One of Carl Jung's major contributions was exploration of that ancient philosophy called symbolism and symbolism's contemporary expression through symbols. Now, almost half a century after his death, it's ironic that Jung's life is beginning to merge with the target of its lifelong exploration, and, starting to become a symbol itself.

One of Carl Jung's major contributions was exploration of that ancient philosophy called symbolism and symbolism's contemporary expression through symbols. Now, almost half a century after his death, it's ironic that Jung's life is beginning to merge with the target of its lifelong exploration, and, starting to become a symbol itself.

Jung once remarked "Eternal truth needs a human language that alters with the spirit of the times." And so too has the "truth" of Jung's life ? perhaps one of the most symbolic ever lived ? needed (and received) various interpretations that have altered with the spirit of the times.

A major part of these interpretations have come from that particular literary genre called biography. The biographer's task is always a difficult proposition. As Virginia Woolf lamented "How can one make a life out of six cardboard boxes full of tailors' bills, love letters and old picture postcards?"

Constructing a biography of Jung has proven substantially more difficult than making a life out of "six cardboard boxes." For one thing, there is the sprawling substance, the vast quantity far greater than Woolf's "six cardboard boxes." But more than this are the paradoxes and circular paths that coil back into themselves. Even for those who have a good understanding of the basic structure of the Jungian edifice, some rooms within still remain locked or inaccessible ? their contents removed from inquiry, protected by that particular few who keep watch over a particular version of the Jungian legend. Or if not locked away, lost forever with the deaths of those who personally knew Jung. There is also the habit of various groups and movements over the years to appropriate Jung for their own purposes.