ALCHEMY, PSYCHOTHERAPY, TAROT
Too few people have experienced the divine image as the innermost possession of their own souls
Carl G. Jung
The Great Work is the operation of the Sun and the Moon by the aid of Mercury
Hermetic Philosophy
The importance of alchemy in the development of chemistry hardly needs discussion, but the psychological,
sociocultural and religious implications of alchemy continue to provide fertile ground for argument. From
a historical perspective, alchemy served to blend and incorporate old magical beliefs, myths and prehistorical
traditions related to man’s quest to perfect and transcend matter. The alchemist, like his predecessors the
smith and the potter or like the magicians and shamans of ancient civilizations, was first and foremost a
master of fire. The alchemist represents the demiurge, the divine craftsman who works with an elusive and
often chaotic prima materia, attempting to transcend time while rendering matter a spiritual dimension and
looking for ways to reach personal perfection and immortality (see Mircea Eliade, The Forge and the Crucible).
In the alchemist’s work ores, minerals and other substances are regarded as living organisms capable of
reflecting, when subjected to various processes and amalgamations, the literal, symbolic and mythic aspects
of our own self.
Carl Jung stumbled upon alchemical symbolism and its operations and made the magical connection
between alchemy and the psychological maturation processes he named individuation. Jung thus applied
old chemical formulas and pseudo chemical language to psychological processes that reflect his own
interpretation of our personal journeys into wholeness. The alchemical opus became the process of
individuation and the lapis philosophorum and elixir vitae the ultimate goals of the complete and whole human
being finally united with the Godhead. So, the ideas connected to the elixir of life or the Philosopher's
Stone refer to the ability to reach the highest possible state of consciousness available to each of us.
Jung maintained that the mystery of creation (mysterium magnum) is first and foremost rooted in the human
psyche. In Jung’s postulation about the structure of the psyche the ego is the dominant complex that rules
our life. Jung placed the ego above the personal "unconscious," the third level of the psyche where we each
personalize the universal archetypal symbols and experiences emanating from the collective unconscious. If we
assume that everything stems from unity and oneness and that birth is a form of separation or “fall,” it is
the ego energy that rushes to define us within the basic dualities, the world of opposites and apparent
separateness that rule our existence.
How we individualize the archetypes emanating from the collective unconscious determines our subjective
sense of self. Most of us adapt to our milieu by adopting a persona that serves to represent us to the outside
world; but this exterior is just an aspect of our ego consciousness and does not reflect who we really are.
Most of the alchemical operations are intended to work (at least at first) on this persona.
When the alchemist was called to the task of transforming lead into gold, we should learn to interpret this
process beyond the literal into the symbolic, where it becomes a transformation at a higher level, signaling a
personal transmutation of the soul. Jung’s therapy aims at this higher level as it attempts to go beyond the
mere satisfaction of ego resolutions in order to undergo a real spiritual transmutation. For Jung the soul
laid hidden deep within the unconscious structures of our mind and was the complex that carried the God
archetype. In the western world most people are satisfied with externals and they feel safer transferring
their notion of wholeness to idealized images (i.e. the image of Christ or the Virgin Mary, a cross, the Tree
of Life, or any other symbol that carries magical or talismanic dimensions for us). A more tangible -maybe
even more accessible- image becomes almost impossible to fathom or to accept because our real sense of
redemption is usually connected to something outside of our Self.
When we are able to connect with the energies within that give us access to our divinity we stop projecting
our salvation/redemption to objects outside of ourselves. This is how we start realizing that we each have
access to our destiny and that we are, indeed, in charge of the choices that map our lives. I would argue
here, possibly to Jung’s dismay, that Tarot can serve as a tool for divine intervention or, maybe better,
divine connection. I realize that Jung never really talked about Tarot (maybe one quote or two dealing
directly with Tarot can be found in all of his writings) but Jung worked extensively with the I Ching -the
ancient divination tool from prehistoric, shamanic China- as an effective tool in psychotherapy. (See, for
example, “The Tao and the Classic of Change” (C.W.) or his "Foreword" to the Wilhelm/Baynes The I Ching.)
Tarot, when applied as a tool by an able psychologist today, can give us the same (sometimes even more
accurate) results. Just like the I Ching Tarot helps us establish a special relationship with the unconscious.
Through it we can access synchronicity, the magical place where time and place merge with our intentions
and our thoughts. As we consult the cards, we become the prima materia, the vessel, the Hathor or
alchemical oven, the Opus, the Stone. We act both as agent and as object of the transformation.
