2022/06/28

Shadow (psychology) - Wikipedia Carl Yung

Shadow (psychology) - Wikipedia

Shadow (psychology)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Part of a series of articles on
Psychoanalysis
Freud's couch, London, 2004 (2).jpeg
Concepts
Important figures
Important works
Schools of thought
Training
See also
Main article: Egosyntonic and egodystonic
For broader coverage of this topic, see Transpersonal psychology, Complex (psychology), and Emotional conflict.

In analytical psychology, 

the shadow (also known as ego-dystonic complex, repressed id, shadow aspect, or shadow archetype) is an unconscious aspect of the personality that doesn't jibe with the ego ideal, leading the ego to resist and project the shadow. 

In short, the shadow is the self's emotional blind spot, 

projected (as archetypes—or, metaphoral-psychological complexes, personified within the collective unconscious); e.g., trickster.[1][2][3][4][5]

Overview[edit]

For broader coverage of this topic, see Denial (Freud) and Dissociation (psychology).
See also: Dark triad

[T]he development [and size] of the shadow runs parallel to that of the ego[.][6]

— Jolandi Jacobi

The repression of one's id prevents shadow integration.[7][8] Freud and Jung coalesce at Plato, wherein id rejects the nomos.[9] Persona is contradistinct to shadow.[10] The personal shadow is unconscious—id and biography—suppressed under the superego's ego-ideal (q.v., A Note Upon the Mystic Writing Pad).[11] The shadow is projected onto one's social environment as cognitive distortions.[12]

From one perspective, the shadow "is roughly equivalent to the whole of the Freudian unconscious";[13] and Carl Jung himself asserted that "the result of the Freudian method of elucidation is a minute elaboration of man's shadow side unexampled in any previous age".[14]: 63  Contrary to a Freudian definition of shadow, however, the Jungian shadow can include everything outside the light of consciousness and may be positive or negative. Because one tends to reject or remain ignorant of the least desirable aspects of one's personality, the shadow is perceived to be largely negative. There are, however, positive aspects that may also remain hidden in one's shadow (especially in people with low self-esteem, anxieties, and false beliefs).[15] "Everyone carries a shadow", Jung wrote, "and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is."[16] It may be, in part, one's link to more primitive animal instincts,[17] which are superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind.

Jung stated the shadow to be the unknown dark side of the personality.[18] According to Jung, the shadow, in being instinctive and irrational, is prone to psychological projection, in which a perceived personal inferiority is recognized as a perceived moral deficiency in someone else. Jung writes that, if these projections remain hidden, "the projection-making factor (the Shadow archetype) then has a free hand and can realize its object—if it has one—or bring about some other situation characteristic of its power".[19] These projections insulate and delude individuals by acting as a constantly thickening veil of illusion between the ego and the real world.

Collective shadow[edit]

Main article: Psychopomp
For broader coverage of this topic, see Mephistopheles and Daimon.
See also: Collective trauma and Odin

The shadow of the collective unconscious—or the superego's projective identification of uncertainty—identifies with the mythological figure of the devil.[20][21] The collective shadow is ancestral (i.e., in-group and out-group: dehumanization; e.g., hate crime).[22][23]

Appearance[edit]

For broader coverage of this topic, see Masking (personality) and Censorship (psychoanalysis).

Jung called all these figures ['Shadow, Self, Ego, Anima,' etc.] "the little people" [, a 'tongue-in-cheek' reference to Homunculus ].[24][25]

— James Hillman

The shadow may appear in dreams and visions,[26] in various forms and typically "appears as a person of the same sex as that of the dreamer."[27]: 175  The shadow's appearance and role depend greatly on the living experience of the individual because much of the shadow develops in the individual's mind rather than simply being inherited in the collective unconscious. Nevertheless, some Jungians maintain that "the shadow contains, besides the personal shadow, the shadow of society...fed by the neglected and repressed collective values."[28]

Interactions with the shadow in dreams may shed light on one's state of mind. A conversation with an aspect of the shadow may indicate that one is concerned with conflicting desires or intentions. Identification with a despised figure may mean that one has an unacknowledged difference from the character, a difference which could point to a rejection of the illuminating qualities of ego-consciousness. These examples refer to just two of many possible roles that the shadow may adopt and are not general guides to interpretation. Also, it can be difficult to identify characters in dreams—"all the contents are blurred and merge into one another...'contamination' of unconscious contents"[27]: 183 —so that a character who seems at first to be a shadow might represent some other complex instead.

