Memories, Dreams, Reflections

Since he had a wide range of interests, Jung found it difficult to narrow his academic focus. A series of dreams led the young scholar to the conclusion that he had to pursue science and understand how the natural world works. He was embarrassed to study in Basel through financial assistance, but he enjoyed his time at university and found it intellectually stimulating. While pursuing medicine, he studied philosophy during his free time.

Jung was troubled by a recurring dream in which he walked against a strong wind while holding a small light in his hands. He determined that the light symbolized his consciousness, and the dream helped him make sense of the dueling parts of his psyche. The social self that Jung refers to as “No. 1” is the bearer of light, and Jung realized that he must follow the lead of this self in order to obtain success: “I recognized clearly that my path led irrevocably outward, into the limitations and darkness of three-dimensionality. It seemed to me that Adam must once have left Paradise in this manner” (88). The other self is the