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Decoding Jung's Metaphysics: The Archetypal Semantics of an Experiential Universe
More than an insightful psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung was the twentieth century's greatest articulator of the primacy of mind in nature, a view whose origins vanish behind the mists of time. Underlying Jung's extraordinary body of work, and providing a foundation for it, there is a broad and sophisticated system of metaphysical thought. This system, however, is only implied in Jung's writings, so as to shield his scientific persona from accusations of philosophical speculation.
The present book scrutinizes Jung’s work to distil and reveal that extraordinary, hidden metaphysical treasure: for Jung, mind and world are one and the same entity; reality is fundamentally experiential, not material; the psyche builds and maintains its body, not the other way around; and the ultimate meaning of our sacrificial lives is to serve God by providing a reflecting mirror to God’s own instinctive mentation.
Embodied in this compact volume is a journey of discovery through Jungian thoughtscapes never before revealed with the depth, force and scholarly rigor you are about to encounter.
The present book scrutinizes Jung’s work to distil and reveal that extraordinary, hidden metaphysical treasure: for Jung, mind and world are one and the same entity; reality is fundamentally experiential, not material; the psyche builds and maintains its body, not the other way around; and the ultimate meaning of our sacrificial lives is to serve God by providing a reflecting mirror to God’s own instinctive mentation.
Embodied in this compact volume is a journey of discovery through Jungian thoughtscapes never before revealed with the depth, force and scholarly rigor you are about to encounter.
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 26, 2021
130 people are currently reading
874 people want to read
About the author
Bernardo Kastrup
24books579followersBernardo Kastrup is the Executive Director of Essentia Foundation and Chief Scientist at AI processor company Syncthetics B.V. His work has set off the modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism, the notion that reality is essentially mental. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy (ontology, philosophy of mind) and another Ph.D. in computer engineering (reconfigurable computing, artificial intelligence). As a scientist, Bernardo has worked for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Philips Research Laboratories (where the 'Casimir Effect' of Quantum Field Theory was discovered). He has also been creatively active in the high-tech industry for almost 30 years now, having founded parallel processor company Silicon Hive (acquired by Intel in 2011) and worked as a technology strategist for the geopolitically significant company ASML. Bernardo has most recently founded AI hardware company Syncthetics B.V., currently in stealth mode. Formulated in detail in many academic papers and books, Bernardo's ideas have been featured on Scientific American, the Institute of Art and Ideas, the Blog of the American Philosophical Association, and Big Think, among others. Bernardo's 11th book is 'Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell: A straightforward summary of the 21st-century's only plausible metaphysics.' For more information, freely downloadable papers, videos, etc., please visit .
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September 24, 2021
Reading Jung directly, and through JBP, I reached largely the same conclusions as Kastrup does. Jung is essentially a philosopher following the German idealist tradition; Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, who hides his metaphysics within a supposed naturalistic and empirical framework. This concealment allows Jung to communicate with his peers and the materialist consensus at the time, while simultaneously communicating his true beliefs to those who has eyes to see.
Jung's metaphysical stance, Kastrup explains, is some sort of objective/transcendental idealism, in which the substrate that underpins reality is in essence experiential. In Jungian terminology that is the collective unconscious, which is psychical, but in a dualistic fashion is also reflected in the external world. The ego then is suspended inbetween the two, with the collective unconscious encompassing the I on both sides. In en evolutionary progression, individuated conscioussness is like a plant growing out of the soil, spreading some light of meaning into the void of darkness. Analytical philosophy would explain self-reflection as meta-cognition, the ability to re-represent one's mental states. For Jung this is where meaning originates. Becoming aware of the depths of darkness from which we grew, increasingly incorporating into ourselves that which we falsely percieve to be outside of ourselves, is the meaning of being human. Without psychologizing it - as the fundamental ontological structure is psychical, psychologizing (as illusory) becomes meaningless - Jung identifies God with the collective unconscious. What does God lack? God lacks limitation, which is precisely what gives rise to self-reflection, again, that which gives life meaning. In other words, why would God need humans? Why not simply remain as the sea of all-encompassing collective unconsciousness? Because that which is absolute and with complete transparency of itself cannot experience itself, as experience presupposes limitation, hence human self-consciousness is a way for God to become aware of herself through us.
Although jungian concepts differ from eastern philosophy, it is rather hard to differentiate his conclusions from certain strains of Indian thoughts, in which every being is masking their own intrinsic God-nature, playing a game of being not so. Of Shiva dancing the multitude of beings into existence, each one of which, originally, forgetting their true essence.
Kastrup however is a way more talented writer than I am, following his exposition is easy and he seems to have good control of Jung's corpus. This book is however not exhaustive, it is rather too thin and one feels that much of Jung has been left out.
Jung's metaphysical stance, Kastrup explains, is some sort of objective/transcendental idealism, in which the substrate that underpins reality is in essence experiential. In Jungian terminology that is the collective unconscious, which is psychical, but in a dualistic fashion is also reflected in the external world. The ego then is suspended inbetween the two, with the collective unconscious encompassing the I on both sides. In en evolutionary progression, individuated conscioussness is like a plant growing out of the soil, spreading some light of meaning into the void of darkness. Analytical philosophy would explain self-reflection as meta-cognition, the ability to re-represent one's mental states. For Jung this is where meaning originates. Becoming aware of the depths of darkness from which we grew, increasingly incorporating into ourselves that which we falsely percieve to be outside of ourselves, is the meaning of being human. Without psychologizing it - as the fundamental ontological structure is psychical, psychologizing (as illusory) becomes meaningless - Jung identifies God with the collective unconscious. What does God lack? God lacks limitation, which is precisely what gives rise to self-reflection, again, that which gives life meaning. In other words, why would God need humans? Why not simply remain as the sea of all-encompassing collective unconsciousness? Because that which is absolute and with complete transparency of itself cannot experience itself, as experience presupposes limitation, hence human self-consciousness is a way for God to become aware of herself through us.
Although jungian concepts differ from eastern philosophy, it is rather hard to differentiate his conclusions from certain strains of Indian thoughts, in which every being is masking their own intrinsic God-nature, playing a game of being not so. Of Shiva dancing the multitude of beings into existence, each one of which, originally, forgetting their true essence.
Kastrup however is a way more talented writer than I am, following his exposition is easy and he seems to have good control of Jung's corpus. This book is however not exhaustive, it is rather too thin and one feels that much of Jung has been left out.
