The evening of Friday, December 2, lecture participants joined the Society as Martha Peacock led an in-depth exploration of the value of memoir writing as a step on the path to what Jung called the individuation process. To give the audience a taste of memoir writing, they were asked to reflect and write personally about the three stages of alchemy:
- Nigredo: the dark night of the soul that often includes suffering and grief
- Albedo: an awakening of the spirit, a shift in consciousness that can bring a new perspective after a long torment of darkness
- Rubedo: an integration of the dark night of the soul and a re-entry into the world as a changed individual
The Saturday workshop combined Jung’s meditation technique, active imagination, as a tool for writing — or any creative endeavor — with further discussion of alchemy, its images, symbols and definitions, and how they may relate to an individual’s life. This stimulated participants’ memories and thoughts and helped them sink deeper into their personal writing as they dove into the alchemical stages of calcinatio, solutio, coagulatio, sublimatio, mortificatio, separatio, and/or coniunctio. They also discussed ways to amplify personal writing to make it more interesting to the reader. Time was given for private writing and discussion through breakout rooms and collectively as a group.
After the events, Society President Sandy Cooper noted that the events were “richly challenging” and “powerful.”
Martha Peacock, Ph.D., received her masters and doctorate degrees in mythological studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute and a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Her educational training lends itself well to digging down deep to the perennial root of unquestioned thoughts and behaviors in order to unearth fresh perspectives.