In the wider world the revolution in our knowledge of alchemy might count as one of alchemy’s biggest secrets. Much of this new understanding remains little known outside of a small circle of academic specialists. The work of historians of science continues to reveal the enormous complexity and diversity of alchemy, its important position in human history and culture, and its continuities with what we now call chemistry. Many alchemists expressed (often just implicitly) a strong confidence in the power of human beings to imitate and improve on nature, and their work included the exploration of the relationship of human beings to God and the created universe.

Their researches and goals had both commercial and scientific aspects, as well as philosophical and theological ones. But at the same time, they contributed to mining and metallurgy, and pharmacy and medicine, and their achievements and aspirations (as well as failures) inspired artists, playwrights, and poets. Their hope of discovering the secret of preparing the philosophers’ stone-a material supposedly able to transmute base metals into gold-was one powerful incentive for their endeavors. Alchemists developed practical knowledge about matter as well as sophisticated theories about its hidden nature and transformations. Alchemy is now increasingly recognized as a fundamental part of the heritage of chemistry, of continuing human attempts to explore, control, and make use of the natural world. No longer is it dismissed as a waste of time or a fool's quest. Nevertheless, over the past generation scholars have been revealing more and more of its surprising content and importance. He earned his first PhD in chemistry and his second in the history of science. We asked him to give our readers a taste of his book The Secrets of Alchemy. IN ENGLISH LITERATURE: Yale College.Lawrence Principe is one of the foremost scholars of alchemy in the world. IN RELIGION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDIES: University of Chicago. He is the editor of Jungian Analysis and the Chiron Clinical Series.ĭIPLOMATE ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY: C. He has written several books, including Jung’s Treatment of Christianity, In MidLife, Transformation – Emergence of the Self, Jung’s Map of the Soul and The Principle of Individuation. He is a founding member of the Inter-Regional Society for Jungian Analysts (USA) and the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts and was president of the International Association for Analytical Psychology from 2001 to 2004. Jung Institute/Zurich and is a training analyst at the International School of Analytical Psychology in Zurich (ISAPZ). Murray Stein, PhD is a graduate of the C.G. Your browser does not support the audio element. Part 1 – Commentary on The Secret of the Golden Flower – Available on the Jungianthology Podcast Jungian analyst and author Murray Stein presents an overview of Jung’s work on alchemy to develop an understanding of the relation of alchemical symbols to the analytical process and individuation. In alchemy he found images and thoughts that were uniquely fitted to his perceptions of psychological life and that confirmed his views of the spontaneous activity and directedness of the unconscious. Understanding the Meaning of Alchemy: Jung’s Metaphor for the Transformative Processĭuring the last thirty years of his life, Jung turned to alchemy as a fundamental resource for depth psychology. Topics: Astrology, Alchemy and the Occult.

Alchemy meaning