Customer Reviews

Transpersonal Development: The Dimension Beyond Psychosynthesis

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I must admit: I see Assagioli's 3rd book, "Transpersonal Development" as the masterwork of the Western spiritual tradition. In this, Hermetic/Neoplatonic tradition, as exemplified by Dante, St.John of the Cross or Rumi, the psyche/soul as a whole journeys towards Transpersonal Self/God. There is a conspicuous absence of dis-identification in Assagioli's third book. The protagonist of the entire psycho-spiritual drama remains soul/psyche, not the disidentifiedied "I", which is different from the first two books. "Transpersonal Development", a compilation of loosely knit essays, remains Assagioli's contribution to wisdom literature. Not quite a science, nor philosophy, it remains psychology in the vein of Aristotle's "De Anima". As a meditation on life it has precursors in Epictetus, Montaigne, Thoreau or Nietzsche, every writer analyst of man's condition. Among the more professional kin: Freud, Fromm or Jung, in their most essayist and generalizing disposition. This work, however readable it may be, is not a significant step forward, either in theory ( if we define theory as having more explicative value, not being just an inspired reflection on vita religiosa ) or in practice, so my opinion is that it is more representative of Assagioli's personal "journey", than being a guide to self-actualization & realization, unlike "Psychosynthesis" and "The Act of Will". Moreover: I'd say that it remains questionable whether it can be judged as a complement to the previous books or is an "aberration" in a sense that it presents methodology in some ways contrary to that exposed in previous books.

I purchased this book for $50. After reading it, I believe it is priceless.
Assagioli's older works on psychosynthesis are outstanding, but this one is sublime. This book is definitely a Masterwork of the Western Mystery Tradition.
Page after page, Assagioli astounds you with insights gained over a lifetime of study. This man was a psychiatrist, but his true calling was as a spiritual adept. Don't read this book unless you are over 40. I would not have comprehended or appreciated this book at a younger age. I know this is a trite saying...but this book will change your life.