"The light that gradually dawns on him consists in his understanding that his fantasy is a real psychic process which is happening to him personally." (Jung p. 528-529) This sentence from the book sums-up its content.

In this work Jung demonstrates that Alchemy was a precursor to modern Western psychological insight. Jung draws a "process map" of the Alchemy in this volume, in which he laboriously (but not tediously) shows that the steps the alchemists took to bring about the transformation of matter. Jung suggests that this process is a metaphoric representation of a process some humans travel to reach a level of consciousness that includes and unites the unseen (transcendent) reality with the visible experience.

It can be read as an interesting intellectual insight into earlier Western thought, or it can be used by an individual as a guide through the process of psychological transformation. This work is essential to anyone on the path of transformation and who looks to Jung as a guide on that path. It is not for a casual reader of Jung.

The following is a review for Mysterium Coniunctionis:

Jung seems to write from the dream state; associations interleaved with digressions punctuated by potent and startling images. This is his most satisfying book for me because it has the simplest premise but is also the largest and richest. He stretches out enormously within a limited range, gathering a life-time of inquiry into a writhing basket of conflicting thought. This method illustrates perfectly how deep experience can become when meditated upon and scrutinized and when tangents are whole-heartedly encouraged and darksides allowed to bloom. No need to hop-scotch around the world, just look into the pile of dead ants beneath your radiator and let your mind wander. The conjunction of opposites: perhaps Jung's emblem for the source of life, the alembic, where all intellectual and emotional births occur. Read and reread this book to step through the microcosmic door into unlimited life right where you are.

Jung seems to write from the dream state; associations interleaved with digressions punctuated by potent and startling images. This is his most satisfying book for me because it has the simplest premise but is also the largest and richest. He stretches out enormously within a limited range, gathering a life-time of inquiry into a writhing basket of conflicting thought. This method illustrates perfectly how deep experience can become when meditated upon and scrutinized and when tangents are whole-heartedly encouraged and darksides allowed to bloom. No need to hop-scotch around the world, just look into the pile of dead ants beneath your radiator and let your mind wander. The conjunction of opposites: perhaps Jung's emblem for the source of life, the alembic, where all intellectual and emotional births occur. Read and reread this book to step through the microcosmic door into unlimited life right where you are.

I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. Mahler's 8th is the best symphony ever written. This score while in small type, shows you how Mahler put it all together and does it very clearly. The text translations are given but not much else. There isn't any sort of analysis or in depth commentary, just the music. This is an excellent deal for such an amazing piece. Great for theory students and college musicians wanting to learn a thing or two about composition.

As a music student, this score was a great score to own: the large print make it very easy to read the numerous lines of instrumentation; the low cost is a must for a starving college student.

This is an EXTREMELY difficult work to study, even if there is a recording. The work is so immense and at the same time complex. Just looking at the first page is tiring.

I reccommend this score highly for music students and music lovers alike so that they may enjoy Mahler's monumental Symphony of a Thousand.

This symphony is so big, that if one has any chance to read the score while listening to it, do it! The score has revealed so many details about this great work that my opinion about it has changed totally! At first when I heard this, all I could hear was the song, and it didn't tell me anything, but now with the score in hand, I can see the different melodies used with the cross-references all over, and I can follow the progress of the sonata form in the first movement, which is so ingeniously developed that one can barely trace it, but it still follows a very logical consistency. All this I could only see when I read the score! Now this is one of my very favourite works of music!

I carry this wonderful book into every Biological Psychology class that I teach. It is clear, poetic, at time brilliant in its explanations of complicated biology. It is a very impressive book, and one which I value highly. The desciptions of the central nervous system make very clear, the wonder of this amazing part of our human instrument.

Dr. B

A refreshing approach to human anatomy! A priceless combination of scientific information and history balanced with clever comparisons and analogies. Eckstein's light approach and simple phrasing allow for easy reading while providing enormous amounts of information. Touching on historic greats (Aristotle, Bartholow, Decartes, Hippocrates, Pasteur, Pavlov, Sophocles, Shakespeare, & Socrates to name a few), the reader is invited to an expansive view of what the medical profession has come to discover.

