I have been reading about the innimitable Carl Gustav Jung for Psych class. I have decided to write my essay on him and his theories, because it is he more so than any other theorist who seems to capture the energy and vision of all things esoteric.

As a youngster, he had a fascination with the occult, which is obviously apparent in his later work relating practices such as Alchemy with psychology.

My first real introduction to Jung and his writing was when I read his preface to Richard Wilhelm’s translation of the Yi Jing (I Ching). He actually used the divinatory aspect of the hexagrams to ask advice on what he should write about – the result is impressive.

According to Peter O’Connor, author of Understanding Jung, he was fascinated with reconciling opposites; this was due to his relationship between his mother and father, between himself and his father, and between his father and his faith (in the Christian myth, which Jung believed had not helped his father deal with the pressures or mysteries of life). Jung developed his theories on the Conscious-Unconscious because of his keen observation of polarities, and the need to make whole those opposites. He did a lot of good work early on with schizophrenia, and from here he developed his theories on the colective unconscious.

Is it no wonder that Jung would have been greatly impressed with the wisdom and depth of the ancient Book of Changes, with the symbolism of yin and yang. The reconciliation between these two complementary opposites is what Daoism and Chinese Medicine is all about. Jungian theory could be the key for Western minds to truly grasp the fundamentals of Daoist thought, especially in the context of Medical healing.

Even the concept of healing the shen (the Mind, or Spirit) in Chinese Medicine has many similarities with Jung’s concept of healing the rift between the Conscious and the Unconscious.

Jung was also highly impressed with the teaching/healing qualities of mythological stories. Myths provide for us important lessons and teachings, and are a fundamental aspect of healing within shamanic cultures. The Huang di nei jing can be seen as evidence of Chinese Medicine’s shamanic roots, as the structure of this textbook is in dialogue form – a form which is more akin to literature and story-telling than straight, dry didacticism.

I look forward to learning more about Jung and his theories – I feel that I will have plenty to learn from him: about myself and about others.