Reviews & Awards for The Unseen Partner

Awards

Finalist, Eric Hoffer Book Award

Winner, 60th New England Book Show

Winner, Nautilus Book Silver Award

Winner, Reader Views Literary Award

Winner, Next Generation Book Award

Reviews

"In the tradition of Jung’s Red Book and Edinger’s The Living Psyche, Diane Croft’s The Unseen Partner is a beautifully illustrated, gorgeously produced and deeply moving account of personal transformation. Croft’s presentation of her own visionary recital in the company of the invisible guide who dictated these poems will be inspiration and solace to all who find themselves suddenly strangers in the strange and often frightening realm of the autonomous psyche. We should be grateful for such a gift."

—Tom Cheetham, Ph.D., author of Imaginal Love: The Meanings of Imagination in Henry Corbin & James Hillman

"In The Unseen Partner, the vitality of the raw psyche is made visible through poetry, art, and action. I applaud the courage it took to give birth to this wonderful book."

—Russell Lockhart, Ph.D., Jungian analyst and author of Psyche Speaks

"We are in deep need of the wisdom that Croft brings us — her profound creative imagination ushers us into powerful experiences of synchronicity and awe.”

—Naomi Ruth Lowinsky, Jungian analyst and poetry editor of Psychological Perspectives

"Diane Croft has written a remarkable book. She integrates spontaneous unconscious experience with careful psychological research and deeply relevant artistic imagery. I recommend it."

—Thayer Greene, Ph.D., Jungian analyst and faculty member, C.G. Jung Institute, Boston

"The Unseen Partner is an extraordinary book, comparable in many ways to The Red Book of C.G. Jung. . . . Reading this book and experiencing its embrace was a privilege." Review in Quadrant XLVII

—Jane Selinske, Ed.D., LCSW, NCPsyA-LP, BC-MT, Jungian analyst & President of the Jung Foundation of New York

Croft has made the unconscious morally responsible through love—truly a heroine’s journey. Highly recommended." [read full review here]

—Amanda Butler, M.S., Jung Society of Utah

"The Unseen Partner is a poetic delight. It's a true expression of the relationship with the deep ground of being that Jung called the Self. I just love the whole book—it's a beautiful testament to the presence of spirit within each one of us."

—Anne Baring, Jungian analyst and author of The Dream of the Cosmos

"The Unseen Partner is a wonder of a book . . . thought-provoking, deeply profound, visually stunning, full of humanity, and above all, stirring. This book opens doors to mysteries we live close to but cannot always enter. Diane Croft is a pioneer in uniting poetic language and images with psychological insight and wisdom about love and life."

—David Rottman, past President and Chairman of the Board, C.G. Jung Foundation of New York

"This unusual combination of poems, images, and commentary tell a compelling story of creativity and individuation. Though her experiences are unique, Diane Croft gives us insight into the process of individuation and how modern-day egos might profitably relate to the voices of the unconscious."

—Jeffrey Raff, Ph.D., Jungian analyst and author of Jung and the Alchemical Imagination

"Croft carries forward the task—epitomized by C. G. Jung’s Red Book —to see the inner world’s dynamic presence. The Unseen Partner is a testament to its living reality."

—G. S. Bobroff, M.A., author of Crop Circles, Jung & the Reemergence of the Archetypal Feminine

"The Unseen Partner is not meant to be finished and done with—it invites you in and doesn’t let you go. Don’t turn a page until it turns you, and it will. This work makes the unseen visible in the mirror of your heart, which, if lost, you will find again between these covers."

—Zaman Stanizai, Ph.D., Professor of Mythological Studies, Pacifica Graduate Institute, California

. . . a well-written, profound and moving portrayal of a woman on a personal journey that transforms her life. The imagery is essential to the vibrancy of the work."

—Daryl Sharp, M.A., Jung Institute in Zurich

" . . . like Dante, Diane revives an old tradition among poets of the Middle Ages, namely, to create a poem and then offer a commentary on it in its suggestible nuances. Her implication toward the book's end is that individuation demands one become heretical; without it, one might just follow the path of another and so miss the true markings of his/her own original journey. What an entanglement of riches this book provides us."

—Dennis Patrick Slattery, Ph.D., Core Faculty, Mythological Studies, Pacifica Graduate Institute

" . . . absolutely beautiful — a tapestry of poetry, visual images (from a variety of sources and mediums), wonderful amplifications (thoughtful, sometimes funny, insightful, turning the academic into the colloquial), and quotations that are perfectly apt. Anyone who reads even the first few pages will want to continue reading this most unusual, very moving book."

 —Lyn Cowan, Ph.D., analytical psychologist and author of Tracking the White Rabbit

"I love this book! What Diane Croft has done is courageous and counter-cultural: she has shown us that our inexpressible desires not only originate in the unconscious but also move us toward fulfillment if we listen."

—Peggy Voth, MSW RSW, Jungian analyst in Calgary Alberta

"This is a gem of a book. There are layers and layers of meaning, imagery, revelation, weaved together through beautiful poetry, visual art, and interpretive discourse. Great for contemplation, it points unobtrusively the direction of your own path home."

—Yuliya Perch, MD, psychiatrist

"I could not recommend The Unseen Partner more highly . . . a most refreshing and artful contribution to the literature on Jungian psychology. I absolutely loved it!"

—Jean Raffa, Ed.D., author of Healing the Sacred Divide

"The poetry is evocative but mysterious . . . Croft applies a Jungian interpretation that gives us a very subtle picture of the individuation process."

—John Ryan Haule, Ph.D., Jungian analyst and author of Jung in the 21st Century

"The Unseen Partner is no ordinary poetry book. In fact, 'poetry book' falls short when used to describe it . . . I found this way of sharing insight mind blowing . . . a five-star must-read enlightening experience." [read full review here]

—Susan Violante for Reader Views

“I appreciate the beautiful and concise descriptions you wrote for the images in the braille edition. I’m sorry print readers don’t have access to them, but it’s nice to have been given something special, just for us.”

—David Goldstein, braille reader

"The Other whispers love songs to each of us, asking only that we respond. When I began reading Diane's meditations, the fabric of an unseen world tore wide open and I slipped in — breathless."

—Mary Harrell, Ph.D., Jungian psychotherapist and author of Imaginal Figures in Everyday Life

"A true voyage into the mystery and beauty and paradoxical nature of the unconscious."

—Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D., Sufi teacher and author

"The Unseen Partner is so beautiful it's hard to find words to reflect the heart and soul expressed in it . . . a wonderful testament to how others help lead us to the place we do not know, only to find the One who knows us."

—John Porterfield, MFT, Jungian analyst

"Diane Croft's book was beautifully written, deeply moving, and immensely challenging. . . a book I will return to over many years. Gaining an understanding of oneself is always beneficial. But it is even more helpful to provide a wider perspective on how one can accept others, as we are all variations on a theme, facets of the same jewel, and pieces of one great mosaic."

—Stephanie Pieck, Goodreads reviewer and braille reader

". . . beautifully crafted, haunting and enigmatic . . . an eerie, almost palpable sense of Something or Someone inhaling and exhaling slowly, perhaps ultimately over eons — a vast Presence breathing."

—Douglas M. Gillette, M.A.R.S. University of Chicago, Chicago Theological Seminary and author of At the Thresholds of Elysium