Possibly the most insane book ever published. Just open the book at any page and start reading. Your jaw will drop. In exceedingly strange English Eckstein talks about such things as the wonders of lobotomy, the origin of the universe, a history of philosophy etc. It makes no sense at all but it is very entertaining on a warped level because the whole thing is presented in such a 'straight' way. It just goes to show what rubbish some publishers will put out under the guise of 'academic' writing. If nothing else read the 'About the Author' blurb written by the author himself. If the book is ever reprinted it would become a cult classic.

In a world of black helicopters flying overhead, cattle mutilations, and Y2K bugs, these cogent remarks by Jung are all the more relevant. The post-modern era is plagued by millenial hysteria, doomsday cults, and "alien visitations". What does this all mean for modern man? Psychical aberations manifest themselves in mass delusions. What else lurks in the depths of man's soul? And, what else is waiting to rise to the surface? We can only speculate.

Jung's interpretation of flying saucers as compensatory Self symbols of wholeness required by an era of psychological fragmentation is both brilliant and well-developed in this fine little book.

What Jung did with this book is, fundamentally, setting the honest basis for UFO intereptation from a psychological point of view. That's why the open postulates he gained from this inquiry have generated many controversies and strumentalization among the ufologists' field. UFOs - says Jung - may be psycho-sociological phenomena which come from both the inner symbolic human subconscious AND from our technological era's imaginism. However, those hardly conventionally explainable episode may even - in Jung's own opinion - be a HARD and MATERIAL phenomenon, which may be explained with extraterrestrial visits. From this point of view, the sociological redutionism slips towards a postume status, leaving the question as open as ever. Definitely, the book you should be starting with if you like the subject.

The symphonies of Gustav Mahler can be listened to on more than one level. As complex and forward-looking as they are, they nonetheless can connect at an elemental, "visceral" level for many listeners.

However, for a fuller appreciation of both the details and the profundity which are in these works, as well as for insight into Mahler's creative processes, some outside help is required, and this help is usually not forthcoming from the liner or booklet notes that accompany recordings, or from the program notes that accompany performances. This is precisely where this excellent book by Constantin Floros fits in.

First, a few words on what this book is not, and does not purport to be. It is not a comparative discography of available performances; in fact, it neither lists nor recommends recordings. Second, it is not a critical biography of Mahler; the interested reader is referred to the outstanding (but much more expensive) volumes by Henry-Louis de la Grange, available elsewhere at Amazon.com. Third, it is not a psychological study of Mahler, relating, as such a study might, such connections between the man and the music; an excellent small volume by Theodor Adorno, "Mahler: A Musical Physiognomy" covers that territory very well, and is also available elsewhere at Amazon.com. Fourth, and finally, it is not a set of musical scores of the symphonies; those as well, published by Dover in inexpensive paperback editions, can be found at Amazon.com

So, just what is this Floros book? It is the perfect companion for the serious Mahlerite in understanding the genesis and the thematic, harmonic and interpretational details of each of Mahler's ten symphonies, and the interrelationships and comparisons among them. It has just enough of the material covered in the references noted above, along with detailed analyses of the symphonies, for each of them to be better understood and placed in historical and musical context by the listener. Its greatest insight into these symphonies comes largely from Floros' remarkable scholarship in tracking down all of the score notes that Mahler provided in his sketches, short scores and long scores, his correspondences with his wife, friends and interpreters, and their comments and observations as well. By piecing all of this research together, relying particularly heavily on Mahler's own notes, Floros has come up with a near-definitive look into Mahler's creative and interpretational processes (a term for such a look based on scholarship that Floros describes as "hermeneutics").

