C.G. Jung Club London Evening Reading Groups

C. G. Jung's Rebirth (Eranos 1939)

An Online Reading Group 10 sessions · led by Max Noak 12 January – 16 March 2027 Tuesdays, 7.00–8.30 p.m. (London time) · Zoom

We will be reading C. G. Jung's presentation on the psychological and spiritual theme of rebirth, which he delivered at the Eranos conference in Ascona in 1939. The Eranos conferences were founded in 1933 by Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn as a response to crisis and as "a challenge of modernity". The theme in August 1939, weeks before the outbreak of World War II, was "The Symbolism of Rebirth in Religious Representations of Various Epochs and Places". Barbara Hannah has described the almost unbearable tension in Europe at the time, which led to a dramatic conference amid ominous, violent thunderstorms. Jung had not prepared a written paper, but was so stimulated that he improvised two lectures on the "Psychology of Rebirth" as his closing statement. The text we will be reading has been reconstructed from the shorthand notes taken by Jung's students.

Jung speaks about rebirth as an archetype through an exploration of Qur'anic mysteries based on his collaboration with the theologian and scholar of Islam Louis Massignon. He addresses the psychological problem of duality, and discusses his dream of a Prince in Tunis, which he had had nineteen years earlier in North Africa. Through close reading and discussion, we will explore Jung's personal visionary theology and its application to a psycho-spiritual reading of the signs and conflicts of his time, considering what these insights may offer amid the turmoil of our own.

A PDF of the reading text will be provided to participants, as the publication is out of print.

This is a committed group: please book with the intention of attending the full cycle. Individual sessions cannot be booked, and joining after the reading group has begun is not possible.

MAX NOAK is a theologian and Jungian psychotherapist with a private practice based in London. Originally from East Germany, he has an interest in how our ancestors shape our souls. Max received instruction in contemplative prayer from the Jesuit Franz Jalics. The experience of mystical prayer led to a plunge into the unconscious, that paved the way to training as a psychotherapist.

Dates 2027:

• 12 January
• 19 January
• 26 January
• 2 February
• 9 February
• 16 February
• 23 February
• 2 March
• 9 March
• 16 March

• Full reading group: £250 / £170 for Club members
• Fees are non-refundable except in exceptional circumstances.

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Hostile Brothers Reading Group      SOLD OUT

Online. 15 sessions, Thursdays, 1 October 2026 – 18 March 2027

This reading group accompanies the Club's 'Year of Focus' on the archetype of the Hostile Brothers.

We will be reading a variety of texts by Jung in chronological order beginning with the chapters 'The Red One' and 'One of the Lowly' followed by the first part of Scrutinies (folio 1-2) in: C. G. Jung, The Red Book - Liber Novus: A Reader's Edition, ed. Sonu Shamdasani (New York /London: W. W. Norton, 2009). We will then turn to Jung's 1920 dream of the Arab youth, his later reflections on this dream and the return of the youth in 1922 in Black Book VII. This will be followed by Jung's 1936 article on Wotan. We will close our reading with sections from Aion. Texts from the Black Books and the Collected Works will be provided.

We hope that engagement with these texts will enhance your appreciation of the various seminars, and that it will stimulate questions and discussion as well as offer the opportunity to examine the relevance and value of these texts for the present day.

Unlike other Club events, this is a committed group limited to 12 people. It will not be possible to participate only in some of the sessions, or to join the group late.

• Cost for 15 online sessions £330 / £250 for Club Members (Note: this is not refundable other than in exceptional circumstances)
• Time: 7-8.30pm
• Location: Online (Zoom)
• The group will be limited to 12 readers
• Led by: Stella von Boch
  

STELLA VON BOCH, PhD is a Jungian Analyst (IGAP) with a background in Art History. She has studied The Red Book and The Black Books with the Circle of Analytical Psychology and with Sonu Shamdasani.. She is the current Chair of the Club.

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