First published 2012
In 1932, Carl Jung delivered a series of seminars to the Psychological Club in Zurich that would reshape how Western psychology understood Eastern spiritual practices. Sonu Shamdasani reconstructs these landmark lectures where Jung explored kundalini yoga as a framework for understanding the stages of higher consciousness development. Jung interpreted the symbolic transformations of this ancient practice through his concept of individuation, bridging Eastern liberation schools with Western psychotherapy. The seminars addressed pressing questions that captivated prewar European intellectuals: How do esoteric religious traditions connect to spontaneous personal experience? What can kundalini symbols reveal about states Western medicine labels as psychotic? Shamdasani presents newly translated German seminar material alongside Wilhelm Hauer's accompanying indologist lectures. The volume includes chakra illustrations and Sir John Woodroffe's translation of the tantric text Sat-cakra Nirupana. These discussions reveal why Jung believed Western psychology needed to comprehend Eastern thought to advance, questions that remain relevant for contemporary readers exploring alternative spirituality and psychological transformation.
Genres: psychology, 20th-century, biography-memoir, alternative-medicine
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic, bridging-cultures
Setting: Zurich
Period: 1932
192 pages · Kindle Edition · Princeton University Press