Jung also made the suggestion of there being more than one layer making up the shadow. The top layers contain the meaningful flow and manifestations of direct personal experiences. These are made unconscious in the individual by such things as the change of attention from one thing to another, simple forgetfulness, or a repression. Underneath these idiosyncratic layers, however, are the archetypes which form the psychic contents of all human experiences. Jung described this deeper layer as "a psychic activity which goes on independently of the conscious mind and is not dependent even on the upper layers of the unconscious—untouched, and perhaps untouchable—by personal experience."[29]

Encountering the shadow[edit]

Main article: Active imagination
For broader coverage of this topic, see Dialectic, Dialogic, Hero's journey, and Katabasis.

Shadow work is practiced through active imagination with daydreaming and meditation; the experience is then mediated by dialectical interpretation through art.[30]

The eventual encounter with the shadow plays a central part in the process of individuation. Jung considered that "the course of individuation...exhibits a certain formal regularity. Its signposts and milestones are various archetypal symbols" marking its stages; and of these "the first stage leads to the experience of the shadow."[31] If "the breakdown of the persona constitutes the typical Jungian moment both in therapy and in development,"[32] it is this that opens the road to the shadow within, coming about when "beneath the surface a person is suffering from a deadly boredom that makes everything seem meaningless and empty...as if the initial encounter with the Self casts a dark shadow ahead of time."[27]: 170  Jung considered as a perennial danger in life that "the more consciousness gains in clarity, the more monarchic becomes its content...the king constantly needs the renewal that begins with a descent into his own darkness"[33]: 334 —his shadow—which the "dissolution of the persona" sets in motion.[34]

"The shadow personifies everything that the subject refuses to acknowledge about himself"[35]: 284  and represents "a tight passage, a narrow door, whose painful constriction no one is spared who goes down to the deep well."[35]: 21 

[If and when] an individual makes an attempt to see his shadow, he becomes aware of (and often ashamed of) those qualities and impulses he denies in himself but can plainly see in others—such things as egotism, mental laziness, and sloppiness; unreal fantasies, schemes, and plots; carelessness and cowardice; inordinate love of money and possessions...[27]: 174 

The dissolution of the persona and the launch of the individuation process also brings with it "the danger of falling victim to the shadow ... the black shadow which everybody carries with him, the inferior and therefore hidden aspect of the personality"[36]—resulting in a merger with the shadow.

Merging with the shadow[edit]

For broader coverage of this topic, see Positive disintegration and Anagoge.

According to Jung, the shadow sometimes overwhelms a person's actions; for example, when the conscious mind is shocked, confused, or paralyzed by indecision. "A man who is possessed by his shadow is always standing in his own light and falling into his own traps...living below his own level."[35]: 123  Hence, in terms of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, "it must be Jekyll, the conscious personality, who integrates the shadow ... and not vice versa. Otherwise the conscious becomes the slave of the autonomous shadow."[37]

Individuation inevitably raises that very possibility. As the process continues, and "the libido leaves the bright upper world...sinks back into its own depths...below, in the shadows of the unconscious."[38] so too what comes to the forefront is "what was hidden under the mask of conventional adaptation: the shadow", with the result that "ego and shadow are no longer divided but are brought together in an—admittedly precarious—unity."[39][full citation needed]

The effect of such "confrontation with the shadow produces at first a dead balance, a standstill that hampers moral decisions and makes convictions ineffective ... nigredo, tenebrositas, chaos, melancholia."[33] Consequently, as Jung knew from personal experience: "In this time of descent — one, three, seven years, more or less — genuine courage and strength are required",[40] with no certainty of emergence. Nevertheless, Jung remained of the opinion that while "no one should deny the danger of the descent [...] every descent is followed by an ascent",[41] and assimilation of — rather than possession by — the shadow becomes a possibility.