March 10, 2021
Reading this book was both a continuation and a commencement. By way of continuation, it forwards my project to become better acquainted with the thought of Carl Jung, the great Swiss thinker and practitioner of depth psychology. My first formal step was completing Gary Lachman's Jung the Mystic. Lachman's book is a solid biography of Jung that gets its zest from its willingness to consider that aspect of Jung's life and work that Jung didn't want to publicize: that Jung was influenced by--and to some extent subject to--esoteric and paranormal influences. Jung, mindful of the spirit of his time, wanted to be seen as quite "scientific," although in the last couple of decades of his life (after the Second World War), he became more open about his inner life and experiences and this opening revealed more (but not all) of the hidden Jung. I mention all of this because, in a sense, Kastrup continues the story started by Lachman.
By way of commencement, this title represents the first book-length dive I've taken into Kastrup's work. I've heard him interviewed on Jeffrey Mishlove's podcast two or three times, and I've seen and read some shorter pieces by him. I've read Jeffrey Kripal's praises of his work, and now this work has taken me deeper into Kastrup's thought while also taking me deeper into Jung's thought. (A bit of a spoiler here: but I don't intend that this will be the last Kastrup work I intend to read; in fact, I've already starter reading his Decoding Schopenhauer.) By way of an introduction to Kastrup, he trained originally in computer engineering (reconfigurable computing, artificial intelligence), earning a Ph.D. He worked in this field, among other places, at CERN. He became interested in philosophy and earned a second Ph.D. in that field with an emphasis in ontology and philosophy of mind. He has become a leading figure in a "renaissance of metaphysical idealism." And the gist of this book is that Kastrup's "metaphysical idealism" has discovered a kindred spirit in Carl Jung.
Kastrup reports that he first encountered Jung's work as a teenager, but only recently did he re-visit it with the eyes of his fully developed metaphysical idealism and philosophical training. With this new vision, Kastrup very carefully reviews Jung's works--especially his later works--and carefully delineates the terms of Jung's thought. He then proceeds to re-create, as it were, Jung's (mostly unstated) metaphysical grounding. The early portion of the book reviews Jung's overt conceptions and terms (which of course changed over time). Jung formulated his most important terms, like "collective unconscious" (or his later preferred term, "objective consciousness"), "self," "archetypes," "individuation," and "instincts," to name some of his more familiar terms. Kastrup carefully examines each term and its use to gain a firm understanding of the parameters of Jung's mainstream (or "scientific") thought. This portion of the book is quite valuable in its own right simply for the carefully guided tour of Jung's terminology. But for Kastrup, these terms only take him the threshold, so to speak.
Jung most reveals his underlying metaphysics in his later work, and, it seems, most significantly, as a result of his dialogue (in person and via correspondence with the physicist Wolfgang Pauli. Their letters (since published and cited by Kastrup), along with Jung's Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle (1952) provide a great deal of insight into Jung's thinking about the relation of mind, body, and psyche. Also, Kastrup examines Jung's Answer to Job (1952) as providing the deepest revelations available about Jung's spiritual life and insights. Also of note is Jung's (sort of) autobiography, Memories, Dreams, and Reflections (1961, the year in which Jung died at age 84). Based on these sources and many of Jung's earlier writings, Kastrup provides a persuasive re-construction of Jung's metaphysical presuppositions.
I should note that Kastrup's philosophical perspective ("metaphysical idealism") doesn't impinge on his exposition of Jung's thought, and he only explores intersections with his own perspective after he's laid a solid foundation in Jung's writings.
I have only two minor complaints about this book: first, there were several run-on words, especially when phrases were italicized. A finger-wag at the publisher! Second, Kastrup's abbreviations for Jung's titles are hard to follow. And other than these two picayune points: an excellent work that provides a solid exposition of Jung's work and provides an excellent analysis of how it fits into a wider circle of philosophical thought.
By way of commencement, this title represents the first book-length dive I've taken into Kastrup's work. I've heard him interviewed on Jeffrey Mishlove's podcast two or three times, and I've seen and read some shorter pieces by him. I've read Jeffrey Kripal's praises of his work, and now this work has taken me deeper into Kastrup's thought while also taking me deeper into Jung's thought. (A bit of a spoiler here: but I don't intend that this will be the last Kastrup work I intend to read; in fact, I've already starter reading his Decoding Schopenhauer.) By way of an introduction to Kastrup, he trained originally in computer engineering (reconfigurable computing, artificial intelligence), earning a Ph.D. He worked in this field, among other places, at CERN. He became interested in philosophy and earned a second Ph.D. in that field with an emphasis in ontology and philosophy of mind. He has become a leading figure in a "renaissance of metaphysical idealism." And the gist of this book is that Kastrup's "metaphysical idealism" has discovered a kindred spirit in Carl Jung.
Kastrup reports that he first encountered Jung's work as a teenager, but only recently did he re-visit it with the eyes of his fully developed metaphysical idealism and philosophical training. With this new vision, Kastrup very carefully reviews Jung's works--especially his later works--and carefully delineates the terms of Jung's thought. He then proceeds to re-create, as it were, Jung's (mostly unstated) metaphysical grounding. The early portion of the book reviews Jung's overt conceptions and terms (which of course changed over time). Jung formulated his most important terms, like "collective unconscious" (or his later preferred term, "objective consciousness"), "self," "archetypes," "individuation," and "instincts," to name some of his more familiar terms. Kastrup carefully examines each term and its use to gain a firm understanding of the parameters of Jung's mainstream (or "scientific") thought. This portion of the book is quite valuable in its own right simply for the carefully guided tour of Jung's terminology. But for Kastrup, these terms only take him the threshold, so to speak.
Jung most reveals his underlying metaphysics in his later work, and, it seems, most significantly, as a result of his dialogue (in person and via correspondence with the physicist Wolfgang Pauli. Their letters (since published and cited by Kastrup), along with Jung's Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle (1952) provide a great deal of insight into Jung's thinking about the relation of mind, body, and psyche. Also, Kastrup examines Jung's Answer to Job (1952) as providing the deepest revelations available about Jung's spiritual life and insights. Also of note is Jung's (sort of) autobiography, Memories, Dreams, and Reflections (1961, the year in which Jung died at age 84). Based on these sources and many of Jung's earlier writings, Kastrup provides a persuasive re-construction of Jung's metaphysical presuppositions.
I should note that Kastrup's philosophical perspective ("metaphysical idealism") doesn't impinge on his exposition of Jung's thought, and he only explores intersections with his own perspective after he's laid a solid foundation in Jung's writings.
