The Gnostic Jung

Gnosticism was for C.G. jung the chief prefiguration of his analytical psychology. In this volume Robert Segal has searched the Jungian corpus for Jung's main discussions of this ancient form of spirituality.
Jung became interested in gnosticism - and also alchemy - in an attempt to understand what had happened to him during his confrontation with the unconscious. "I had to find evidence for the historical prefiguration of my inner experiences...If I had not succeeded in finding any evidence, I would never have been able to substantiate my ideas." He saw gnosticism and alchemy as historical counterparts to depth psychology and as early confrontations with the primordial world of the unconscious. This selection brings together Jung's main writings on gnosticism and includes a special introduction that attempts to explain the importance of gnostic writings to Jung's work.