Psychology and Alchemy

C.G. Jung was one of the first modern thinkers to realise the importance of alchemical symbolism to men and women today. He saw it as a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious mind, a bridge needed just as much now as in earlier times when alchemy was a flourishing tradition and practice. In Psychology and Alchemy Jung worked out in detail the analogies between alchemy, Christian dogma and symbolism, and discusses individual dream symbolism in relation to alchemy, focussing on the mandala in particular. He also describes religious ideas in alchemy, and the use of alchemical symbols such as the unicorn, the phoenix, the brazen serpent and the tree of life in various religious traditions.

“For the serious student of Jung, Psychology and Alchemy is a must. For the lay person who is prepared to wrestle with it, it will be rewarding and enlightening. - Changes”

For the serious student of Jung, Psychology and Alchemy is a must. For the lay person who is prepared to wrestle with it, it will be rewarding and enlightening. - Changes

Jung studied medicine at Basel, and worked at the Burgholzli mental health clinic in Zurich (1900-1909). He met Freud in 1907, and became his leading collaborator. He became critical of Freud's approach in 1913, which caused a break between them.

Alchemy is central to Jung's hypothesis of the collective unconscious. In this volume he begins with an outline of the process and aims of psychotherapy, and then moves on to work out the analogies between alchemy, Christian dogma and symbolism and his own understanding of the analytic process. Introducing the basic concepts of alchemy, Jung reminds us of the dual nature of alchemy, comprising both the chemical process and a parallel mystical component. He also discusses the seemingly deliberate mystification of the alchemists. Finally, in using the alchemical process as providing insights into individuation, Jung emphasises the importance of alchemy in relating to us the transcendent nature of the psyche.

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