Jung and the Alchemical Imagination

by Jeffrey Raff

Jung and the Alchemical Imagination illustrates the spiritual nature of Jungian psychology and the debt it owes to the tradition of esoteric religion. Unlike other books on Jung and alchemy which contain a psychological interpretation of alchemical material, this work uses alchemy to understand the three cornerstones of Jungian spirituality--the self, the transcendent function, and active imagination. Through the interpretation of alchemical imagery, Raff explains the nature of these three concepts and illustrates how together they form a new model of contemporary Western spirituality. This book is also unique in selecting alchemical texts for analysis that are relatively unknown and which, for the most part, have never been interpreted. In addition, he presents two new concepts--the ally and the psychoid realm. Through the addition of these ideas, and the new understanding that they offer, it is possible to apply alchemical imagery to transpsychic experience/ that is, to a world of spirits which may not be reduced to psychological concepts. By including this realm in the study of alchemy and Jungian thought, it is possible to gain insights into the nature of visionary and ecstatic experiences that form part of the path of individuation--the road to completion.

Genres: Psychology, Alchemy, Spirituality, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Occult, Psychoanalysis

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an accidental purchase. I meant to get his Psychology and Alchemy through the "Collected Works" line but ended up receiving this one. I set it aside for several months figuring I'd get to it soon enough. Once I did, I was amazed and sorry that I did not read it right away. It was beautifully written in layman's terms and the imagery was incredible. Since I've read this and have subsequently started it again, my dreams have been incredible. If you are looking to spice up your meditation techniques and/or do dreamwork, this book is a wonderful mix of alchemy and depth psychology that really shakes up the unconscious and gets it moving.

Highly recommended but with a warning to those beginning, you might want to work on simple meditation techniques first, these images tend to be a bit weird/frightening if you're not used to them.

[Jimmy Ele · Rating 5 out of 5]

My individual words cannot express the amount of important and relevant information contained within this book at least for my own personal growth. This is most definitely a foundational book for me.

[Jonatan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jung es siempre muy críptico con respecto al Sí-mismo. Lo nombra constantemente pero en pocas o ninguna ocasión lo describe en profundidad. Así pues, este libro de 300 páginas dedicadas elucidar el sí-mismo ha sido de mucha ayuda. Se basa en lo poco que dice Jung, así como en las supuestas doctrinas no escritas de Jung transmitidas a través de Marie-Louise Von Franz, así como en la alquimia, para describir el Sí-mismo y su relación con el yo. Esta relación se daría a través de 3 fases, de 3 conjunctios alquímicas, siendo la tercera una propuesta del propio autor, pues se trataría de la unión con el Si-mismo del mundo psicoide transpsíquico, el reino de lo divino más allá de la materia y la psique.
Libro recomendado para quien quiera profundizar en la idea del Sí-mismo, así como para los interesados en la dimensión espiritual de la alquimia y de la psicología junguiana.

[Ed Wojniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find it fascinating that this book in my opinion is a psychological treatment of the life of a Christian. How the author is explicit in equating the self with the resident Holy Spirit. Scriptures make scant reference to “working out your salvation.“ But Raff does an excellent job of clarifying the nature of that work in detail. One advantage of his approach is that it is bereft of theological language that might trip up a religiously disaffected individual.

[Maan Kawas · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Excellent read, though difficult in some places! I particularly enjoyed the chapter explaining Alchemy and gives a brief history about its origins and development.

[Gabrielle Jarrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read another of Raff's books - The Practice of Ally Work. Both are on my re-read list. Alchemical Imagination is deep, directed, and verges on brilliant. Can I put into words what I have read? Not so much. Basically, the alchemy is the process we must go through (with awareness) to attain unity or conjunctio within ourselves. We wish to make the unconscious conscious, to unite our self (that deeper part of us) with our ego, which is our conscious CEO, in oreder to create our Philosopher's Stone - the elixir of life. I see the path, the alchemy, as a lifelong project to uncover and discover our inner figures, archetypes, and complexes in the unification process.

Raff suggests the alchemical process of using our imagination via active imagination to discover our disowned aspects in the rewarding journey to peace and stability. He presents active imagination in a readable and usable way. The history and meaning of alchemy is informative and well done. Not a readily accessible read, not a page turner, but the book was and is worth the challenge for me.

[Toran · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be more scholarly than theological. I was wrong. It is decent once you sort through all the preaching. Also an editor would probably be good as well. So much re-iteration it almost made me drop the book.

[Ale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bello, profundo, transformador, riguroso, intrigante... Me ha encantado.

