Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol.9 Part 2)

I consider all forms of Christianity to be more or less Gnostic in nature. They all emphasize the importance of knowledge in uncovering the "mysteries" of GOD. I was raised in a Southern Baptist family. Our religious activities were sporadic. Faith lacked any sense of urgency. Because of my early life I did not acquire many of the doctrinal prejudices of Christianity. That being said, I found Jung's approach to the archetypes and symbolism of religions as a whole and Gnosticism in particular extremely fascinating. His concepts of wholeness and balance are Aristotelian, but his view of religion Platonic. I believe Jung misjudged the influence "high religion" played in some of his conclusions. This represents a sort of summation of his life's work and research. Be prepared to look up the definitions of technical psychological terms and various ancient religious and mythological names and terms. Jung was very much a 20th Century man living through the "1950's". If you are prepared to make a serious attempt to understand the material, you will find it the most enlightening book you will ever read. His understanding of people is unparalleled.

I have to admit, many parts of this book were completely incomrehensible to me. My five stars are for the parts of the book that I was able to understand, which completely blew my mind, perhaps even changed my life and view of the world.Be warned, this is not an easy book to read. I would not read this book without Edinger's companion lectures.

This a phenomenal but incredibly advanced work that many people (including myself) simply won't be able to grasp without the helping hand of commentaries and, if you're fortunate enough personal experiences with the phenomena Jung discusses.The beginning is a basic rundown of concepts that form the cornerstones of Jung's "archetypes." After this Jung gets his "toothbrush and pick" ready to dig into some very arcane alchemical and gnostic ideas that, without some outside elaboration, are sure to put you to sleep or dissuade you from venturing further into the work. For this reason I recommend Edingers "Aion Lectures" as companion material.Once you have some background on these incredibly obscure and alien ideas, a lightbulb will switch on in your head and you will understand the theoretical magnitude of the work. Jung essentially psychoanalizes the previous 2000 years of western history to convey to you SOME of the aspects of his "collective unconscious."It is an absolutely brilliant exhibition of Jungs intuition, pattern recognition and his sheer mental perseverance. I would absolutely reccomend this book. It took me over a year to finish it, but by the end of it my entire perception of history and the human being had been irreversibly deepened.

Jung presents his theories of the collective subconscious and the relationship to the ego in a lucid and compelling manner. I find it interesting to read Jung himself and then read books by people about his theories. I often feel like they miss several of his main points. For example, I have read authors that discuss his use of archetypes, yet they typically gloss over the self and the integration symbols that represent the unification and individuation of the psyche. Jung was a Protestant and saw the archetypes as potentially pagan in a negative manner, and saw the lack of correctly understanding the divine/human symbol as leading backwards into a more brutish existence, as seen in several world events.

Wow, all is said in Aion. I would not recommend it as an introduction to Jung but if you are already well versed with his thinking, this book will take you to a higher level of awareness.

Aion is a continuation of Jung's work in psychology. He explores the role of symbols in archetypes and how symbols are used to creation connection with archetypes, as well as exploring different aspects of a person's sense of self. I found the book to be useful for understanding Jung's contribution to psychology and why his work has continued to be significant. If you're interested in psychology or just want to understand Jung, this is a good book to pick up.

Service was good and the book was well-received. The cover was a little beat up but I don't mind, the pages were as good as new.

After studying the collected works for 20 years, and reading many Jungians, I've formed the opinion that this book is the linchpin of Jung's entire psychology. You won't get any closer to understanding his basic ideas than right here. The alchemical part of the book is quite arcane and not quite suited for Jung rookies, but the basics in this book make it essential.