Assimilation of the shadow[edit]

For broader coverage of this topic, see Metanoia (psychology) and Post-traumatic growth.
Not to be confused with Enlightenment (spiritual).

Enantiodromia launches a different perspective. "We begin to travel [up] through the healing spirals...straight up."[40]: 160–1  Here the struggle is to retain awareness of the shadow, but not identification with it. "Non-identification demands considerable moral effort [which] prevents a descent into that darkness"; and though "the conscious mind is liable to be submerged at any moment in the unconscious...understanding acts like a life-saver. It integrates the unconscious."[42][full citation needed] This reincorporates the shadow into the personality, producing a stronger, wider consciousness than before. "Assimilation of the shadow gives a man body, so to speak,"[14]: 239  thereby providing a launch pad for further individuation. "The integration of the shadow, or the realization of the personal unconscious, marks the first stage in the analytic process ... without it a recognition of anima and animus is impossible."[43] Conversely, "to the degree in which the shadow is recognised and integrated, the problem of the anima, i.e., of relationship, is constellated,"[35]: 270n  and becomes the centre of the individuation quest.

Carolyn Kaufman wrote that "in spite of its function as a reservoir for human darkness—or perhaps because of this—the shadow is the seat of creativity;"[44] so that for some, it may be that "the dark side of his being, his sinister shadow...represents the true spirit of life as against the arid scholar."[45] Nevertheless, Jungians warn that "acknowledgement of the shadow must be a continuous process throughout one's life;"[46] and even after the focus of individuation has moved on to the animus/anima, "the later stages of shadow integration" will continue to take place—the grim "process of washing one's dirty linen in private,"[47] of accepting one's shadow.

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • Abrams, Jeremiah. 1995. The Shadow in America. Nataraj.
  • Abrams, Jeremiah, and Connie Zweig. 1991. Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature. Tarcher. ISBN 0-87477-618-X
  • Arena, Leonardo Vittorio. 2013. The Shadows of the Masters. ebook.
  • Bly, Robert. 1988. A Little Book on the Human Shadow, edited by William Booth. San Francisco: Harper and Row. ISBN 0-06-254847-6
  • Campbell, Joseph, ed. 1971. The Portable Jung, translated by R. F. C. Hull. New York: Penguin Books.
  • Johnson, Robert A. 1993. Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche. Harper San Francisco, 128 pp. ISBN 0-06-250754-0.
  • —— 1989. Inner Work: Using Dreams and Creative Imagination for Personal Growth and Integration. Harper San Francisco, 241 pp. ISBN 0-06-250431-2.
  • Neumann, Erich. 1990. Depth Psychology and a New Ethic (reprint ed.). Shambhala. ISBN 0-87773-571-9.
  • Zweig, Connie, and Steve Wolf. 1997. “Romancing the Shadow.” Ballantine.
  • —— “Meeting the Shadow of Spirituality.”

References[edit]

