Carl Jung’s Near-Death Experience & Marie-Louise von Franz on the Mystery of Death-Dreams

Jung suffered a serious illness (described as an 'arrow' attack on all sides) that nearly succeeded in wiping him off the slate, from which he recovered very slowly; his head remained unharmed, allowing him to continue scientific work.

“As you know, the angel of death has struck me down too and almost succeeded in wiping me off the slate. I have been practically an invalid ever since, recovering very, very slowly from all the arrows that have pierced me on all sides. Fortunately, my head has not suffered, and I could forget myself in my scientific work.”

Death from the external perspective appears terrifying and final, but once inside the death experience, one encounters such completeness, peace, and fulfillment that one does not want to return to the 'fragmentary, restricted, narrow, almost mechanical life' of physical existence with its laws of gravity, cohesion, and three-dimensional imprisonment.

“Death is the hardest thing from the outside and as long as we are outside of it. But once inside, you taste of such completeness, peace, and fulfillment that you don't want to return. As a matter of fact, during the first month after my first vision, I suffered from black depressions because I felt that I was recovering. It was like dying. I did not want to live and return to this fragmentary, restricted, narrow, almost mechanical life, where you were subject to the laws of gravity and cohesion, imprisoned in a system of three dimensions, whirled along with other bodies in the turbulent stream of time.”

Jung recognizes that life has become 'provisional' and 'a transitory prejudice, a working hypothesis for the time being,' no longer constituting existence itself, allowing him to approach his death with patient acceptance as 'another difficult task—this time, the last one.'

“But life has fortunately become provisional. It has become a transitory prejudice, a working hypothesis for the time being, but not existence itself. Be patient and regard it as another difficult task—this time, the last one.”

Jung was marked by his illness as approaching death ('I am marked'), yet his near-death vision provided proof that he had 'reached a safe ground' and that 'my feet were not standing on air,' indicating that the transcendent experience gave him existential grounding and protection.

“I will not last too long anymore. I am marked. But life has fortunately become provisional. It has become a transitory prejudice, a working hypothesis for the time being, but not existence itself. Throughout my illness, something has carried me. My feet were not standing on air, and I had the proof that I have reached a safe ground.”

A fundamental open question remains unresolved: whether the continuation of consciousness after death is impersonal and general, or whether personal individual identity persists; evidence from terminal dreams is contradictory, with some dreams suggesting the life process continues without the ego, while other dreams indicate conscious individual identity continues.

“The question I would not dare to answer univocally is: Does life go on impersonally, or does the personal, individual identity go on? There are contradictory documents in that way. For instance, if you take the dream of that tree, you can say: 'Yes, the life process of that man is going on, but not his ego—he himself is no longer around.' On the contrary, there are other dreams which point to the fact that even the conscious identity goes on.”

Jung describes death as the hardest thing to approach from outside of it, but once inside the experience, one tastes completeness, peace, and fulfillment so profound that one does not want to return to embodied life.

“Death is the hardest thing from the outside and as long as we are outside of it. But once inside, you taste of such completeness, peace, and fulfillment that you don't want to return.”

The spirit of modern Western culture regards death as the ultimate terror—a final dissolution and complete loss of meaning—in contrast to historical and cross-cultural understandings of death as an opening or initiation into another realm.

“The spirit of our time sees death as the ultimate terror— a final dissolution and the loss of all meaning. Yet many who have brushed against death describe an awe-inspiring encounter with a divine reality that transcends our physical existence. Throughout history, cultures have understood death not as an end, but as an opening— an initiation into another realm, a natural and necessary transition on our soul's journey.”

The archetypal motifs appearing in the dreams of dying people across von Franz's case studies match the same archetypal patterns found in death rituals and afterlife beliefs across diverse human cultures and historical periods.

“Generally, they contain the same archetypal motifs that comparative ethnology has found in death rituals and beliefs about life after death in different human populations. That it is a rebirth. That it is a long, long journey into another country. That it is a transformation. That it is a partial destruction, but something survives. And so on.”

Dreams of dying people do not characteristically contain imagery of death itself, but rather depict archetypal transition motifs such as journeys requiring preparation, passages through dark tunnels leading to rebirth, or encounters with beloved partners symbolizing marriage with one's inner other half.

“The dreams of dying people are not about death, but generally about either a journey—they have to get ready for a journey, or they have to go through a dark tunnel and be reborn into another world. Or they have to go through a disagreeable darkness, a dark cloud, to come out in another space. Or they are going to finally meet their beloved partner—that's the famous motif of death as a marriage, a marriage with one's own other inner half.”

