Jung was the first person in modern times to see the psychological value of the alchemical metaphor as it pertained first to his own work with the collective unconscious and then more specifically to the individuation process itself. Alchemy has since become such a common trope in today’s conversation as to now risk trivialization.

The day will open with a lecture that will bring us back into close contact with the original alchemical fire that drew Jung in, eventually culminating in his magnum opus, Mysterium Coniuctionis. Specifically, we will look into that text and see how Jung’s treatment of his favorite alchemist, Gehrad Dorn, would provide him with a most powerful analogue for his psychological model as a whole.

In the workshop itself, we will bring Active Imagination into play for both the individual’s psychological growth and as ongoing practice in meeting the challenges of contemporary culture.