November 2022 Auction Ends Thursday, November 17th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/17/2022
Perhaps the best Carl Jung autograph letter signed we've encountered, with outstanding content regarding the ego and its shadow, religion and morality, and reflection upon his own dark period, which ''even put my life at risk''. Jung writes to his mentee, Dr. Rivkah Scharf Kluger, on 17 December 1947, first touching upon dream analysis from which he expounds on numerous subjects. Composed on Jung's personal letterhead, letter translates from German in full:
''Dear Miss! / I was not able to reply to your letter at home. I will have a little more time here, although I mainly must use it to rest. That is necessary. Yesterday I was completely worn out.
You still tend to interpret your dreams too subjectively, i.e., in a personalistic way. The dream relates to what is happening within your historic personality and not to your present ego. It only witnesses it. What lies behind the ego, that is, the personal or subjective shadow, another part of your ego, actually extends back through the millennia as a historic personhood. Right now it is learning the lessons of the first Christian centuries, a time when the most radical attempt in world history, to absolutely and quasi definitively separate good from evil, was made. At that time, women were being mauled in the arena by wild animals. During the most recent persecution of the Jews, they also were killed by the wild huntsman's (Wotan's) dogs (= wolves), but this was not a personal experience for you either. - It is not at all possible to attempt the integration of the shadow, i.e., the dark, and its opposite function without reawakening the horrible struggles of the past. This manifests as a subtle internal suffering within the soul that I know well and from which I almost perished. Your ego is too impatient. It strives too urgently to quickly get to the future. It will have to understand that every step forward will trigger almost unbearable suffering within the historic soul. The more slowly and patiently you proceed, the easier it will be, because then you will slowly and gradually accustom the shadow to the present. The Germans wanted to go forward too quickly and on a nationalistic path, and because of their unrecognized inner pain they turned into diabolic tormentors. Give thanks to the heavens every single day that you have access to certain guidance and enlightening insight within the horrible darkness of this problem. I was forced to stumble through the darkness without a path or footbridge and even put my life at risk.
At the end of the Piscean age, the whole Christian structure will have to be demolished again, carefully, so that nothing is lost but allowing it to be rebuilt with the inclusion of the other, darker part. We are right in the middle of this labor. / Best wishes and greetings, / Your faithful / C.G. Jung.''
Two page letter on a single sheet measures 8.25'' x 11.625''. Folds and minor discoloration in a few spots, overall in near fine condition. Accompanied by original mailing envelope in Jung's hand, postmarked from Bollingen, Switzerland on 18 December 1947.
Carl Jung Autograph Letter Signed with Fantastic Content on the Ego, Dreams, Religion, Judaism & Morality -- ''...What lies behind the ego, that is, the personal or subjective shadow...''
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