J. Gary Sparks (Nov. 27, 1948 – Mar. 20, 2025)

UPDATE: It is with great sadness we share with you the news that Gary Sparks passed away in the early morning hours of March 20, 2025 after a long illness. We have been sent his official obituary which you can read here: J. Gary Sparks (1948-2025). And please visit the memorial page by his publisher and friends at Inner City Books.

J. Gary Sparks is a Zürich-trained Jungian analyst and author in private practice in Indianapolis, Indiana.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Bucknell University, a Master of Divinity and 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. and his training analysts included Jung’s grandson, Dieter Baumann, M.D. and Jung’s close friend and confidante, C.A. Meier, M.D.

Mr. Sparks 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 also enjoyed presenting 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.

He maintains two websites – jgsparks.net and jungandpauli.net – filled audio recordings, notes, and study guides.

EPISODES

Gary has joined us on 5 episodes of Speaking of Jung.

The first three centered around his titles published by Inner City Books:

▪️Episode 2 (audio) ~ Sept. 8, 2015 ~ At the Heart of Matter: Synchronicity & Jung’s Spiritual Testament

▪️Episode 28 (audio) ~ Sept. 27, 2017 ~ Valley of Diamonds: Adventures in Number & Time with Marie-Louise von Franz

▪️Episode 35 (audio) ~ Jun. 19, 2018 ~ Carl Jung & Arnold Toynbee: The Social Meaning of Inner Work

The fourth episode was on Vol. 7 of the Collected Works of Marie-Louise von Franz, Aurora Consurgens, which is a special interest of Gary’s:

▪️Episode 114 (video) ~ Sept. 28, 2022 ~ Aurora Consurgens: A Document Attributed to Thomas Aquinas on the Problem of Opposites in Alchemy – A Companion Work to C.G. Jung’s Mysterium Coniunctionis

And our latest episode was on his new book, the first title published by Inner City Books since the passing of its founder and editor Daryl Sharp:

▪️Episode 119 (video) ~ Mar. 1, 2023 ~ The Call of Destiny: An Introduction to Carl Jung’s Major Works

✨All episodes (even the audio-only editions) are also available on our YouTube Channel.

▪️Special: Gary was the guest on the late-night radio show The Other Side of Midnight hosted by Quarantine Edition guest Richard C. Hoagland (Ep. Q19.5) on Mar. 17, 2016. The link is to the entire episode on our YouTube Channel.

BOOKS

In addition to his five 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.

All of Gary’s books can be purchased directly from their publisher, Inner City Books, who ships worldwide. His books are also available from Amazon. All links are below.

Ego & Self: The Old Testament Prophets – From Isaiah to Malachi (2000)

Science of the Soul: A Jungian Perspective (2002)

At the Heart of Matter: Synchronicity & Jung's Spiritual Testament (2007)

Valley of Diamonds: Adventures in Number & Time with Marie-Louise von Franz (2010)

The Sparks Bundle At the Heart of Matter and Valley of Diamonds (2016)

Carl Jung & Arnold Toynbee: The Social Meaning of Inner Work (2017)

The Call of Destiny: An Introduction to Carl Jung’s Major Works (2023)