{"id":31169,"date":"2025-08-20T15:05:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T20:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jungchicago.org\/blog\/?post_type=product&p=31169"},"modified":"2025-12-10T12:50:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T18:50:27","slug":"the-red-book-reading-group-a-closer-look-at-book-two-the-liber-secundus","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/jungchicago.org\/blog\/product\/the-red-book-reading-group-a-closer-look-at-book-two-the-liber-secundus\/","title":{"rendered":"The Red Book Reading Group: A Closer Look at Book Two, the Liber Secundus."},"content":{"rendered":"

The C G Jung Institute of Chicago has proudly invited George Bright, a Jungian Analyst from the United Kingdom and IAAP recognized expert on The Red Book<\/em> to join the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts, which he has accepted.\u00a0 His intense work on The Red Book<\/em> over several years and his teachings of the connections between The Liber Novus<\/em> and Jung\u2019s later writings are invaluable.\u00a0 For the last two years we have engaged George in leading, along with Boris Matthews and Daniel Ross, a series of salons on the Red Book<\/em>. We first began with a six-month overview of the whole of the Liber Novus<\/em>.\u00a0 This ignited a desire to go deeper and slower and so this past year we focused chapter by chapter, month by month on only the Liber Primus<\/em>.\u00a0 Due to popular interest, we have decided to continue the series with Book Two, The Liber Secundus<\/em> which is much longer and would take us from September 2025 to May of 2026.<\/p>\n

The Liber Secundus<\/em> continues Jung\u2019s journey to discovering \u201cThe Way\u201d which later would be called Individuation. This is his way, as he reminds us often, not our way.\u00a0 We must find our own way.\u00a0 In this second book, George Bright tells us,<\/p>\n

\u201cMagic, as Liber Novus makes clear, is an innate capacity in all of us, but to have the use of it requires initiatory processes. Jung describes his own in this work, and implies that it is now up to each of us to find his or her own initiatory rites by which we may join the invisible<\/u> church (LN p. 486ff). I suggest that a common form of such initiation is engagement in psychotherapy\u201d (Bright, 2025).<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

NOTE: The final session of the series, on May 23, will meet in-person<\/span> at the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago, but Zoom will be available<\/span> for those who cannot meet in-person<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Reading Group Schedule<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Monthly Saturdays, 9am-12pm
\nNorth American Central Time<\/b>
\n<\/b>For each session, read the corresponding chapters to prepare<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
September 27<\/td>\nThe Red One and the Castle in the Forest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
October 18<\/td>\nOne of the Lowly and Anchorite<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
November 22<\/td>\nDies II and Death<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
December 27<\/td>\nRemains of Earlier Temples<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
January 24<\/td>\nSecond Day of Incantations and Opening of the Egg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
February 28<\/td>\nHell and Sacrificial Murder<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
March 21<\/td>\nDivine Folly and Nox 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
April 25<\/td>\nNox 3 and Nox 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
May 23<\/td>\nThree Prophesies and Gift of Magic and the Way of the Cross
\nThis session will meet in-person in Chicago, but Zoom will be available for those who cannot meet in-person<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Learning Objectives<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the series, attendees will be able to:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Verbalize how Jung\u2019s \u201cI\u201d changes in relation to the Red One and Ammonius throughout the Liber Secundus.<\/li>\n
  2. Discuss how Izdubar and Jung\u2019s \u201cI\u201d are opposites in Book Two.<\/li>\n
  3. Describe how Jung proceeds to heal Izdubar after \u201cpoisoning\u201d him with Western knowledge.<\/li>\n
  4. What does Jung take from his encounter with Death in Cap. vi..<\/li>\n
  5. Explain what Jung is told to do by his soul to atone for the murder of a child in Cap. xiii. And why must he?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Required Reading<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Each salon will focus on a section of Liber Novus<\/em> as outlined in our course description. We expect that you have and will be reading Liber Novus<\/em> along with us. The facsimile which includes the paintings is more expensive but not necessary for our discussion, as it is quite expensive. We will present and discuss the images from Liber Novus<\/em> during the salon sessions, so you have the option of purchasing the less expensive Reader’s Edition<\/em>.<\/p>\n