Toward the end of the lecture, I made the egregious error of asking the professor where God and/or the direct experience of God might fit into these theories of the human psyche? My naively asked question was not in any way meant to entrap or embarrass my professor. At the time, I was clueless about Jung (and equally clueless about astrology). In my own studies, I was looking for a legitimate way to fit God into the equation of the human psyche.

I asked my much admired professor this question specifically because I knew him to be a religious man. However, this question threw my professor a curve. He momentarily became speechless, and the room was filled with a strange awkward silence.

It was immediately apparent that my professor's "map of the soul" had no place for God and/or the direct experience of God. I further believe, because the professor was personally rather fond of me as a student, he was bravely trying to resist making any disparaging comments about my question. As quickly as I could, I rattled off something obtuse so that the professor could go on with and complete his lecture in peace.

Looking back… I have to smile a little. One of the primary researching psychiatrists my professor admired was a man by the name of H. J. Eysenck. Dr. Eysenck was attached to the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London at the time. As a cognitive psychology researcher, Eysenck had begun publishing in psychiatric journals the rather radical idea that some personality traits might be "genetic" (inborn) in nature, rather than learned.

What I didn't know, at the time, was Dr. Eysenck had just finished the writing of two books: Exploring the Unexplained: Mysteries of the Paranormal and Astrology: Science or Superstition. I've often wondered what my professor thought if and/or when he discovered and then possibly read those two books...

It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. Today, twenty years later, I am frequently asked by university students why Jung still so often gets "short sheeted" in their psychology class discussions. I only wish I had a satisfying answer.

Getting Started
There is no clean, simple, and systematic way to introduce anyone to the psychological theories of Jung. Or, perhaps, if there is a clean, simple, and systematic way to go about doing it - no one has figured it out, yet... This is especially not going to be possible in a few short pages on the subject.

Regrettably, Jungian psychology is a messy, complicated, and complex "animal." Jung, himself, never sat down and wrote out a 1, 2, 3 systematic explanation of his theories. This was due, much in part, to the fact that Jung always meant for his theories of the psyche to be a continually living, growing "work in progress."

If Jung had somehow managed to live long enough to have his own personal web site, then he would have likely had one of those notorious "Site Still Under Construction" disclaimers. If he did have his own web site, then the questions I'm about to address would likely have been under his FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section.

Was Jung a Mystic? Was Jung a Gnostic? Which religion did Jung personally espouse? Did Jung believe in reincarnation?

Next page > Was Jung a Mystic? >