In this series I discuss the books on Jordan Peterson’s Great Book List in no particular order. My hope is to help those interested understand what they’re getting into and choose which books they decide to take on.
Why should anyone read this book?
Why would I spend any time learning about some ancient mystical “failed” attempt at turning any metal into gold? Didn’t alchemy die out when we started studying chemistry? What the hell can I get out of reading this mysticism?
Well, what if you could take a look into the dark recesses of the unconscious mind of ancient humanity and extrapolate that to all of humanity, including yourself? That’s exactly how I read this book.
Origins & Context
This book is put together from two of Carl Jung’s lectures he provided in 1936 and then 1937 under the title “Dream Symbols of the Process of Individuation” and The Idea of Redemption in Alchemy.” Those two concepts are laid out in this book, essentially in that order alongside 270 illustrations. So if the thickness and length of this book is intimidating, just remember how many illustrations there are and that many of them are beautifully printed here, often taking up a full page.
Introduction
Jung’s introduction lays out nicely what he is going to do and he understands that not all who read this book, like myself, will be analytical psychologists. He even goes as far as to recommend skipping the first section for those who want to get more to the meat of what alchemy is and why it matters. But the process in the first section is just as interesting if you’re willing to make some general assumptions and accept the process outlined as a journey we all take in some respect.
It’s important to start with an understanding of one of Jung’s assumptions in regards to the psyche.
“It was experiences of this kind which first confirmed me in my belief that there is in the psyche a process that seeks its own goal independently of external factor.”
This sort of starting point or underlying assumption requires the reader to see the psyche of all people as having a purpose common to all regardless of who that person is. This sets us up to see what is specific in the case he outlines as generalizable to everyone, both then and now.
Section One: Individual Dream Symbolism In Revelation To Alchemy
This case I refer to is the first large section of the book. It’s a collection of an individual’s dreams — fifty-nine of them — and Jung’s interpretation of them. What makes them so interesting is that they are brought into a coherent journey towards what Jung calls “individuation.” This process brings the conscious and unconscious together to be properly in sync developing the “self” which is the pivot point around which we all rotate.
What you end up watching is the mind of a young man’s psychic development, with symbols we are all mostly familiar with. The idea is that even though our dreams are culturally informed, the basic underlying structure is the same for everyone. Just like we all have differences in our limbs and organs, the basic structure, and more importantly their purpose, is all the same.
The symbolic goal of this process, seen in different forms in the dream, is what Jung refers to as the “mandala.” Mandala is a Sanskrit word that roughly translates to “magic circle.”
This mandala shape often shows up as a circle or a circle within a square. Much like the idea of “squaring a circle” we see its development as an effort to rectify a contradiction. One amazing thing about this symbol is its universality. Jung shows us several examples of it occurring in art work across the world at varying times throughout history, which is evidence of its significance cross-culturally. This fact harkens back to the first important concept: the psyche has goals of its own and they are universal.
Section Two: Religious Ideas In Alchemy
Now we get to answering the question of “Why Alchemy?”
To understand how we can get some insight into all of humanity, including ourselves, through studying alchemy, we have to understand Jung’s concept of “projection.”
“Everything unknown and empty is filled with psychological projection; it is as if the investigator’s own psychic background were mirrored in the darkness.”
What we are doing by reading alchemy is looking to see how the symbols and work give us a glimpse of the unconscious working of men who were looking for spirit in matter, then filled the void of knowledge with their own unconscious elements of spirit. Alchemy was so much more than simply trying to convert iron into gold. And you also have to ask why gold was the goal.
Gold itself is relatively uninteresting in a chemical sense, but because it is rare, hard to extract, and inert, it has this sense of purity and ability to represent something unchanging. There is no other element that can imitate it. So the drive to seek it out is analogous to the drive to seek what is at the core of humanity or what is unchanging and eternal. And that is what you see projected through the work, writing, and symbolism of alchemy.
It’s analogous to astronomy as Jung also points out. Some of our first attempts at describing the unknown were in describing the stars of our night sky. What we see in astronomy is humanity filling their void of knowledge about the cosmos with projections of their own unconscious visions of themselves.
Section Three: Religious Ideas In Alchemy
The rest of the book ties in the ideas and symbols of alchemy into religious ideas. It takes the actual work of alchemy, which often includes taking multiple substances, mixing them and cooking them, etc., and then the symbols. We are shown how those symbols are represented in religious expressions across the world.
It’s as if the psychic content of alchemists remain as projections not just in alchemy, but also in religion, which again, is the idea that the psyche exists with its own structure and purpose that continuously reveals itself in the exploration of what is unknown to humanity. We continuously fill the void with the unconscious content of our own minds.
And finally, unicorns.
Yes, what a way to finish such an abstract and fantastically weird book but with unicorns. We get thirty plus pages of what unicorn symbolism means and where we see it: Alchemy, Gnosticism, Persia, Jewish tradition, China and Ecclesiastical Allegory. This was incredibly interesting because we often see unicorns today in toys and t-shirts, but I was not even close to being aware of how deep that symbol is embedded in our shared mythological history.
I won’t get into everything unicorn, but just realizing that unicorns are in the Bible (I had no idea) and that they are closely related to the lion as an allegory for Christ was really hard to wrap my brain around and I still don’t really get it. (Think of Aslan in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.) But there ya have it. Jesus is related, symbolically, to unicorns. Think about that when your daughters are wearing unicorn shirts.
A Personal Note
Now why, with all of the books on JBP’s list, would I choose this one? Well, if you’re here listening to this you may be familiar with JBP’s work and have read his books. There’s a section in Beyond Order, his third book, that discusses some alchemical symbolism in reference to the illustration for rule number two: Imagine who you could be, and then aim single-mindedly at that.
There’s a theme in JBP’s discussions and writing that we often hear referred to as “being in the zone.” I often think of it as Michael Jordan in the playoffs. It’s the idea that when you are involved in an activity that is deeply meaningful, you will be on the edge of the known and the unknown, in a sort of trance. And when you are in that zone, take note. That is where you need to be as often as possible. Being in that zone tells you what it is that you should be focused on, and reaching for that place. Making it central to your pursuits.
That’s where I was while reading the alchemical description of that illustration. It was as if time started to melt away and I was absorbing something that was shifting my mind into a parallel universe, connecting symbols and the deepest of ideas that contradicted themselves but were mutually necessary. I’ve never had that experience before nor since. So, I paid attention and decided that whatever my mind was in need of, it was there.
I hope this short introduction to this text can help you decide if it’s something you too would like to read. If you have read it, let me know what you thought and what kind of ideas it sparked for you.