Many people dismiss dying people's terminal dreams as 'mere wishful thinking' or wish-fulfillments, but the dreams often contain unsentimentally realistic imagery of death (e.g., the flickering candle going out) while simultaneously affirming continuation in another medium, indicating they are not primarily compensatory fantasies but genuine communications from the psyche.

“Many people to whom I have told such dreams objected: 'That is wishful thinking; the dreams are wish fulfillments.' But I don't believe that. Because, as you see from the dream of the decaying horse, nature does say—the end is coming. Quite unsentimentally. And the flickering candle does go out, in that old woman's dream. But at the same time, the dream says: Yes, something is coming to an end, but something in another medium is going on.”

While one cannot be absolutely certain from dreams alone whether a person will imminently die, one can be certain that death dreams indicate the dreamer must face death consciously and confront the reality that their life might end, representing a 'salutary shock' that can catalyze profound life changes.

“She had a terrible shock from that, and pulled up her socks and faced her problem—she had a problem she hadn't faced. I can only say: she's still alive after fifteen years. So, she had death dreams to give her a death shock. But it was like this—she could have died, and she could have not died. Out of the shock, she chose to live. Since I have experienced that, I would say: even if people have death dreams, it might only mean that they should face death. It doesn't mean that it will actually happen. But it certainly means they must face it.”

Based on her experience with dying patients' dreams, von Franz does not claim to 'believe in' life after death with certainty, but rather concludes that 'it seems to me, from the dreams, that there is a life after death,' because dreams do not cheat or serve as wish-fulfillments, indicating some aspect of consciousness continues.

“I wouldn't say, 'I believe in it'—that is a bit too strong. I would say: it seems to me, from the dreams, that there is a life after death. And because I think that dreams do not cheat and are not wish fulfillments, there must be something going on. There must be an aspect of life or the psyche going on.”

The prerequisite for accessing the transcendent reality Jung experienced in his near-death vision is to surrender the 'crazy will to live' and ego-will; when one 'seemingly falls into a bottomless mist,' the 'truly real life begins—with everything you were meant to be but never reached,' a state of complete freedom and wholeness previously inaccessible.

“The only difficulty is to get rid of the body, to become naked and void of the world and the ego-will. When you can give up the crazy will to live, and when you seemingly fall into a bottomless mist, then the truly real life begins—with everything you were meant to be but never reached. It is something ineffably grand. I was free, completely free and whole, as I never felt before.”

When dying people are strongly identified with their physical body and therefore believe that the body's death means the end of all existence, they often experience dreams that attempt to psychologically detach them from exclusive identification with the bodily form.

“Or they have to finally meet their beloved partner—that's the famous motif of death as a marriage, a marriage with one's own other inner half. Or they dream about, when they are worried—when they are strongly identified with their body and therefore inclined to think that when the body is finished, everything is finished. Then, they have dreams which try to detach them from the body.”

A dying cavalry officer dreamed of a soldier showing him his horse's decaying corpse; Jung interpreted this as the unconscious communicating that the physical warm-blooded body would die, but that the essential 'I' observing the corpse would persist.

“I remember, for instance, the dream of a man who dreamed just before he died— he was a cavalierist, and his soldier came and said, 'Officer, look at what I have to show you.' And he showed him the decaying corpse of his horse. Jung interpreted that as saying: 'The warm-blooded animal which you are is going to die. That's what's going to happen to it. But it's not you. It's only the warm-blooded animal body which is going to decay, but not you yourself.' Because he was looking at the corpse of the horse— he was still there.”

Death dreams do not necessarily predict actual death; rather, they signal that a person must face and confront their mortality and the possibility of death—a psychological-spiritual necessity that can lead to either continued living (with transformation) or actual death.

“Even if people have death dreams, it might only mean that they should face death. It doesn't mean that it will actually happen. But it certainly means they must face it. They must come into a naked confrontation with the fact that their life might come to an end. Yet, if that can give them a salutary shock and they continue to live— or if it actually means now it is finished— that, I would never dare to say before the end has come.”

When dying people are strongly identified with their body and fear that bodily death means complete annihilation, their dreams shift to symbolic content designed to detach them from physical identification and suggest survival beyond bodily dissolution.

