The Divine Mind: Exploring the Psychological History of God’s Inner Journey

This book tells the story of God’s inner journey as reflected in the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Who he originally was-a God tormented and divided against himself and humanity-and who he became involves a journey from affliction to redemption, from trauma to enlightenment. Michael Gellert, a Jungian psychoanalyst, maps three historical stages that depict the unfolding of this story. He begins with the Hebrew Bible (all or most of which is accepted by all three Abrahamic religions); then progresses to the Talmud, New Testament, Qur'an, and Gnostic literature; and concludes with the writings of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic mystics.

The author argues that the religious experiences and ideas that convey this story must be seen as psychological facts-as expressions of the human psyche-regardless of whether or not God actually exists. He notes that God’s inner journey parallels the evolution of human consciousness. In the Hebrew Bible he is presented as a primitive, barbaric tribal war god. By the Middle Ages, the mystics of all three Abrahamic traditions encounter him no longer as a projected external image but as their own innermost essence. All conceptions of God seem to dissolve in their writings. The three stages of God’s development are thus both historical and psychological. In this way his inner journey offers us a metaphor for our own.

Rich in historical detail and profound psychological insights, this is a book that will be welcomed by seekers of every background and orientation.