AUS Library Red Book Reception

The Red Book reception was a great success!
We thank Ann Blake & Catlain Kinsey for their generous donation,
and encourage everyone to explore this amazing volume. Thank you to Jill Haddaway for taking such lovely photos of the event, and thank you to The AUS Library Newsletter for the mention of the library dedication.

SWISS BANK ACCOUNT III

After quarter century sleeping in a vault,
Jung’s Red Book: Liber NovusAwakens, yawns,
Emerges into the light of day.

Dreams, pictographs,
Personal and outer characters,
Offer deeply-processed truths.

Inner/outer; above/below.
Soul dialogue depicted in
Calligraphic precision,
Intricate mandalas,
Patterned designs,
Costumed characters.

Are we ready?
Will the revelation
Calibrate balance,
Make a difference,
Raise consciousness,
Facilitate transformation,
Allow the holding of tension between opposites?

Check back in twenty-five years.

ann beth blake

6/8/10

DEDICATION OF JUNG’S RED BOOK: LIBER NOVUS
ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY SEATTLE LIBRARY
FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2010
Ann B. Blake, PhD
Catlain Kinsey, MA

Catlain Kinsey (recent graduate of the Mental Health Counseling Specialty in MA Psychology) and I offer this book to the Antioch University Seattle Library as a resource for students, staff members, and faculty members interested in Analytical Psychology. The Red Book will rest on a podium (like dictionaries) for everyone to peruse and enjoy. Be inspired, be suspicious, be uncomfortable, be curious. Notice and cherish your responses, which might vary over time.
Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), born in Kesswil, Switzerland, is credited with founding Analytical Psychology, a theoretical framework for working with clients’ whole selves. Jung applied concepts describing holistic dynamics of human functioning: archetypes, typology, individuation, and the personal and collective unconscious. Jung integrated concepts from alchemy, spirituality, art (specifically the mandala as symbolic of the self), cultural dynamics, and dream interpretation.
After Jung ended his professional relationship with Freud in 1912, Jung suffered for a decade, during which he began writing and drawing in a large red journal, Liber Novus (new book), currently titled The Red Book. In this journal, Jung conversed with personal and archetypal images (from his dreams and visions), many of which he depicted in colorful, detailed drawings. Jung worked diligently on his personal and professional development. Jung wrote prolifically, culminating in an 18-volume Collected Works. Many people who sought therapy directly from Jung applied their therapeutic insight to becoming Jungian analysts. These post-Jungians are creative therapists and prolific writers.
Jungian societies sprang up in many cities in many countries; the Seattle and Portland societies actively sponsor workshops for people interested in learning about Jungian principles. The Seattle-based North Pacific Institute of Analytical Psychology offers professional seminars and analytic training. The Seattle-based Jungian Psychotherapists Association (JPA), an organization for Jungian-oriented licensed therapists, sponsors clinical workshops; once per year, the JPA offers a community workshop in depth psychology. Sam Kimbles’ September 25, 2010, JPA workshop is titled Wounds of the Past, Tendrils of the Future through the Lens of Cultural Complexes.
After Jung’s death in 1961, his family thought the content of Liber Novus was too personal for public exposure, thus sequestering the journal in an underground vault in the Union Bank of Switzerland. During the past 50 years, many people have sought to read and/or publish Liber Novus. Sonu Shamdasani, a British historian, finally convinced the family of his professional and respectful intentions. To the delight of some and the chagrin or others in the Jungian community, Jung’s grandsons gave Shamdasani permission to edit and publish The Red Book: Liber Novus (2009).
In April, 2010, nine colleagues and I attended the Oregon Friends of Jung workshop in which Sonu Shamdasani presented his perspective about The Red Book. The Oregon Friends of Jung website stated that, “Dr. Shamdasani gave a lecture and workshop on the latest release of C. G Jung's work. In this private illuminated journal, Jung engaged the inner world of his psyche and its relation to the outer world of collective events in the first half of the twentieth century through text and illustrations.” The venue for the workshop was a large church in the midst of downtown Portland.
From my projection onto Sonu Shamdasani as a presenter, he is quiet, introverted, respectful, and cautious. As an historian, Shamdasani is an editor and translator, not an interpreter; Dr. Shamdasani clearly respects the book’s content as Jung’s work. Shamdasani worked diligently to keep himself on the sidelines as he highlighted the process of producing The Red Book. During the Friday evening presentation, consciously or not, Shamdasani moved away from the podium and the spotlight, resulting in his standing half in shadow. The metaphor of Shamdasani’s standing in half light/half dark spoke volumes to me.
During the second day of the workshop, Dr. Shamdasani offered a tour-de-force of the characters drawn by Jung and with whom Jung conversed in this interactive journal. This overview offered a summary of Jung’s work as well as an overview of historical and archaic figures depicted in The Red Book; Shamdasani supplemented Jung’s drawings with images from museum and photographic archives. Synchronistically, as Shamdasani discussed the role of Christianity, specifically Christ, in Jung’s journal, one of the church’s huge stained glass windows suddenly glowed with sunlight; at the end of this specific discussion, the window reverted to shadow. The overriding impact of Shamdasani’s presentation provided a context for beginning to read Jung’s Red Book: Liber Novus.
Although Shamdasani described his regret about the enormous time gap between Jung’s formulating the journal and its publication, I sensed a possible synchronistic timing. After compiling the book, Jung (probably accurately) hesitated to publish Liber Novus, nor did Jung publish his journal prior to his death. Perhaps the current publication is the synchronistic moment for the book to reach public eyes and hearts. As of April, 2010, current book sales reached 48,000, one testament to the relatively small size of the Jungian community. I am surprised about and grateful for the relative accessible sales price range from $120-$165.
Thanks from the bottom of my heart to Catlain Kinsey for her generosity and enthusiasm. For creating a soulful and just-right dedication party, I am grateful to Victoria Young, Bev Stuart, and Jill Haddaway. For support, encouragement, and celebration, I offer thanks to Carol Stanley, Gwen Jones, Jerry Salzman, Ken Hapke, Lori Dugdale, and David Fagerlie, to my friends and colleagues in the School of Applied Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy, and to the Antioch University Seattle community.