“Or they are going to finally meet their beloved partner— that's the famous motif of death as a marriage, a marriage with one's own other inner half. Or they dream about, when they are worried— when they are strongly identified with their body and therefore inclined to think that when the body is finished, everything is finished. Then, they have dreams which try to detach them from the body.”

Dreams of dying people are not directly about death itself, but instead use symbolic narratives about journeys, passages through darkness, rebirth, meeting beloved partners, or detachment from the body to represent the transition process.

“The dreams of dying people are not about death, but generally about either a journey— they have to get ready for a journey, or they have to go through a dark tunnel and be reborn into another world. Or they have to go through a disagreeable darkness, a dark cloud, to come out in another space. Or they are going to finally meet their beloved partner— that's the famous motif of death as a marriage, a marriage with one's own other inner half.”

Critics objected to Von Franz's interpretations of dying dreams by claiming they represent mere wish-fulfillment, but Von Franz disputes this by noting that dying dreams also contain harsh, unsentimental messages about actual death, not only comforting reassurance.

“Many people to whom I have told such dreams objected: 'That is wishful thinking; the dreams are wish fulfillments.' But I don't believe that. Because, as you see from the dream of the decaying horse, nature does say— the end is coming. Quite unsentimentally. And the flickering candle does go out, in that old woman's dream. But at the same time, the dream says: Yes, something is coming to an end, but something in another medium is going on.”

A dying woman dreamed of a burning candle on a windowsill that flickered and seemed to go out, triggering panic about 'the great darkness,' but then the candle appeared outside the window (beyond the threshold), large and burning steadily again; she died four hours later comforted by this dream, which symbolized the continuation of her life in another medium.

“And she told the nurse in the morning after breakfast, 'Tonight, I had a strange dream. I dreamed that there was a candle on the windowsill, and it was slowly burning down. It began to flicker, and I had a panic, and I thought, 'My God, now the great darkness is coming! The great darkness is coming!' And then, suddenly, there was a change. The candle was outside the windowsill, on the outer part of the window, and it was big and burning quietly again.' Four hours after that dream, she died.”

Sometimes there is an 'uncanny smell' or intuitive feeling around certain death dreams where one senses they forebode actual death, but this is a parapsychological or mediumistic intuitive feeling rather than a scientifically explicable phenomenon.

“But there is sometimes a kind of uncanny smell around certain dreams— where one has a feeling that they forebode death. But that is more of a parapsychological, mediumistic feeling one has about it. Scientifically, I couldn't give any reasons why that dream means actual death and another dream means only the problem of death.”

A woman with metastatic cancer everywhere had shocking death dreams (watch stopped and couldn't be repaired, favorite tree felled), which she correctly interpreted as signaling her illness outcome, but the shock of the dreams motivated her to face her underlying psychological problem she hadn't confronted; she survived 15 years and is still alive.

“Once, I had, for instance, the experience of a woman who consulted me, and she had cancer everywhere— metastases all over the body. And she had shocking death dreams. She dreamed that her watch had stopped. She brought it to the watchmaker, and he said, 'It can't be repaired anymore.' She saw her favorite tree felled in the garden. It was gone. I didn't even interpret the dreams to her. She said to me, sadly, 'That clearly says the outcome of my illness,' while her doctors told her, 'You'll be better, it'll be all right,' and so on, in the usual way. But she was sure. She had a terrible shock from that, and pulled up her socks and faced her problem— she had a problem she hadn't faced. I can only say: she's still alive after fifteen years.”

Many psychological schools and therapists no longer work with dying or elderly patients because they assume such people have nothing to adapt to in life, failing to recognize that dream analysis and psychological support provide genuine comfort and preparation for death.

“Many psychological schools don't bother anymore with old or dying people because they think they have nothing to adapt to life anymore. What about sex problems when you are on your deathbed? It's no longer something you can deal with. But you can see that the voice of nature, the voice of instinct—which are the dreams—help the people to die in peace and to comfort them.”

Jung recovered from his near-death experience with the conviction that whatever sincere action one undertakes 'will eventually become the bridge to your wholeness, a good ship that carries you through the darkness of your second birth, which seems to be death to the outside.'

“Whatever you do, if you do it sincerely, will eventually become the bridge to your wholeness, a good ship that carries you through the darkness of your second birth, which seems to be death to the outside.”

Based on her experience with dreams, Von Franz believes that dreams do not cheat and are not mere wish-fulfillments, so if dying people's dreams point toward life after death, there must be something of life or consciousness continuing after death.

