Psychology and Alchemy (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol.12) Paperback – Illustrated, October 1, 1980

Jung and his colleagues were very insightful. Not much I can say bad about this book.

This is probably one of Jung's most important books.The first part of the Book is a series of 70+ dreams all showing clearly alchemical symbolism. The rest is a psychological analysis of alchemical symbolism itself but shies away from being a book that spends a great deal of time explaining the alchemical opus exhaustively. I spend a lot of time dealing with dreams from myself, friends, and family; and this book along with Jung's "Psychology and Religion: East and West" really facilitated diving far deeper into the amplification part of dream analysis. (using comparative myth and dream material for deeper information in dream interpretation)To fill in the gaps and have an easier time with the followup material in Alchemical Studies and Mysterium Coniuncionis I suggest having the alchemical opus well understood as well as an understanding of western spiritualism. A read through the Corpus Hermeticum (Supposedly written by Hermes Trismegistus) for the western spiritualism and a book by Mircea Eliade called "The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structure of Alchemy" are both great resources.I don't think anyone who plans to do psychoanalysis with a strong dreamer should be without this priceless introduction to the alchemical symbolism that occurs in dreams. I highly recommend.

This book perfectly outlines his ideas about alchemy as a spiritual practice. It is thorough and informative and answered a lot of questions that I had from his previous writings. The book is well formatted and the material quality is solid. I encourage anyone who is looking for a deep dive of the psychological elements of alchemy to give this book a try.

It was a very good read for a future Psych grad student. Although I would warn anyone from diving into this without familerizing themselves with Jung's writing, it can prove more then difficult. And I would advise anyone who's is not familer with psychology to also stay away for fear of misinterpretation.

You will have to inch and scrape your way through this book; it is not a light read. I can guarantee that it is worth the challenge. I will come back and edit this review with a more detailed review of the contents when I finish reading.1st Edit: Just from my reading, I will state this bold opinion: This book is probably best read backwards. In other words, instead of reading sequentially Part 1 -> Part 2 -> Part 3, do Part 3 -> Part 2 -> Part 1. This way you understand where Jung is getting his ideas from, and you may be able to form your own opinion of the dream symbols as you go.

There were some useful insights, but Jung, like many thinkers on psychology, is in love with his opinions.• “… dreams serve the teleological imperative of the Self…”• “… symbols were living entities striving to express something previously unknown…”• “If one can learn to bear the tension that oppositions invariably bring, then the problem is raised to a higher plane: good is reconciled with evil, love with hate, doubt with certainty…”You get the idea.

This book begins by tying alchemical symbolism to actual dreams. It illuminates how alchemy is still with us and influencing our lives. It goes on to explore parallels between alchemy and religion. It shows how religious symbolism is used in alchemy and alchemical symbolism is found in religion. The interweaving of the two makes for an eye opening read. There is much to be learned here. Jung's prose can be daunting and repetitive but that actually helps to bring home the points he is trying to make.

Love this book all his books