Aurora Consurgens: A Document Attributed to Thomas Aquinas on the Problem of Opposites in Alchemy

New York, NY: Pantheon Books for the Bollingen Foundation. Near Fine in Very Good+ dust jacket. 1966. First Edition Thus; First Printing. Hardcover. First Edition (1966) , unstated in accordance with Pantheon's customary practice at the time of publication. Very Near Fine in Very Good+ DJ: The Book shows just a hint of wear to a small area at the top edge of the rear panel; a couple of truly tiny spots to the upper fore-edge; else flawless; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Free of creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of any ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, plates, or labels. A handsome, nearly-new copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing the mildest wear in one spot and minor, unobtrusive cosmetic imperfections. Bright and Clean. Corners sharp. Very close to 'As New'. The DJ shows a hint of sun-toning to the backstrip ( the titles are unaffected: bold and clearly legible) and a touch of wear to the head and heel; a small area of very faint stain near the lower edge of the front panel; the price has been clipped. Remains attractive, showing mild wear and minor cosmetic imperfections. Not far from 'As New'. Not a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (9 x 6 x 1.25 inches) . The medieval Latin text is given with a translation by A. S. B. Glover. Von Franz's commentary has been translated from the German by R. F. C. Hull, who also translated Jung's Collected Works. Language: English. Weight: 32.8 ounces. Hardcover with DJ. Published as a companion volume to C. G. Jung's 'Mysterium Coniunctionis', this scholarly gem is scattered throughout with insights relevant to the psychological process of individuation. 'Aurora Consurgens' is a rare medieval alchemical treatise, reputed to be the last work of St. Thomas Aquinas, which was rediscovered by Jung in the course of his researches. It bears out Jung's long-standing view that the traditional practice of alchemy is best understood symbolically, as an attempt to express unconscious psychic contents through their projection onto matter. The analysis of the text by Marie-Louise von Franz suggests that the author experienced a breakthrough of the unconscious while in an ecstatic state shortly before his death. History records that Thomas Aquinas died in a trance soon after expounding the biblical text 'The Song of Songs', and 'Aurora Consurgens' ends with a paraphrase of the same Biblical verses and a vision of the mystic marriage. Von Franz's penetrating commentary shows how Jung's analytical psychology may be used as a key to unlock the meaning of this cryptic but psychologically significant text. Marie-Louise von Franz, Ph. D. (1915-1998) , is the author of many books on the psychological interpretation of dreams, fairy tales and alchemical texts. Her most recent titles in this series are 'Archetypal Patterns in Fairy Tales', 'C. G. Jung: His Myth in Our Time', 'The Cat. A Tale of Feminine Redemption' and 'The Problem of the Puer Aeternus'. In order to pay C. G. Jung for her training analysis, she translated works for him from Greek and Latin texts. Among them 'Musaeum Hermeticum', many of the passages of which were of Islamic and Persian origin. Von Franz took up Arabic as study subject at university in order to do so. This was the beginning of a long-standing collaboration with C. G. Jung, which continued until his death in 1961. Their collaboration was especially close in the field of alchemy. Not only did she translate works, she also commented, in this text on the origin and psychological meaning of Aurora Consurgens. She offered support for the theory that the Christian-alchemical text might have been dictated by Thomas Aquinas himself. The experience that Jung termed "objective Psyche" or "collective unconscious" marked her life and work as well as her way of living. She worked to understand the reality of this autonomous psyche acting independently from consciousness. ; Bollingen Series; Vol. 76; Large 8vo 9" - 10" tall; xv, 555 pages .