I have only two minor complaints about this book: first, there were several run-on words, especially when phrases were italicized. A finger-wag at the publisher! Second, Kastrup's abbreviations for Jung's titles are hard to follow. And other than these two picayune points: an excellent work that provides a solid exposition of Jung's work and provides an excellent analysis of how it fits into a wider circle of philosophical thought.
December 20, 2024
This book was ok, if often a little dry. I should have suspected from the subtitle. And from the title, for that matter.
With that being said, I like Bernardo's views very much and follow somehow avidly his interviews on YouTube. If there's a guy worth checking out it is him.
As I'm writing this I'm coming to the conclusion perhaps Bernardo is a better talker than writer. Yes, I'm convinced now; having read a few of his books and watched him speak, it is the case, he is clearer verbally for sure, and I’m a sucker for clarity.
Still a good thing he writes. I’ll keep reading his stuff.
With that being said, I like Bernardo's views very much and follow somehow avidly his interviews on YouTube. If there's a guy worth checking out it is him.
As I'm writing this I'm coming to the conclusion perhaps Bernardo is a better talker than writer. Yes, I'm convinced now; having read a few of his books and watched him speak, it is the case, he is clearer verbally for sure, and I’m a sucker for clarity.
Still a good thing he writes. I’ll keep reading his stuff.
January 30, 2022
Žvilgsnis į Jungą-filosofą, anot autoriaus, monistinį idealistą. Gražiai išlukštenta.
December 8, 2021
Este es probablemente el libro más importante que he leído en mucho tiempo, superando incluso el seminario sobre Nietzsche de Jung. De la misma forma que Jung fue el intelectual más importante del siglo XX, Kastrup lo es probablemente de lo que llevamos de siglo XXI. Y esto no es casualidad, pues el propio Kastrup se inserta a sí mismo en una tradición idealista que se remontaría al Advaita Vedanta via Jung y Schopenhauer.
Kastrup, científico además de filósofo, es el principal exponente del resurgimiento del idealismo metafísico, desde una perspectiva que me parece en línea con la filosofía analítica (en diálogo con la ciencia y de forma lógica). En este libro, Kastrup expone la metafísica más o menos oculta que subyace a todo el corpus junguiano y que Jung pocas veces explicita, por miedo a no ser entendido por el resto de la intelectualidad de la época. Y no es para menos, porque lo que proponen Jung y Kastrup es, a la vez que algo muy tradicional, lo más vanguardista que hay hoy en filosofía y en ciencia: que el mundo no es material sino mental, psíquico e ideal. O sea, que el cosmos y la realidad tienen sentido y no son un caos nihilista material.
Según Kastrup-Jung los sueños son mensajes indirectos de subjetividades no materiales (arquetipos) que se esconden en lo profundo de la psique. Hay además una equivalencia entre el noúmeno arquetipal de la psique que nos envía información indirectamente a través de los sueños con el noúmeno (también arquetipal) de los fenómenos físicos que nos envían información a través de los sentidos. Ambos noúmenos serían de hecho la misma entidad: el inconsciente colectivo y sus arquetipos expresándose a través de la microfísica cuántica, que sirve de base para lo mental y lo material (distinción en realidad falsa pues en última instancia sólo existiría lo mental).
Los eventos cuánticos no serían aleatorios y sin sentido, sino que sucederían de acuerdo a una semantica físico-psíquica basada en arquetipos-ideas inmateriales que organizarían la materia a su alrededor. Sin embargo, debido a la cantidad de partículas que se ven involucradas en un evento cuántico, esto no es científicamente demostrable. Pero sí podemos experimentar estos marcos de sentido en los eventos sincronísticos: cuando un elemento del espacio físico coincide en significado con un acontecimiento mental con el cual no guarda una relación de causa-efecto. Esta coincidencia acausal de significado sería la expresión de un arquetipo del inconsciente colectivo, siendo este último omnipresente de forma simultánea en todo el cosmos.
Así pues, para Kastrup-Jung la única realidad existente e irreducible es la mente/espíritu/inconsciente colectivo, siendo lo material la cara externa de lo mental, habiendo entre ambos una diferencia tan sólo de grado. En efecto, mientras (creo) el budismo no da prioridad ni a la materia ni a la mente en esta "sustancia" últimamente real, adhiriéndose al no-dualismo o a un dualismo de aspecto dual, Kastrup apuesta por una preeminencia de lo mental/psíquico/espiritual. Así pues, habría una especie de jerarquía neoplatónica entre el inconsciente colectivo y la materia, aunque la diferencia solo sea de grado.
Esta jerarquía le permite a Kastrup revivir las cosmologías religiosas idealistas. Así, entre el inconsciente colectivo y la consciencia humana o la materia se extienden otras subjetividades no materiales pero que son centros de conciencia. Estamos hablando, efectivamente, de los arquetipos, pero también de dioses o ángeles típicos de las religiones tradicionales. También, obviamente, esta hipótesis tiene consecuencias para la vida después de la muerte o la reencarnación, pues la vida no se funda en la materia sino en el inconsciente colectivo, que es eterno.
En última instancia, Dios sería el inconsciente colectivo, que sería una subjetividad soñante inconsciente cuya dinámica se expresaría a través de los instintos físicos/leyes de la naturaleza y de los arquetipos mentales. Las leyes de la naturaleza serían los instintos de este Dios soñante que, al ser instintos, consisten en la repetición. La subjetividad psíquica humana, la única con autoconciencia, tendría la misión de hacer que Dios sea consciente para sí mismo. Y esto consiste en saber interpretar la realidad, tanto física como psíquica (distinción en última instancia irreal), que no es más que un sueño cuyo significado profundo no es literal y hay que interpretar. Y ese es, para Kastrup, el sentido de la vida humana: interpretar el significado del sueño de Dios que es el universo para que, a través de dicha interpretación, Dios se conozca a sí mismo.
Obviamente, las consecuencias de un pensamiento como el de Kastrup-Jung para la filosofía y para la ciencia son enormes, pues abriría un nuevo paradigma. Me quedo asombrado por la propuesta y a la espera de leer más libros de Kastrup para atar los muchos cabos sueltos que quedan en una teoría tan compleja.
