Jung and the Alchemical Imagination (Jung on the Hudson Book Series)
Jeffrey Raff
Language: English
Pages: 288
ISBN: 0892540451
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
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.
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individual's unique being. This center strives to express itself The competing voices of the complexes and archetypes, and even that of the ego, often block its voice. By following certain processes, one empowers this center so that it eliminates competing voices and organizes the inner world around itself The formation of the self is never fully complete, for there always remains material not yet integrated into (or harmonized by) the center. As the self becomes stronger, however, its voice and
possibilities are endless, but the nature of the interaction must be real enough to generate psychic tensions as the two positions are brought into contact. The model of the psyche that Jung described emphasizes the ultimate importance and value of the self and reveals the means by which it can be transformed into a powerful and living center. One of those means is active imagination, the best method for directly engaging the transcendent function. Active imagination is, of course, far more than
spirit, for the spirit has been defined as the capacity to create images. Imagination was able to uncover the powers of nature, because Paracelsus believed, as Boehme did, that imagination could be equated with wisdom. The wisdom of the imagination teaches the mysteries of both the soul and the outer world. By using the imaginative capacity, the alchemist could see behind the outer, physical form of the herb or metal, and detect its symbolic meaning. By so doing he came to understand its true
variety of ways, until fmally it transmuted into the philosopher's stone. Even then the alchemist might not call it quits! Through the process of multiplicatio, he could augment the power of his stone both qualitatively and quantitatively. Theoretically, the power with which the stone could be invested was unlimited, and the multiplicatio could be repeated many times. Alchemists also associated changes of color with the successive transformation of matter. As noted earlier, the .. XX!l I NT RO
The Manifesto invites others who wish to become part of the secret society to apply, though only the best and most talented would be accepted. All throughout Europe many brilliant scholars made application. Though there were certainly secret societies before the publication of the Fama, they spread rapidly afterward. Though many governments viewed the Rosicrucians with grave suspicion, Rudolf II and his court at Prague accepted them with open arms. Indeed, Rudolf's personal physician, Michael