Self-reflection and projection in Jungian ‘spirituality’: Carl Gustav Jung’s encounter with India and his critique of Indian psy-sciences

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn Jung’s encounter with India, projection and self-reflection play a major role on various levels. In this essay, I explore these levels from different angles. I argue that this specific constellation of topics, which includes Jung’s critical assessment of yoga and meditation, strikes at the very heart of Jung’s therapeutic approach. My analysis will highlight the different directions of Analytical Psychology and traditional spiritual-therapeutic techniques from India as perceived by Jung and his contemporaries in early twentieth century Europe. In order to understand the Jungian approach properly, I argue that it is necessary to take into account indigenous European spiritual traditions, e.g. the Protestant spiritual diary and related forms of self-inquiry, including ancient practices such as divination and shamanic soul-journeys, which might have survived in medieval visionary literature, making a re-appearance in Jung’s spiritual diary-illuminated manuscript, the Red Book. The paper might serve as a reminder of the fact that it is important to understand the implications and the specific cultural contexts of therapeutic techniques before we export or import them to or from other parts of the world.