Alchemy and Typology
Author: Christopher Chayban
In this paper I will discuss the archetypal bias and typological imbalances operating in contemporary culture and how to restore balance using the fundamental principles of alchemy and Jungian psychology. These biases are the clue to how the individual can become a “salvator macrocosmi,” a savior of the macrocosm i.e. culture, through the agency of consciousness.
To start, a bias is largely an inner unconscious pre-figuration in the psyche that one may project outwardly. The bias may come from an undifferentiated mass of contaminated material or contents in the psyche that we denote as “unconscious.” Alchemically this refers to the “prima materia.” The biases are the prime matter to examine and use in the process of an individual or cultural individuation. To further elaborate on these pre-figurations, Marie Louise Von Franz tells us that the psyche has an inborn tendency to structure itself in a fourfold manner in the unconscious and that mirrors the tendency to structure consciousness into the four functions, the four archetypes, the four elements etc (Psychotherapy pg.18).
In order to become a salvator macrocosmi, one must achieve the production of the lapis or philosophers stone, which psychologically is a union of opposites. The four elements of earth, air, fire and water, Edinger tells us, are two sets of contraries (air and earth, fire and water) that must undergo a “separatio” or differentiation psychologically, and correspond to the four functions of sensation, thinking, intuition and feeling, that lead to the creation of an ego out of the prima materia or the unconscious (Anatomy of the Psyche pg.10).
Edinger further elucidates that it is important that four functions be separated because “one’s feeling reaction to a fact should not hinder one’s ability to see its existence; or, a possibility should not be confused with a certainty. Although the four elements cannot be equated precisely with the four functions, there is an approximate parallel…Every newly encountered area of the unconscious requires a cosmogonic act of separation (Anatomy of the Psyche pg.189) and “The creation of consciousness requires that new contents be carved out of the unconscious” (Anatomy of the Psyche pg.189-191). The key word to focus on here is “cosmogonic” because creation of a new world in the case of culture, requires the separation of one set of qualities as opposed to another.
The pre-figuration to structure contents in consciousness into a fourfold manner continues to occur in modernity. In staying with the alchemical analogy, the four elements have transformed themselves from four types of solid substances to four letter abstractions known as a “type code.” The type code is created out of four continuums of E (Extravert) or I (Introvert), S (Sensation) or N (Intuition), T (Thinking) or F (Feeling) and J (Judging) or P (Perceiving). Isabelle Briggs-Myers informs us of the typological bias of contemporary culture in her research, she says the most common type in America is an “S” or the Sensation type, with ESTJ as the most common type code, and the least frequent as “N” or the Intuitive type and INFJ as the least common type code (Gifts Differing pg.33). It is likely that the super structure of culture hasn’t changed all that much and that some people of this dominant type/type code are people who are leading the country or are at least influencing culture by reinforcing cultural values and ideologies.
Let’s unpack this fourfold type code a little more. The collective consciousness operates in the manner of ESTJ, which means that the dominant function in culture is extraverted thinking. Lenore Thomson expands on how extraverted thinking or “EJ” types deal with the world. She says that they depend on rational and outward predictability, set goals, strive for perfection, maintain standards of public life, apply general standards to individual situations, spend time keeping things under control, ignore or subordinate the following, physical limits, own priorities for the sake of a job or social role, immediate needs and impressions for others (Personality Types pg.60-62). This sounds a lot like our typological bias that is highly structured with schedules and a commercial approach where working for a company or institution for more hours than your body can sometimes handle becomes more important than vacation or fair service compensation needs.
