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.

* Sermon One (The dead came back from Jerusalem, where they did not find what they were seeking.)

* Sermon Two (During the night the dead stood along the walls and shouted: "We want to know about god!)

* Sermon Three (The dead approached like mist out of the swamps and they shouted: "Speak to us further about the highest god!")

* Sermon Four (Grumbling, the dead filled the room and said: "Speak to us about gods and devils, thou accursed one!")

* Sermon Five (The dead were full of mocking and cried: "Teach us, thou fool, about church and holy community!")

* Sermon Six (The demon of sexuality comes to our soul like a serpent.)

* Sermon Seven (At night the dead came back again and amidst complaining said: "One more thing we must know, because we had forgotten to discuss it: teach us concerning man!")

About Author:

Carl Gustav Jung (German pronunciation: ; 26 July 1875 - 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology (also known as Jungian psychology). Jung's approach to psychology has been influential in the field of depth psychology and in countercultural movements across the globe. Jung is considered as the first modern psychologist to state that the human psyche is "by nature religious" and to explore it in depth. He emphasized understanding the psyche through exploring the worlds of dreams, art, mythology, religion and philosophy. Though not the first to analyze dreams, he has become perhaps the most well known pioneer in the field of dream analysis. Although he was a theoretical psychologist and practicing clinician, much of his life's work was spent exploring other areas, including Eastern and Western philosophy, alchemy, astrology, sociology, as well as literature and the arts.

Jung emphasized the importance of balance and harmony. He cautioned that modern people rely too heavily on natural science and logical positivism and would benefit from integrating spirituality and appreciation of unconscious realms. He considered the process of individuation necessary for a person to become whole. This is a psychological process of integrating the conscious with the unconscious while still maintaining conscious autonomy.Individuation was the central concept of analytical psychology.

Jungian ideas are not typically included in curriculum of most major universities' psychology departments, but are occasionally explored in humanities departments. Many pioneering psychological concepts were originally proposed by Jung, including the Archetype, the Collective Unconscious, the Complex, and synchronicity. In addition, the popular career test currently offered by high school and college career centers, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, is entirely based upon Jung's theories.

Carl Gustav Jung's Analytical Psychology offers help in dealing with psychological difficulties and also encourages and supports the development of the personality. Analytical Psychology can therefore be well applied for the therapeutic treatment of psychological disturbance -- and also for depth analysis and counseling with healthy people. Such people might be struggling with important life questions and decisions, suffering under difficult circumstances or generally interested in their own personal development.