The latest double issue of Psychological Perspectives presents a rich tapestry of Jungian thought, blending clinical theory, cultural analysis, and artistic reflection. The issue opens with an introduction by Christophe Le Mouël titled Perspective: The Soul’s Wayfinding (open access), which sets a thematic tone for the collection by exploring the navigational processes of the psyche. This is followed by a visual arts contribution from Nancy Mozur, About the Art: Journeys, which provides an aesthetic grounding for the volume’s focus on psychological and spiritual passage.
The research articles explore diverse intersections of psychology, spirituality, and history. Michael Gellert examines the intersection of Eastern philosophy and depth psychology in Zen and Death: Jung’s Final Experience, while Patrick Roth explores the liturgical and symbolic in Light Out of Darkness: On the Dramatic Connection Between Dreams and the Eucharist. Historical and literary contexts are further enriched by Faith “Fey” Harkey’s Jungian Gothic: The Dark Romantic in Jung’s Early Life and Psychology (open access) and Evans Lansing Smith’s mythological analysis of Wagnerian opera in Richard Wagner’s Parsifal: The Mythology of the Archetypal Feminine. Artistic and practical applications of theory are explored through Laner Cassar’s Of Persian Carpets, Dream-Weaving, and Oneiric Journeying, Bradley A. TePaske’s reflections on Training in Zürich, and Lucas Tokeshi’s Integrating Typology and Psychic Energy: A New Perspective on Jung’s Active Imagination.
The collection also includes modern media and personal narratives. Matthew T. Phillips offers Taxi Driver: A Meditation on the American Hero, providing a cinematic critique of identity, while Joseph A. Talamo takes A Jungian Journey through Disney Movies to explore archetypal storytelling in popular culture. Shorter narrative pieces include The School Bus by Jack Pemment and The Principal by Chun Yu, followed by a poetic contribution from Jaime Robles titled From Drought, then Fire.
The concluding sections of the journal provide critical reviews of contemporary works. Michael Gellert reviews Christi Taylor-Jones’s book on suicide and rebirth, Kim Bancroft critiques Maureen Murdock’s work on memoir and myth-making, and Miles Beller reviews Charlie Haas’s The Current Fantasy. Cinematic and artistic critiques round out the issue, with Marybeth Carter reviewing James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown and Rosalind G. Wholden providing an art installation review of “Olafur Eliasson: OPEN” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.