The Mystery of Transformation

by Murray Stein

The transformation of personality is mysterious, whether it comes about gradually or suddenly. In part, it is the result of the process of aging. Life itself puts a person through a series of transformations similar to the moultings of insects and reptiles. There are also rituals created by humans in their cultures that facilitate transformations to higher levels of identity and consciousness through instigating a process of spiritual death and rebirth into a greater sense of wholeness. The essence of the process is alchemical and what controls it is mysterious, lodged in the unconscious dynamics of the self. The chapters in this book are attempts at exploring those dynamics while acknowledging that they will forever remain beyond our understanding, a mystery.

This work consists of a series of probes into the mystery of the individuation process. Central to the discussion are Jung’s late writings on the alchemy of psychological transformation in the late stages of individuation.

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 18, 2022

About the author

Not to be confused with other Analytical/Jungian Psychologist Murray B. Stein

Dr. Stein is a graduate of Yale University (B.A. and M.Div.), the University of Chicago (Ph.D.), and the C.G. Jung Institut-Zurich (Diploma). He is a founding member of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and of the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts. He has been the president of the International Association for Analytical Psychology (2001-4), and the President of The International School of Analytical Psychology-Zurich (2008-2012).

He is a training analyst at the International School for Analytical Psychology in Zurich, Switzerland. His most recent publications include The Principle of Individuation, Jung’s Map of the Soul and Jungian Psychoanalysis (editor). He lectures internationally on topics related to Analytical Psychology and its applications in the contemporary world.