Reflections on Jung's "Scrutinies" from the RED BOOK

 

I have long been interested in the “Scrutinies,” a part of C.G. Jung’s RED BOOK.  He began this section of his journaling in April 1914, five months after he embarked on his “confrontation with the unconscious.”

In the “Scrutinies” some part of Jung is taking Jung to task, that is, taking Jung’s ego consciousness to task for its sins, so this section is really a deep examination of consciousness.  This part of Jung is giving him a really hard time.  It tells Jung he has no correct self-esteem, that he must learn some skills if he is ever going to become capable, but warns he may not be teachable.  It is the very stern voice of conscience telling him he knows nothing about love or being loved  It won’t even allow Jung’s ego to speak because “if you speak, you will jump in and claim to be the soul speaking.”  

So, Jung, his ego consciousness, cannot be trusted by this conscience.  The voice tells Jung (paraphrased):  You are my bare, empty nothing.  You’re not even able, you are so worthless that you cannot even consider yourself worthless.  You are sensitive.  You’re filled with desirousness; you are righteous, unruly, mistrustful, pessimistic, cowardly, dishonest with yourself, venomous, vengeful.  You’re filled with unspeakable childish pride.  You crave power and esteem.  You are ambitious; you thirst for fame.  

It is a scathing indictment.  This conscience is very, very critical, tells Jung he is forever acting, that he is filled with pomposity; that he likes to tell people what to do and even tells people to do that which he himself is incapable of doing. He is vain, likes to complain about others.  He likes to complain about injustice; he enjoys being not understood and complaining about that.  He likes to think of himself as misinterpreted.  He is hurt easily.  He doesn’t like being ignored.  He doesn’t like being unrecognized, and he hates being falsely accused.  He lacks patience and seriousness.  He tells Jung that his “I” has ridiculed, blasphemed, and worst of all, he tells Jung “I am angry with you because “I am bound to you to the grave, and I cannot tolerate you.  I hate you.”  He even tells Jung that it is good that the old God is dead because if that God were still alive, it would have had pity on Jung and would have granted Jung mercy, thus letting him off the hook.  

The voice of conscience goes on to tell Jung that “your progress since the middle ages appears to have been minuscule, your ego consciousness historical and collective.  There is no individuality to it.”

When my class read Jung’s “Scrutinies,” we all agree that everyone is guilty of some of this stuff, but hardly any of us ever takes ourselves seriously to task as Jung does in his “Scrutinies.”