The book's publication date (1985 in the original German) means that it is the beneficiary of a series of events in the 1960's that opened the door to greatly improved accuracy in the study of this complex man and his equally complex music. First was the passage into the public domain of much of Mahler's own private writings, on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Second was the agreement on the part of his widow, Alma Mahler-Werfel, to release other materials, particularly related to his unfinished 10th Symphony, for public scrutiny. Third was the availability of this material to the Englishman Deryck Cooke, and others, who provided performing versions of this final 10th Symphony so that the public at large could better judge the direction in which Mahler had been heading when his work was cut short by premature death. Floros pays great respect to, and provides excellent insight into, the work of Cooke in his (Floros') plan to describe the full symphonic output of Mahler.

This book is very liberally annotated, with briefly-scored examples as reference marks for understanding the interrelationships among the various musical themes, as well as end notes for each symphony and a detailed bibliography for further reading. While it helps to be able to read these brief bars of music, even those who cannot will benefit immensely from Floros' scholarship and fine, but nonetheless dense, writing in providing extramusical background and values for a better understanding of these remarkable symphonies which moves so many of us.

Without question, the single most valuable reference source for a fuller understanding of the Mahler symphonies. And a compact and inexpensive companion for the Mahlerite.

If you want to know how a Mahler symphony is put together and why it works, this is the only book that does it. Reading it with a score at hand is useful, but not necessary. Technical but worth it.

The book was translated very well. It broke each symphony down by movement and gave its history, as well as a breif analysis. I definite must for Mahler fans!

Is the fire of passion going out? Valerie's wisdom will help you reclaim your passion. She will take you by the hand and lead you to transformational creativity and fulfillment in relationships. This is a must-read for "cheaters."

The Inner Lover - Using passion as a way to self-empowermentbyValerie Harms. Aslan Publishing. 1999. 225 pp.

Valerie Harmsunderstands that not all love is meant to result in a relationship with the person arousing the love in one. Circumstances, including a relationship with someone else, may stand in the way. When such love is aroused, individuals often feel troubled from frustration, guilt, doubt, or a mixture of these and other emotions. But as Harms teaches, this need not be the case. As she says, "When we become attentive to our fantasies and dreams [aroused by love], loving and not condemning our deepest wishes, we give them a chance to direct and empower our lives." Adhering to this principle, she teaches how to make such love a positive experience.

In exploring this kind of love, Harms focuses on the self--how the self can maintain its wholeness and singular potential and be empowered by the love's creative, unpredictable forces. This positive involvement with the love she explores not only fulfills one as a person, but also enhances one's place and value in all relationships. Harms has one of the best understandings of love a reader can find. Among her previous books are "Stars in My Skin/Nin, Montessori, Steloff" and "Unmasking: Ten Women in Metamorphosis."

Henry Berry

Book Reviewer

Editor/Publisher, The Small Press Book Review

This book bravely goes where no woman (or man) has gone before. While many will be familiar with the concept of projection in relationships, few authors have illustrated in such a clear and personal fashion the value of fantasy, passion and the place it has in our lives. This book encourages us to open and explore who we are, using our romantic attractions as a point of departure.

The use of personal examples makes it very clear how using dreams and symbolism can help us understand what it is in ourselves that needs developing. However, the book does not limit relationships to "mere" projection; it acknowledges that the inner and outer world work together. Both need to be recognized.

It is a pity that this book is out of print; this book is most helpful for the individual who is trying to make sense out of what sometimes seems like a very difficult realm to deal with. Many books do not honor the spirit of romantic attractions, and the relationship they have to our deepest self. The personal examples (bravely given) help elucidate this journey, and encourage us each to similar acts of courage in personal exploration. I have personally read this book several times, and I recommend it highly.

If you want to make a small fortune out of a large one, start your business without a plan.

In this book, you will discover how to: raise needed cash for your business quickly, simplify the business planning process, focus on the essentials and many money-saving shortcuts. You will generate a business plan that commands attention. You will not waste time on business plan generation schemes. If you are starting or expanding a business, do not spend a dime before you invest...in this guide.

