October 7, 2009
- Liber Novus -
“I should advise you to put it all down as beautifully as you can — in some beautifully bound book,” Jung instructed. “It will seem as if you were making the visions banal — but then you need to do that — then you are freed from the power of them. . . . Then when these things are in some precious book you can go to the book & turn over the pages & for you it will be your church — your cathedral — the silent places of your spirit where you will find renewal. If anyone tells you that it is morbid or neurotic and you listen to them — then you will lose your soul — for in that book is your soul.”
If you haven’t already heard, Jung’s Red Book is being released. My copy is due to ship Oct 23rd, and I’ve got tickets to see the editor give a lecture on the book at the Rubin Museum of Art tonight. I have not been so excited about anything since I was in elementary school and the Super Nintendo came out. Seriously.
More from the NY Times article:
In 1913, Jung, who was then 38, got lost in the soup of his own psyche. He was haunted by troubling visions and heard inner voices. Grappling with the horror of some of what he saw, he worried in moments that he was, in his own words, “menaced by a psychosis” or “doing a schizophrenia.” As a psychiatrist, and one with a decidedly maverick streak, he tried instead to tear down the wall between his rational self and his psyche. For about six years, Jung worked to prevent his conscious mind from blocking out what his unconscious mind wanted to show him. Regarding the significance of what the book contained, however, Jung was unequivocal. “All my works, all my creative activity,” he would recall later, “has come from those initial fantasies and dreams.”
I’m looking forward to receiving my copy immensely. The artwork I’ve seen thus far has teased me in a big way.
Comment by Justin Russell — October 7, 2009 @ 3:34 pm
Justin congrats on getting a copy before they sold out! And thank you for including me in your links. :)
I’ve been digging through the internet for pics from this for years. So glad to know i’ve got the real thing coming soon. Doubt I’ll have a chance to take pictures tonight, but will try to repeat any useful info I learn here.
Speaking of which, gotta go!
Comment by Ian — October 7, 2009 @ 4:37 pm
The talk was great, took a bunch of good notes. Will post a follow up on it soon.
Comment by Ian — October 8, 2009 @ 8:27 am
I spoke too soon. :-( Having ordered my copy months ago it seems that the book had not been secured for online retailers (especially here in the U.K.) so the first run sold out and there is an unspecified wait for another print run. My supplier can’t say when they will get hold of a copy. Amazon U.S. has it as the 9th of December before they receive their shipment to distribute.
Another long wait then by the sounds of it. Should be worth it in the end though.
Comment by Justin Russell — October 10, 2009 @ 5:57 pm
Ah, that’s shitty! Let me tell you, having seen a bit of the book, it is TOTALLY worth the wait, especially for anyone who’s a fan of Jung’s work. I will say that it’s larger than expected (probably about 18″ x 12″ or so). I’d say more, but I’d like to save it for my write up on that talk. I’d planned on doing it this weekend, but that kind of fell through. Soon though, I hope.
Comment by Ian — October 11, 2009 @ 6:10 pm