“Based on your experience of dreams, do you believe in life after death? I wouldn't say, 'I believe in it'— that is a bit too strong. I would say: it seems to me, from the dreams, that there is a life after death. And because I think that dreams do not cheat and are not wish fulfillments, there must be something going on. There must be an aspect of life or the psyche going on.”

Modern Western culture views death as the ultimate terror and final dissolution of meaning, in contrast to many historical and non-Western cultures that understood death as a natural transition and opening into another realm.

“The spirit of our time sees death as the ultimate terror— a final dissolution and the loss of all meaning. Yet many who have brushed against death describe an awe-inspiring encounter with a divine reality that transcends our physical existence. Throughout history, cultures have understood death not as an end, but as an opening— an initiation into another realm, a natural and necessary transition on our soul's journey.”

Dreams of dying people consistently contain the same archetypal motifs found across different human cultures' death rituals and afterlife beliefs: rebirth, long journeys into another realm, transformation, partial destruction with survival, and others, suggesting a universal psychological response to approaching death.

“Generally, they contain the same archetypal motifs that comparative ethnology has found in death rituals and beliefs about life after death in different human populations. That it is a rebirth. That it is a long, long journey into another country. That it is a transformation. That it is a partial destruction, but something survives. And so on.”

It is worthwhile to continue psychological analysis and dream work with dying and elderly people, contrary to the practice of many psychological schools that dismiss them as having nothing to adapt to in life anymore.

“That's why it is very, very worthwhile to continue analysis with dying people. Many psychological schools don't bother anymore with old or dying people because they think they have nothing to adapt to life anymore.”

When one can relinquish the crazy will to live and surrender into seeming bottomless mist, then the truly real life begins—a life with everything one was meant to be but never reached in embodied existence.

“When you can give up the crazy will to live, and when you seemingly fall into a bottomless mist, then the truly real life begins— with everything you were meant to be but never reached.”

A gruesome or unsettling physical sensation can occur when hearing certain death dreams, which comes from the nervous system's sympathetic response and seems to indicate that 'this really means death,' though this cannot be proven scientifically.

“Sometimes, one gets a gruesome shiver when people tell you a death dream. And then it's as if your nervous sympathetic system would say: 'Watch out, this really means death.'”

A dying cavalryman dreamed of a soldier showing him his dead horse's decaying corpse; Jung interpreted this as the psyche's symbolic communication that 'the warm-blooded animal which you are is going to die,' but that 'it's not you'—the dreamer remained as witness to the body's decay, indicating the dreamer's essential identity transcends the physical form.

“I remember, for instance, the dream of a man who dreamed just before he died—he was a cavalierist, and his soldier came and said, 'Officer, look at what I have to show you.' And he showed him the decaying corpse of his horse. Jung interpreted that as saying: 'The warm-blooded animal which you are is going to die. That's what's going to happen to it. But it's not you. It's only the warm-blooded animal body which is going to decay, but not you yourself.' Because he was looking at the corpse of the horse—he was still there.”

A dying woman dreamed of a candle on a windowsill burning down and flickering, accompanied by panic about 'the great darkness coming,' but then the candle appeared on the outer side of the window, enlarged and burning steadily; she died four hours later, and the dream symbolized that her individual life would continue in another medium beyond a threshold, with the window representing an isolating boundary between dimensions.

“And she told the nurse in the morning after breakfast, 'Tonight, I had a strange dream. I dreamed that there was a candle on the windowsill, and it was slowly burning down. It began to flicker, and I had a panic, and I thought, 'My God, now the great darkness is coming! The great darkness is coming!' And then, suddenly, there was a change. The candle was outside the windowsill, on the outer part of the window, and it was big and burning quietly again.' Four hours after that dream, she died. The dream seems to tell her: Yes, the candle of your life is flickering. It's going out, but it will continue in another medium beyond a certain threshold.”

Jung experienced a profound near-death vision in which he found himself 15,000 km above the earth, viewing it as an immense resplendent globe in beautiful blue light, with India shining below in bluish-silvery light and Ceylon appearing as a shimmering opal, and he approached a solitary rock temple illuminated by a thousand coconut oil flames where he would receive full knowledge.

“I found myself 15,000 km from the earth, and I saw it as an immense globe, resplendent in an inexpressibly beautiful blue light. I was on a point exactly above the southern end of India, which shone in a bluish-silvery light, with Ceylon like a shimmering opal in the deep blue sea. I was in the universe, where there was a big solitary rock containing a temple. I saw its entrance illuminated by a thousand small flames of coconut oil. I knew I was to enter the temple, and I would reach full knowledge.”