For coverage, click on Table of Contents in the left-hand column of this page.

Gustav Berle, Ph.D., taught at Florida International University and was a National Marketing Director of SCORE/SBA. Paul Kirschner has taught seminars nationwide for the SBA on business plan preparation. He has managed large firms and small and has consulted on business all over the world.

As a (self-employed) author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles, I recommend this book to anyone who owns a business. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.

The book itself is a well structured process of developing a business plan that has served me well. By adding the downloadable software, it greatly enhances the process, making it easy to use and improves the likelihood that users will create a professional business plan. It is so much easier to tailor something than to start from scratch. I think the book is an excellent value.

We have been recommending that the attendees to our seminar purchase "The Instant Business Plan." The book has been found to be one of the best presentations for new entrepreneurs. It is easy to make a business plan by answering the numerous questions presented. This framework of a business plan is then organized to make it a finished presentation following the sample plan as a guide. --Alex Grossman, Seminar Chairman, SCORE, Chapter #29, Miami

This is an indispensable book for anyone beginning their studies in Jungian psychology. At 140 pages in length, the text is an easy read with no wasted words and no convoluted passages to unravel. It addresses Jung's entire system and provides succinct, memorable summaries of each concept.

The Book is broken up into seven chapters:
1. Carl Gustav Jung (biographical background)
2. The Structure of Personality (the psyche, conscious, personal unconscious and collective unconscious)
3. The Dynamics of Personality (psychic energy and values, the principles of equivalence and entropy, etc.)
4. The Development of Personality (individuation, transcendence and integration, etc.)
5. Psychological Types (thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuitive)
6. Symbols and Dreams
7. Jung's Place in Psychology.

For more eminently readable Jungian psychology, try Marie-Louise von Franz.

'Got turned on to the great Dr. Jung in '90. 'Fell in love w/the feeling of 'startling disclosure' that results from studying Jung's work and how his postulates apply to one's daily existence. The excellent authors of this book talk about 'startling disclosure.' In fact, they shared the term w/me in this very book - the first book of Jungian concepts I ever bought - which is frankly the last book on Jungian PSY a reader will ever need.

This book is so clearly written that reading it becomes a numinous experience. Dr. Jung's unique knowledge of universal themes in myths, tales, and dreams, and of alchemy, and Eastern philosophy brings, together with the scientific Western approach, new elements to the understanding of the human psyche. Consequently, I would say that this analytic psychology's chief aim is individuation and self-realization. Hall and Nordby address this matter very lucidly showing the importance of transcendence and intergration in the process of individuation. Indeed, this process is one of self-knowledge, "Education is drawing out from the person, something that is already there in a nascent state, and not the filling up of an empty container with academic knowledge" (p.83). Altogether, this book is a cromprehensive work addresing concepts such as; the collective unconscious, archetypes, complexes, the shadow, introversion and extroversion, and it even includes a brief description of synchronicity. Undoubtedly, it is worth reading,

_The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche_ is one of the better volumes out of the Princeton/Bollingen series of Jung's collected works, and is absolutely essential for any serious Jungian. I will go over the essays in sequence:

First comes an essay entitled "On Psychic Energy". This is the most difficult essay in this volume. Generally, Jung discusses his concept of the "canalization of libildo". This is interesting in that Jung tries to redefine "libido" by moving away from its traditional, purely sexual connotation. For Jung, libido is simply a generic form of psychic energy which can be redirected or "canalized" into both sexual AND non-sexual activities, such as religious rituals, dances, chants, and incantations. It is only when our intrinsic need for ritual is supressed that we find our libido forced to direct its energies into sexual perversion. Although the concept is interesting, the writing style of this essay is rather vague and opaque, and if you find yourself bogged down, I strongly suggest you skip this first essay. Don't worry - it's all downhill after this essay. The rest of the book is much more lucid and readable.

