Sufi Mysticism and Jungian Psychology: Individuation, Self-realization, Higher Consciousness

by Karin Jironet

Overview

This fascinating new book is a unique and ground-breaking exploration of both Carl Gustav Jung's psychology and Hazrat Inayat Khan's Sufism.

The vast worlds of Sufi self-realization and the Jungian individuation process are brought together in this in-depth study. Drawing on Carl Jung’s analytical psychology and Inayat Khan’s teachings on the path of the heart, and culminating in an imagined encounter between Jung and Inayat Khan, the book traces shared themes such as imagination, purification, alchemy, music, the awakening of the senses and love. It reveals how both thinkers respond to the human longing for inner unity and higher meaning in a fragmented world, and their dialogue—joined by echoes of Rilke, Nietzsche, and others—brings abstract ideas to life. Apart from theoretical underpinnings, the reader is also invited to learn about these often well-guarded methods, practices and disciplines.

A compelling blend of scholarship and creativity, Sufi scholars and Jungian psychoanalysts will find this a mutually enriching and indispensable guide for psycho-spiritual development.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040706091
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/29/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	150

About the Author

Karin Jironet, PhD, is a Sufi Murshida and Jungian psychoanalyst, as well as a business and personal leadership development mentor and strategic advisor. Working globally, she guides individuals and organizations in the articulation of consciousness and the cultivation of purposeful presence. She owns private psychotherapy practices in the Netherlands and Italy.

Table of Contents

1. The Call For Consciousness: Bridging East and West 2. A Phenomenological Approach to Analytical Psychology and Sufi Mysticism 3. Carl Gustav Jung: Biography and Main Life Events 4. Individuation : A Lifelong Journey 5. Hazrat Inayat Khan: Biography and Main Life Events 6. Self-Realization : The Path to The Divine 7. An Envisioned Dialogue: Where the Two Seas Meet 8. Convergence and Divergence at the Suez Delta 9. Carl Jung and Inayat Khan in a World in Crisis 10. Epilogue

Editorial Reviews

'Sufi Mysticism and Jungian Psychology is a valuable contribution to the ongoing dialogue between Jungian psychology and the world’s spiritual traditions, in this case Sufism. Karin Jironet brings many years of study and experience to this work. Her sterling qualifications should give confidence to readers that they are in the sure hands of a most competent interpreter and guide. In these pages, the sea of deep scholarship meets the sea of elevated inspiration. The combination is fresh and exhilarating.'

Murray Stein, Ph.D., author of Jung’s Map of the Soul

'Carl Jung and Inayat Khan apparently never met, but there are remarkable convergences and complementarities between their bodies of work. In this volume, the minds of these two great thinkers of the early twentieth century are brought into dynamic dialogue. The result is a delightful and inspiring exploration of the generative nexus where psychology and mysticism intersect.'

Pir Zia Inayat Khan, author of Tears from the Mother of the Sun

'This book is a confluence of two sacred streams. Here we experience the meeting of spiritual and psychological. It is a meeting of the East and the West and a meeting of science and wisdom. In a world of confusion and conflicts such synthesis is urgently needed. Karin Jironet has masterfully woven together these two great traditions represented by Carl Jung and Hazrat Inayat Khan, to help readers to understand and embrace a new worldview rooted in harmony and love. Congratulations to Karin Jironet for writing this timely and inspiring book. May it help to bring the birth of a new consciousness.'

Satish Kumar, Editor Emeritus, Resurgence and Ecologist

'A lifetime of research and practice culminates in this passionate and insightful new study by psychoanalyst and religious scholar Karin Jironet, who creates a compelling cross-cultural dialogue between Carl Gustav Jung and Hazrat Inayat Khan on the nature of self and consciousness against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world.'

Prof. dr. Gerard Wiegers, History and Comparative Study of Religions. Chair Religious Studies and History of Hermetic Philosophy, University of Amsterdam

'How does psychosocial development evolve, and how is consciousness formed? The author explores these questions by comparing the Sufi mysticism of Hazrat Inayat Khan with the psychoanalysis of Carl Gustav Jung. In both traditions, lived experience is central. These experiences reflect the historical moment in which people live. As such, the book offers profound insight into individuation and self-realization and also into the evolution of the spirit of the age. Both thinkers lived in a time of unstable structures that called for renewal from within. For this reason, the book is particularly relevant for our own time.'

Dr. G.P.P. van Tillo, Professor Emeritus of the Sociology of Religion, University of Amsterdam

'C.G. Jung’s encounter in the Red Book with Izdubar, the “man from the East,” “he, from the light; I, from the darkness,” was fateful for him. Karin Jironet’s book sheds light on the encounter between East and West by comparing Inayat Khan’s Sufism with Jung’s Analytical Psychology. Both faced the challenge of reconciling Eastern spiritual traditions with Western rationalism, recognizing that the collapse of outer structures in our world calls for an inner renewal. A valuable contribution to the dialogue!'

Dr. Andreas Schweizer, Past President of the Psychology Club, Zurich

'Jung only had a limited connection with Sufism, and none with Hazrat Inayat Khan. Jironet’s previous work and now this book, bring the parallels between them alive, adding a greater dimension to the concept of individuation and its goal of the realization of the Self, a tradition refined in Sufism over 1,300 years that Hazrat Inayat Khan brought to the West.'

Leslie Stein, Jungian Analyst, The University of Sydney

'Karin Jironet has written a powerful new book that will deeply impact people who are on a quest for deeper meaning in their lives. By creating an imaginary dialogue between Carl Jung and Hazrat Inayat Khan, two of the finest minds of our world, she has enabled us to source rich insights for our lives. Carl Jung’s work helps us to appreciate what truly matters to us and make sense of all rituals, myths, stories that have shaped us.

Inayat Khan helps us to prepare for the inner journey beyond ego-centric desires and the limitations of senses, mind, and intellect to the Silence within- the consciousness that is all pervading in the universe. If Jung is helping us to interpret our dreams and delve into the unconscious, Inayat Khan is taking us on a journey of self-realization and appreciating the role of divine music that nourishes our soul. Karin writes with freedom and creativity, and her work will set us on a path to source deep inspiration that will make us all ‘rise’ in love for serving the well-being of all by discovering our paths of deep meaning, peace and harmony.'

Anil Sachdev, Founder and Chairman of the School of Inspired Leadership, New Delhi

From the Publisher