{"id":32198,"date":"2025-11-01T13:10:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T18:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jungchicago.org\/blog\/?post_type=product&p=32198"},"modified":"2026-01-25T14:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T20:50:08","slug":"illuminating-the-visionary-jungs-initial-red-book-images-of-individuation-1915-1917","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/jungchicago.org\/blog\/product\/illuminating-the-visionary-jungs-initial-red-book-images-of-individuation-1915-1917\/","title":{"rendered":"Illuminating the Visionary: Jung\u2019s Initial Red Book<\/i> Images of Individuation (1915-1917)"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Jung finished writing Liber Novus<\/em> in June 1915, which included the majority of the active imaginations he had between November 1913 and April 1914, together with his commentaries on them, he decided to make a calligraphic version of it. Modelled on medieval manuscripts, Jung used Gothic script, historiated initials, and paintings to illustrate significant episodes in the text. By the early autumn of 1915 he had transcribed Liber Primus <\/em>onto seven parchment sheets. For symbolic or practical reasons, Jung then decided to put Liber Secundus<\/em> into a large book bound in red leather \u2013 The<\/em> Red <\/em>Book \u2013 which he had begun by the late autumn of 1915. He continued to transcribe Liber Secondus<\/em> until 1928 but never finished it. <\/em>The historiated initials and paintings in The<\/em> Red Book<\/em> follow the text through the chapters on Izdubar episode and the Opening of The Egg, which took Jung until February 1917 to finish. Taken together, the parchment paintings for Liber Primus <\/em>and the first part of Liber Secundus <\/em>in The Red Book<\/em> provide us with his initial attempts to illuminate the visionary, the first series of visual images in his ongoing process of individuation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Schedule<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Monthly Sundays
\n<\/b>1-3pm North American Central Time*
\n<\/b>*Note that because US Daylight Savings Time and British Summer Time begin on different dates, the March 22 session will be at 2-4pm CDT \/ 7-9pm GMT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jan 25
\n1-3pm CST
\n7-9pm GMT<\/td>\n		General Introduction & Liber Primus<\/em>, fols. 1r-4r<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mar 1
\n1-3pm CST
\n7-9pm GMT<\/td>\n		Liber Primus<\/em>, Murder of the Hero-Mysterium<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mar 22
\n2-4pm CDT
\n7-9pm GMT<\/td>\n		Liber Secundus<\/em>, From the Prologue to Remains of Earlier Temples<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr 26
\n1-3pm CDT
\n7-9pm BST<\/td>\n		The Izdubar Episode<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
May 24
\n1-3pm CDT
\n7-9pm BST<\/td>\n		The Incantations & Opening of the Egg<\/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. Observe Jung\u2019s initial engagement with creating visual imagery in The Red Book <\/em>to depict complex psychological states and mythological ideas;<\/li>\n
  2. Summarise Jung\u2019s development of technique and symbolism for the visual imagery in The Red Book<\/em> between 1915 and 1917;<\/li>\n
  3. Compare Jung\u2019s development of the visual imagery in The Red Book<\/em> between 1915 and 1917 with his developing concepts of analytical psychology in his professional papers between 1914 and 1917;<\/li>\n
  4. Recognise Jung\u2019s basic principles underlying the creation of visual imagery and apply them to clinical examples related to the individuation process.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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

    These readings will be emailed with the Zoom link to attend.<\/p>\n