Kastrup, científico además de filósofo, es el principal exponente del resurgimiento del idealismo metafísico, desde una perspectiva que me parece en línea con la filosofía analítica (en diálogo con la ciencia y de forma lógica). En este libro, Kastrup expone la metafísica más o menos oculta que subyace a todo el corpus junguiano y que Jung pocas veces explicita, por miedo a no ser entendido por el resto de la intelectualidad de la época. Y no es para menos, porque lo que proponen Jung y Kastrup es, a la vez que algo muy tradicional, lo más vanguardista que hay hoy en filosofía y en ciencia: que el mundo no es material sino mental, psíquico e ideal. O sea, que el cosmos y la realidad tienen sentido y no son un caos nihilista material.
Según Kastrup-Jung los sueños son mensajes indirectos de subjetividades no materiales (arquetipos) que se esconden en lo profundo de la psique. Hay además una equivalencia entre el noúmeno arquetipal de la psique que nos envía información indirectamente a través de los sueños con el noúmeno (también arquetipal) de los fenómenos físicos que nos envían información a través de los sentidos. Ambos noúmenos serían de hecho la misma entidad: el inconsciente colectivo y sus arquetipos expresándose a través de la microfísica cuántica, que sirve de base para lo mental y lo material (distinción en realidad falsa pues en última instancia sólo existiría lo mental).
Los eventos cuánticos no serían aleatorios y sin sentido, sino que sucederían de acuerdo a una semantica físico-psíquica basada en arquetipos-ideas inmateriales que organizarían la materia a su alrededor. Sin embargo, debido a la cantidad de partículas que se ven involucradas en un evento cuántico, esto no es científicamente demostrable. Pero sí podemos experimentar estos marcos de sentido en los eventos sincronísticos: cuando un elemento del espacio físico coincide en significado con un acontecimiento mental con el cual no guarda una relación de causa-efecto. Esta coincidencia acausal de significado sería la expresión de un arquetipo del inconsciente colectivo, siendo este último omnipresente de forma simultánea en todo el cosmos.
Así pues, para Kastrup-Jung la única realidad existente e irreducible es la mente/espíritu/inconsciente colectivo, siendo lo material la cara externa de lo mental, habiendo entre ambos una diferencia tan sólo de grado. En efecto, mientras (creo) el budismo no da prioridad ni a la materia ni a la mente en esta "sustancia" últimamente real, adhiriéndose al no-dualismo o a un dualismo de aspecto dual, Kastrup apuesta por una preeminencia de lo mental/psíquico/espiritual. Así pues, habría una especie de jerarquía neoplatónica entre el inconsciente colectivo y la materia, aunque la diferencia solo sea de grado.
Esta jerarquía le permite a Kastrup revivir las cosmologías religiosas idealistas. Así, entre el inconsciente colectivo y la consciencia humana o la materia se extienden otras subjetividades no materiales pero que son centros de conciencia. Estamos hablando, efectivamente, de los arquetipos, pero también de dioses o ángeles típicos de las religiones tradicionales. También, obviamente, esta hipótesis tiene consecuencias para la vida después de la muerte o la reencarnación, pues la vida no se funda en la materia sino en el inconsciente colectivo, que es eterno.
En última instancia, Dios sería el inconsciente colectivo, que sería una subjetividad soñante inconsciente cuya dinámica se expresaría a través de los instintos físicos/leyes de la naturaleza y de los arquetipos mentales. Las leyes de la naturaleza serían los instintos de este Dios soñante que, al ser instintos, consisten en la repetición. La subjetividad psíquica humana, la única con autoconciencia, tendría la misión de hacer que Dios sea consciente para sí mismo. Y esto consiste en saber interpretar la realidad, tanto física como psíquica (distinción en última instancia irreal), que no es más que un sueño cuyo significado profundo no es literal y hay que interpretar. Y ese es, para Kastrup, el sentido de la vida humana: interpretar el significado del sueño de Dios que es el universo para que, a través de dicha interpretación, Dios se conozca a sí mismo.
Obviamente, las consecuencias de un pensamiento como el de Kastrup-Jung para la filosofía y para la ciencia son enormes, pues abriría un nuevo paradigma. Me quedo asombrado por la propuesta y a la espera de leer más libros de Kastrup para atar los muchos cabos sueltos que quedan en una teoría tan compleja.
February 5, 2023
I mean, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Really valuable! "What truly matters in Jung’s message is the understanding that we are ultimately grounded in something infinite and eternal, and that our lives as finite beings...serve a divine purpose" or
----
"The possibility that Jung uses [his book] Answer to Job to make a hardly camouflaged religious confession becomes even more compelling when we consider that—according to Catrine Clay (2016: 339-340)—the completion of the book gave him the happiest moment of his life and made him feel that he had redeemed his father, a protestant pastor."
----
"To assert the “obvious psychic and non-physical fact� of God’s existence is a bold step for the metaphysically reticent Jung...Under Jung’s metaphysics, to place God in the psychic sphere does not in any way diminish God’s reality or significance, for everything that truly is can only be psychic."
"It is just as if the complex were an autonomous being capable of interfering with the intentions of the ego [i.e. the part of the psyche we identify with and deliberately control]. Complexes indeed behave like secondary or partial personalities in possession of a mental life of their own. (PR: 14, emphasis added)
When these autonomous complexes “grow out of the unconscious mind and invade consciousness with their weird and unassailable convictions and impulses� (PR: 14), one becomes ‘possessed by a daemon,� so to speak, turning into “a helpless victim� (PR: 14). The altruistic lives of saints, for instance, exemplify the subjugation of our personal volition to the impersonal, superior, spiritual agenda of daemons.
Endnote 1: 1A daemon is not to be conflated with a ‘demon,� in the modern meaning of the word. Daemons do not necessarily have—though they may have—any bias toward either good or evil. They are prompting or instigating agencies, usually overwhelming, but often morally neutral
"
"The angels, demons and deities of the world’s religious traditions can be interpreted, according to Jung’s metaphysics, as discarnate daemons"
"As a matter of fact, Jung himself states that the daemons, “relatively autonomous (fragmentary) personalities, � correspond to angels and demons� (JWL: 70)"
--
"Remarkably, in his extensive refutation of materialism Jung even anticipates—by more than sixty years!—the recognition of what has only in the mid-nineties (Chalmers 1995) come into focus as the ‘hard problem of consciousness�:"
"Here we see how effectively Jung’s ideas masquerade as mainstream and hide in plain sight. The condescending confining of religion to the “simply psychological”—which is presented as a world other than the physical—is bound to sound reassuring to the vulgar materialist spirit of this time.
