“I never realized what a very great man in spiritual dimensions Carl Jung was until, in 1961, I wrote him a very belated letter of gratitude for the part he had played in originating our Society of Alcoholics Anonymous.
This was the last year of Dr. Jung’s life. He was old. Nevertheless, he sat down and wrote me a letter. It looks like he tapped it out on a typewriter with one finger. It is one of my most cherished possessions. Lois framed it and it will always be with us.
We ought to note very carefully what Dr. Jung said in that letter, so obviously written in profound love and understanding—in the language of the heart. His insight into what was needed for recovery from alcoholism, an insight that came to me through Rowland and Ebby at a crucial point in my own deterioration, meant everything for AA when it was still in embryo. His humble willingness to speak the truth, even when it meant disclosing the limitations of his own art, gives the measure of the man.”
Language of the Heart, 1988 by AA Grapevine, Inc. p282 “Dr. Jung, Dr. Silkworth, and AA January 1968”. (The article comprised excerpts from Bill’s talk at his 33rd AA anniversary sponsored by New York City Intergroup.)