  1. ^ Beebe, John (2004). "Understanding consciousness through the theory of psychological types". In Cambray, Joseph; Carter, Linda (eds.). Analytical Psychology: Contemporary Perspectives in Jungian Analysis. Advancing Theory in Therapy. Routledge. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-58391-999-6. Opposing Personality [...] Senex/Witch [...] Trickster [...] Demonic Personality [...] EGO-DYSTONIC COMPLEXES Shadow.
  2. ^ Solomon, Hester McFarland (2004). "The ethical attitude in analytic training and practice". In Cambray, Joseph; Carter, Linda (eds.). Analytical Psychology: Contemporary Perspectives in Jungian Analysis. Advancing Theory in Therapy. Routledge. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-58391-999-6. The shadow, that portion of the self that the ego designates as bad and projects as unwanted, carries what is treacherous and subversive ⁠— what is unethical and immoral ⁠— within the self and hides it, relegating its contents to unconscious areas within the psyche where it can be lived out in projection, using and abusing the other as a vehicle for the bad aspects of the self.
  3. ^ Jung, Carl (1971). "Aion: Phenomenology of the Self (The Ego, the Shadow, the Syzygy: Anima/Animus)". In Campbell, Joseph (ed.). The Portable Jung. Penguin Books. pp. 145, 146. ISBN 978-0-14-015070-4. The shadow is the moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality [...] To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. [...] dark characteristics[...]the inferiorities constituting the shadow[...]have an emotional nature, a kind of autonomy, and accordingly an obsessive or, better, a possessive quality. [...] These resistances are usually bound up with projections, which are not recognized as such, and their recognition is a moral achievement beyond the ordinary.
  4. ^ Hillman, James (1977). Re-Visioning Psychology. Harper. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-06-090563-7. Archetypal psychology envisions the fundamental ideas of the psyche to be expressed of persons—Hero, Nymph, Mother, Senex, Child, Trickster, Amazon, Puer and many other specific prototypes bearing the names and stories of the Gods. These are the root metaphors.
  5. ^ Avens, Roberts (1977). "The Image of the Devil in C. G. Jung's Psychology". Journal of Religion and Health. 16 (3): 196–222. Retrieved 2022-06-25. The shadow symbolizes our 'other side,' the unrecognizable and disowned, animal-like personality rejected by the ego. [...] [T]he trickster, in Jung’s psychology, is the collective shadow figure par excellence.
  6. ^ Le Guin, Ursula K. (1975). "The Child and the Shadow". The Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress. 32 (2): 139–148. Retrieved 2022-06-25. Jolande Jacobi wrote that[.]
  7. ^ Avens, Roberts (1977). "The Image of the Devil in C. G. Jung's Psychology". Journal of Religion and Health. 16 (3): 196–222. Retrieved 2022-06-25. [M]odern civilization provides inadequate opportunities for the shadow archetype to become individuated because in childhood our animal instincts are usually punished by parents. This leads to repression: the shadow returns to the unconscious layer of the personality, where it remains in a primitive, undifferentiated state.
  8. ^ Le Guin, Ursula K. (1975). "The Child and the Shadow". The Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress. 32 (2): 139–148. Retrieved 2022-06-25. The shadow is all that gets suppressed in the process of becoming a decent, civilized adult. [... it's] man's thwarted selfishness, his unadmitted desires, the swearwords he never spoke, the murders he didn't commit. The shadow is the dark side of his soul, the unadmitted, the inadmissible.
  9. ^ Demos, Raphael (1955). "Jung's Thought and Influence". The Review of Metaphysics. 9 (1): 71–89. Retrieved 2022-06-25. As for the 'shadow' side of human nature (on which there is no difference of opinion between Freud and Jung) we may remind ourselves of Plato's phrase that 'in all of us, even those that are the most respectable, there is a lawless, wildbeast nature which appears in sleep' [...] (Republic 571-2)
  10. ^ Demos, Raphael (1955). "Jung's Thought and Influence". The Review of Metaphysics. 9 (1): 71–89. Retrieved 2022-06-25. [T]he polarity of opposites[...]persona-shadow[.])
  11. ^ Humphrey, Caroline (2015). "Shadows Along the Spiritual Pathway". Journal of Religion and Health. 54 (6): 2376–2388. doi:10.1007/s10943-015-0037-2. Retrieved 2022-06-25. Jung construed [...] the personal shadow, [as] a biological and biographical shadow unique to each person, consisting of whatever innate instincts and transpersonal potentials we have suppressed in the course of adapting to society, along with archaic and traumatic memories [of the unconscious]. [...] The personal shadow is rooted in the shadow of our social group, which has moulded our ego-ideal and world view[.]
  12. ^ Spivack, Charlotte K. (1965). "THE JOURNEY TO HELL: SATAN, THE SHADOW, AND THE SELF". The Centennial Review. 9 (4): 420–437. Retrieved 2022-06-25. The major activity of the shadow is what Jung calls projection. [...] cast[ing] forth its ruling [negative] emotions [...] into other people ('people don't like me') or [...] considers [everything] a hostile, malevolent environment ('the world is against me').
  13. ^ Anthony Stevens, On Jung (London 1990) p. 43