Yes, for Jung religion is indeed about the psychic; but so is everything else. For him even the external world beyond the personal psyche—which we perceive via the five senses—is in itself essentially psychic and organized by archetypes..It is precisely for being “simply psychological� that “religious truths and religious objects� are real in the same way that the world perceived through the senses is real
"
"Regarding its place in the Western philosophical tradition, Jung’s views are broadly consistent with German Idealism. His focus on self-reflection as the meaning of life echoes Georg Hegel’s attribution of a central role to self-awareness in universal evolution"
"Jung’s is, of course, the most psychologically sophisticated body of work in the idealist tradition. Its key implication is that the physical world at large is invested with meaning, in a semantic sense, just as our dreams"
" [Jung:] <>"
"For instance, he [Jung] states that “Existence is only real when it is conscious to somebody� (AJ: 11) and that “Psyche is existent,it is even existence itself� (PR: 12, emphasis added)."
"...insofar as they share the same metaphysical ground as the psyche,matter and spirit—as opposite extremes in the psychic spectrum—must also be experiential.Jung’s theories thus imply a form of metaphysical idealism: all existence unfolds in a “greater and more comprehensive consciousness,� in the form of a play of experiences"
----
"The possibility that Jung uses [his book] Answer to Job to make a hardly camouflaged religious confession becomes even more compelling when we consider that—according to Catrine Clay (2016: 339-340)—the completion of the book gave him the happiest moment of his life and made him feel that he had redeemed his father, a protestant pastor."
----
"To assert the “obvious psychic and non-physical fact� of God’s existence is a bold step for the metaphysically reticent Jung...Under Jung’s metaphysics, to place God in the psychic sphere does not in any way diminish God’s reality or significance, for everything that truly is can only be psychic."
"It is just as if the complex were an autonomous being capable of interfering with the intentions of the ego [i.e. the part of the psyche we identify with and deliberately control]. Complexes indeed behave like secondary or partial personalities in possession of a mental life of their own. (PR: 14, emphasis added)
When these autonomous complexes “grow out of the unconscious mind and invade consciousness with their weird and unassailable convictions and impulses� (PR: 14), one becomes ‘possessed by a daemon,� so to speak, turning into “a helpless victim� (PR: 14). The altruistic lives of saints, for instance, exemplify the subjugation of our personal volition to the impersonal, superior, spiritual agenda of daemons.
Endnote 1: 1A daemon is not to be conflated with a ‘demon,� in the modern meaning of the word. Daemons do not necessarily have—though they may have—any bias toward either good or evil. They are prompting or instigating agencies, usually overwhelming, but often morally neutral
"
"The angels, demons and deities of the world’s religious traditions can be interpreted, according to Jung’s metaphysics, as discarnate daemons"
"As a matter of fact, Jung himself states that the daemons, “relatively autonomous (fragmentary) personalities, � correspond to angels and demons� (JWL: 70)"
--
"Remarkably, in his extensive refutation of materialism Jung even anticipates—by more than sixty years!—the recognition of what has only in the mid-nineties (Chalmers 1995) come into focus as the ‘hard problem of consciousness�:"
"Here we see how effectively Jung’s ideas masquerade as mainstream and hide in plain sight. The condescending confining of religion to the “simply psychological”—which is presented as a world other than the physical—is bound to sound reassuring to the vulgar materialist spirit of this time.
Yes, for Jung religion is indeed about the psychic; but so is everything else. For him even the external world beyond the personal psyche—which we perceive via the five senses—is in itself essentially psychic and organized by archetypes..It is precisely for being “simply psychological� that “religious truths and religious objects� are real in the same way that the world perceived through the senses is real
"
"Regarding its place in the Western philosophical tradition, Jung’s views are broadly consistent with German Idealism. His focus on self-reflection as the meaning of life echoes Georg Hegel’s attribution of a central role to self-awareness in universal evolution"
"Jung’s is, of course, the most psychologically sophisticated body of work in the idealist tradition. Its key implication is that the physical world at large is invested with meaning, in a semantic sense, just as our dreams"
" [Jung:] <>"
"For instance, he [Jung] states that “Existence is only real when it is conscious to somebody� (AJ: 11) and that “Psyche is existent,it is even existence itself� (PR: 12, emphasis added)."
"...insofar as they share the same metaphysical ground as the psyche,matter and spirit—as opposite extremes in the psychic spectrum—must also be experiential.Jung’s theories thus imply a form of metaphysical idealism: all existence unfolds in a “greater and more comprehensive consciousness,� in the form of a play of experiences"
January 27, 2025
A true mindfuck, I dropped this book so many times with my mouth wide open staring at the ceiling like a moron. Kind of destabilising honestly. If Carl Jung was correct, then the world is weird beyond belief. It would literally take me 10 years to rewire my worldview to fit the Jungian one.
March 19, 2024
Kastrup has achieved something special in producing this book. He has, in my opinion, grasped Jung’s ideas and essence fully and presented them in a cohesive and digestible way. Despite this, he hasn’t lost any of the significance of Jungian thinking. In only 132 pages he has provided a serious breakdown of Jung’s most important philosophical ideas and showcased them beautifully.
I first fell in love with Jung in 2020. Since then I’ve been exploring his works with a passion. Including post jungians like James Hillman (who is also very worth checking out). After reading this book I’ve gained a more cohesive understanding of his metaphysical concepts where I was maybe having some trouble before. These are tough esoteric concepts that (especially growing up in western culture) are sometimes hard to swallow. Kastrup seams to have bridged the gap with this book making these ideas more easily able to enter the stubborn western materialist mind.
I first fell in love with Jung in 2020. Since then I’ve been exploring his works with a passion. Including post jungians like James Hillman (who is also very worth checking out). After reading this book I’ve gained a more cohesive understanding of his metaphysical concepts where I was maybe having some trouble before. These are tough esoteric concepts that (especially growing up in western culture) are sometimes hard to swallow. Kastrup seams to have bridged the gap with this book making these ideas more easily able to enter the stubborn western materialist mind.
July 19, 2023
There are some words which reach deep within one's heart & mind and enlighten the soul... this is one such book. I felt like awakened just by a few selected words/ paragraphs of Carl Jung's writing close to a century ago.
Feel really grateful to live in the times where it is possible to easily access and read the thoughts of some of best minds ever that humanity has seen...
This is a wonderful book, read it whenever you get time, whatever phase of life you are at...
Feel really grateful to live in the times where it is possible to easily access and read the thoughts of some of best minds ever that humanity has seen...
This is a wonderful book, read it whenever you get time, whatever phase of life you are at...
