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Summary
The history of alchemy stretches back thousands of years. When magic was the institutional science of countries throughout the world, pharaohs, kings and even popes practiced alchemy. But the royal art, as it came to be known, also suffered from the misguided interests of charlatans, greedy quacks and "false alchemists." At a time when perhaps more than ever we need to rejuvenate old wisdom traditions, the subject of alchemy offers profound insights into the nature of reality and the inner workings of the mind.
Most people today simply think of alchemy as an old scheme for making gold out of lead. History shows however that alchemy is much more than this. While some alchemists strove to transmute metals many more were involved in other practices aimed at spiritual and psychological transformation. As the poet and author Kenneth Rexroth explains: it is as if alchemy were "a textbook of chemistry, another of mining engineering, another of gymnastics and breathing exercises, another of pharmacology, several sex manuals, and many treatises of transcendental mysticism [that] had been torn to pieces and not just mixed up together, but fused into a totally new chemical compound of thought." It is this expansive, powerful vision of alchemy that propelled me to write Alchemical Psychology. This new compound of thought is difficult to understand and apply in our everyday affairs. The Swiss psychiatrist C. G. Jung went perhaps further than any other researcher to extract the psychological wisdom embedded in alchemy and make it available to the modern world. Through his work we learn how alchemy can be used as a powerful means of psychological transformation, personal empowerment and spiritual adventure. Individuation is the real gold sought by true alchemists. Yet, for all his genius, Jung's writings are complex and oftentimes as difficult to read as the alchemical literature. A thorough knowledge of analytic psychology, theology, symbolism and mythology is required to appreciate the depth of Jung's insights. Adding to this challenge is the rapid rate that science and technology have advanced since Jung's death. We live in a New World. Especially with the findings of quantum physics -many of which validate old philosophical truths- the time is ripe for a fresh interpretation of alchemy and how we can apply its powerful recipes to the challenges of contemporary life.
Alchemical Psychology provides some of the basic elements of alchemical theory and practice. This material reveals the true nature of alchemy, what the alchemists were really searching for and why Jung used alchemy as a basis for describing the developmental process by which we become whole and unique individuals. Parallels between the alchemist's mysterious philosopher's stone and the goal of the individuation process are clearly explained in practical, everyday examples. Ten alchemical recipes drawn from old manuscripts, parables and woodcuts are discussed in detail. Each recipe highlights important aspects of our lives and ways of working with the deep, inner resources of mind and matter. Work, active dreaming, insight, the shadow and sacred communication are some examples. The book is itself a recipe that combines history, mythology, art, healing, physics, spirituality and consciousness studies - all seen through the lens of alchemical psychology. The real goal of alchemical psychology is the union of spirit and soul, old words that gain psychological meaning when expressed in new behaviors. What good is alchemy if it cannot be used to transform the cruder habits of mind into meaningful, fulfilling behavior? Using Jungian psychology, we take the four elements of fire, air, earth and water and correlate them with psychological functions that empower us in dealing effectively with the endless challenges faced in daily life.
Unlike the popular idea of alchemy's goal of transmuting metals, psychological alchemy aims at healing every imaginable psychological problem and further advancing consciousness through the maze of the individuation process. In this adventure we explore the world of lucid dreaming, breath control and synchronistic events. Beyond the four elements and their respective psychological functions we discover a fifth, transcendental function that puts us into direct contact with universal energies. At this level we learn to employ gods and spirits that connect us with the unseen forces of nature. Through dream interpretation, active imagination, deep breathing, transcendental functioning and other alchemical techniques described throughout the book we learn new ways of transmuting nature into reality, chaos into cosmos. The marriage of soul and spirit also represents the union of the material world with the non-physical realm. Alchemical psychology works on many levels of mind and matter. As we proceed through the three major stages of the alchemical opus, the personality first achieves unity within itself in the earth dimension, then makes peace in the social sphere and lastly, the individual embraces the transcendent world of divinity. These three dimensions of personality are an important part of the book because they describe the critical stages of the individuation process and how we consciously transform the lead of our personality into a divine substance.
In writing this book I used art, exercises and stories drawn from mythology, psychological practice and colorful historical figures to emphasize the exciting adventure that alchemy has represented throughout the ages. Reading the book is meant to be an experience that leaves one noticeably changed in the process. Psychological alchemy is a method that anyone can use to reveal secret formulas for transmuting the lead of unconsciousness into a rich and rewarding life experience. Changing lead into gold then comes to mean transforming boredom into creativity, habit into spontaneity and dreams into reality. Publisher: PenguinPutnam Available: Major bookstores in the U.S., Canada, Korea, Brazil Order On-Line: Amazon.com Number of pages: 365 Index: 7 pages Images: 20 alchemical woodcuts Additional: Boxed quotes, large margins and ample exercises |