The Symbols of Alchemy in Modern Dream Imagery

Author: Christopher Chayban

I am going to take a dream that Jung amplifies in Psychology and Alchemy to illustrate alchemical symbolism in dreams, but first, how did Jung interpret dreams? To start, he attributed a principle to remind himself that he knows nothing about dreams. In Psychology and Alchemy, he says “It should therefore be an absolute rule to assume that every dream, and every part of a dream, is unknown at the outset, and to attempt an interpretation only after taking up the context.” (Psychology and Alchemy pg.44).

Jung gives a list of five different sources of the dream and four things that the dream does. The dream can come from a somatic origin, physical environment, psychical environment, past events, and lastly, can anticipate a future psychical aspect of the personality (Children’s Dreams pg.8, 13, 15, 18). The first thing the dream does, is compensate the conscious situation via an unconscious reaction, the second, illustrate a conflict between consciousness and the unconscious, third, present a counter point to the conscious attitude, and lastly, present content unrelated to consciousness (Children’s Dreams pg.4-5).

Jung also uses a model resembling a drama. First, note the” Locale,” i.e. the place, time and people in the dream. Second, the “Exposition,” what’s the problem? Third, the “Peripeteia,” the transformation being shown. Lastly, the “Lysis,” what is the meaningful conclusion (Children’s Dreams pg.30). Dreams are also purposive with meaningful causal connections (Children’s Dreams pg.23). One can amplify the dream by collecting and noting associations from the dreamer that are “concentric” to the subject (Children’s Dreams pg.26). Amplification is aided by knowledge of myths, religions, alchemy etc.

Using this model, let’s do a short analysis of Dream 13 in Psychology and Alchemy. In the sea there lies a treasure. To reach it, he has to dive through a narrow opening. This is dangerous, but down below he will find a companion. The dreamer takes the plunge into the dark and discovers a beautiful garden in the depths, symmetrically laid out, with a fountain in the center (Psychology and Alchemy pg.117).

The Locale is the sea and garden, the dreamer and unknown companion are the people. The problem is he has to go through a narrow opening to find the treasure. The transformation is shown in the dive and the change from sea to garden. The result is finding the center by way of the fountain.

Jung takes the garden as mandala symbolism and is “a protection against the splintering of personality caused by his regression into childhood.” (Psychology and Alchemy pg.118). The dream content “treasure” as “the treasure hard to attain,” (Psychology and Alchemy pg.117) which we know is found in the prima materia i.e. the unconscious. This is also shown by the dream content, the “sea.” The fountain in the garden is associated with the “rose garden of the philosophers,” from the Rosarium text and Jung says that “the centre and the circle represented by the fountain and garden are analogues of the lapis.” (Psychology and Alchemy pg.118).

Resources:

Jung, C.G. Children’s Dreams: Notes from the Seminar Given in 1936-1940. (2008). Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press.

Jung, C.G. Psychology and Alchemy. (1993). Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press.

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