I have no theory that God is a quaternity.
Letters of C. G. Jung: Volume 2, 1951-1961
To the Rev. W. P. Witcutt Dear Sir, 24 August 1960
I must apologize for not having answered your Letter of July 18th.
I hasten therefore to answer this time at once.
I was very interested in your letter, as you can imagine.
Since 1924 I have done much work with the I Ching and I have discussed it with my late friend Richard Wil- helm, who had first-hand knowledge of its workings.
As you have found out for yourself, the I Ching consists of readable archetypes, and it very often presents not
only a picture of the actual situation but also of the future, exactly like dreams.
One could even define the I Ching oracle as an experimental dream, just as one can define a dream as an ex- periment of a four-dimensional nature.
I have never tried even to describe this aspect of dreams, not to speak of the hexagrams, because I have found that our public today is incapable of understanding.
I considered it therefore my first duty to talk and write of the things that might be understandable and would thus prepare the ground upon which one could later on explain the more complicated things.
I quite agree that the I Ching symbolism can be interpreted like that of dreams.
By the way: I must call your attention to the fact that I have no theory that God is a quaternity. The whole question of quaternity is not a theory at all, it is a Phenomenon.
There are plenty of quaternary symbolizations of the Deity and that is a fact, not a theory.
I would not commit such a crime against epistemology.
This is the stumbling block over which Father Victor White has fallen and many others.
I am in no way responsible for the fact that there are quaternity formulas.
Now, as to your new book, to which I am looking forward with great interest: unfortunately my doctor is strictly against too much mental work, since it increases my blood pressure.
Thus I have to omit all mental efforts.
I would have liked to write a preface to your indubitably meritorious book, but I could not do it without a careful study and digestion of your MS-not to mention the formulation of my own standpoint in these highly complicated matters.
Sunt certe denique fines-that is precisely the situation in which I find myself now.
I cannot fight the battle anymore and I refuse to produce superficial and cheap stuff.
I hope you will understand this painful confession of non possumus.
Nobody regrets this defeat through old age more than I myself.
Yours very sincerely,
C.G. Jung Carl Jung, Letters Vol. II, Pages 584-585