Next comes an essay called "The Transcendent Function", which basically deals with the healing breakthrough which is the goal of the patient in psychotherapy. Next is an essay dealing with the "Complex Theory". This essay deals with word-association tests in which the experimenter observes the subjects reations and hesitations when given a word that evokes embarrassing or painful memories. Both of these essays are very useful and informative.

Next we have about three more short but very profound and informative essays. Then comes the centerpiece of the book, a potent and spectaculuar classic of 20th century psychology entitled "On the Nature of the Psyche". This, along with "Answer to Job" is one of Jung's very best essays. It deals with an astounding range of topics, including the limitations and paradoxes associated with epistemology, and the dualistic and paradoxical interrelationship between subjective, inner psyche and the objective/outer world. This essay has much to say about the limitations of our subjectivity, and the degree to which we depend on other people and the outside world to attain consciousness. Jung does an excellent job in demarcating the thin line which divides the outer world and the sum of our subjective perceptions. Overall, this essay is a mind warping trip into a sea of paradoxical mysteries of the psyche.

After a short essay dealing with spirits, we come to a series of three great essays: "Spirit and Life", "Basic Postulates of Analytical Psychology", and "Analytical Psychology and Weltanschauung". These fantastic essays deal expertly with the delicate issue of fate and determinism vs. freewill, and the idea of achieving an objective attitude or "Weltanscauung". Jung warns against attempting to unite everyone under one objetive attitude or "ism". This can only lead to repression, nationalistic, racist, and PATRIOTIC BIAS, and ultimately, war. According to Jung, when one nation unites under an "ism" or Weltanschauung which is erronously believed to be objective and appropriate for everyone, we will end up with a repression of indivdual, diverse opinions at best, and at worst, will have a worldwide tragedy resulting from our quest to force this attitude on other people. (and yes, according to Jung's book, DEMOCRACY also counts as one of those "ism's" that we should not try to force on to other people). Of course this tragedy will be carried out under the banner of patriotism.

Next we have three more short essays which are very good, especially "The Soul and Death". After that, we have the famous essay, "Syncronicity", which is available by itself in paperback if you only want that. This is a fascinating essay dealing with paranormal psychic phenomena such as psychokinesis, ESP, and telepathy. If you want to see more details on this essay, see my corresponding review for the stand-alone paperback version.

Overall, _The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche_ is a monumental, epic work. A true magnum opus of psychology, I recommend this volume to anyone who is willing to take on a challenge for the pursuit of self-knowledge.

This book is hardcore Jung explaining with his famous spectrum analogy the "third thing" of the psyche, that imaginal space wedged between matter and spirit. Very technical.

This is the most practical description of the structure and dynamics of the psyche available. It is a working reference that enables real self-understanding, the understanding of others, and the understanding of the dynamics between the two. With all of the mis-spent resources in the last ninety years on the study of behavior, and the growth of the behaviorists, this reference really enables a person to learn the details of the pre-cursors to behavior. In today's so-called knowledge-based work environment, a solid understanding of the psyche is essential, since 90% of the work is not what one would consider observable behavior. It's nice to know that such a valuable book is still available and still useful. It should be paired with Jung's Psychological Types, and the Two volume set of William James, practical psychology books. Wes Stillwagon

This book took my Tarot work to a whole new level.

Don't let the title throw you -- you don't need to be a psych major to understand the ideas presented in this book. The author relates the path laid out in the Major Arcana to life, so everyone should be able to relate.

This book is also a good reference. The book contains discussion of each major and minor arcana card, combining the symbolism of the suit with the card's number, and tying that into the image. As an advanced beginner, this was helpful, since it took me beyond associating keywords with cards, to using my intuition in my interpretation. After checking it out from the library for the third time, I knew this was one that I should own.

I believe each person who discovers the Tarot is a seeker of wisdom and knows there is a Power greater than ourselves. The Tarot reflects the combined wisdom of humans who have sought an understanding of the Will of the Divine or as Joseph Campbell has said it the Will of "the thing that stands behind."

