Page 51 - A critical exposition of Jung's theory of alchemy

writing. The American General Hitchcock, who wrote the interpretation
of Alchemy which influenced Silberer, also wrote on Swedenborg as a
Hermetic Philosopher, and Swedenborg’s early chemical writings show
much influence of alchemy, and his later mysticism often explores the
mysteries of correspondences18. The client who had the string of dreams

18. Thus in the Arcana Coelestria #1551 Swedenborg writes: “The most
ancient people compared the goods and truths present in man to metals”, and
goes on to say in the Apocalypse Revealed # 913: “The reason why ‘gold’
signifies the good of love is because metals, as well as each and every thing
which appears in the natural world, corresponds; gold to the good of love, silver
to the truths of wisdom, copper or brass to the good of charity, and iron to the
truths of faith”. Swedenborg (Arcana Coelestria #10300) argues that Salt is
“that longing for good which is of the love of truth”, remarking that “Salt has
this signification from its conjunctive nature; for it conjoins all things, and from
this gives them relish; salt even conjoins water and oil, which otherwise will not
combine”. Perhaps in favour of Jung’s position that his client could have
learned nothing from Swedenborg, is that Swedenborg did not seem particularly
interested in the quicksilver, Mercury and the serpent which was the focus of
some of Kristine Man’s pictures, and which constituted the somewhat tenuous
connection with alchemy, which Jung announced.
To give an example of Swedenborg’s rather unwieldy system of interpretation
in action, in the Apocalypse Explained #242 Swedenborg writes: “ ‘To buy of
Me gold tried by fire, that thou mayest be enriched,’ signifies that they should
acquire for themselves from the Lord genuine good, that they may be able to
receive the truths of faith. This is evident from the signification of ‘buying’, as
being to acquire and appropriate to oneself (see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4397,
5374, 5397, 5406, 5410, 5426); also from the signification of ‘gold tried by
fire,’ as being genuine good, thus good from the Lord (of which presently); also
from the signification of ‘that thou mayest be enriched,’ as being to be enabled
to receive the truths of faith… It now remains to be shown that ‘gold’ in the
Word signifies the good of love ”. Likewise from the same source: “ ‘He shall
purge them as gold and silver’ This is said because ‘gold’ signifies good, and
‘silver’ the truth therefrom”.
The alchemical influences on the theory of Swedenborg is not so obvious in his
‘spiritual’ works but he does write in Apocalypse Explained #1084: “In the
bosom of the earth, in certain places, are minerals impregnated with gold,
silver, copper, and iron. From the vapours stored up in the earth the gold
attracts its element, the silver, copper and iron do the same, and this by some
kind of unknown heat, distinctly, together, and in an instant”. Swedenborg may
have held two theories of particles in his life in one (1722) the particles of
different materials are of different shapes and thus materials cannot be

47