Mandala Symbolism (Bollingen Series) [Paperback]

C. G. Jung (Author), R. F. C. Hull (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; 1st Princeton/Bollingen Pbk ed edition (1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691017816
• ISBN-13: 978-0691017815
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #320,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology (also known as Jungian psychology). Jung's radical approach to psychology has been influential in the field of depth psychology and in counter-cultural movements across the globe. Jung is considered as the first modern psychologist to state that the human psyche is "by nature religious" and to explore it in depth. His many major works include "Analytic Psychology: Its Theory and Practice," "Man and His Symbols," "Memories, Dreams, Reflections," "The Collected Works of Carl G. Jung," and "The Red Book."

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TWO OF JUNG'S PAPERS ON THE SYMBOLISM OF THE MANDALA, August 26, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mandala Symbolism (Bollingen Series) (Paperback)

Mandala means "circle" in Sanskrit; Mandalas are frequently used in Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions and sacred art. This book contains two of Jung's essays on their symbolism.

Here are some representative quotations from the book:

Mandala is "the construction of a central point to which everything is related, or by a concentric arrangement of the disordered multiplicity and of contradictory and irreconcilable elements. This is evidently an attempt at self-healing on the part of Nature, which does not spring from conscious reflection but from an instinctive impulse." (Pg. 4)
"These situations are intense inner experiences which can lead to lasting psychic growth and a ripening and deepening of the personality ... They are the age-old psychic experiences that underlie 'faith' and ought to be in unshakable foundation---and not of faith alone, but also of knowledge." (Pg. 66)
"Most mandalas have an intuitive, irrational character and, through their symbolical content, exert a retroactive influence on the unconscious. They therefore possess a 'magical' significance, like icons, whose possible efficacy was never consciously felt by the patient." (Pg. 77)
"In view of the fact that all mandalas shown here were new and uninfluenced products, we are driven to the conclusion that there must be a transconscious disposition in every individual which is able to produce the same or very similar symbols at all times and in all places. Since this disposition is usually not a conscious possession of the individual I have called it the collective unconscious." (Pg. 100)