Jung and Swedenborg on God and Life After Death

The work of Carl Jung (1875-1961) remains an influential presence in psychology today. The Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) are assuming greater importance in the psychological conception of the human mind. The two together offer a rational and scientific explanation of the collective unconscious and life after death. Jung's visions of the collective unconscious are supplemented by Swedenborg's dual consciousness. The human mind is born immortal and continues life after death in its spiritual body. Jung's description of the process of individuation is illustrated by Swedenborg's details about regeneration. In both cases, human personality development starts in this life and continues in the afterlife to eternity. The mental health of the individual in the afterlife is dependent on acquiring in this life altruistic concerns and habits of positive thinking and interacting with others. This requires that we know and manage the psychic forces that shape our development.