Spiritual Pilgrims: Carl Jung and Teresa of Avila

by John Welch

Spiritual Pilgrims explores the remarkably similar understanding of symbols in the work of Carl Jung and St. Teresa of Avila, the Spanish Carmelite mystic. Jung's depth psychology is a reflection upon contemporary experience while Teresa's Interior Castle is a classic on the life of prayer.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Psychology, Christian

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Cris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jung was a devotee of the Occult (Read the demonic.), so this is not a 'rational' treatment of a Christian topic. Jung wanted to lead Christians into the Satanic. In a letter to Freud: "I think we must give [psychoanalysis] time to infiltrate into people from many centers, to revivify among intellectuals a feeling for symbol and myth, ever so gently to transform Christ back into the soothsaying god of the vine, and in this way absorb those ecstatic instinctual forces of Christianity for the one purpose of making the cult and the sacred myth what they once were—a drunken feast of joy where man regained the ethos and holiness of an animal."

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the connection between these two figures. I recommend having read both of their works first (any work of Jung and for Teresa the Interior Castle), but even so the parallels he makes are very fascinating.

[Mark]

As this was only my first read, I want to be cautious with my comments.

I found the book rich and valuable. The author seems to have a very good grasp of Jung, Teresa, and the spiritual journey itself. Over and over again, I found myself underlining, bracketing, circling, drawing hearts and smiley faces. as well as writing comments.

I shall set the book in my "Read again soon" pile, then read it again before recommending it to my favorite group of readers.

[djt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having attended Fr. John Welch's seminars at the Carmelite Spirituality Center in Darien, Il., I became interested in his writing, based upon the great presentations he offered in these talks. After reading "When gods Die", I realized how he drew upon the psychology of Carl Jung and applied this to the Catholic Christian spirituality that he lives. That book was exceptionally interesting and informative, and I found this book just as great. In "Spiritual Pilgrims: Carl Jung and Teresa of Avila", John Welch ties together the search for the inner self as it was understood by both Carl Jung and Teresa of Avila and their similarities. Whether you follow a certain religion, or not, if you are interested in the theories of Jung's depth psychology, or spiritual mysticism, you would definitely appreciate and enjoy this book. One thing that is pointed out is something I'd never thought about and glad I read this here. Fr. Welch mentions the fact that Christianity, as it was brought into contemporary understanding (not his exact words, of course) has had an emphasis on community and the focus on mysticism was lost. As St. Teresa speaks of in her "Interior Castle" this "mysticism" is a means to search our inner selves and find the presence of God. This can also be seen as "active imagination" as Jung might refer to it, wherein, through the process of "individuation" we search our unconscious to identify our inner selves and bring our unconscious and conscious into a well-balanced "self." I found this writing to be absolutely fascinating and relevant to everyone searching for that inner well-being.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is the Jungian concept of individuation the same thing as the Christian concept of sanctification?

I'm a Christian and something of a student of Jung, but for me, these things have always kind of been in separate boxes, so I found this book fascinating and challenging.

There's no question of Jung being any kind of orthodox Christian. For example, Answer to Job should put to rest any such ideas. At best, I'd consider him a Deist.

The author arrives at a conclusion I disagree with, but still a really interesting and thought-provoking book.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This writing by a Carmelite monk is not the greatest but the ideas were very interesting. Compares Jung's view of images in the collective unconscious with the images Teresa of Avila uses in The Interior Castle. For example: the snakes and lizards Teresa encounters on the way to the God might be seen as the unacceptable parts of ourselves we have repressed into our shadow. Shows parallels between Jung's individuation process and stages of growth on the journey of faith.

[Scott Beddingfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on the Christian contemplative life I've ever read. Much dog-eared and underlined now, I will refer to it often. Helpful discussion of personality development, the personal spiritual journey through Christian meditation with Jungian interpretation, deep but riveting; read it in 2 days (rain at OBX helped!)

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly a compelling examination of the themes linking Jung and Teresa of Avila.