Too few people have experienced the divine image as the innermost possession of their own souls
Carl G. Jung
The Great Work is the operation of the Sun and the Moon by the aid of Mercury
Hermetic Philosophy
The importance of alchemy in the development of chemistry hardly needs discussion, but the psychological,
sociocultural and religious implications of alchemy continue to provide fertile ground for argument. From
a historical perspective, alchemy served to blend and incorporate old magical beliefs, myths and prehistorical
traditions related to man’s quest to perfect and transcend matter. The alchemist, like his predecessors the
smith and the potter or like the magicians and shamans of ancient civilizations, was first and foremost a
master of fire. The alchemist represents the demiurge, the divine craftsman who works with an elusive and
often chaotic prima materia, attempting to transcend time while rendering matter a spiritual dimension and
looking for ways to reach personal perfection and immortality (see Mircea Eliade, The Forge and the Crucible).
In the alchemist’s work ores, minerals and other substances are regarded as living organisms capable of
reflecting, when subjected to various processes and amalgamations, the literal, symbolic and mythic aspects
of our own self.
Carl Jung stumbled upon alchemical symbolism and its operations and made the magical connection
between alchemy and the psychological maturation processes he named individuation. Jung thus applied
old chemical formulas and pseudo chemical language to psychological processes that reflect his own
interpretation of our personal journeys into wholeness. The alchemical opus became the process of
individuation and the lapis philosophorum and elixir vitae the ultimate goals of the complete and whole human
being finally united with the Godhead. So, the ideas connected to the elixir of life or the Philosopher's
Stone refer to the ability to reach the highest possible state of consciousness available to each of us.
Jung maintained that the mystery of creation (mysterium magnum) is first and foremost rooted in the human
psyche. In Jung’s postulation about the structure of the psyche the ego is the dominant complex that rules
our life. Jung placed the ego above the personal "unconscious," the third level of the psyche where we each
personalize the universal archetypal symbols and experiences emanating from the collective unconscious. If we
assume that everything stems from unity and oneness and that birth is a form of separation or “fall,” it is
the ego energy that rushes to define us within the basic dualities, the world of opposites and apparent
separateness that rule our existence.
How we individualize the archetypes emanating from the collective unconscious determines our subjective
sense of self. Most of us adapt to our milieu by adopting a persona that serves to represent us to the outside
world; but this exterior is just an aspect of our ego consciousness and does not reflect who we really are.
Most of the alchemical operations are intended to work (at least at first) on this persona.
When the alchemist was called to the task of transforming lead into gold, we should learn to interpret this
process beyond the literal into the symbolic, where it becomes a transformation at a higher level, signaling a
personal transmutation of the soul. Jung’s therapy aims at this higher level as it attempts to go beyond the
mere satisfaction of ego resolutions in order to undergo a real spiritual transmutation. For Jung the soul
laid hidden deep within the unconscious structures of our mind and was the complex that carried the God
archetype. In the western world most people are satisfied with externals and they feel safer transferring
their notion of wholeness to idealized images (i.e. the image of Christ or the Virgin Mary, a cross, the Tree
of Life, or any other symbol that carries magical or talismanic dimensions for us). A more tangible -maybe
even more accessible- image becomes almost impossible to fathom or to accept because our real sense of
redemption is usually connected to something outside of our Self.
When we are able to connect with the energies within that give us access to our divinity we stop projecting
our salvation/redemption to objects outside of ourselves. This is how we start realizing that we each have
access to our destiny and that we are, indeed, in charge of the choices that map our lives. I would argue
here, possibly to Jung’s dismay, that Tarot can serve as a tool for divine intervention or, maybe better,
divine connection. I realize that Jung never really talked about Tarot (maybe one quote or two dealing
directly with Tarot can be found in all of his writings) but Jung worked extensively with the I Ching -the
ancient divination tool from prehistoric, shamanic China- as an effective tool in psychotherapy. (See, for
example, “The Tao and the Classic of Change” (C.W.) or his "Foreword" to the Wilhelm/Baynes The I Ching.)
Tarot, when applied as a tool by an able psychologist today, can give us the same (sometimes even more
accurate) results. Just like the I Ching Tarot helps us establish a special relationship with the unconscious.
Through it we can access synchronicity, the magical place where time and place merge with our intentions
and our thoughts. As we consult the cards, we become the prima materia, the vessel, the Hathor or
alchemical oven, the Opus, the Stone. We act both as agent and as object of the transformation.
I love this image of an infant found in some Tarot decks as Key 0
The Fool, which is similar to the idea we find in some alchemical
texts symbolizing the essence of the prima materia, the
undifferentiated state that presents to us the matter in need of
transformation.