Let’s take another angle now to see if we can confirm this cultural bias “cosmically” so to speak and in an esoteric sense. One of the fundamentals of alchemy is the use of astrology. Liz Greene, a Jungian oriented Astrologer, correlates the elements in her book, Relating, to the functions in the same manner as Edinger, but adds a nuance to by taking Jung’s judging and perceiving function pairs and corresponds them to the elements. So, empirical (sensory) thinking pair would relate to a predominance of planets in air and earth astrology signs, intuitive thinking pair to air and fire signs, the intuitive feeling pair to water and fire, and the sensory feeling pair to water and earth (Relating pg.62). So, one might expect in the higher macrocosm of the stars, to find a predominance of air and/or earth signs in the astrology chart of the United States. This is not true in looking in the tropical (seasonal based zodiac) chart, but if one looks at the sidereal (stellar based zodiac) chart, there is in fact five planets in air signs (Gemini and Aquarius) and two planets in earth signs (Virgo and Capricorn). You can look at the sidereal chart of the United States here (www.astrocounsel.us/single-post/2016/04/11/Birth-chart-of-the-USA-Do-Countries-have-Karma-). So empirical thinking is even the bias in the macrocosm, which trickles down into the microcosm in individuals. A prime example of this is the 2016 election with the emphasis being heavily placed on “fact checking” for empirical data by the candidates.
We can continue to add nuance to the ST coupling with Robert Moore’s four archetypal structures, King, Warrior, Lover and Magician. John Gianinni takes this ST coupling and applies it the “Warrior” sector of the personality. He says that the ST Warrior is based on the fact-getting of sensation and the systematizing of thinking, is interested in how and why things work, and cannot be reasoned or convinced by anything but the facts (Giannini pg.211-212). He continues to say that “the (Mature) Warrior is too easily and superficially identified in our culture with the Shadow Warrior, the rage-filled killer that has produced such violence in our cities and that has been dramatized in our popular arts. This sort of Warrior emerges out of an infantile rage, so typical of a pathologies patriarchy” (Giannini pg.210). One would think this bias spills over to a scientific minded people with also an emphasis on enforcing the “law” as the name “Warrior” might imply. Isabelle Briggs Myers confirms this with her statistics saying that “ES quadrant is the most practical and realistic quadrant and the least given to intellectual abstractions” (Gifts Differing pg.42-43) and that “TJ” types are essential for law (Gifts Differing pg.49) with seventy-nine percent of police are sensation types, (Gifts Differing pg.50) which was the most common type in the culture overall.
But wholeness doesn’t consist of using two functions, it involves integration of all the parts of the personality including the inferior functions. Von Franz relates typology to the Axiom of Maria and the fourth or inferior function is a bridge to the unconscious. She says “One becomes two, that is, you first assimilate your main function, then the first auxiliary. This means that you first have on function and then two, and after that you assimilate a third, and thus two becomes three…out of the third comes the fourth as the one,” (Psychotherapy pg.52). The inferior of the cultural dominant extraverted thinking is introverted feeling (individual values) which are subordinated. Today, the likes and dislikes of individuals are trying to establish a direct line of communication to the broad logical and communal “what’s good for everybody” approach. Edinger says that the alchemical operation of “solutio” solves psychological problems and relates to feeling (Anatomy of the Psyche pg.76). Sure enough, with terms like “drain the swamp” a solutio motif is being called for. So, feeling is most unconscious along with intuition and the NF and NT couplings which correspond to the Lover and Magician archetypes are also inferior archetypes. We see shadow lovers are popping up in celebrity sex scandals and shadow magicians or alchemists in the medical industry spending more money on marketing then research for cures.
A savior of culture appears to be in need but the people always crucify the potential savior as with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The outer savior seems to be out of style, the salvator macrocosmi must be an internal process where we save ourselves. To do that we must find the “Self.” The fourfold structuring of consciousness combines with the four-ness of the unconscious, as wholeness consists of conscious and unconscious, the “Self becomes “octahedral” and a “diamond body” within as Robert Moore refers to it (Giannini pg.224) where it’s not just the Warrior archetype we incorporate but also the Kings/Queens, Lovers and Magicians as well. The alchemist’s called this the “immortal body” which is achieved by the coagulation (incarnation) of the spirit (meaning) and is the philosopher’s stone, the final goal of individuation (Anatomy of the Psyche pg.104).