December 28, 2024
A significant contribution to our understanding of C.G. Jung. Kastrup is a philosopher whose work focuses on a particular form of "objective idealism," deriving from Plato, Schopenauer, and Kant. His exploration of just what Jung means by "psyche"--which includes the collective unconscious, the material world, and ego consciousness--is intriguing and ultimately convincing. The chapter on synchronicity is excellent.
My response to the book is less criticism than imagination of a conversation Kastrup doesn't pursue. I found myself resisting his particular use of the term "metaphysical," not because I think it's misguided but because I'm not convinced it's necessary. When Kastrup talks about the nature of the forces patterning all of the levels of psychic reality, which for him (and I agree) is pretty much everything, he asks us to understand that as a metaphysical position. Approaching Jung--and the questions Kastrup addresses--via Buddhism and in this case especially Taoism--I think it's possible to understand the patterning in terms of the trigrams and hexagrams of the I Ching. I think Kastrup comes to something like this in his "Finale" when he writes that Jung's approach "eliminates arbitrary metaphysical discontinuities." That sounds right to me, so I'm not quite sure (outside of his professional philosophical positioning) Kastrup wants to resolve those discontinuities in terms of metaphysics.
Obviously, that's not an issue Kastrup should necessarily have dealt with in this short, readable, book. I learned from it and recommend it to Jungians of all stripes.
My response to the book is less criticism than imagination of a conversation Kastrup doesn't pursue. I found myself resisting his particular use of the term "metaphysical," not because I think it's misguided but because I'm not convinced it's necessary. When Kastrup talks about the nature of the forces patterning all of the levels of psychic reality, which for him (and I agree) is pretty much everything, he asks us to understand that as a metaphysical position. Approaching Jung--and the questions Kastrup addresses--via Buddhism and in this case especially Taoism--I think it's possible to understand the patterning in terms of the trigrams and hexagrams of the I Ching. I think Kastrup comes to something like this in his "Finale" when he writes that Jung's approach "eliminates arbitrary metaphysical discontinuities." That sounds right to me, so I'm not quite sure (outside of his professional philosophical positioning) Kastrup wants to resolve those discontinuities in terms of metaphysics.
Obviously, that's not an issue Kastrup should necessarily have dealt with in this short, readable, book. I learned from it and recommend it to Jungians of all stripes.
February 19, 2025
I feel I need to have the expertise to make a competent review of this book. I don't feel I have enough knowledge to accomplish that. However, I will leave here some thoughts. First, I love Jung's work. I always have. Second, 4 years ago I discovered Bernardo Kastrup work on Analytical Idealism which blew me away... totally and completely. I have also always been very keen on Metaphysics and Philosophy with Idealism being my intuitive favourite explanation for the nature of reality. When I found out that Bernardo had written a book on the metaphysics of Jung I couldn't keep away.
If you wanna read this book and you don't know much about Jung or Idealism I would recommend patience with the assurance that it will pay off! The richness of the arguments and account oh Jung's work will expand your mind and definitely your world.
If you wanna read this book and you don't know much about Jung or Idealism I would recommend patience with the assurance that it will pay off! The richness of the arguments and account oh Jung's work will expand your mind and definitely your world.
May 24, 2024
DNF at 50%. No confidence in what the author asserts.
May 17, 2023
If you've read a little Jung but want a clearer understanding of his underlying worldview, this crisply written little book has the answers you're looking for.
I do have some criticisms. After you read the book, come back here and these comments should make more sense:
I like Kastrup's interpretation of complexes and archetypes possessing "consciousness" (as CGJ defines it). Consciousness within the unconscious. Wow.
I disagree with Kastrup's conclusion that psychoid & collective unconscious are one & the same. "The collective unconscious ... is the psychoid segment of the unconscious." (pg, 33). Also see Figure 1 (pg. 44). Jung speaks of them as different, albeit overlapping (or mutually impinging) layers. Ira Progoff's understanding of psychoid being a distinct boundary layer between biology and the CUC makes more sense to me. To be fair, Kastrup (unlike Progoff) didn't have direct access to Jung to discuss these matters, but that's another reason to give preference to Progoff's interpretation.
Kastrup's suggestion that random quantum fluctuations somehow provide a mechanism for synchronicity seems overly reductionist to me (esp. for a confessed non-materialist). "Small acausal fluctuations could translate inconspicuously into significant macroscopic events." (pg. 50) Somehow this quantum butterfly effect makes a scarab appear at the window? Unsatisfying.
Kastrup has a curious blind spot. He says "discarnate daemons inhabit only the segment of the collective unconscious labeled 'mundus archetypus', not the one labeled 'physis'." (pg. 118) In other words, noncorporeal entities only exist "in here" and never "out there". I reject this asymmetry. Obviously Bernardo hasn't met many faeries.
These minor critiques notwithstanding, it's an excellent book that fills a voice in Jung literature.
I do have some criticisms. After you read the book, come back here and these comments should make more sense:
I like Kastrup's interpretation of complexes and archetypes possessing "consciousness" (as CGJ defines it). Consciousness within the unconscious. Wow.
I disagree with Kastrup's conclusion that psychoid & collective unconscious are one & the same. "The collective unconscious ... is the psychoid segment of the unconscious." (pg, 33). Also see Figure 1 (pg. 44). Jung speaks of them as different, albeit overlapping (or mutually impinging) layers. Ira Progoff's understanding of psychoid being a distinct boundary layer between biology and the CUC makes more sense to me. To be fair, Kastrup (unlike Progoff) didn't have direct access to Jung to discuss these matters, but that's another reason to give preference to Progoff's interpretation.
Kastrup's suggestion that random quantum fluctuations somehow provide a mechanism for synchronicity seems overly reductionist to me (esp. for a confessed non-materialist). "Small acausal fluctuations could translate inconspicuously into significant macroscopic events." (pg. 50) Somehow this quantum butterfly effect makes a scarab appear at the window? Unsatisfying.
Kastrup has a curious blind spot. He says "discarnate daemons inhabit only the segment of the collective unconscious labeled 'mundus archetypus', not the one labeled 'physis'." (pg. 118) In other words, noncorporeal entities only exist "in here" and never "out there". I reject this asymmetry. Obviously Bernardo hasn't met many faeries.
These minor critiques notwithstanding, it's an excellent book that fills a voice in Jung literature.
March 15, 2021
I've always enjoyed Jung and the idea of exploring the psyche, but I can't say that I fully grasped many of his ideas until I started reading Kastrup and his modern, cross-disciplinary case for idealism.
Now I understand my attraction to Jung's ideas at a much deeper level.
