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Black Books

In an entry on November 15, 1913, Jung’s “I” said to his soul:

“I caught sight of a woman [Toni Wolff three years ago, whose soul seemed to me more valuable than my marital anxiety. I conquered my fear out of love for her.”

The woman in question was Toni Wolff Only a few fragments of her diaries from this period (1912- 13) have surfaced.

Regrettably, those spanning 1913-24 have not survived, with the exception of some theoretical notes from 1916.

The diaries from 1924 onward center around the trials and tribulations of her relationship with Jung.

There are illuminating retrospective comments, as well as entries from which one can extrapolate to some extent on the nature of their collaboration during this critical period. ~Sonu Shamdasani, The Black Books, Vol. 1, Page 27

I dreamed then (it was shortly after Christmas 1912), that I was sitting with my children in a marvelous and richly furnished tower chamber—an open columned hall—we were sitting at a round table, whose top was a marvelous dark green stone.

Suddenly a seagull or dove flew in and landed with light feathers on the table.

I admonished the children to be quiet, so that they would not scare away the beautiful white bird.

Suddenly this little bird turned into a child of eight years, a small blond girl, and ran around playing with my children in the marvelous columned colonnades.

Then the child suddenly turned into the gull or dove.

She said the following to me: “Only in the first hour of the night can I become human, while the male dove is busy with the twelve dead.” With these words the bird flew away and I awoke.

My decision was made. I had to give all my faith and trust to this woman [Toni].

You know, my soul, what blessing was bestowed through that upon me, my wife [Emma], and my house.

I cannot express it all in words, what flourishing and beauty sprang from that for me.

I do not want to talk about the torments that I rightfully had to endure—all these are more than offset by the abundance of beauty and elevation which I was allowed to experience. ~Carl Jung, The Black Books, Page 148