MEMORIES, DREAMS, REFLECTIONS
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Aniela Jaffé (1903–1991) was a formidable figure in the landscape of analytical psychology, serving not merely as Carl Jung’s secretary, but as his "soror mystica" and a profound interpreter of his complex inner world.
The Architect of Memories, Dreams, Reflections
Jaffé is perhaps most famous for her role as the recorder and editor of Jung's semi-autobiographical work, Memories, Dreams, Reflections.
Mirroring your own interest in parapsychology and noetics, Jaffé dedicated much of her independent career to exploring the fringes of the psyche.
Historical and Personal Context
"Every statement about meaning, whether it be a hypothesis or a confession of faith, is a myth." — Aniela Jaffé
The Architect of Memories, Dreams, Reflections
Jaffé is perhaps most famous for her role as the recorder and editor of Jung's semi-autobiographical work, Memories, Dreams, Reflections.
- A Creative Weave: Contrary to the popular belief that Jung wrote the book himself, current scholarship suggests he wrote only the first three chapters. The remainder was meticulously woven together by Jaffé from her copious notes—what she called the "protocols"—of hundreds of candid conversations with him.
- The "Auntified" Text: For years, the published version was known to be heavily edited and "toned down" to suit the sensibilities of the time. However, a significant restoration of her original interviews, titled Jung’s Life and Work: Interviews for Memories, Dreams, Reflections with Aniela Jaffé (https://www.karnacbooks.com/product/jungs-life-and-work-interviews-for-memories-dreams-reflections-with-aniela-jaffe/98230/), was recently published (December 2025/January 2026), restoring the raw, vulnerable, and intellectually daring voice of Jung that Jaffé originally captured.
Mirroring your own interest in parapsychology and noetics, Jaffé dedicated much of her independent career to exploring the fringes of the psyche.
- Apparitions and Precognition: In her work Apparitions and Precognition
- (https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/jaffe-aniela-1903), she utilized Jung's concept of synchronicity to analyze paranormal phenomena, ghost stories, and "premonition" dreams. She argued that such events were not mere superstitions but manifestations of the archetypal layer of the unconscious breaking into physical reality.
- The Myth of Meaning: Her book The Myth of Meaning (https://academyofideas.com/2016/08/myth-of-meaning-jung-aniela-jaffe/) explores the necessity of the "subjective myth." She posits that while life may not have an objective, "ready-made" meaning, the human task is to create meaning through the expansion of consciousness—a concept she termed the "myth of consciousness."
Historical and Personal Context
- A Refugee’s Journey: Born in Berlin to Jewish parents, Jaffé fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s for Switzerland. This personal history informed her courageous defense of Jung against accusations of anti-Semitism, notably in her essay "National Socialism," where she analyzed his actions through a nuanced historical and psychological lens.
- The Gatekeeper: From 1947 to 1955, she served as the secretary for the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich before becoming Jung’s personal secretary from 1955 until his death in 1961. She remained a practicing analyst and a guiding light for Jungian studies into her eighties.
"Every statement about meaning, whether it be a hypothesis or a confession of faith, is a myth." — Aniela Jaffé
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