Now I understand my attraction to Jung's ideas at a much deeper level.
August 8, 2021
Another amazing book by Bernardo Kastrup. He always provides a convincing perspective. I think CG Jung would be delighted by this book. My only criticism with this book is that it starts off slow, but now I see that Bernardo was laying the foundation for what comes later. The last few chapters are like fireworks!
April 18, 2024
Disclaimers - I didn't do a super close reading, and I haven't read Jung's works, but it was fascinating nonetheless.
A pretty ingenious way to re-introduce the possibility of objective idealism to us people inundated by materialism.
Kastrup very clearly lays out what he's saying and takes you through this mind blowing argument that keeps getting wilder and wilder. Heh, I gotta read more of this philosophy stuff, it's real refreshing.
We move from a definition of what the psyche is (with the conscious and unconscious as Jung saw them), to acausal events occuring in quantum physics that leave room for a metaphysical ordering principle other than causality - synchronicity! says Jung. Oh, and it turns out that in fact, synchronicity is the only ordering principle - causality is an illusion! All of the physical world is in fact the collective unconscious that extends beyond your personal unconscious - in the end, everything is psyche - experiential! A psyche organized(not caused) by archetypes - a reality having meaning that is interpretable like our dreams are - both are made of the same substrate!
And what is the underpinning subject whose psyche everything is? It's god! And the meaning we can derive from our lives lies in the fact that we act as beacons of the mind of god self-reflecting on itself through our ego-consciousnesses. The world just got flipped on you if you're an atheist - but you don't mind it! Wholesome - don't get me wrong. There's no anti-abortion bullshit happening here. We are still very removed from that in these pages.
I mean it sounds wild when I summarize it like that. But if you read the book, the progression is logical. At its essence, it's not a novel idea in philosophy. It's idealism. The way Jung (through Bernardo) gets there is what's interesting. The level of sustained logical/creative ability is hard to fathom.
Bless you Bernardo for giving us a clear, concise, very aptly-named "decoding" of Jung. I can't imagine the hours of parsing through Jung's writings.
A pretty ingenious way to re-introduce the possibility of objective idealism to us people inundated by materialism.
Kastrup very clearly lays out what he's saying and takes you through this mind blowing argument that keeps getting wilder and wilder. Heh, I gotta read more of this philosophy stuff, it's real refreshing.
We move from a definition of what the psyche is (with the conscious and unconscious as Jung saw them), to acausal events occuring in quantum physics that leave room for a metaphysical ordering principle other than causality - synchronicity! says Jung. Oh, and it turns out that in fact, synchronicity is the only ordering principle - causality is an illusion! All of the physical world is in fact the collective unconscious that extends beyond your personal unconscious - in the end, everything is psyche - experiential! A psyche organized(not caused) by archetypes - a reality having meaning that is interpretable like our dreams are - both are made of the same substrate!
And what is the underpinning subject whose psyche everything is? It's god! And the meaning we can derive from our lives lies in the fact that we act as beacons of the mind of god self-reflecting on itself through our ego-consciousnesses. The world just got flipped on you if you're an atheist - but you don't mind it! Wholesome - don't get me wrong. There's no anti-abortion bullshit happening here. We are still very removed from that in these pages.
I mean it sounds wild when I summarize it like that. But if you read the book, the progression is logical. At its essence, it's not a novel idea in philosophy. It's idealism. The way Jung (through Bernardo) gets there is what's interesting. The level of sustained logical/creative ability is hard to fathom.
Bless you Bernardo for giving us a clear, concise, very aptly-named "decoding" of Jung. I can't imagine the hours of parsing through Jung's writings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2021
Okay, look, I'm generally sympathetic to Kastrup's project. But O, THE POMPOSITY! Kastrup stands athwart a mountain and pounds the ground declaring that he, yes, he alone, has touched the sky! It becomes quite amusing. Never have I read an author (outside self-published vanity/crank junk) reference his own works so relentlessly. Where a normal person might cite to a primary source or a sympathetic secondary source, Kastrup never wastes an opportunity to cite to his own previous works. He at one point straight-facedly offers a capsule history of philosophical greatness that goes "Schopenhauer (19th century) -> Jung (20th century) -> yours truly (21st century)". LOL, okay buddy.
All that said, Kastrup is not wrong that Jung is squarely within the Idealist tradition, and he does a decent if highly tendentious job of establishing it through textual exegesis and explication. It's just that I didn't think that was a controversial position to take. This volume is basically 150 pages of proving the obvious, buttressed with steel beams of self-regard. The ideas of a transpersonal collective unconscious and synchronicity point to a continuum of consciousness beyond the individual ego-consciousness, and Kastrup lays it bare pretty well. Although there are some weird inferences and leaps along the way, along with a head-scratching declaration that ousia (essence/substance) means an autonomous metaphysical ground (basically the opposite of how that term is distinguished from to on or pure being in most of the philosophical tradition I'm aware of).
While I'm interested in the project of continuing the (extremely, extremely long) history of objective idealism in the present age, I'm pretty unlikely to read more of Kastrup's work just because of the distasteful presentation of it. He's got strong Garth Marenghi energy ("visionary, author, PLUS savior of philosophy") and I just don't have time for it. I'd rather go read some Germans.
All that said, Kastrup is not wrong that Jung is squarely within the Idealist tradition, and he does a decent if highly tendentious job of establishing it through textual exegesis and explication. It's just that I didn't think that was a controversial position to take. This volume is basically 150 pages of proving the obvious, buttressed with steel beams of self-regard. The ideas of a transpersonal collective unconscious and synchronicity point to a continuum of consciousness beyond the individual ego-consciousness, and Kastrup lays it bare pretty well. Although there are some weird inferences and leaps along the way, along with a head-scratching declaration that ousia (essence/substance) means an autonomous metaphysical ground (basically the opposite of how that term is distinguished from to on or pure being in most of the philosophical tradition I'm aware of).
While I'm interested in the project of continuing the (extremely, extremely long) history of objective idealism in the present age, I'm pretty unlikely to read more of Kastrup's work just because of the distasteful presentation of it. He's got strong Garth Marenghi energy ("visionary, author, PLUS savior of philosophy") and I just don't have time for it. I'd rather go read some Germans.
October 28, 2024
Bernardo Kastrup’s exploration of Jung’s metaphysics left me truly mesmerised by its rich concepts. As someone delving into Jung’s ideas for the first time through this book, I found the depth and intricacy of the subject matter captivating, even though I was already somewhat familiar with his work. Kastrup does a commendable job of breaking down complex ideas and connecting them to broader metaphysical questions, making them accessible to readers new to Jung.
