Over the last 6 months, I have been creating video essays and analyzing the Red Book by Carl Jung.
The Red Book, for those who may not have heard about it, was a sort of personal diary of the Swiss psychiatrist. Turns out it was the foundation for many of the ideas he would write about in his later life, and we can thank his influence for archetypes, and many of the personality quizzes that you see online.
The man was obsessed with dichotomy, understanding the most extreme of opposites and how you can find a balancing point between them. A lot of the stories in the book are useful reflections on modern reality and how to navigate turbulent times.
It's full of visions, some that feel slightly paranormal/ supernatural. Weird, but positive things started happening in my own life when I first read it. Then, about half a year ago, in the middle of the night, I woke with the idea of exploring the book in more detail.
There are 5 episodes so far, which have kind of got lost in the noise of Jungian content on YouTube. The metrics are telling me that it has genuinely helped the people who have watched it. Just that the algorithm hasn't found the right audience for it yet.
So I'd like to share it with the r/HighStrangeness community, as there's a chance some of you might have had an interest in the book too.
01 | Dreams, Doubts and The Desert
The first episode covers the introductory chapters to Liber Primus. Primarily focused on Jung's premonitions about WW1. His frustrations and anxiety around dream journaling and engaging with more esoteric practices. A couple of his first attempts at active imagination, leading to a penultimate vision that merges several mythical themes.
Following the first couple of chapters, Jung becomes fixated on the hero archetype and, through his visions, understands that in order to change, he must kill the dominant part of his personality. He meets demonic figures within his desert visions, becomes a monster himself and attempts to assassinate Siegfried.
This covers the last couple of chapters in Liber Primus, it has a lot of biblical themes with his psyche taking on the form of Elijah, Salome, and the Serpent. My knowledge of Gnosticism was very limited when I made this episode, but on reflection, there are a lot of motifs that seem relevant. The core of it is, Jesus was someone to aspire to be like, not be worshipped. There's this wider idea of a 2-tier consciousness, a base level focused on observation and desire. Then a higher level consciousness based on strategic planning and love.
04 | Carl Jung's Dance With The Devil
Departing from Liber Primus, this is the first episode that covers Liber Secundus. Liber Primus is seen as a sort of tutorial (Carl learning active imagination). The next section of the book is about him getting into the visions more readily. This chapter covers 'The Red One', where Jung meets a devil and has to deal with temptation.
05| Jung's Haunted Castle, The Anima Awakens
This episode covers 'The Castle in the Forest', where Carl meets a wise old scholar and a ghostly pale girl. There are elements of status, class, and attention, which eventually lead to Jung's introductory ideas of the anima and animus.
The series has been a passion project and my persuit of meaning. My day job is cutting videos for big businesses and it's always a little disheartening seeing a product video I've made land millions of hits, while the more effortful Jungian videos I'm producing on my own don't really get much of a look at.
The small audience I do have seems to get a lot out of it, which is great. I haven't been doing enough to push it to the right communities, though, so this is my attempt.
If you do watch them and get anything out of them, or even have insights you'd like to share, please do. The Red Book did a lot for me; it pushed me out of my comfort zone, and off the back of that, I eventually met my wife. The book helped me tremendously, and this is my way of trying to pass it forward.
by JCunliffeUK