The Eden Project: In Search of the Magical Other (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysis, 79) Paperback – January 31, 1998

James Hollis has always reminded me of Dr Marcus Welby MD - his bedside manner is cool yet compassionate and he doesn't pull any punches!!This book takes a startling frank look at why we fail so often in finding "love," in finding our 'soulmate."Hollis doesn't sugar coat it - but if you can wrap your mind around the truth of his Jungian point of view....then maybe, just maybe, love *is* possible.His books are slim but dense reads. Mine our highlighted from start to finish. I believe him to be the top male Jungian writer living today. Truly a font of wisdom.Reading this book CHANGED MY LIFE. It opened the path for me to find a partnership of the depth and soul I had longed for. The work was mine to do - it involved changing my entire thinking about love but the results were worth it.I have bought multiple copies of this book - so that when a friend comes to me, devastated once again from the failure of a relationship or even marriage - I hand them a copy of The Eden Project and tell them if they are willing to do things differently - this book will help them find the path.

Most profound book I’ve read on relationships and the necessity for individuation.

Such an important book for anyone and everyone. It’s not styled like a “how to” book which I appreciate. It’s just breaking down to a very understandable and digestible level the inner workings of our psyches whilst in relationship. If we can get a better understanding of what projections truly are and how they impact us every day, I think we will all be far better off. We can live (and love) more authentically. What a gift this book is. I’ve recommended it to so many people now!

This book pairs nicely with some contemporary European Philosophy. I'm referring to Marcel, Marion et al. Under girding much of Hollis' work (and consequentially Jung) you can find contributions of and for phenomenology.Personally, as human grappling with modernity and relationships, this book was quite insightful. This is not a how to book, but rather, it is a paradigm book. By reading one may identify contemporary views of relationships, examine them, and then reconsider one's own paradigm.Hollis (or Jung) does indicates the search for the magical other begins after the child's conceived ownership of his/her mother is fractured. The child, through adolescence and adulthood, may then search for a magical other to fill the void. Hollis considers this subject and it's implications briefly, leaving room for the reader to draw his/hers own conclusions.

James Hollis is brilliant and a delight to read. He is a storyteller with a poetic style mixed with Jungian terminology. Hollis is not pretentious, I'd call him a straight shooter. This book helped me to understand how people can be in a relationship and still have personal growth. It provides context to the ideology of "going home" and steps to go beyond this to establish a meaningful relationship with the Other. Hollis warns it is not an easy path or a painless one, "Transformation is about enlargement, and enlargement generally comes only from suffering" (p. 85). Enlargement, the way Hollis presents it, is nothing to fear and everything to aspire to for a more meaningful life.

Thank you, James Hollis, for a book filled with deep insight, humor and compassion. This book is the antidote for the Dr. Phils of the world. It does not offer a single glib panacea for the troubles we all face with our relationships- especially the relationship we have with our own psyches.The Eden Project deals primarily with romantic relationships; how they begin, the power they hold over us, the work that must be done to create and maintain a balance between self and other. It is deep without being pedantic or opaque. Hollis' writing is concise and very readable. His model is the work of Carl Jung; the outlook and style is contemporary and practical. Where Jung can be difficult to decipher Hollis' meaning is always clear.The best compliment I can offer is that, after reading and studying The Eden Project, I went out and purchased multiple copies for friends and family. That is not something I've ever done before.

I have read this book a number of times and glean new wisdom every time. It explained every mystery of human relationship that has baffled me for 50 years. The insight I gained helps me understand other people as well as myself in both personal and professional relationships. Hollis can synthesize Jung better than any author or teacher working today, and uses literature and poetry which greatly enriches his writing. All of James Hollis books are exemplarary and I recommend them all. I have been fortunate enough to hear Hollis speak and he is even better in real life. Extremely wise and empathetic. I have also given this book as a gift to many of my friends and colleagues.I find the previous review very interesting and reveals more to me about the author of the review than this book!!

The Eden Project is an excellent and compelling read. Hollis shows how all ideas and perceptions of people are a projection in one way or another and also, the bigger the projection the bigger the disappointment which will follow. There is a lot of reality presented in this book. I felt stronger and better equipped in thinking about my relationships afterwards and not disappointed by such truths. Explaining our vulnerability in our quest for an 'Other', be it a person or a job to fill our void and sometimes unrealistic desire of happiness, didn't sway me from the quest in thinking it was pointless, but rather, gave me confidence in enriching and enhancing what I already have. I very much enjoyed his erudite style of writing. He presents the complexities of projection and transference is a relatable way. I very strongly recommend The Eden Project.