Marie-Louise von Franz

Product Description
"Today there is much discussion of the liberation of women, " writes Marie-Louise von Franz, "but it is sometimes overlooked that this can only succeed if there is a change in men as well. Just as women have to overcome the patriarchal tyrant in their own souls, men have to liberate and differentiate their inner femininity. Only then will a better relationship of the sexes be possible." It is this timely theme that Dr. von Franz explores in her psychological study of a classic work of the second century, The Golden Ass by Apuleius of Madaura. The novel recounts the adventures of a young Roman who is transformed into an ass and eventually finds spiritual renewal through initiation into the Isis mysteries. With its many tales within a tale (including the celebrated story of Psyche and Eros), the text as interpreted by Dr. von Franz is a rich source of insights, anecdotes, and scholarly amplification.

Re-Imagining Mary

Artists plumb the depths of soul which Jung calls the collective unconscious, the inheritance of our ancestors' psychic responses to life s drama. In this sense the artist is priest, mediating between us and God. The artist introduces us to ourselves by inviting us into the world of image. We may enter this world to contemplate briefly or at length. Some paintings invite us back over and over again and we return, never tiring of them. It is especially these that lead us to the Great Mystery, beyond image. Re-imagining Mary: A Journey through Art to the Feminine Self is about meeting the Cosmic Mary in image and imagination, the many facets of the Mary image that mirror both outer reality and inner feminine soul. Jungian analyst Mariann Burke explores symbolic meanings of paintings and sculptures by several famous artist from the renaissance period on up to our modern age including: Fra Angelico, Albrecht Durer, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Nicolas Poussin, Parmigianino, Duccio di Buoninsegna, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, and Frederick Franck.

Aspects of Mary explored include: Mary not only as Mother of God, a title from the Judeo-Christian tradition, but as Mother God, a title reaching back to an ancient longing for a Female Divinity. In western Christianity this Mary bears the titles and the qualities worshipped for thousands of years in the Female images of God and Goddess. These titles include Mary as Sorrowful One and as Primordial Mother. Recovering Mary both as light and dark Madonna plays a crucial role in humanity s search for a divinity who reflects soul. Also discussed is Mary as the sheltering Great Mother that Piero della Francesca suggest in the Madonna del Parto and Mater Misericodia. Frederick Franck's The Original Face and the Medieval Vierge Ouvrante also suggest this motif of Mary as Protector of the mystery of our common Origin. Franck s inspiration for his sculpture of Mary was the Buddhist koan 'What is your original face before you were born?'

The Black Madonna of Einsiedeln

by Fred Gustafson

It is not easy to answer the question of what the Black Madonna actually represents. One answer leads to more questions, which, in turn, demand more explanations. Still, she reflects herself in our personal and collective lives and gives intimations of her most essential meaning through images, myths, dreams, and fantasies. If we are willing to receive and be open to such phenomena, we might not only learn what she could represent, but we could also experience the healing force she embodies in our time. Throughout history, this darker aspect of the feminine has been both feared and sought after, both hated and admired. The Black Madonna of Einsiedeln stands among the many Black Virgins that seem to imagistically express this dark side of the feminine in a creative transformational manner for both the individual and the collective. Beginning with a history of the Einsiedeln Madonna, Dr. Gustafson broadens his analysis into a psychological and historical examination of the Black Madonna, from her roots in the pagan deity Lilith and the archetype of the Great Mother, to her resurgence as the Virgin in the Middle Ages, to her life today as the unheeded, unconscious archetype of the feminine.

The Creative Soul

Review of The Creative Soul, by Lawrence H. Staples, Ph.D.
(2009, Fisher King Press, www.fisherkingpress.com,
ISBN 978-0-9810344-4-7)

Reviewed by Joey Madia

Eighteen months ago, I reviewed Dr. Staples’s Guilt with a Twist, a book with which I had some reservations. In the case of The Creative Soul (subtitled “Art and the Quest for Wholeness”), a relatively short book (91 pages including the Index), he has expanded on my favorite section of Guilt, dealing with the process of creativity as it applies to mental health and the integration of the Shadow, a core idea in the work and writings of Carl Jung (Staples is a Jungian analyst who trained in Switzerland after making a mid-life career-switch at the age of 50). 


Inherent in the process of integrating one’s Shadow is the first step of acknowledging that it exists and exploring the push and pull of opposites at play within us all. It is this dynamic tension between good and evil, light and dark, loyalty to other and loyalty to self that feeds and fuels our creative impulses. For those whose denial of the Shadow is so deep as to cause a psychic wound, the creative act can also be the healing act.