Page 40 - A critical exposition of Jung's theory of alchemy

discuss it, after the making of the Philosophers’ Stone, there is usually
another separate stage in which the Stone is cast onto another material
changing it into Gold. This is usually called Proiectio (projection,
throwing) or Multiplicatio (multiplication - the increase of the amount of
gold). Quite why these final stages are psychologically not significant is,
of course, unexplained.

As Jung himself points out this is only a schematic outline. There
are so many variations he feels it is pointless going into them (CW 12:
239) - though it seems possible we could find out more about the history
of alchemy and the transmission of its ideas, or even the changes in
people’s psychology, through looking at the variants in these stages.

The following table represents Jung’s schematic of the Stages of the
Work, from some later summaries he made in 1951-2.

(CW 20: pp 751-3; Jung & Eliade 1952: pp 228-9)

Beginning Dragon, Chaotic Spirit, Nigredo.
The Elements are fighting with each other.
Suffering. Melancholy. Encounter with the
Shadow.

First Coniunctio Synthesis, of those opposites separated in the
Nigredo.

Dawn Peacock’s tail. A new phase moves into action.

Albedo The Whiteness. Pure body. Refined but lacking
soul. One does not live. An Abstract State.
Needs blood.

Second Coniunctio Sacred Marriage. Incest.
Rubedo Experience of Being.
The repressed no longer has autonomy.

Third Meeting of Consciousness and Unconscious.
Coniunctio Awareness of centre of Self.
Lapis Philosophorum

The three coniunctios probably arise from Jung’s reading of Gerard
Dorn, who also used three coniunctios in his description of the work, as
shall be discussed in the next section.

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