The Seven Sermons to the Dead

The Seven Sermons to the Dead was written by Carl Gustav Jung between December 15, 1916 and February 16, 1917 under the pseudonym "Basilides of Alexandria". Jung chose the name of a gnostic writer who taught in Alexandria around A.D. 125-140. It was a custom for authors of spiritually oriented material to attribute the authorship to someone they felt to be their superior on the subject.

Jung distributed this material to a few of his friends and seemed to publicly reject the label of "gnostic". It can be argued, though, that Jung's model of human psychology is but a 20th century gnosticism. As with everything else, interpret this material symbolically, not literally. Indeed, the very subject of the First Sermon warns us of the same.

Jung creates some unique images, such as "mother heaven" and "father earth" along with his attempt to warn us against giving ourselves over to one archetype. They are there for us to use on our path of individuation, not to be worshipped as THE god / goddess as the non-gnostic Christians have done (the "dead").

For an excellent analysis and interpretation, check your local library or bookstore for:

The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead by Stephan A. Hoeller
Quest Books

Blessed Be.


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