During Jung's near-death vision, a messenger from the material world arrived and informed him he was not permitted to depart, at which moment the vision collapsed completely; however, for three weeks afterward he slept normally each night but remained wakefully conscious in the transcendent universe, experiencing the complete vision of the Hierosgamos (sacred marriage) in a silent, invisible festival permeated by incomparable eternal bliss.

“But at this moment, a messenger from the world (which by then was a very insignificant corner of the universe) arrived and said that I was not allowed to depart. And at this moment, the whole vision collapsed completely. But from then on, for three weeks, I slept, and was wakeful each night in the universe, experiencing the complete vision. Not I was united with somebody or something—it was united. It was the Hierosgamos, the mystic Agnus. It was a silent, invisible festival, permeated by an incomparable, indescribable feeling of eternal bliss, such as I never could have imagined as being within reach of human experience.”

Jung experienced a state during his illness where he felt completely free, whole, and unbound as he had never felt before—a freedom that transcended his ordinary sense of self.

“It is something ineffably grand. I was free, completely free and whole, as I never felt before.”

Some dreams can signal that a person is approaching actual death, but it is impossible to be completely certain of this before the person actually dies, since continuation beyond the dream is always possible.

“Are there dreams that say a person is actually going to die? Until they are actually dead, you are never quite sure.”

The dying woman was comforted by her candle-and-window dream without consciously understanding its symbolic meaning, which is characteristic of how terminal patients respond to archetypal dream content.

“She was very comforted by the dream without understanding it. And that is a typical dream of a dying person.”

The window in the dying woman's candle dream represents an isolating threshold between realms, symbolizing that the life process continues but in a different sphere beyond the physical boundary.

“The window would be an isolating threshold— it is going on in another sphere. That very same life is going on.”

Within Jung's vision, there was a big solitary rock containing a temple with entrance illuminated by a thousand small flames of coconut oil, which he recognized as a destination he was meant to enter where he would reach full knowledge.

“I was in the universe, where there was a big solitary rock containing a temple. I saw its entrance illuminated by a thousand small flames of coconut oil. I knew I was to enter the temple, and I would reach full knowledge.”

A man dreamed he saw an abyss with a large tree at its border losing its roots and falling during an earthquake, but at the moment of falling, the tree began to hover in midair and continued to exist without earth-roots, symbolizing that the life process continues in another medium after loss of earthly contact.

“For instance, I remember another dream, which has been published by a medical doctor, of a man who dreamed that he saw an abyss. At the border of the abyss was growing a big tree. And the tree was slowly losing its roots and having its roots in midair. And suddenly, there was an earthquake, and the tree was falling down. And he thought, 'That's the end!' And at that moment, the tree began to hover in midair and to continue to exist— in midair, without having roots in the earth— just growing on.”

The voice of nature and instinct, as expressed through dreams, helps dying people to die in peace and provides comfort, contrasting with the lack of attention to this in conventional psychological practice.

“But you can see that the voice of nature, the voice of instinct— which are the dreams— help the people to die in peace and to comfort them.”

The tree dream can be interpreted to suggest that while the life process continues, the individual ego-consciousness may not persist; in contrast, other dreams point to the continuation of individual conscious identity.

“For instance, if you take the dream of that tree, you can say: 'Yes, the life process of that man is going on, but not his ego— he himself is no longer around.' On the contrary, there are other dreams which point to the fact that even the conscious identity goes on.”

At the moment Jung was about to enter the temple and achieve full knowledge, a messenger from the earthly world arrived saying he was not allowed to depart; the entire vision then collapsed, and Jung was pulled back to embodied existence.

“But at this moment, a messenger from the world (which by then was a very insignificant corner of the universe) arrived and said that I was not allowed to depart. And at this moment, the whole vision collapsed completely.”

Jung perceived himself located 15,000 kilometers from the earth, observing it as an immense globe resplendent in inexpressibly beautiful blue light, positioned above the southern end of India, which shone in a bluish-silvery light with Ceylon appearing like a shimmering opal in the deep blue sea.

“I found myself 15,000 km from the earth, and I saw it as an immense globe, resplendent in an inexpressibly beautiful blue light. I was on a point exactly above the southern end of India, which shone in a bluish-silvery light, with Ceylon like a shimmering opal in the deep blue sea.”

