By Miguel Conner – One of the most important events in occult history was the 2009 publication of C.G. Jung’s Red Book. The full impact of this massive tome remains to be seen, although it probably has already beenseen—since Jung claimed that all of his world-changing ideas were but a fraction of what was contained in this work. But by understanding how the Red Book came into being, we can also understand how the ancient heresy known as Gnosticism influenced our culture through the “Swiss Magician,” as Jung is known today.

After all, the Red Book is, at its heart, a Gnostic Gospel because of its prevalent theme and ultimate thrust: the recovery of the soul from the darkness of mere being, and its awakened ascent through the astral spheres of reality until it is unified with the very font of all realities (and unrealities).

But it’s better to first and briefly understand the history of the Red Book (also known as the Liber Novus, or Latin for “New Book”). Jung began writing the Red Book sometime in 1914, shortly after falling out with his mentor, Sigmund Freud. The reasons for the split between the two fathers of psychology have to do with Freud rejecting Jung’s more spiritual approaches in understanding the human psyche. Perhaps because of the split, although it’s not entirely known, Jung soon after began having paranormal experiences and visions; these were often haunting and disturbing, affecting his family and residence. They were recorded for the next seven years, mostly in early drafts that would later become the Red Book.

Some have posited that Jung simply went insane through the period when he wrote the Red Book, and found through his psychic ordeal the means in which to recover his sanity. And then he used these insights to help his patients to recover their own sanity.

Jung hinted throughout his life at having the Red Book— which he wrote in personalized calligraphy and added elegant images—but he never revealed it to anyone. After his death in 1961, his family kept the work in a vault in Zurich, Switzerland, refusing any entreaties from his followers to bring it to the general public. Yet almost a century since it was written, Jung’s family yielded to pressure and the Red Book was eventually published (the process spearheaded by the Philemon Foundation). (more…)