"It was the genius of C.G. Jung to discover in the 'holy technique' of alchemy a parallel to the psychological individuation process. This book, by Jung's long-time friend and co-worker, completely demystifies the subject. Designed as an introduction to Jung's more detailed studies, and profusely illustrated, here is a lucid and practical account of what the alchemists were really looking for--emotional balance and wholeness"--back cover.
As a current record of all of C. G. Jung's publications in German and in English, this volume will replace the general bibliography published in 1979 as Volume 19 of the Collected Works of C. G. Jung. In the form of a checklist, this new volume records through 1990 the initial publication of each original work by Jung, each translation into English, and all significant new editions, including paperbacks and publications in periodicals. The contents of the respective volumes of the Collected Works of C. G. Jung and the Gesammelte Werke (published in Switzerland) are listed in parallel to show the interrelation of the two editions. Jung's seminars are dealt with in detail. Where possible, information is provided about the origin of works that were first conceived as lectures. There are indexes of all publications, personal names, organizations and societies, and periodicals.
Illuminating selections from Jung’s writings on alchemy and the transformation of the human spirit The ancient practice of alchemy, which thrived in Europe until the seventeenth century, dealt with the phenomenon of transformation—not only of ore into gold but also of the self into Other. Through their work in the material realm, alchemists discovered personal rebirth as well as a linking between outer and inner dimensions. C. G. Jung first turned to alchemy for personal illumination in coping with trauma brought on by his break with Freud. Alchemical symbolism eventually suggested to Jung that there was a process in the unconscious, one that had a goal beyond discharging tension and hiding pain. In this book, Nathan Schwartz-Salant brings together key selections of Jung’s writings on the subject. These writings expose us to Jung’s fascinating reflections on the symbols of alchemy—such as the three-headed Mercurial dragon, hermaphrodites, and lions devouring the sun—and brings us closer to the spirit of his approach to the unconscious, closer than his purely scientific concepts often allow.
Jung and the Alchemical Imagination illustrates the spiritual nature of Jungian psychology and the debt it owes to the tradition of esoteric religion. Unlike other books on Jung and alchemy which contain a psychological interpretation of alchemical material, this work uses alchemy to understand the three cornerstones of Jungian spirituality--the self, the transcendent function, and active imagination. Through the interpretation of alchemical imagery, Raff explains the nature of these three concepts and illustrates how together they form a new model of contemporary Western spirituality. This book is also unique in selecting alchemical texts for analysis that are relatively unknown and which, for the most part, have never been interpreted. In addition, he presents two new concepts--the ally and the psychoid realm. Through the addition of these ideas, and the new understanding that they offer, it is possible to apply alchemical imagery to transpsychic experience/ that is, to a world of spirits which may not be reduced to psychological concepts. By including this realm in the study of alchemy and Jungian thought, it is possible to gain insights into the nature of visionary and ecstatic experiences that form part of the path of individuation--the road to completion.
Originally written for the Enciclopedia del Novecento, Archetypal Psychology, ?Volume 1 of the Uniform Edition of the Writings of James Hillman, is a concise, instructive introduction to polytheism, Greek mythology, the soul-spirit distinction, anima mundi, psychopathology, soul-making, imagination, therapeutic practice, and the writings of C.??G. Jung, Henry Corbin, and Adolf Portmann in the formulation of the field of Archetypal Psychology.
