Central to Carl Jung’s psychology is each person’s journey to wholeness, known as the individuation process. In 1913, Jung began to record his interactions with unconscious fantasies and imaginations in a series of notebooks called the Black Books. These experiences laid the foundation of Jung’s work and brought him into direct confrontation with the power of his Soul.
In this course, Craig Chalquist offers a guided tour through the Black Books. You will learn basic Jungian concepts as well as Jung’s private thoughts on psychology, mythology, and key figures in his life and time. You will gain a deeper understanding of Jung’s journey and how to apply these same methodologies and principles to your life today.
In this course you are also invited to converse with your Soul and to develop your own journal or ‘black book’. What does your ‘black book’ look like? What kind of images would you put in it? What might your active imaginations look like? What kind of dreams might you have?
Along the way, you will discover ideas and examples for creating your own journal that records your conversations with the Soul, and your Soul’s journey toward wholeness. You will learn to combine text, imagery, fiction, dreams, alchemy, and poetry into a personal collection that testifies to your sacred path of individuation.
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You are familiar with basic Jungian concepts and would like to deepen your understanding.
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You want to learn about the contents of the Black Books and Be able to explain the relevance of Jung’s conversations with the Soul for our lives today.
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You would like to gain insight into your own journey to wholeness.
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You long to deepen your connection to your Soul through activities like journaling, active imagination, and dream work.
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You want to be able to explain Jungian concepts and describe the shamanic experiences that Jung had that have impacted his psychological ideas.
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You have developed your own journal that includes conversations with your Soul, being inspired by Carl Jung.
Class 1 – A guided tour through the Black Books
Between 1913 and 1916, C. G. Jung underwent a visionary confrontation with the unconscious in which various figures rose in his imagination and taught him about himself. One of these figures was a Sophia-like figure who called herself Soul. Much of this inner journey is recorded in Jung’s famous Red Book (Liber Novus). The Red Book was an extract from Jung’s journals. Stretching all the way to 1932, these Black Books record in seven volumes Jung’s extended apprenticeship to Soul, the most prominent voice on his journey.
Class 2 – Carl Jung's Black Books: Deposing the hero and meeting the soul
In this second class of the series, Craig Chalquist dives into Book Two of Carl Jung's Black Books, exploring the inception of Jung's depth psychology through his visionary experiences. The session examines key imaginal encounters and symbolic dreams, including Jung’s early career-defining dreams of nature, his dialogue with the figure of the Soul, and his encounters with archetypal figures like Siegfried, Elijah, and Salomé. Through these visionary journeys into the unconscious, the class highlights how Jung confronted his own hero complex, discovered the autonomy of the psyche, and embraced the transformational process of death and rebirth.
Class 3 – Beyond the opposites: Navigating the inner imaginal world
This class examines key encounters with dynamic interior figures, including the Red Rider, the anchorite Ammonius, Gilgamesh (Izdbar), and the Kabiri, to illustrate how the psyche evolves beyond rigid dualities. Discover how Jung confronted his own heroic state, grappled with the reality of the imaginal realm, and integrated powerful archetypal energy. Participants will gain valuable insights into differentiating personal experience from collective archetypes and balancing intellectual reflection with deep psychological transformation
Class 4 – Continuation of the guided tour and your own journey to wholeness
This class contains a brief recap, and next focuses on deepening the understanding of the soul's development and its specific movements.
Class 5 – The golden bird awakens: Jung's encounters with the divine
In this class, we explore C.G. Jung’s encounters with the imaginal figures of Book 6 of the Black Books, focusing on his evolving relationship with the inner feminine (Soul/Sophia) and his pushback against the absolute demands of archetypes. We examine Jung’s dialogue with the dead, his creation of his first mandala as an image of wholeness, and the emergence of Phanes, the Gnostic deity of light and primal creativity. Discover how Jung’s break from rigid monotheism and literal religious structures gave rise to active imagination, framing personal creativity and psychological self-redemption as essential steps toward conscious integration.
Class 6 – Jung’s Black Books: the final integration
Explore the dramatic conclusion of Carl Jung’s Black Books as his intense confrontation with the unconscious transforms into a grounded conversation. This final class examines Jung’s discovery of his personal myth, the shaman, and explores key figures like Wotan, Philemon, and Ka. Discover how these inner guides pushed Jung beyond internal visions toward extraversion, grounded human relationships, and the study of alchemy. Through reflective recaps, deep insights into the distinction between ego and Self, and actionable prompts for your own practice, gain essential context on how Jung’s personal revelations shaped analytical psychology and your own path of individuation.
