Often referred to as the Eranos edition, this revised and updated translation offers the most substantial advance in I Ching since Richard Wilhelm introduced the oracle to the West in the 1920s.
The I Ching is one of the oldest Chinese texts and the world’s oldest oracle. Accumulated from over 2,500 years of diviners, sages and shamans and born out of the oral tradition, the I Ching as we know it today is a collection of texts, imagery and advice, philosophy and poetry, divided into 64 chapters. There are 64 hexagrams, created from a collection of six lines, either broken or solid. In order to “read” from the book, you must cast a hexagram. The traditional method required yarrow sticks but nowadays is based on tossing three coins six times.
The Original I Ching Oracle or Book of Changes was inspired by Carl Gustav Jung's insights into the psyche and researched for more than 60 years through the Eranos Foundation of Switzerland. It presents the oracular core of the I Ching as a psychological tool: the symbols interact with our minds in the same way dream images do.
Where the Shadows Lie takes the reader on a journey through Tolkien’s Middle-earth, following the hobbits, their companions, and the characters they encounter on their quest. Along the way, Skogemann reveals the deep symbolic layers that are the source of joy and enchantment that many find in reading The Lord of the Rings. Aragorn, with the aid of Gandalf, Legoli, and Gimli, ascends to the throne and becomes the center of a great, unified kingdom—a symbol of the collective Self. The four hobbits, representing individual ego-consciousness, are transformed by the quest and acquire the psychological tools they need to renew the Shire—the small domain enfolded in the great.
Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious and the archetypes provide a key to understanding the forces of fantasy that are so powerful in Tolkien’s masterpiece—and thereby a key to understanding ourselves and the events of the outside world in our modern times.
Praise for the Danish edition:
Skogemann goes through the whole of Tolkien’s work—characters, landscapes, and events—to determine what kind of archetypes and basic situations from the collective unconscious are appearing. And she does it with enormous zest.
—Anne Knudsen, Weekendavisen
Pia Skogemann’s eloquent exposition is incredibly fertile even for an unbeliever like myself.... Her take on Tolkien’s trilogy pleasantly expands his universe in a most inspiring fashion.... She transports the work beyond black-and-white statements about the relations between good and evil.
—Bo Tao Michaelis, Politiken
If you are looking for a way to understand Jung’s theories, Skogemann’s work is eminent.... I can warmly recommend this book.
—Niels H. Elberling, Højskolebladet
The author shows why Tolkien’s brilliant story has touched so many people.... Exciting reading for all Tolkien fans who want to understand the story on a deeper, psychological level.
—Martin Hjelmborg, Lektørudtalelse
I have studied Tolkien for many years, and Skogemann’s book is one of the most trustworthy and well-documented studies on The Lord of the Rings I have ever read.
—Lars Tjalve, Kristeligt Dagblad
How and Why We Still Read Jung
A Guide to the World of Dreams
In A Guide to the World of Dreams, Ole Vedfelt presents an in-depth look at dreams in psychotherapy, counselling and self-help, and offers an overview of current clinical knowledge and scientific research, including contemporary neuroscience. This book describes essential aspects of Jungian, psychoanalytic, existential, experiential and cognitive approaches to dreams and dreaming, and explores dreams in sleep laboratories, neuroscience and contemporary theories of dream cognition.
Vedfelt clearly and effectively describes ten core qualities of dreams, and delineates a resource-oriented step-by-step manual for dreamwork at varying levels of expertise. For each core quality, key learning outcomes are clarified and resource-oriented, creative and motivating exercises for practical dreamwork are spelled out, providing clear and manageable methods. A Guide to the World of Dreams also introduces a new cybernetic theory of dreams as intelligent, unconscious information processing, and integrates contemporary clinical research into this theory. The book even includes a wealth of engaging examples from the author’s lifelong practical experience with all levels and facets of dreamwork.
Vedfelt’s seminal work is essential reading for psychotherapists, psychologists, counsellors, and even psychiatrists, and could well be a fundamental textbook for courses at high schools, colleges, universities and even in adult-education classes. The book’s transparent method and real-life examples will inspire individuals all over the world who seek self-help or self-development – any reader will be captivated to discover how knowledge of dreams stimulates creativity in everyday life and even in professional life.