In this version of the Fool from the Golden Dawn Magical Tarot we
see the image of the archetypal Harpocrates, the Greek god of
silence, usually depicted as a baby with his finger to his lips; he is
also the Egyptian god Horus, son of Isis and Osiris to whom the
mysteries of creation would be revealed. In the BOTA version,
below left, we find the archetypal eye of Horus on the Fool’s bag
and the white sun of the east, another symbol associated with
Horus. In both cases we can extract the meaning of the child
archetype in state of grace embarking on life's journey before ego
development, the new sun in full potential: the soul able to reach
any level of awareness. Robert M. Place's Alchemical Tarot version
of The Fool below shows us the alchemist ready to embark on his
work or opus, blindfold and unawares that he is about to start his
own initiation by going through the rabbit hole of the
subconscious. This image is taken from The Mountain Cave of the
Adepts in Michelspacher's Cabala, 1654, which is a symbolical
drawing of the alchemist's journey. Whatever the image, the
message is pretty much the same. Because, at every learning
juncture in our lives, we must become the prima materia as well as
the alchemist and the agency at work for the transformation to
occur. Notice how in each version of Key 0 the yellow roses, or the
white sun, or the eye of Horus or the star behind the blindfold
alchemist, all these symbols serve to remind us that we are always
guided by the Divine Light.
The Fool, which is similar to the idea we find in some alchemical
texts symbolizing the essence of the prima materia, the
undifferentiated state that presents to us the matter in need of
transformation.
In this version of the Fool from the Golden Dawn Magical Tarot we
see the image of the archetypal Harpocrates, the Greek god of
silence, usually depicted as a baby with his finger to his lips; he is
also the Egyptian god Horus, son of Isis and Osiris to whom the
mysteries of creation would be revealed. In the BOTA version,
below left, we find the archetypal eye of Horus on the Fool’s bag
and the white sun of the east, another symbol associated with
Horus. In both cases we can extract the meaning of the child
archetype in state of grace embarking on life's journey before ego
development, the new sun in full potential: the soul able to reach
any level of awareness. Robert M. Place's Alchemical Tarot version
of The Fool below shows us the alchemist ready to embark on his
work or opus, blindfold and unawares that he is about to start his
own initiation by going through the rabbit hole of the
subconscious. This image is taken from The Mountain Cave of the
Adepts in Michelspacher's Cabala, 1654, which is a symbolical
drawing of the alchemist's journey. Whatever the image, the
message is pretty much the same. Because, at every learning
juncture in our lives, we must become the prima materia as well as
the alchemist and the agency at work for the transformation to
occur. Notice how in each version of Key 0 the yellow roses, or the
white sun, or the eye of Horus or the star behind the blindfold
alchemist, all these symbols serve to remind us that we are always
guided by the Divine Light.
Of all the substances used by the alchemist, mercury was the most
critical and elusive (in symbology and meaning). Jung talks about
the Spirit Mercurius as the autonomous spirit of the archetypal
psyche. Subjecting mercurius to different processes (bringing this
autonomous complex into consciousness) yielded different
transformations. In a way, mercurius is the alchemical
ourobouros, the snake biting its own tail that is transformed as it
transforms us. This is the spiral of creation that ultimately captures
the essence of alchemy. Like anything dealing with spirit, alchemy
defies verbal limitations.
Alchemical processes of transformation and the psychic operations
leading to them are taking place all the time in our lives. We all
experience psychological stages that demand that we let go, burn,
dissolve, regroup, restructure our thoughts and dispositions. Most
of the time, our ego refuses to undergo any change and the
outcome of these operations depends to a great extent on our ego’s
strength or resiliency.
Eventually, after many times of stumbling and falling and asking
why, it finally dawns on us that some deep work is needed. We
meditate, analyze and dig deep in our minds like psychological
miners going from darkness into the light until we consciously
start to be aware of the forces and energies that lead us to
transformation. If we fully and consciously engage in the process,
our road to individuation becomes easier and more accessible.
The rewards at the end of the journey are more than worth it.
critical and elusive (in symbology and meaning). Jung talks about
the Spirit Mercurius as the autonomous spirit of the archetypal
psyche. Subjecting mercurius to different processes (bringing this
autonomous complex into consciousness) yielded different
transformations. In a way, mercurius is the alchemical
ourobouros, the snake biting its own tail that is transformed as it
transforms us. This is the spiral of creation that ultimately captures
the essence of alchemy. Like anything dealing with spirit, alchemy
defies verbal limitations.
Alchemical processes of transformation and the psychic operations
leading to them are taking place all the time in our lives. We all
experience psychological stages that demand that we let go, burn,
dissolve, regroup, restructure our thoughts and dispositions. Most
of the time, our ego refuses to undergo any change and the
outcome of these operations depends to a great extent on our ego’s
strength or resiliency.
Eventually, after many times of stumbling and falling and asking
why, it finally dawns on us that some deep work is needed. We
meditate, analyze and dig deep in our minds like psychological
miners going from darkness into the light until we consciously
start to be aware of the forces and energies that lead us to
transformation. If we fully and consciously engage in the process,
our road to individuation becomes easier and more accessible.
The rewards at the end of the journey are more than worth it.
copyright 2005 - 2008 Yolanda M. Robinson, Ph.D.
The Fool images are from The Golden Dawn Magical Tarot, Builders of the Adytum and The Alchemical Tarot.
Prima materia