However, the writing style has room for improvement, and the book could benefit from a more concise structure. At times, the author tends to revisit the same ideas repeatedly, often paraphrasing information that has already been covered. This circular approach, while perhaps intended to clarify his points, occasionally becomes tiresome and detracts from the flow of the book. It gave the impression that the author was attempting to refine his explanations, but it sometimes came at the expense of conciseness:)
Despite these drawbacks, I am still eager to explore more of Kastrup’s work. His passion for the subject and the depth of his insights make him a compelling author, and I look forward to seeing how he tackles other philosophical and metaphysical topics in future writings.
4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
However, the writing style has room for improvement, and the book could benefit from a more concise structure. At times, the author tends to revisit the same ideas repeatedly, often paraphrasing information that has already been covered. This circular approach, while perhaps intended to clarify his points, occasionally becomes tiresome and detracts from the flow of the book. It gave the impression that the author was attempting to refine his explanations, but it sometimes came at the expense of conciseness:)
Despite these drawbacks, I am still eager to explore more of Kastrup’s work. His passion for the subject and the depth of his insights make him a compelling author, and I look forward to seeing how he tackles other philosophical and metaphysical topics in future writings.
4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
July 29, 2022
This is a beautiful, concise, and compelling synthesis of Jung’s depth psychology and Kastrup’s analytic idealism which echoes the perennial insights of mystics. Kastrup enlivens Jung’s visionary insights for the modern reader and reconciles them with the quantum ground of reality. For those who seek to grok their true nature and find meaning in the face of nature’s cold horrors, this short book is a treasure.
”Our individual lives are just like visible shoots sprouting from the eternal, invisible matrix of the collective unconscious. Our deaths are no more final than the autumn decay: the core of what is truly going on—of what we truly are—remains unaffected, ready to sprout new life in the following spring.�
”Our individual lives are just like visible shoots sprouting from the eternal, invisible matrix of the collective unconscious. Our deaths are no more final than the autumn decay: the core of what is truly going on—of what we truly are—remains unaffected, ready to sprout new life in the following spring.�
August 15, 2022
For Jung Novices and Scholars Alike
Sometimes I believe theat Jung was a happy man because he was guided in part actually in a large part by his intuitions. He derived his happiness when he was able to state their reality as scientifically derived. But what are intuitions of the world but a conglomeration of experiences just below the level of consciousness, they seem to add up and make up instincts and finally over the millennia, the collective unconscious. That the external world and these endogenous archetypes may be the same thing is a wonderful discovery!!
Sometimes I believe theat Jung was a happy man because he was guided in part actually in a large part by his intuitions. He derived his happiness when he was able to state their reality as scientifically derived. But what are intuitions of the world but a conglomeration of experiences just below the level of consciousness, they seem to add up and make up instincts and finally over the millennia, the collective unconscious. That the external world and these endogenous archetypes may be the same thing is a wonderful discovery!!
February 25, 2025
Kastrup is my guy. Everything I read, I'm nodding along with. He lays out Jung's own words here and makes a convincing argument that Jung was essentially an ontological idealist who wrote and spoke in a way that gave his words credence to the materialist mainstream but also a knowing wink to those with ears to really hear him.
I believe Kastrup is honest in his interpretation, laying out Jung's own words for the reader to make up their own mind. It's difficult to see Jung as a straight materialist after Kastrup is done however.
I believe Kastrup is honest in his interpretation, laying out Jung's own words for the reader to make up their own mind. It's difficult to see Jung as a straight materialist after Kastrup is done however.
May 19, 2023
Amazing, Kastrup does an phenomenal job of fleshing out the fundamental ideas and philosophy underlying Jung's concepts and theories. In doing so, he fully expresses how and why the concept of synchronicity is so radical, as it completely rewrites not only the metaphysical underpinning of the cosmos, but of the human mind and consciousness as well and how it relates to the former. Couldn't recommend it enough.
December 27, 2021
X-Ray of Jungian theory of the psique
I could not leave the book and read it at once. Explains Jungian concepts - which are indeed very hard to grasp - in an reasonably intelligible way. After reading the book my understanding of Jungian theory of the psique improved significantly.
I could not leave the book and read it at once. Explains Jungian concepts - which are indeed very hard to grasp - in an reasonably intelligible way. After reading the book my understanding of Jungian theory of the psique improved significantly.
February 22, 2022
So needed now
Especially loved the last sentence: "" this was the grace of God. ". I have struggled to understand Jung. I've been blessed with a life full of synchronicity. This book has helped me get Jung's message better than anything I've read thus far. So grateful for this read and Kadtrup's work. He clarifies Jung.
Especially loved the last sentence: "" this was the grace of God. ". I have struggled to understand Jung. I've been blessed with a life full of synchronicity. This book has helped me get Jung's message better than anything I've read thus far. So grateful for this read and Kadtrup's work. He clarifies Jung.
August 27, 2021
Paradigm shift
Dr. Kastrup articulates a transformation of thinking and view, one that has provided me a context that allows me to comprehend and expand my own experiences and beliefs. His quiet, unassuming work, like Buddha's or Christ's, provides the best path forward for peace.
Dr. Kastrup articulates a transformation of thinking and view, one that has provided me a context that allows me to comprehend and expand my own experiences and beliefs. His quiet, unassuming work, like Buddha's or Christ's, provides the best path forward for peace.
June 3, 2024
The best book I’ve read on Jung. For those newer to Jungian psychology this book will seem a bit dense at first but things get much clearer for understanding Jung’s metaphysics as the book progresses. The parts on synchronicity and discarnate diamonds are especially fascinating.
August 19, 2024
I had already reached the same understanding of Jung, but reading Kastrup make the case crystal clear was still illuminating. Looking forward to reading more of Kastrup's work, there's not a wasted word in this short book and he's totally undaunted by taking big swings.
October 27, 2024
Jung is one of those people whose ideas I find fascinating in snippets and yet any work actually by or about him makes my eyes glaze over. Kastrup made a book about him as readable as any can be for me, though.
December 20, 2024
Amazing ability to synthesize
Kastrup does a superb job at synthesizing the immense body of Jung’s work with an impecable logic and admiration for the subject that makes it accessible to the lay reader.
Kastrup does a superb job at synthesizing the immense body of Jung’s work with an impecable logic and admiration for the subject that makes it accessible to the lay reader.
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