  14. ^ Jump up to:a b Jung, C. G. 1993. The Practice of Psychotherapy. London.
  15. ^ Young-Eisendrath, P. and T. Dawson. 1997. The Cambridge Companion to Jung. Cambridge University Press. p. 319.
  16. ^ Jung, C.G. 1938. "Psychology and Religion". In Psychology and Religion: West and East, Collected Works of C.G. Jung 11. p. 131
  17. ^ Jung, C.G. 1952. "Answer to Job." In Psychology and Religion: West and East, Collected Works of C.G. Jung 11. p. 12.
  18. ^ Roberts, Gwilym Wyn, and Andrew Machon. 2015. Appreciative Healthcare Practice: A guide to compassionate, person-centred care. M&K. ISBN 1907830936. p. 71.
  19. ^ Jung, C.G. 1951. "Phenomenology of the Self." In The Portable Jung. p. 147.
  20. ^ Avens, Roberts (1977). "The Image of the Devil in C. G. Jung's Psychology". Journal of Religion and Health. 16 (3): 196–222. Retrieved 2022-06-25. [A]s superstition holds, a man without shadow is the devil himself. [...] The devil[...]can be regarded as God's dissatisfaction with himself, a projection of his own doubt [...] The devil here is a psychopomp[.]
  21. ^ Humphrey, Caroline (2015). "Shadows Along the Spiritual Pathway". Journal of Religion and Health. 54 (6): 2376–2388. doi:10.1007/s10943-015-0037-2. Retrieved 2022-06-25. So it is originally a darkness of obscurity and mystery, rather than a darkness of degeneracy, disease or 'evil'. [...] a byproduct of our tendency to repress impulses which are anathema to our ego-ideals[.]
  22. ^ Humphrey, Caroline (2015). "Shadows Along the Spiritual Pathway". Journal of Religion and Health. 54 (6): 2376–2388. doi:10.1007/s10943-015-0037-2. Retrieved 2022-06-25. Jung construed [...] the collective shadow, an ancestral shadow which [has been] accrued in the course of history in respect of each collectivity [...] both particularistic social groups and the human species as a whole.
  23. ^ Le Guin, Ursula K. (1975). "The Child and the Shadow". The Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress. 32 (2): 139–148. Retrieved 2022-06-25. The shadow is projected outward, onto others. There's nothing wrong with me—it’s them.
  24. ^ Hillman, James (1977). Re-Visioning Psychology. Harper. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-06-090563-7.
  25. ^ Humphrey, Caroline (2015). "Shadows Along the Spiritual Pathway". Journal of Religion and Health. 54 (6): 2376–2388. doi:10.1007/s10943-015-0037-2. Retrieved 2022-06-25. Jung tended to personify the shadow as an autonomous sub-personality[.]
  26. ^ Le Guin, Ursula K. (1975). "The Child and the Shadow". The Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress. 32 (2): 139–148. Retrieved 2022-06-25. The shadow stands on the threshold between the conscious and unconscious mind, and we meet it in our dreams, as sister, brother, friend, beast, monster, enemy, guide.
  27. ^ Jump up to:a b c d von Franz, Marie-Louise. [1964] 1978. "The Process of Individuation." In Man and his Symbols, edited by C. G. Jung. London: Picador. ISBN 0-330-25321-2.
  28. ^ Fordham, Michael. 1978. Jungian Psychotherapy. Avon. p. 5.
  29. ^ Jung, C.G. The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche. p. 148.
  30. ^ Humphrey, Caroline (2015). "Shadows Along the Spiritual Pathway". Journal of Religion and Health. 54 (6): 2376–2388. doi:10.1007/s10943-015-0037-2. Retrieved 2022-06-25. Learning to [day]dream [...] is advisable for the serious practitioner of shadow work, and Jung developed the technique of active imagination to this end. If we carve out a regular space—time for silence and solitude, we may discern the murmurings of another voice within us or the spontaneous formation of an image in our mind [...] afterwards we need to record our experiences to render the memorable by writing a message, drawing an image, performing a dance sequence or vocalising a melody (cf. Hannah 1991; Rowan 2005, pp. 125-147)
  31. ^ Jacobi, J. 1946. The Psychology of C. G. Jung. London. p. 102.
  32. ^ Homans, Peter. 1979. Jung in Context. London. p. 102.
  33. ^ Jump up to:a b C. G. Jung, Mysterium Coniunctionis (London 1963)
  34. ^ Jung, C. G. 1953. Two Essays on Analytical Psychology. London. p. 277.
  35. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Jung, C.G. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (London 1996).
  36. ^ Jung, C. G. 1954. "Psychology of the Transference." In Practice of Psychotherapy, Collected Works 16. London. p. 219.
  37. ^ Stevens, Jung p. 50
  38. ^ Jung, C. G. 1944. Psychology of the Unconscious. London. pp. 181–82.
  39. ^ Jung "Psychology"[full citation needed] pp. 238–39
  40. ^ Jump up to:a b Bly, Robert, and Marion Woodman. 1999. The Maiden King. Dorset.
  41. ^ Jung, C. G. Symbols of Transformation (London 1956) pp. 357, 375
  42. ^ Jung, "Psychology"[full citation needed] pp. 260, 266, and 269
  43. ^ Jung, C. G. Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self. (London 1959) p. 22
  44. ^ Kaufman, Carolyn. "Three-Dimensional Villains: Finding Your Character's Shadow." Archetype Writing: The Writer's Guide to Psychology.
  45. ^ Jung, C. G. Memories, Dreams, Reflections (London 1983) p. 262
  46. ^ Hart, David L. 1977. "The classical Jungian school." In The Cambridge Companion to Jung, edited by P. Young-Eisendrath and T. Dawson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 92
  47. ^ Stevens, On Jung p. 235

