The Red Book: A Reader's Edition (Philemon)

1. Within the human psyche you have the conscious mind which includes a retrievable memory. This conscious memory function may or may not be fully functional during an intentional encounter with the second component of the human psyche, the personal unconscious mind. The level of the person’s conscious memory function depends on how the encounter with the person’s unconscious mind is conducted. As with any risky endeavor, an intentional contact with the personal unconscious mind is best conducted with sufficient tools and preparation. If the conscious mind has a memory that is still functional when contact with the unconscious mind is made, the individual will have the ability to replay all or parts of the unconscious content that is encountered and interpret and analyze the content in the daylight of full consciousness. In turn, the product of conscious analysis of the unconscious content can be stored in the conscious mind’s memory and, if not overwhelmed by the unconscious mind during intentional contact between the conscious and unconscious mind, be effectively used by the conscious mind during subsequent encounters with the unconscious mind to aid in navigating the unconscious mind’s territory.2. As the conscious mind delves into the unconscious mind’s territory it must surrender some of its territory. It is then possible to dwell in the conscious and unconscious states of mind simultaneously. Something akin to realizing you are asleep and dreaming while what is appearing before you in the dream continues to play as you consciously participate in the unconscious content of the unconscious mind. You are aware that you are dreaming but your conscious memory is able to record the events of the unconscious mind you are involved in as a participant. It is a state of mind where you are a participant in a dream or aware of certain content of your unconscious mind and you know it is a dream but you retain a conscious memory of the events as well as a memory that you knew that it was a dream at the time you were an active participant in the dream (aka, ‘lucid dreaming’). During these simultaneous encounters, the conscious mind must, at a minimum, retain some basic level of its conscious memory function. What conscious functions are first surrendered by the conscious mind in an intentional contact with the unconscious mind may not be exactly the same in different individuals' encounters with their unconscious mind. Nor will it be the same if the psyche does not retain an adequate level of functionality within the conscious realm of its domain. In this dual awareness state of the human psyche the unconscious mind is present at its lowest intensity. However, even at this low level of intensity, the unconscious mind will always eclipse far more functions of the conscious mind than the few functions of the unconscious mind that the conscious mind is able to record in conscious memory during intentional encounters.3. These forays into the unconscious are not without risk to the normal and continued function of the conscious mind. It is possible to temporally disable or even seriously damage conscious functions during intentional contact between the conscious and unconscious parts of the human psyche. The unconscious mind always has a clear view of the conscious mind and has varying degrees of persuasive control over the conscious mind. However, the conscious mind may only catch risky glimpses of the unconscious mind and has little or no control over the content of the unconscious.4. As time goes on, an individual who intentionally contacts their personal unconscious mind and appropriately analyzes the conscious memory of the unconscious content in small steps may make slow but steady progress in their ability to navigate their personal unconscious while avoiding damage to their conscious functions.5. The third component of a person’s psyche is the collective unconscious interface between the personal unconscious mind and the flow of archetypal content which is the substance of the collective unconscious. The area and composition of the collective unconscious may be thought of as analogous to the concept of the “cloud” in modern computer terms. The collective unconscious can interface with the personal unconscious mind of an individual as though it was an omnipresent and integral part of the personal unconscious mind of the individual rather than a remote entity. This interface is fraught with confusion because of the dissimilar language or format of the content in the collective unconscious when it interfaces with a personal unconscious mind. Ideally, archetypal images are invited to trickle into the personal unconscious mind and mildly flavor the content of the personal unconscious mind which in turn permits the personal unconscious mind to hand on this assimilated image content to the conscious mind through dreams or what seem to be spontaneous impulses that the conscious mind may act upon. In this respect, these mild encounters with archetypal image content that has been processed by the personal unconscious mind can produce what may be described as artistic thoughts and