The Philosopher of the Angel

In the modern West, we tend to divide the world into two: the “real” (matter, science, atoms) and the “imaginary” (fantasy, dreams, nothing). Henry Corbin (1903–1978) shattered this binary. A French philosopher and Islamicist, Corbin argued that between the sensory world and the intellectual world lies a third realm: the Mundus Imaginalis (Imaginal World).

This is not a world of “make-believe.” It is a world of ontological reality—the place where the soul encounters the sacred. Corbin’s work is essential for depth psychology because he provides the metaphysical geography for what Jung called the Active Imagination. He teaches us that when we close our eyes and visualize, we are not just “inside our heads”; we are traveling.

Biography & Timeline: Henry Corbin

Born in Paris, Corbin was a student of Etienne Gilson and Louis Massignon. He was the first person to translate Heidegger into French, but his spiritual home was not German existentialism—it was Iranian mysticism. He spent years in Tehran, studying the works of Suhrawardi, Ibn ‘Arabi, and the Ismaili gnosis.

He was a regular attendee of the Eranos Conferences in Ascona, Switzerland, where he formed a deep intellectual friendship with Carl Jung. Jung provided the psychology; Corbin provided the theology. Together, they mapped the soul’s journey not as a cure for neurosis, but as a return to the divine.

Key Milestones in the Life of Henry Corbin

Major Concepts: The Mundus Imaginalis

Imaginary vs. Imaginal

Corbin fought to distinguish the “imaginary” (unreal, fantasy) from the “imaginal” (real, symbolic).

The Imaginal Realm: This is the “inter-world” (barzakh) where spiritual realities take on form and material realities are spiritualized. It is the place of prophecy, dreams, and visions. In therapy, this validates the client’s inner world. A dream figure is not just a “part of the self”; it is an autonomous entity in the imaginal realm.

The Angel of the Self

Drawing on Avicenna and Suhrawardi, Corbin wrote extensively about the “Celestial Twin” or the “Angel.” He argued that individuation is the process of the earthly soul meeting its heavenly counterpart. We are not complete until we unite with our Angel. This parallels Jung’s concept of the Ego merging with the Self.

The Conceptualization of Trauma: The Exile of the Soul

Corbin’s philosophy offers a poignant view of trauma: it is an exile. The soul feels trapped in the “Occident” (the world of matter and death) and longs for the “Orient” (the world of light).

Healing as Ta’wil

In Islamic mysticism, Ta’wil means “to take something back to its origin.” Corbin applied this to psychology. Healing is not just fixing symptoms; it is tracing the symptom back to its archetypal root in the Imaginal World.

Example: A depression is not just a chemical imbalance; it is a “Dark Night” where the soul is being initiated. By using active imagination, the patient can turn the symptom into a guide.

Legacy: The Prophet of the Imagination

Henry Corbin remains the patron saint of Archetypal Psychology. James Hillman openly acknowledged Corbin as his master. Corbin taught us that the imagination is an organ of perception—as real as the eye or the ear.

For the modern therapist, Corbin is a reminder that we are not mechanics of the mind. We are guides in a landscape of angels, demons, and dreams. To heal the soul, we must believe in the reality of the soul.

Bibliography

• Corbin, H. (1969). Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi. Princeton University Press.
• Corbin, H. (1977). Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth. Princeton University Press.
• Corbin, H. (1978). The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism. Shambhala.
• Cheetham, T. (2003). The World Turned Inside Out: Henry Corbin and Islamic Mysticism. Spring Journal Books.

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• James Hillman: Re-Visioning Psychology