[Craig Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not a book for neophytes in the worlds Jung and/or Alchemy. Jung used alchemy as a constituting metaphor for his understanding of psychic processes, and his own writings (Psychology and Alchemy, Mysterium Coniunctis) tend to be extremely dense and cryptic (even by Jung's frequently dense, cryptic standards). Raff, who worked at Zurich with psychoanalysts who worked with Jung (Marie von Franz, who also wrote on Alchemy and psychology), does a very good job expressing the core of Jung's alchemical vision in reasonably accessible terms. He tracks the main stages of the alchemical process, which leads to a series of "coniunctios" in which seemingly conflicting aspects of the psyche are melted down and brought back together to create something new: an expanding (but not inflated) Self.

A good portion of the book is devoted to readings of key alchemical texts, with wonderful illustrations serving as touchstones.

If this is something you're interested in, this is a very good book. If not, it'll simply be baffling.

[H.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous read, containing much-needed material for those interested in active imagination, or following related esoteric Western traditions and soul work (eg Henry Corbin, Tom Cheetham, James Hillman, Carl Jung, Gary Lachman, Patrick Harpur, Richard Tarnas, Peter Kingsley, Iain McGilchrist, Michael Meade, et al).

Especially useful background material for those of us who are interested in taking this further, working with the ally, which Jeffrey Raff and Linda Bonnington Vocatura set out in "Healing the Wounded God: Finding Your Personal Guide to Individuation and Beyond" and Raff presents as a practical course in "The Practice of Ally Work: Meeting and Partnering with Your Spirit Guide in the Imaginal World".

[becky c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profound and very interesting

I’ve always loved Jung and have had some interest in alchemy and magic. The idea of alchemy’s stone being an unfolding of a spiritual inner path is so new and yet makes a great deal of sense to me. This is not a light read, but for the topic it feels the lightest it can go while maintaining the necessary depth. Often times I just read hoping I was absorbing the information, other times I was totally enthralled, and others it lulled me to sleep. I took probably a year to read this. I was taking my time and trying to absorb and process the new ideas and imagery and processes. I’ve had some archetypal encounters and they’ve been very meaningful. I definitely plan to reread.

[Tristan LeBlanc · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some interesting concepts that I'll have to spend more time thinking about. I think to enjoy the book more it would have benefitted me to have learned more about these topics before starting it - I picked it up because I was curious about Jung and alchemy, not because I know a lot about it.

[CobkinG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro trata sobre el proceso de individuación partiendo de la obra de Carl Gustav Jung, su visión del sí -mismo y la tradición alquímica occidental como proceso de autoconocimiento.
Puedo decir que el libro se puede comprender sin tener un conocimiento extenso sobre la teoría de Jung aunque quizás tiene poco sentido hacerlo si lo desconoces completamente o no estás interesado en ello.

[Vicki Milnark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jungian Spiritual Evolution

Jung said in The Answer to Job that man was necessary to increase God's consciousness and morality. Raff builds on this idea by adding we can work using Jung's active imagination and other exercises to become an equal and partner to God. What a profound message of hope!

[Christopher Ryan Gaffney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A key

A key to many doors if you wish to use it.

I am grateful for what the author has shared.

[Vedran Lenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the most important book I’ve read so far.

[Patrick Dugan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In this work I have emphasized the role of the inner figure and active imagination with such figures. There are certainly other ways in which spiritual experiences may be had, but there are few better than active imagination work for the Western individual. The teaching and study of active imagination states and practices is of the greatest importance in the world today, for in the imaginal realm, individuals find the images which lead them to the experience of human wholeness and divine incarnation, without endangering the role of the ego. Above all else, the ego must be preserved and strengthened if inner alchemy is practiced. The ego must give up its fantasies to be sure, but it must remain healthy and vital, or the self will never manifest.
It is little short of magic that at a time when new frontiers are opening in the study of the imagination, the Jungian community seems bent on abandoning the inner world. At the moment when analysts must more than ever be psycho-pomp to souls in travail, the lure of the ordinary, the collective, and the clinical have become irresistible. Jungians, like all other people, wish to be accepted, but to be welcomed in a world gone mad is scant comfort indeed. Rather than turn our backs on the inner, rather than proclaim the demise of analysis, we must accept the challenge of deepening our own experience of the inner world so that we may truthfully present ourselves as guides to and teachers of the self.
The work is by no means easy. It demands everything that we have, and sometimes more."

[Cait Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book pretty interesting and I appreciate the insight into a topic that isn't so commonly explored. However, it gets a little "out there" for me at times, and there are points where I feel that the author acts as if he's stating what Jung actually thought, when it appears more that he is stating an interpretation of what Jung thought. It's worth reading if you're interested in Alchemical ideas about life.

[Kenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that sticks with you, and while I didn't like it so much at first (although I don't remember why), it has really grown on me. This book radically changed how I see the imagination, and it's a book that has connected me to all sorts of other beautiful ideas and ways of living. I will write a more detailed review at some point, but at least this is a start...

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful, stimulating and challenging book.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

badass. promotes theurgic methods without explicitly saying so.