Why is Alchemy so important to Jungian Psychology and to us today?

Video
1 Hour 16 Minutes

$35.00

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This event took place March 28th, 2025.

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In his late 50’s, C.G. Jung’s interests turned from an emphasis upon psychological theory and individual development to the historical basis in which he could ground his theories about the development of consciousness. In the written record of alchemists of old he discovered striking parallels to the dreams and fantasies of his patients. His was not the aberrant theorizing of a single man, rather he had dipped into the river of thought that underlay human consciousness. Alchemy could ground his own work on the firm foundation of human development over more than two millennia. It is Jung’s researches into alchemy that have lent to Jungian Psychology its lasting validity and enduring contribution to psychology and the evolution of consciousness.

Attendees will:

  1. Gain some appreciation for a possible larger historical basis for their own
    personality development
  2. Be able to recognize dream images that relate to the collective bases of individual consciousness
  3. Differentiate between dream images that arise from their own personal history and those that originate in the collective unconscious that underlies their personal consciousness
  4. Deepen their knowledge of Jungian Psychology and its contribution to human
    thought.

Rose Holt, M.A., began her career in science and business, areas in which she worked for over 20 years. At mid-life, she changed over to counseling and psychology after discovering Jungian Psychology. Her thesis paper for Analytical Training is “Alchemy of the Small Group.” It describes the journey of a core group of women who worked weekly with their dreams over a ten-year period. Many alchemical themes that Jung ascribed to the individuation process appeared in group members’ dreams, convincing Rose that work in small, intimate groups is an effective way to facilitate individuation.