The Red Book – Liber Novus: The Mysterious Manuscript of Carl Jung

Learn about the fascinating and mysterious masterpiece of the Swiss psychologist, who explored his own unconscious through art and writing.

Carl Jung is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern psychology, along with his mentor and rival Sigmund Freud. Jung developed many influential concepts, such as the collective unconscious, the archetypes, the individuation process, and the synchronicity principle. But perhaps his most personal and enigmatic work is the Red Book, a large, leather-bound manuscript that he created between 1914 and 1930, and kept hidden from the public until 2009.

The Red Book is not a scientific or academic treatise, but rather a personal and artistic expression of Jung’s psychological experiences, insights, and discoveries.

Liber Novus and The Red Book are the same book, but with different names. Liber Novus is the Latin title that Jung gave to his manuscript, which means “New Book”. The Red Book is the name that was later given to the book because of its red leather cover.

It contains many archetypes and other elements that reflect his views on life, the soul, the unconscious, and the self. The book is divided into two parts: Liber Primus (The First Book) and Liber Secundus (The Second Book), each consisting of several chapters with titles such as “The Way of What Is to Come”, “The Desert”, “The Castle in the Forest”, and “The Conception of the God”. The book also includes many illustrations, paintings, and calligraphic texts that Jung made to accompany his writings.

The Red Book is the result of Jung’s “confrontation with the unconscious”, a period of intense introspection and self-exploration that he underwent after his break with Freud in 1913. Jung felt that he had to face his own inner demons and conflicts, as well as the collective forces that shaped the human psyche. He did this by inducing a state of active imagination, in which he let his unconscious images and fantasies emerge and interact with his conscious mind. He then recorded his visions and dialogues in his journals, known as the Black Books, and later transcribed and elaborated them in the Red Book.

The Red Book is not an easy or straightforward read, but rather a complex and symbolic narrative that requires careful interpretation and reflection. It is also a highly personal and subjective document, that reveals Jung’s struggles, doubts, fears, and hopes, as well as his creative and spiritual potential. The Red Book is not a book for everyone, but for those who are interested in Jung’s psychology, or in the deeper aspects of their own psyche, it is a treasure trove of wisdom and inspiration.

What’s in a Name?

Liber Novus is Latin for “New Book”. It is the title of a red leather-bound manuscript created by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung between 1914 and 1930. It contains his personal reflections, visions, and fantasies that he experienced during a period of intense psychological exploration. He considered it to be the central work of his life and the source of his later theories and writings12

The word liber has another meaning in Latin: it can also mean “tree bark”, which was used as a writing material in ancient times3 This could suggest a symbolic connection between Jung’s book and the primal source of human expression and creativity.

The origin of the word novus is uncertain, but it may be related to the Proto-Indo-European root *neu-, meaning “new”. This root also gave rise to words such as novel, novice, and innovation in English. Jung’s book was indeed a novel and innovative expression of his inner world and his quest for psychological transformation.

The book is also commonly referred to as The Red Book, because of its red leather cover. Jung himself embossed the title Liber Novus on the spine of the folio, but he often called it simply The Red Book in his letters and conversations4

Why Did It Take So Long to Publish?

Liber Novus was not published or made accessible for study until 2009, almost 50 years after Jung’s death. Why did it take so long for this masterpiece to see the light of day?

The answer is not simple, but it involves a combination of factors, such as Jung’s own ambivalence, his family’s reluctance, his heirs’ disputes, and the challenges of editing and translating such a complex and unique work5

Jung himself was unsure whether to publish his book or not. He feared that it might be misunderstood or misused by the public, and that it might damage his reputation as a scientist and a doctor. He also felt that the book was too personal and intimate to share with others. He once said: “The book is not finished, it is merely ended. It should be a living thing, and therefore it should grow.”

Jung’s family, especially his son Franz, who inherited the book, was also hesitant to release it. They wanted to respect Jung’s wishes and protect his legacy. They were concerned about the legal and ethical issues of publishing such a private and controversial document. They also wanted to ensure that the book would be presented in a scholarly and respectful manner, with proper annotations and explanations.

Jung’s heirs, who formed the C.G. Jung Foundation, had different opinions and interests regarding the book. Some of them wanted to publish it, while others wanted to keep it secret. Some of them wanted to sell it, while others wanted to preserve it. Some of them wanted to collaborate with scholars and publishers, while others wanted to control the process. These conflicts led to lawsuits and delays that lasted for decades.

Finally, the book itself posed many difficulties for the editors and translators who worked on it. The book consists of over 400 pages of calligraphic text in German, accompanied by 53 paintings and drawings. The text is not linear or coherent, but rather a collage of different genres, such as dialogues, poems, myths, and reflections. The text also contains many references to historical, religious, and cultural sources, as well as to Jung’s own life and work. The paintings and drawings are rich in symbolism and imagery, but also obscure and enigmatic. The book is a masterpiece of art and psychology, but also a puzzle and a mystery.

