Jung-Mystic

Jung died in 1961, right at the peak of the "occult renaissance" of the 1960s, a renaissance of magical thinking that he largely initiated. Jung was also directly responsible for the "journey to the East," which many embarked on and continue to embark on to this day. Along with the I Ching, Jung endorsed such previously arcane matters as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Taoism, and Zen, and without his intervention, it's difficult to say whether these Eastern imports would have gained their current popularity. That Jung was, in many ways, a founding father of the Love Generation is seen in his inclusion on the cover of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album, although Jung himself considered "flower power" sadly naive. Although despite his efforts, Jung was never accepted by mainstream intellectuals, his influence on popular culture was enormous, and our contemporary roots, an inward-looking spirituality, unfortunately associated with the New Age, have his name written all over it. Jung himself may seem ambiguous about his connections to mysticism, magic, and the occult, but today millions of people who pay attention to their dreams notice strange coincidences and consult the I Ching, for which they thank the Sage of Küsnacht.

[1] Quote from: Vincent Brome "Jung: Man and Myth", Scientific Book Club, 1979, p. 277.

[2] Ibid., p. 68.

[3] Deidre Bair "Jung: A Biography", Little Brown, 2004, p. 48.

[4] Ibid., p. 49.

[5] Gerhard Wehr "Jung: A Biography", Shambhala, Boston, 1987, p. 72.