An Introduction to Alchemical Psychology

with author Thom F. Cavalli, Ph.D.

VIDEO SEMINAR SERIES

6 Sessions
9+ Hours

Alchemy has become a buzzword in today’s world. Unfortunately, the more it’s used, the more it muddles the exceptional nature of this Royal Art and its secrets for living a genuine and meaningful life.  In this new series, we use the term in its original meaning, as a way of quickening and catalyzing our individual growth in all aspects of mind, body, and spirit. The concepts presented grew out of the work of C. G. Jung and provide us with an extraordinary framework to help us navigate the challenging and unprecedented dynamics of modern life. 

This six-part series focuses on transforming our dark, hidden potential into a perfected personality – the full and unique expression of who we are meant to be. We do this by employing the stages, recipes, and operations of alchemy as well as tapping into our inner resources, including dreams, synchronicities, and the archetypal gods. We’ll do a deep dive into ancient Egyptian as well as modern forms of alchemy, tracing the development of personal and collective consciousness from magic to contemporary science. By harnessing the power of alchemy, we create extraordinary, personalized maps and tools to facilitate our unique individuation journey.  The history of our future self is about rebuilding an enchanted world that returns the animating soul into our busy lives.

This course is design for people who are just delving into psychological alchemy, or who have some knowledge of Jungian psychology and want to deepen their understanding of alchemy and the individuation process.

*

Presented by:

Thom F. Cavalli

Thom F. Cavalli, Ph.D. is a Jungian psychotherapist, author and coach who provides services throughout the world. He has authored two major books, Alchemical Psychology, Old Recipes for Living in a New World (Putnam 2002) and Embodying Osiris, the Secrets of Alchemical Transformation (Quest 2010) as well as many articles in Psychological Perspectives and The Alchemical Journal. He is a yearly contributor of book reviews and film criticism for The Jung Journal. He gives a wide range of workshops and seminars at Jungian Institutes, mystery schools, and conferences.

His website is: AlchemicalWorks.com

*

Course Outline:

Session 1 - Introduction & Overview:

What is alchemy? Myths, Mistakes, and Mystery
Alchemy and the spiritualization of matter
What is alchemical psychology? • Inner life and the Individuation Process
Physical, Spiritual and Psychological Alchemy
Language of Alchemy, symbols and metaphor
Transformation, Transmutation, Metamorphosis • Lead to Gold

Session 2 - History:

The Geography of Alchemy • Egyptian Alchemy and Jung • Magic and Alchemy
Thoth, Hermes, Mercurius, the Trickster Archetype
History of alchemy and the development of consciousness
Chaos and Order • Creation and cosmology – Osiris solve et coagula

Session 3 - Past to Present:

Bolos, Zosimus and Paracelsus • Symbols – Secrecy and the danger of mystification
False alchemists and puffers • Major Alchemists – Dorn’s three stages
The Scientific Revolution – Descartes, Newton and Einstein
Nature (lumen naturae) and animals (anima) • Cosmos and Kairos
Re-Enchantment • The Quantum Revolution and the Psychoid

Session 4 - In the Laboratory:

Alchemical Language, symbols and images • Alchemy by the numbers
The Vessel and the Fire • Seven Operations, Stages and three levels of personality
Sulfur, Salt and Mercury, the Tria Prima •  Khunrack’s Amphitheater of Eternal Wisdom
Alchemist’s Mirror • Alchemical Recipes, The Emerald Tablet, the Corpus Collosum

Session 5 - Archetypal Alchemy:

What is an archetype? • Major archetypes in alchemy
Alchemical Archetypes – The Self, Persona/Shadow, Anima/Animus
Trickster archetype – Thoth, Hermes and Mercurius
Alchemical Dreaming, Maps of the Psyche
Meaning, the aim of Jungian therapy, Clinical vignettes
Enlightenment and Individuation • Synchronicity (examples)

Session 6 - Alchemy of Everyday Life:

Applications – Psychological typology, recipes and forces • Alchemical Psychotherapy, Complexes, and Healing • Quantum Alchemy, Emergence and Complexity • Dangers (inflation) and Precautions • The Art of Living – Becoming Gold/Osiris • Reading Jung: Resources and Recommendations

*