Alchemical symbols are part of popular culture, most recently popularised in the Harry Potter books. Alchemy intrigued Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology. It inspired him as he wrote ‘the Red Book’ - the journal of his voyage of internal discovery. He devoted much of his life to it, using alchemical symbols as metaphors for unconscious processes. Alchemy and Psychotherapy explores the issue of alchemy in the consulting room and its application to social and political issues. This book argues against the dominant discourse in contemporary psychotherapy - scientific materialism - and for the discovery of spiritual meaning. Alchemy and Psychotherapy has four main sections: ‘Alchemy and meaning’ - looks at the history of alchemy, particularly the symbol of the coniunctio - sacred marriage - a metaphor for the therapeutic relationship. 'The symbolic attitude’ - explores working with dreams, fairytales, astrology and the body: each of which is a symbolic language. ‘The spirit and the natural world’ - discusses the concept of 'burn out' - of therapists, our ecological resources, the mystical aspects of quantum physics and the philosophical underpinning of symbol formation. ‘Clinical Applications’ - shows alchemy’s use with victims of abuse, those struggling to secure gender identity, in anorexia and in ‘social healing’ - atonement and restorative justice - which apply the idea of the coniunctio. Alchemy and Psychotherapy is illustrated throughout with clinical examples, alchemical pictures and poetry which emphasise that alchemy is both a creative art and a science. Bringing together contributors from a wide range of disciplines, Dale Mathers and contributors show that therapy is both art and science, that the consulting room is the alchemical laboratory, and that their research is their creative engagement. Alchemy and Psychotherapy will be a valuable resource for practitioners, students at all levels of psychotherapy, analytical psychology, psychoanalysis and creative, art-based therapies and for creative practitioners (in film, literature and performing arts) who draw on Jung’s ideas.
A leading Jungian psychologist reveals the relationship between alchemy and analytical psychology, delving into the visionary work of a sixteenth-century alchemist Although alchemy is popularly regarded as the science that sought to transmute base physical matter, many of the medieval alchemists were more interested in developing a discipline that would lead to the psychological and spiritual transformation of the individual. C. G. Jung discovered in his study of alchemical texts a symbolic and imaginal language that expressed many of his own insights into psychological processes. In this book, Marie-Louise von Franz examines a text by the sixteenth-century alchemist and physician Gerhard Dorn in order to show the relationship of alchemy to the concepts and techniques of analytical psychology. In particular, she shows that the alchemists practiced a kind of meditation similar to Jung's technique of active imagination, which enables one to dialogue with the unconscious archetypal elements in the psyche. Originally delivered as a series of lectures at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich, the book opens therapeutic insights into the relations among spirit, soul, and body in the practice of active imagination.
Alchemical practices have been reborn in our contemporary world under the rubric of Jungianism, transpersonal psychology, or depth psychology. But in Alchemical Psychology, Thom F. Cavalli, Ph.D., takes us directly to the source—and on a wonderful adventure into the true nature of our hearts and minds. In a book that sparkles with verve, life, and practicality, Dr. Cavalli explains how alchemy was one of humankind’s earliest efforts to transform the nature of consciousness. What little-known or underground arts did alchemists practice in pursuit of self-transformation—and how can they enrich us today? Using the same practices that he employs with patients, Dr. Cavalli offers readers a plethora of personal exercises that, among other things, enables them to “type” themselves according to ancient alchemical identifiers of nature and personality. He then provides practices that can help free them from the grip of familiar problems and foster true personal growth. Beautifully illustrated with medieval prints from the alchemical tradition, Alchemical Psychology gives readers both a richer understanding of their own natures and of the traditions on which many of our modern therapies are based.
Winner of the 2021 American Board & Academy of Psychoanalysis Annual Book Prize for Best Theoretical Book in Psychoanalysis! Stanton Marlan brings together writings which span the course of his career, examining Jungian psychology and the alchemical imagination as an opening to the mysteries of psyche and soul. Several chapters describe a telos that aims at the mysterious goal of the Philosophers’ Stone, a move replete with classical and postmodern ideas catalysed by prompts from the unconscious: dreams, images, fantasies, and paradoxical conundrums. Psyche and matter are seen with regards to soul, light and darkness in terms of illumination, and order and chaos as linked in the image of chaosmos. Marlan explores the richness of the alchemical ideas of Carl Jung, James Hillman, and others and their value for a revisioning of psychology. In doing so, this volume challenges any tendency to literalism and essentialism, and contributes to an integration between Jung’s classical vision of a psychology of alchemy and Hillman’s Alchemical Psychology. C.G. Jung and the Alchemical Imagination will be a valuable resource for academics, scholars, and students of Jungian and post-Jungian studies, Jungian analysis, and psychotherapy. It will also be of great interest to Jungian psychologists and Jungian analysts in practice and in training.