The doubling of the four continues with Jungian analyst John Beebe who posits an of typological model eight function-attitudes of consciousness. In the case of America and the most inferior or “shadow” of the inferior would be not introverted feeling but extraverted feeling. Beebe gives this eighth function the archetype of the “demonic” and says it is an “Area of undermining and redemption…Undermines self and others; creates opportunities to develop integrity (Beebe Pg.44).” Beebe says, “Yet this, I reasoned, is not our darkest shadow; that shadow is carried by the smiling, sinister white man at the base of the American character, the man with demonic extraverted feeling. This demonic extraverted feeling function is what some blacks call ‘the man.” (Beebe Pg.225). Beebe suggests that one can look at the cultural attitudes that Joseph Henderson extracted out from a typological standpoint. These cultural attitudes are the social, the religious, the aesthetic and the philosophic (Beebe Pg.97) Beebe says a cultural attitude contains all eight functions which is a greater coniunctio between the first and eight or last typological function of consciousness to maintain an adaptation to inner and outer reality (Beebe Pg.111). Of course, we know the alchemists were fond of combining the inner and outer realities and Beebe and Henderson suggest that the alchemists cultural attitude was a “religious attitude” that gives the stretch from introverted intuition to introverted sensation. Beebe says that “the combination of introverted intuition, with its unbounded, symbolic literacy, and introverted sensation, with its observant clarity, that imbued the study of alchemical transformation with religious vision.” (Beebe Pg.102) Alchemy and in some way Jungian psychology exhibit this attitude as well and is also what is needed to develop the psychological lapis.
In the case of the ESTJ typology of America, the cultural attitude would be the social attitude that brings together a dominant extraverted thinking with shadow inferior extraverted feeling together in a greater coniunctio of culture. He says that extraverted thinking provides the clear and simple principles with laws that are applied consistently but in order to be a true effective “social” cultural attitude it must be combined with extraverted feeling which is concerned with the harmonious workings of group and interpersonal dynamics (Beebe Pg.102). Within any culture all eight types of consciousness are present and to engage in it effectively (Beebe Pg.106) is each individual must become a salvator macrocosmi and integrate all eight functions to create a psychological lapis by way of the coniunctio between the first function in the light and the last function filled with darkness. As I noted earlier, the eighth function is not only a function is not only an area where we undermine but also provides the opportunity for redemption and the salvator macrocosmi is a redeemer. Beebe gives an example of this function coniunctio through film in the Wizard of Oz. He says that the Heroine Dorothy and extraverted feeling type uses her interpersonal skills and convinces the demonic extraverted thinking type wizard to help rather than undermine her friends, and this wizard eventually transforms from a demon to a daimon when held to a standard of integrity (Beebe Pg.107).
In conclusion, the creation of psychological lapis consists of developing all eight functions and making the stretch typologically in the cultural attitude, which gives rise to the possibility of saving the macrocosm (culture). Jung said that “society is the sum total of individuals in need of redemption (Civilization in Transition pg.276). Becoming a salvator macrocosmi, the savior of culture starts with working on the microcosm, the individual. Restoring balance to the one-sided cultural bias is done by looking within yourself at your typological and archetypal biases and holding yourself to a standard of integrity. This is a lifelong opus and the process of individuation.
Resources:
Beebe, J. (2017). Energies and patterns in psychological type: the reservoir of consciousness. London; New York: Routledge.
Edinger, E. (1994). Anatomy of the Psyche: Alchemical Symbolism in Psychotherapy. Chicago, Ill: Open Court Press.
Franz, M.V. (1993). Psychotherapy. Boston: Shambhala.
Giannini, J. L. (2004). Compass of the soul: archetypal guides to a fuller life. Gainesville, FL: Center for Applications of Psychological Type.
Greene, L. (1993). Relating: an astrological guide to living with others. Aquarian Press.
Jung, C. G., Read, H., & Hull, R. F. (2014). Civilization in transition. London: Routledge
Myers, I.B., & Myers, P.B. (1980). Gifts differing: understanding personality type. Mountain View, CA: CPP.
Namjoshi, Renu . “Vedic Horoscope of USA – Do Countries have Karma ?” AstroCounsel. April 11, 2016. Accessed December 24, 2017. http://www.astrocounsel.us/single-post/2016/04/11/Birth-chart-of-the-USA-Do-Countries-have-Karma-.
Thomson, L.B. (2001). Personality type: an owners manual. Place of publication not identified: Shambhala.
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