Jung and the Christian Way

Authors

  • Julienne McLean St Mary’s University College, Strawberry Hill, London

Keywords:

Christian Way, Jung, Christian spirituality

Abstract

By showing the psychic roots of religion and the psychological relevance of Christianity, Jung did a real service to humanity. His theories challenged the corrosive and personally debilitating effects of modernity on the psyche. His depth psychology is capable of revitalising Christian spirituality today through providing an essentially modern psychological bridge between traditional Christian dogma and authentic healing experience an encounter with the Holy Spirit. There exist a lot of neglected, undeveloped, unacknowledged parts of our personality which need to be constantly recognised and accepted, so as to be dissolved and transformed – ‘made new’ – by God’s love, throughout our psychological, and deeper prayer journey. Jung’s writings on the psyche contain much of the teaching of Christian spiritual direction and guidance from past centuries, in the idiom of modern depth psychology. Jung tried to tell the world that those experiences which were considered as something reserved for an elite, belong to the normal range of human life and what might have once seemed rarefied, remote and reserved for saints and monks is now in great demand and longed for by many ordinary people.

References

Jacobi, Jolande. (1967). The Way of Individuation. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.

Jung, C.G. (1938-1940). Psychology and Religion – East and West. Collected Works Vol 11, UK, Routledge: Kegan and Paul.

Jung, C.G. (1951-1961). Letters, Collected Works Vol 2, UK, Routledge: Kegan and Paul.

Jung, C.G. (1961) Freud and Psychoanalysis. Collected Works Vol 4, UK, Routledge: Kegan and Paul.

Jung, C.G. Psychological Types, (1971). Collected Works Vol 6, UK, Routledge, Kegan Paul.

McLean, Julienne. (2003). Towards Mystical Union, UK, London: St Pauls.

McLean, Julienne. (2007). “Teresa of Avila and Depth Psychology”, Guild of Pastoral Psychology, Paper Number 299.

Miller, Jeffrey C. (2004).The Transcendent Function New York: State University.

Tacey, David. (2004). The Spirituality Revolution. UK, Routledg: Kegan and Paul.

Tacey, David. (2007). “After Tradition: Closer Encounters with the Sacred”. Guild of Pastoral Psychology, Paper Number 300.

Ulanov, Ann Bedford, and Alvin Dueck. (2008). The Living God and the Living Psyche. UK, Cambridge: Willliam Eerdmans.

Ulanov, Ann Bedford. (2000). The Wisdom of the Psyche, UK, Einsielden: Daimon Verlag.

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Published

2010-12-31