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The Red Book reflects Jung's midlife crisis, which—at a personal level—has been associated with his rupture with Freud and a probable psychotic breakdown, and—at a collective level—with the prelude to World War I. However, as Thomas Kirsch (2014) states in his Introduction to The Red Book: Reflections on C.G. Jung's Liber Novus, a definitive interpretation of it may never be possible. I believe that the complexity of Jung's process of individuation and his extraordinary, almost mediumistic, powers of intuition make conclusions difficult. With such a rich symbolic content, it is inevitable that The Red Book will inspire different interpretations of the inner life of the author, his individuation process and the rediscovery of his soul.
In clinical practice, when we attempt to understand the individuation process as expressed in dreams, fantasies or active imaginations, we link these to significant people, events or contexts in a life story as well as to archetypal patterns that express human nature and psychological development. As The Red Book reflects Jung's individuation process, it is natural and enriching to find connections with his personal life, historical context and people who influenced him, be they intellectual references, relatives, close friends or colleagues. Insofar as it reflects Jung's theory of individuation, the content of The Red Book is a symbolic representation of his own individuation process. By this I mean that we can read in it Jung's psychological dynamics, conflicts and needs.
Murray Stein (2012) states that ‘The Red Book can be, and is read, from the perspectives of three different contexts: the personal and biographical one, the intellectual and literary one, and the religious and cultural one’ (p. 280), and he continues, ‘Before looking at the broader contexts, I would like to consider the context of Jung's personal life at the time he began The Red