Is There a Movie or Documentary About It?

As far as I know, there is no movie or documentary that is solely dedicated to Liber Novus. However, there are some films and documentaries that feature or mention the book in some way. Here are some examples:

• A Dangerous Method (2011): This is a historical drama film directed by David Cronenberg, based on the play The Talking Cure by Christopher Hampton. The film depicts the relationship between Jung, Sigmund Freud, and Sabina Spielrein, and explores the origins of psychoanalysis. The film shows Jung working on his book and having visions, but does not reveal much about its content or significance.
• Matter of Heart (1986): This is a documentary film directed by Mark Whitney, based on the interviews and lectures of Jung and his associates. The film covers Jung’s life and work, and includes some footage of his paintings and drawings from Liber Novus. The film also features some commentary by Sonu Shamdasani, the editor of the book.
• The Red Book Dialogues (2009-2010): This is a series of public events organized by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York, in conjunction with the exhibition of Liber Novus. The series invited various artists, writers, musicians, and thinkers to engage in a dialogue with the book and with each other, and to share their insights and inspirations. Some of the participants included Alice Walker, David Byrne, Billy Corgan, Sting, and Martin Scorsese.

Jung’s Best Quotes

Carl Jung was a prolific writer and thinker who left behind a wealth of quotes on various topics, such as psychology, religion, spirituality, art, dreams, and the unconscious. His quotes have inspired and influenced many people, from teachers and students to artists and seekers. Here are some of his best quotes, most studied and quoted by teachers and people:

• “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” 1
• “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” 2
• “Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” 2
• “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” 2
• “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” 2
• “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.” 2
• “Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible.” 2
• “Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.” 2
• “The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.” 2
• “Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine or idealism.” 2
• “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” 2
• “As a child I felt myself to be alone, and I am still, because I know things and must hint at things which others apparently know nothing of, and for the most part do not want to know.” 2
• “People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls.” 2
• “The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.” 2
• “There’s no coming to consciousness without pain.” 2
• “No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.” 2
• “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” 2
• “We want to have certainties and no doubts—results and no experiments—without even seeing that certainties can arise only through doubt and results only through experiment.” 3

Jung’s Faith and Family

Jung was born in 1875 in Kesswil, Switzerland, to a Protestant pastor father and a Swiss Reformed mother. He had a lonely and isolated childhood, marked by his father’s struggles with his faith and his mother’s bouts of depression. He developed an early interest in spirituality, mythology, and the occult, which he explored through his reading and his dreams. He also had a vivid imagination and a rich inner life, which he later called his “No. 2 personality.” 4

Jung studied medicine and psychiatry at the University of Basel and the University of Zurich, where he became interested in the work of Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis. He met Freud in 1907 and became his close collaborator and heir apparent, until their relationship broke down in 1913 over their theoretical and personal differences. Jung then embarked on his own path of psychological exploration, which he called analytical psychology. He developed his own concepts, such as the collective unconscious, the archetypes, the anima and animus, the shadow, the self, and the process of individuation. He also studied various religious and philosophical traditions, such as alchemy, Gnosticism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity, and incorporated them into his psychological framework4

Jung married Emma Rauschenbach, a wealthy heiress, in 1903 and had five children with her. He also had several extramarital affairs, most notably with Sabina Spielrein, a former patient and colleague, and Toni Wolff, a close associate and companion. He had a complex and ambivalent relationship with his wife, who supported him financially and intellectually, but also challenged him emotionally and morally. He also had a difficult and distant relationship with his children, whom he neglected and ignored for the sake of his work and his travels. He died in 1961 in Küsnacht, Switzerland, where he had lived since 190945

Jung had a nuanced and unconventional view of religion and spirituality. He was not a member of any church or denomination, and he criticized organized religion for its dogmatism, literalism, and repression of the individual’s experience of the divine. He also rejected the idea of a personal God, and preferred to use the term “the Self” to describe the transcendent and unifying principle of the psyche. He believed that religion was a natural and necessary expression of the human psyche, and that it served the function of providing meaning, value, and orientation to life. He also recognized the diversity and complexity of religious phenomena, and the need to respect and understand different religious traditions and perspectives. He studied various religions, such as Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Gnosticism, and alchemy, and tried to find the common archetypal patterns and symbols that underlie them. He also encouraged his patients and students to explore their own religious and spiritual experiences, and to integrate them into their personal and collective development.

Jung’s approach to religion was not dogmatic or doctrinal, but rather empirical and psychological. He did not claim to have the final or absolute truth about the nature of God or the meaning of life, but rather to offer a way of exploring and expressing the human quest for wholeness and transcendence. He once said: “I don’t believe, I know.” He meant that he did not rely on blind faith or authority, but on his own direct experience and observation of the psyche and its manifestations.