External links[edit]


Posted by at
Labels: , ,

C.S. Lewis - A Profile in Faith - C.S. Lewis Institute

Free E-Book: C.S. Lewis - A Profile in Faith - C.S. Lewis Institute


A free e-book to commemorate C.S. Lewis:

C.S. Lewis was not a trained theologian, a clergyman, or priest. Instead, he was an English Literature tutor and lecturer at Oxford University and Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, who used the gifts that God had given him to point people toward Jesus Christ. His books of fiction, apologetics, science fiction, autobiography, poetry and nonfiction, and his essays and sermons have instructed and inspired millions. The manner in which he lived his life, as well, was a witness to the loving work of the Holy Spirit in his life. Learn more about C.S. Lewis's spiritual journey and influence in this free booklet which covers:His Life and Faith
His Thought and Teaching
His Family and Friends
His Influences




INCLUDING CHAPTERS BY C.S. LEWIS SCHOLARS:
Dr. Lyle W. Dorsett - Billy Graham Chair of Evangelism at Beeson Divinity School
Dr. James M. Houston - Founder of Regent College, Co-founder of C.S. Lewis Institute
Dr. Art Lindsley - Vice President of Theological Initiatives at Institute for Faith, Work and Economics
Marjorie Lamp Mead - Associate Director of the Wade Center at Wheaton College
The late Dr. Christopher W. Mitchell - Professor of Christian Thought, Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University
Dr. Earl F. Palmer - Founder of Earl Palmer Ministries
Dr. Philip G. Ryken - President of Wheaton College

WANT TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON A
T THE INSTITUTE?
CLICK HERE TO GET UPDATES!

Posted by at

Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience by Rosemary Ellen Guiley | Goodreads

Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience by Rosemary Ellen Guiley | Goodreads



Want to Read

Rate this book
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars


Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience

by
Rosemary Ellen Guiley,
Marion Zimmer Bradley (Introduction)
4.03 · Rating details · 94 ratings · 4 reviews
Painstakingly researched by top experts in the field. Over 400 in-depth cross referenced entries - from Alchemy to Zen and beyond.


...Less DetailEdit Details


Showing 1-30



Feb 15, 2022Jean-Pierre Vidrine rated it really liked it
This is a thoroughly engaging volume on the subject of paranormal phenomena. Some entries are quite exhaustive, while I feel that others could have been more so.
It really wins out by including figures and subjects that others might relegate to more mundane categories like Freud and masks.
It's a handy informative reference for any occultist. (less)
flagLike · comment · see review



Dec 12, 2019Calypso Illusion (Jessie) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Love it, such a great source for all things mystical and cryptozoological!
flagLike · comment · see review



Nov 23, 2012Lyle Appleyard rated it it was amazing
Not an easy read, but a very educational one. Lots of information. It covered everything from religion to ESP to the people involved. Very comprensive. A very good reference. Good to read a bit at a time.
flagLike · comment · see review

===
Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience 
by Rosemary Ellen Guiley 

is destined to be a classic in the understanding of mystical experience--a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated, A-to-Z guide. It is the most substantial one-volume encyclopedia of its kind in more than twenty-five years. 50 black-and-white photos.



