This lecture will contrast Jung’s notion of the Self with traditional theistic images of the divine. I will describe the range of ways in which the Self may appear within the psyche, and I will discuss the ways in which Jung’s approach avoids the philosophical problems associated with the idea of God found in the Judeo-Christian tradition. I will show how Jung’s approach allows the development of a personal spirituality rather than one based on doctrine and dogma. I will discuss Jung’s notion of the dark side of the Self in his Answer to Job, and the arguments with theologians this book produced. I will encourage participants to describe their personal experience of the Self.

Dr. Lionel Corbett trained in medicine and psychiatry in England and as a Jungian Analyst at the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago. He is a professor of depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, in Santa Barbara, California. He is the author of six books: Psyche and the sacred: The religious function of the psyche; The sacred cauldron: Psychotherapy as a spiritual practice; The soul in anguish: Psychotherapeutic approaches to suffering; Understanding Evil: A guide for psychotherapists, and The God-image: From antiquity to Jung. He is the co-editor of four volumes of collected papers: Psyche's Stories; Depth psychology, meditations in the field; Psychology at the threshold; and Jung and aging.