images within an individual’s conscious mind. These thoughts have a universality of image and content that comes from the archetypes that gave birth to them. Raw archetypes are by their nature universal images or concepts that will resonate with other individuals’ conscious minds at a very basic level or be received by others’ minds through an unconscious level of feeling. Therefore, filtered and processed archetypal images that can enter other people’s conscious mind via their unconscious mind often present themselves as uncannily intuitive concepts. The very fundamental concept of true artistic appeal is the resonance in others’ minds when a person is able to reproduce archetypal based content in a conscious or material form such as music, painting, artful story-telling, etc. When archetypal based content is presented to other conscious minds, it invariably strikes a chord in the mind of others that has the effect of imparting an empathetic connection or a feeling of deja vu in reaction to the content being presented by the individual who has been able to surface collective unconscious images in a conscious product (or art). This is the ideal outcome of an individual’s contact with archetypal content filtered or translated through the unconscious mind to the conscious mind. This is the creation of art.6. On the other hand, archetypal image content from the collective unconscious, in some cases, can flood a person’s unconscious mind and spill over unprocessed images into the conscious mind which will result in primal and often terrifying disruption of the conscious thought process resulting in undesirable consequences such as; (a) hearing compelling voices, (b) perseverative ideation outbursts that are too overpowering and raw to be artfully communicated to others, and (c) terrifying visual images of primal human fears, etc. These undesirable intrusions upon the conscious mind are some of the more common manifestations of archetypal content that reach a person’s conscious mind in an overwhelming or unprocessed form.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Next topics to consider ---(1) The malevolent and/or benevolent nature of the archetypes of the collective unconscious.(2) Archetypal content as independent entities that have their own consciousness (spirits & demons).(3) (question posed) Is all of the archetypal content of the collective unconscious contained within the physical structure of each human brain or is there an external source of archetypes that can “visit” with the brain of various individuals at various times.ALOHA!--john

This is the ultimate book! Jung is by far a standout; one of the greatest minds of all time. His works demonstrate clearly that civilization and we, as individuals must heal society. This begins by resisting the collective forces of powers that repress the consciousness that we were born to know. As individuals, we must step forth into fully understanding self.Here is the account of Jung's adventure into the unconscious... this; a foundation for all of his work is detailed in the final volume of Carl Gustav Jung's work. The book includes a copy of his handwritten manuscript (Swiss) as well as a translation by Sonu Shamdasani.For sixteen years, Jung worked on the book, experiencing the darkness and the light of his unconscious mind and developing lasting theories of archetypes, the collective unconscious, and of individuation.The original work was locked away... his heirs denied scholars access to the book -- for nearly 100 years, we, the public could not learn of Jung's experiences... experience that clearly brought about a shift into modern psychology... a psychology of real people undergoing an awakening, an evolution of thinking, a process of individuation.It is a huge book, a mystical book; including Jung's fabulous color illustrations... it is a medieval manuscript.Yet, if you've not read any of C. G. Jung's work, this is not where to begin. There is a lot of material in this book, and Jung's works of course include volumes.The Undiscovered SelfBegin with self-reflection and your personality... who are you? Use Briggs-Myers personality sorter and begin to know who you are and how that came t be... read Jung's earlier published works... it may take 10 or 20 years to evolve a comprehensive knowledge of this work... I've been at it for 40. Time is no the barrier... it is me that needed time to get it that I am needy for God's blessings.Explore the duality of your psyche... set out knowing that you must face your deepest fears. In the end, the skeletons in your closet must be aired.Begin with God... Jung's works forge a path to knowing that the human psyche is "by nature religious."If you want to know about reality, about living fully conscious life, then delve into Jung... and come about it then to read "The Red Book."Even to just thumb through the pages causes some to enter an altered state of consciousness...Like a mescaline experience.Here is a brief description of the fantastic inner world that awaits you:CONFRONTATION WITH THE UNCONSCIOUS... THE FINAL FRONTIERSummary of the revelation of Carl JungSeptem Sermones ad Mortuos:The First Sermon to the Deadby