J. Gary Sparks is a Jungian analyst and author in private practice in Indianapolis, Indiana.
He returns to us today to discuss his new book, the first publication from Inner City Books in five years. It is titled, The Call of Destiny: An Introduction to Carl Jung’s Major Works, and it’s being released on March 1, 2023.
Gary Sparks holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Bucknell University, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, and a Diploma in Analytical Psychology (the degree of a Jungian Analyst) from the C.G. Jung Institute Zürich. His thesis advisor was Jung’s closest student and collaborator, Marie-Louise von Franz, Ph.D. (who also happens to be the Honorary Patron of Inner City Books) and his training analysts included Jung’s grandson, Dieter Baumann, M.D. and Jung’s close friend and confidante, C.A. Meier, M.D.
He has been a lecturer and seminar presenter at the C.G. Jung Foundation of Ontario, Canada and a teacher for the analyst training program at the Research & Training Centre for Depth Psychology According to C.G. Jung & Marie-Louise von Franz in Zürich. He has presented online to the Cambridge Jungian Circle and for the new Jung at Heart certificate program for non-clinicians offered by the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles where his next presentation, on Jung’s first mandala, “Systema Munditotius,” will be held on June 3rd.
Gary has joined me on four previous episodes of Speaking of Jung. The first three each centered around one of his books: Episode 2 on At the Heart of Matter: Synchronicity & Jung’s Spiritual Testament, Episode 28 on Valley of Diamonds: Adventures in Number & Time with Marie-Louise von Franz, and Episode 35 on Carl Jung & Arnold Toynbee: The Social Meaning of Inner Work.
Our most recent talk, Episode 114, centered around one of Mr. Sparks’s specialties, Aurora Consurgens, re-published last year as Volume 7 of the Collected Works of Marie-Louise von Franz. Please be sure to watch that video interview on our YouTube channel. It’s one of our most popular episodes to date.
In addition to his now four books, Gary is the editor of Edward Edinger’s Ego & Self: The Old Testament Prophets, and co-editor with Daryl Sharp of Edinger’s Science of the Soul: A Jungian Perspective.
He maintains two websites – jgsparks.net and jungandpauli.net – both filled with information, audio downloads, and PDF study guides.
This video interview was recorded on Friday, February 3, 2023. It’s 01:26:20 long and 80.8 MB. You can listen to it right here in your browser (click the play button in the bar below) or download it directly to your computer. You can also watch the video edition of this interview on our YouTube channel.
📘 The Call of Destiny: An Introduction to Carl Jung’s Major Works Also available from Amazon US
👚 Marie-Louise von Franz t-shirt by Timoteo Tees (t-shirt Laura wore during the interview) – Use promo code VONFRANZ for 15% off (featured in The New York Times’ The T List: Six things we recommend this week on Mar. 2, 2023)
💎 Radiant Charm Necklace from Kismet (mandala necklace Laura wore in the introduction) – Use promo code LAURALONDON for 20% off your entire order
INNER CITY BOOKS
Ego & Self: The Old Testament Prophets – From Isaiah to Malachi Edited by J. Gary Sparks (Title 90, 2000)
Science of the Soul: A Jungian Perspective Co-edited by Daryl Sharp and J. Gary Sparks (Title 102, 2002)
At the Heart of Matter: Synchronicity & Jung's Spiritual Testament by J. Gary Sparks (Title 119, 2007)
Valley of Diamonds: Adventures in Number & Time with Marie-Louise von Franz by J. Gary Sparks (Title 127, 2010)
The Sparks Bundle At the Heart of Matter and Valley of Diamonds (Title 1008, 2016)
Carl Jung & Arnold Toynbee: The Social Meaning of Inner Work by J. Gary Sparks (Title 145, 2017)
The Call of Destiny: An Introduction to Carl Jung’s Major Works (Title 146, 2023) Also available for from Amazon US
RE-INTRODUCED TITLES
The Psyche as Sacrament: A Comparative Study of C.G. Jung & Paul Tillich by Father John P. Dourley, Ph.D. (Title 7, 1981) – Fr. Dourley was our guest in Ep. 4
Hags & Heroes: A Feminist Approach to Jungian Psychotherapy with Couples by Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. (Title 18, 1984)
The Cassandra Complex: Living with Disbelief by Laurie Layton Schapira (Title 36, 1988)
Sacred Chaos: Reflections on God’s Shadow & the Dark Self by Françoise O’Kane, Ph.D. (Title 64, 1994)
SHOW NOTES
Scott L. Milligen at the helm Inner City Books blog post
A Personal Remembrance of Dear Friend and Esteemed Colleague Daryl Sharp: January 2 1936–October 8, 2019, Jungian Analyst and General Editor of Inner City Books Psychological Perspectives, Vol. 63, Issue 1 (2020)
Refreshed website launch imbued with Daryl Sharp’s legacy Inner City Books blog post by J. Gary Sparks
Who Is Daryl Sharp? Speaking of Jung blog post by Daryl Sharp
Marion Woodman Titles from Inner City Books
Edward Edinger’s Study Guides The Mysterium Lectures, The Mystery of the Coniunctio, The Aion Lectures, Transformation of the God-Image, Encounter with the Self, and The New God-Image – all available from Inner City Books
Transformation of Libido: A Seminar on C.G. Jung’s Symbols of Transformation by Edward F. Edinger (study guide for Jung’s Symbols of Transformation)
The New God-Image: A Study of Jung’s Key Letters Concerning the Evolution of the Western God-Image by Edward F. Edinger (study guide for Jung’s Answer to Job)
Symbols of Transformation Vol. 5 of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung
Mysterium Coniunctionis Vol. 14 of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung
Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self Vol. 9ii of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung
Answer to Job from Vol. 11 of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung
The Red Book by C.G. Jung (currently 27% off)
C.G. Jung Speaking Includes a transcript of The “Face to Face” interview with John Freeman, BBC television, Oct. 22, 1959
Memories, Dreams, Reflections by C.G. Jung
In Memoriam: Marie-Louise von Franz, 1915-1998 A Personal Reminiscence by Daryl Sharp
Marie-Louise von Franz t-shirt from Timoteo Tees by Timothy Hull (Ep. 52) – Use discount code VONFRANZ for 15% off
Number & Time: Reflections Leading Toward a Unification of Depth Psychology & Physics by Marie-Louise von Franz, Ph.D., Jungian analyst
Pisces and Aquarius Drawing by and courtesy of Carol Spicuzza, carolspicuzza.com (The Call of Destiny, page 117, figure 8)
Anne Maguire Royal College of Physicians
The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914 by Margaret MacMillan
The War: A documentary about World War II by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick
Bollingen 1982 with Marie-Louise von Franz
Jung at Heart: A Certificate Program for Non-Clinicians by the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles
EPISODES
Episode 1: Daryl Sharp on Inner City Books
Episode 2: J. Gary Sparks on At the Heart of Matter: Synchronicity & Jung’s Spiritual Testament
Episode 5: Personality Types with Daryl Sharp
Episode 28: Number & Time with J. Gary Sparks
Episode 35: Carl Jung & Arnold Toynbee with J. Gary Sparks
Episode 39: James Scherer, D.D.S. Member of the “Marie-Louise von Franz Kicked Our Butt Club”
Episode 52: Speaking of Jung Listeners with art professor Timothy Hull
Episode 71: Inner City Books with Dave and Ben Sharp, Scott Milligen, Victoria Cowan, and Liz Jefferson
Episode 114: Aurora Consurgens with J. Gary Sparks
For Scott