The Earth Has a Soul

The Earth Has a Soul – Carl Jung

The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, founder of analytical psychology, is best known for his ideas about the unconscious, archetypes and the process of individuation. Less widely known are his reflections on nature and on the relationship between human beings and the natural world. The Earth Has a Soul: C.G. Jung on Nature, Technology and Modern Life, edited by Meredith Sabini, gathers his writings on these themes from across his books, letters, seminars and interviews.

Jung believed that modern Western civilization had become dangerously cut off from nature, both from the natural world around us and from the instinctive, natural side of the human psyche. He saw the rise of technology, urban life and rationalism as bringing great benefits but also a profound loss, leaving people rootless, anxious and alienated from the sources of meaning that earlier cultures had found in their connection to the land, animals and the cycles of life.

The selections explore topics such as the primitive or instinctual mind, the relationship between body and psyche, the importance of rootedness and a sense of place, the wisdom of Indigenous peoples, the psychological effects of technology, and the need to reconnect with nature for individual and collective health. They also include Jung’s reflections on his own life at his lakeside tower at Bollingen, where he lived simply and close to nature.

Sabini provides an introduction and commentary that place the writings in context.

The Earth Has a Soul is a thought-provoking collection for readers interested in Jungian psychology, ecology and the search for meaning in modern life. Some passages reflect attitudes and terminology of Jung’s era.