Creative Codex 40: Carl Jung & Alchemy • Part II: River of Gold
Jung's View on Alchemy
- Jung saw alchemy's imagery as a visualization of individuation.
- He viewed alchemy as a precursor to psychology and a successor to Gnosticism.
Alchemy Definition
- Alchemy is a spiritual tradition centered on manipulating and transmuting matter.
- Alchemists achieve this through natural processes in personal laboratories.
Stages of Alchemy
- Traditional alchemy has four stages: nigredo (blackness), albedo (whiteness), citrinitas (yellowing), and rubedo (reddening).
- These stages are symbolized by colors and often depicted in artwork.
Beneath the surface of Western history––deep within its cavernous tunnels––flows a river of gold.
On this episode we explore the essential concepts of alchemy, alchemical artwork, Jung's theory regarding the projection of unconscious material, inexplicable dreams with alchemical symbolism, the paradox of consciousness & matter, and the unique role of revelation in alchemy. In the end, we return to The Red Book to track down a special passage which seems to prove Dr. Jung tapped into alchemy through his active imagination method seven years before officially studying it.
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Read my Rudiments of Alchemy article and view the Splendor Solis gallery here: https://mjdorian.com/alchemy/
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View a transcript of this episode here: https://mjdorian.com/transcripts/
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Cover art: detail of Plate 4 from Splendor Solis (1553)
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Research Sources:
• Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl Jung
• The Red Book by Carl Jung
• Psychology and Alchemy by Carl Jung
• Alchemical Studies by Carl Jung
• Man & His Symbols by Carl Jung
• Alchemy by Marie Louise von Franz
• Alchemical Imagination by Jeffrey Raff
• Splendor Solis by Salomon Trimsosin
• Atalanta Fugies by Michael Maier
• Spagyrics by Jean Dubuis
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