Carl Gustav Jung, 1916Pleroma is everywhere completely and without bounds nor end.The Pleroma, which is endless and eternal, has no qualities, because it has all qualities. Even in the smallest subatomic particle known to science, the Pleroma is present without any bounds, eternally and completely. Yet, the smallest to greatest material of the universe have no place in the Pleroma.Jung on INDIVIDUATION:"We, also, are the total Pleroma; for figuratively the Pleroma is an exceedingly small, hypothetical, even non-existent point within us, and also it is the limitless firmament of the cosmos about us.""When we strive for the good and the beautiful, we thereby forget about our essential being, which is differentiation, and we are victimized by the qualities of the Pleroma which are the pairs of opposites."IndividuationIndividuality is the higher self. The process of getting there is individuation. Individuality is in an evolution. Individuality does not ever die nor dissolve unless under special circumstances, the individual ceases to be, by choice. Individuality remains throughout incarnations.Individuality learns from experiences.Personality does not know (usually) why nor how, nor about the incarnated history... as with every birth memory of the past is gone... we come into the world, babes in the flesh, crying and needy. Yet, individuality has an overview of all incarnations and of some knowledge of the meaning of everything past.Individuation is a process; becoming aware of oneself--that is of your composition. Individuation is the way into discovery of a true, inner self.The Red BookLiber Novus (printed on The Red Book - like a subtitle) means in Latin "New Book" but for Jung it meant the new way. Jung certainly put it there to say, "This is the book of the new way." The new way book.I've met and interacted with more than ten thousand people in my time here... during this life.I've come to know that we all make choices for reasons.ChoicesTWO STATES...1. Nothing exists....2. Everything exists.It is logically impossible for God to not exist, therefore, everything exists is "more" correct, as it may seem at first. However, if we'd take into consideration potentials, can we bet on it that everything exists?I'd say no; easily, yet, I cannot so easily discount this logic with a fact as simple as God is.Facts add up in my mind to that God creates, always. Therefore, there is more to be than already is. This will always be the case, I'd say. So, neither argument is true in my opinion.Wait then, can there be another course of thinking that is more accurate?THREE STATES...1. Nothing exists....2. Everything exists....3. Multiplicity is.While God is a singular being (although not a being in the sense of what we'd normally propose as being), we seen to perceive Him as three or more differentiated beings (aspects of one).Christianity is what I know best... so, I'll say from that experience that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one God. Yet, we say they are also three in unity, as one God.Anima and AnimusIn reality, every female and every male is a psychological amalgamation of feminine and masculine characteristics (a short description of contrasexuality).Anima (feminine) plus Animus (masculine) contrasexuality derives from the ultimate triune... Eros (masculine--independent archetype: god of love) and Logos (feminine dependant archetype: the principle governing the cosmos) that forms a soul-image.In a simple statement, two bring about a third and the amalgamation of the two in each.It is simple, yet elegant too.Look at love vs. hate, and then wonder, what is the third aspect of that duality (autonomy vs. unity)?Is it not choices?Choices come about in the differentiated world of men and women.If analyzed to their core, each choice is a factor of two opposing views (or two plus two more, and perhaps another pair and so on).So, I'm going this way... Multiplicity is.I'm not one to battle logic and for me this is logical, entirely.Living differentiated, we easily experience yin vs. yang duality (love vs. hate, etc.) and we therefore come to a crossroads and we make a decision based on morality and ethics, desires, or needs... needs being the most important factor; yet the lowest functioning of reasons for decisions. It may seem to me or to you that choices therefore are based on logic also... I'd disagree after giving this more thought. Morality and ethics, true are evolved in thought and experience. However, desires and needs are spontaneous more so than cognitive.Thus, I'd venture this guess: most people make choices based on spontaneous impulses."After the first "fall," the divine consciousness descended to the level of the divided consciousness; now after another "fall", it has fallen even further, into the depths of the unconscious; it has been "forgotten." It is now humanity's privilege to discover the potential realms of human existence and face the great challenge of the "ascension of consciousness" through the Man-God-Spirit transformation."-- Gnosticism And The Descent Of The Soul.For this reason, Jung forged a path to reconciliation... to healing... into the divine again. Read him if you dare.Eric