Jung states he will not last much longer, indicating he is marked (by illness/death), but also asserts that life has become provisional—a transitory prejudice and working hypothesis rather than existence itself.

“I will not last too long anymore. I am marked. But life has fortunately become provisional. It has become a transitory prejudice, a working hypothesis for the time being, but not existence itself.”

During the first month after his initial vision, Jung suffered black depressions because his recovery meant returning to embodied existence, which he experienced as a kind of dying—the diminishment from the transcendent state back to fragmentary, restricted, narrow, almost mechanical life.

“As a matter of fact, during the first month after my first vision, I suffered from black depressions because I felt that I was recovering. It was like dying. I did not want to live and return to this fragmentary, restricted, narrow, almost mechanical life, where you were subject to the laws of gravity and cohesion, imprisoned in a system of three dimensions, whirled along with other bodies in the turbulent stream of time.”

Jung advises his friend to be patient and regard terminal illness as another difficult task—the last one—to be undertaken with the same sincerity and commitment one would bring to other life challenges.

“Be patient and regard it as another difficult task— this time, the last one.”

Whatever one does sincerely will eventually become a bridge to wholeness and a good ship that carries one through the darkness of one's second birth, which appears as death to external observers.

“Whatever you do, if you do it sincerely, will eventually become the bridge to your wholeness, a good ship that carries you through the darkness of your second birth, which seems to be death to the outside.”

Death dreams sometimes carry an 'uncanny smell' or intuitive quality that suggests they forebode actual imminent death, a parapsychological or mediumistic feeling that may carry real information, though this cannot be explained scientifically and remains subjective.

“But there is sometimes a kind of uncanny smell around certain dreams—where one has a feeling that they forebode death. But that is more of a parapsychological, mediumistic feeling one has about it. Scientifically, I couldn't give any reasons why that dream means actual death and another dream means only the problem of death. Sometimes, one gets a gruesome shiver when people tell you a death dream. And then it's as if your nervous sympathetic system would say: 'Watch out, this really means death.'”

The core message of most dreams of dying people is that the life process continues in another medium beyond physical death.

“And that's the gist of most dreams of dying people.”

Jung's illness proved to be valuable because it gave him a rare glimpse behind the veil of ordinary existence, suggesting near-death experience can offer insight into deeper realities beyond the mundane world.

“On the whole, my illness proved to be valuable, giving me a rare glimpse behind the veil.”

After the collapse of his initial vision, Jung slept for three weeks and experienced the complete vision nightly while awake in the universe, participating in the Hierosgamos (mystical union), a silent invisible festival permeated by incomparable eternal bliss beyond human imagination.

“But from then on, for three weeks, I slept, and was wakeful each night in the universe, experiencing the complete vision. Not I was united with somebody or something— it was united. It was the Hierosgamos, the mystic Agnus. It was a silent, invisible festival, permeated by an incomparable, indescribable feeling of eternal bliss, such as I never could have imagined as being within reach of human experience.”

The unconscious message in the tree-hovering dream is that the life process is losing only its contact with earthly reality, but the process of living itself continues in another medium.

“As if the unconscious would say: 'Your tree of life is losing only its contact with earthly reality, but it's not dying. The life process is going on in another medium.'”

Throughout his illness, Jung experienced something carrying him, providing assurance that his feet were not standing on air, and he had proof that he had reached a safe ground—suggesting spiritual or psychological support during his ordeal.

“Throughout my illness, something has carried me. My feet were not standing on air, and I had the proof that I have reached a safe ground.”

Embodied existence is characterized by subjection to the laws of gravity and cohesion, imprisonment in a three-dimensional system, and being whirled along with other bodies in the turbulent stream of time—constraints absent in the transcendent state.

“I did not want to live and return to this fragmentary, restricted, narrow, almost mechanical life, where you were subject to the laws of gravity and cohesion, imprisoned in a system of three dimensions, whirled along with other bodies in the turbulent stream of time.”

Von Franz remains uncertain whether the continuation of life after death is impersonal or whether personal individual identity persists, as different dreams and spiritual documents present contradictory evidence.

“The question I would not dare to answer univocally is: Does life go on impersonally, or does the personal, individual identity go on? There are contradictory documents in that way.”

The primary difficulty in the transition toward death is getting rid of the body and becoming naked and void of the world and the ego-will—the necessary shedding of physical attachment and personal will.

“The only difficulty is to get rid of the body, to become naked and void of the world and the ego-will.”