Publisher ‏ : ‎ Book Sales; 2nd edition (July 1, 1994)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 682 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0785802029
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0785802020
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.56 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 2 x 9.75 inchesBest Sellers Rank: #1,115,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)#45,526 in New Age & SpiritualityCustomer Reviews:
4.4 out of 5 stars 36 ratings


About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Follow

Rosemary Ellen Guiley


I work full-time in the paranormal and metaphysical fields, which means I lead a most unusual and highly adventurous life. I have written more than 50 books, including single-volume encyclopedias, on a variety of topics, A-Z, angels to zombies and everything in between. I cover the entire spectrum of the paranormal, for everything fits together, even the paranormal and the metaphysical. My work is part of my spiritual journey; probing into the Unknown, the Other Side, and other dimensions is my search for Truth.

I undertake field investigations of ghosts, UFOs, aliens, ultraterrestrials, Shadow People, Bigfoot, mysterious creatures, Djinn, demons, angels, fairies and more. I am frequently out on the road, and I have had plenty of first-hand experiences of many of the things I document in my books. We live on an "Interdimensional Earth" that is increasingly revealing itself as our consciousness expands. My work is devoted to the how and why we have other-reality experiences, and to helping people understand their experiences and integrate the value of them into life. I also deal with problem hauntings and spirit attachments.

On the metaphysical side, my work is devoted to helping people develop their spiritual path for more enlightened and prosperous living. My areas of emphasis are angels; dreams and dreamwork; intuitive, psychic and manifestation skills; the afterlife; spirit communication; meditation and prayer; past lives; and other experiences of an intense spiritual nature. I am a certified hypnotist with the International Hypnosis Federation, and have trained in various energy healing modalities.

In addition to my research and writing, I keep a busy media and lecture schedule, publish a complimentary e-newsletter called "Strange Dimensions," and run my own publishing and productions company, Visionary Living, Inc.


===
Top reviews from the United States
miguel martinez
5.0 out of 5 stars the authors are well known
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
very informative, well done.
===
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Works great for the price
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2019
Verified Purchase
Excellent resource book.
===
woodswitch209
4.0 out of 5 stars Harper's Enc.
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
I'm glad I purchased Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience to add to my collection.it's a great reference for enthusiats. the text is easy to read and very informative.
2 people found this helpful
===
Rae
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2018
Verified Purchase
Interesting read!
=
Catherine A. Philiips
5.0 out of 5 stars this is a must have book
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2013
Verified Purchase
this is a must have book for anyone who wants to learn about the metaphysical areas. it contains very good write ups of just about any metaphysical subject you can think of. it is an excellent reference manual that will come in handy over and over again.
2 people found this helpful
==
Reverend Krysteia Hake
5.0 out of 5 stars Great all around
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2018
Verified Purchase
Arrived quickly, book is as it was advertised!
One person found this helpful
==
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
awesome
Helpful
Report abuse
Kellen Walker
4.0 out of 5 stars What I expected
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2013
Verified Purchase
fast delivery. I got the thing I asked and paid for. I don't know why this is making me put so much effort into the review. If you buy from these people, you'll get what you agreed to. The book wasn't as good as I had expected, but thats not anyones fault.
==
See all reviews
Top reviews from other countries
Sharon
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommend.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very informative book. Arrived on time and in good condition. Recommend.
Report abuse
Michel
5.0 out of 5 stars Very extensive
Reviewed in Canada on April 24, 2013
Verified Purchase
Very extensive. With mystical, historical, as well as scientific explanations. Has some pictures of people but could use more diagrams and such. With such a subject, I find the date of release to be of not too much importance except some of the scientific explanations. Although Science is a revolving wheel, new discoveries change the nature of way we look at things. Still very good refrence book.
Report abuse
Posted by at

NRSV | Cain And Abel | Christianity

NRSV | Cain And Abel | Christianity
Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)