My own path originated in a diverse religious upbringing, winded through an academic setting filled with various social science perspectives, encompassed therapy, developmental workshops, spiritual retreats, etc., and came to rest in a 12-step program. After all these experiences, I recogize the Tarot as a cumulative human effort that places a face on the sum of my experiences. I too started as "the fool" and discoved the world.

A knowledge of Jungian psychology will help one understand and appreciate Karen Hamaker Zondag's TAROT AS A WAY OF LIFE. If you've taken a Myers-Briggs personality test, read Joseph Campbell's works on 'The Hero' or seen the Moyers-Campbell interviews, are familiar with T.S. Elliot's poem 'The Wasteland', or ever been in a 12-step program, you've been exposed to Jungian concepts.

Using Jungian concepts, Zondag explains how the Tarot deck can help the individual develop and use an organizing principle for living. Each of the cards of the Major Arcana represents some aspect of life that occurs for every conscious human being. Zondag divides the cards of the Major Arcana into three components: the basic drives; the construction of the ego; and the integration of the consciousness and unconsciousness. Zondag uses illustrations from several sets of Tarot cards to show why she prefers the Waite Tarot Deck illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith over others.

Some who work with the Tarot use only the Major Arcana, but Zondag uses both the major and minor decks. The Minor deck has four "suits" comparable to a regular deck of playing cards: Cups (Water, Hearts, Wine, Clergy); Wands (Fire, Clubs, Rue, Peasants); Swords (Air, Spades, Angels, Ivy, Needles, Aristoi); Pentacles (Coins, Diamonds, Salt, Commerce).

Zondag associates the Yin/Yang principle with the cards. Thus Cups and Pentacles are receptive or feminine and Swords and Wands are creative or masculine. Interestingly, the Yang cards are frequently associated with strife and anger as well as building and accomplishment, whereas the Yin cards are associated with passivity, love, wealth, and happiness. There are Yang Queens and Yin Kings, so one cannot argue the cards are stereotypes in a negative sense although they may be "types" in a positive sense. Each person regardless of sex can exhibit any of the aspects reflected in the Tarot cards.

Zondag offers several ways to do a Tarot reading. Readings are designed to "guide" the recipient, not "forecast" the future. Conceivably, if one chooses to ignore the cards one can, and suffer the consequences. I've done several readings for a female who is a Leo with an IQ of 165, has red hair and a temper to match. We keep turning up the Queen of Wands who sits on a throne where lions serve as arm rests. Zondag says this card combines the receptivity of the Yin with the independence and activity of Wands. "The Queen of Wands is no stanger to the desire for attention. Her penchant for getting involved, and her natural activity, often result in firey enthusiasm, which she is mature enough to keep within bounds...the Queen of Wands provides a powerful stimulus to action." I always tell my Leo that she holds the key to her destiny in her own hands. The cards merely reveal the situation at hand and point to possible outcomes.

This is a book that not only tells you what the Tarot cards mean--in plain English--but also gives a concise, credible explanation for why each card means what she says it means. She draws heavily on Jungian psychology in her interpretation of the Major Arcana, and on numerology (filtered through folklore and mythology) for the Minor Arcana, but in both cases she refers directly to what's actually on the cards--helping the reader see them as a coherent symbolic system, not just mysterious pictures. (She mostly uses the Rider-Waite deck, but gives an extended justification for her choice, comparing it symbolically with other popular decks.) I don't know that I necessarily agree with every one of her interpretations--but that's actually one of the book's great strengths. After reading it, I felt that I understood enough of what was going on in the Tarot to begin to have my own opinions. Hamaker-Zondag, who's a noted astrologer, includes a chapter on attempts to combine Tarot and astrology--and concludes that it may not be possible. She also includes straightforward, common-sense advice on how to conduct a reading and lay out the cards--instructions that are far more helpful than those in other Tarot books I've read. The one thing I don't like about this book is the title. It sounds like it's inviting you to join a cult. It's really one of the most feet-on-the-ground introductions you're likely to find.