For the house of wisdom that already exists in the beyond -- in the unconscious -- to truly manifest within an individual human being, the whole of a person is required, along with all their four psychic functions of consciousness. This encounter with wholeness -- with the divine -- is a shocking event that leaves both parties -- the human and the divine -- renewed. The cover image of this volume portrays precisely this kind of event. It was painted by a Sicilian artist, Antonello da Messina (15th century) and it depicts LAnnunciata, The Annunciation of Mary, the fateful moment in which Mary encounters the Archangel Gabriel and becomes aware of her destiny. The angel is not depicted; we see only Mary and the shock she experiences in her encounter with the divine. The essays in this volume by Marie-Louise von Franz, Rivkah Schärf Kluger, Gotthilf Isler, and Laurel Howe revolve around this encounter. They detail the possible union of the opposites -- the divine with the human, the feminine with the masculine, the demonic with the redemptive. Ultimately, they are all about a new god-image in which the feminine -- Wisdom in its feminine form -- is united with the masculine. This development has been in the making within the collective unconscious for centuries and it wants to become a reality in our time.
Andreas Schweizer, Dr. theol. (Ph.D.), is a practicing Jungian analyst in Zürich. He studied theology and comparative religion in Zürich as well as Egyptology with Prof. Erik Hornung in Basel. He has been training analyst since 1986, first at the C.G. Jung Institute of Zurich in Küsnacht and currently with The International School for Analytical Psychology Zurich (ISAP). He is president of the Psychology Club, founded in 1916 by C.G. Jung, and was for fourteen years president of the Eranos Conferences in Ascona. He has published numerous essays and books, including The Sungod's Journey through the Netherworld (2010).
Regine Schweizer-Vuellers, Ph.D. studied German literature with special emphasis on the Middle Ages and European folk literature. She is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Zurich, Switzerland. She works as a training analyst, supervisor and lecturer. She served at the Inaugural Board of The Research and Training Centre in Depth Psychology According to C.G. Jung and Marie-Louise von Franz. Her interests include medieval mysticism, alchemy, fairytales, legends and folksongs. She has published various psychological interpretations. Her book Die Heilige am Kreuz [The Feminine on the Cross] explores the feminine aspects of the Christian God image in folklore and mysticism from the Middle Ages until 19th/20th century.
