The Heart of the Matter: Alchemy and the Prima Materia
Digital Jung S3, Ep. 9
In this second episode of a four-part series on the symbolism of alchemy, I look at a central feature of alchemical thought: the prima materia.
This is an important and complex symbol. The prima materia can be understood as the primordial “stuff” from which all things are ultimately formed. The whole work of alchemy — the opus — depended on finding or producing this undifferentiated matter so that work of bringing forth the goal of the process, which was known by many names — elixir vitae, panacea, Gold, Philosophers’ Stone, etc. — could begin in earnest.
The relationship between the original, underlying substance — the first matter — and the goal of the opus is an intricate one. It forms the heart of the alchemical worldview.
In the episode I describe the essence of this worldview this way:
“There is a substance of the highest value trapped in an undeveloped or contaminated state and it is the task of the alchemists to free that substance and thereby contribute to the renewal, not only of themselves, but of the whole world.”
What makes all this more than just an historical curiosity is that the images developed by the alchemists are surprisingly apt metaphorical expressions for the process of psychological change. Psychologically speaking, the prima materia can be understood as everything that happens to us, that is, as the raw material of everyday experience from which the “elixir” of meaning must be extracted.
As I put it in the episode:
“The seeds of our own spiritual and psychological growth are to be found nowhere else but in the messy circumstances of our lives, in the still undeveloped corners of our own hearts and minds — if, that is, we are able to see them and acknowledge them.”
Just as the goal of the opus was known by many names, so the prima materia, too, was expressed through a dizzying variety of images. The alchemists “gave all too many definitions,” writes Jung.1 The many symbols of the prima materia included such things as ore, lead, water, earth, poison, chaos, mother, sea, and dragon. This list could easily be expanded.
Frequently in the literature, the prima materia is depicted in the form of a dragon that is being beaten or killed. This is an image, Jung suggests, of the instinctual psyche, that is, the undeveloped and immature aspects of one’s drives and desires. These are in need of being tempered, shaped, and transformed. They must be “killed off” in their current state so that they can be reconstituted in a more effective, more mature form. A similar image appears in the Grimm’s fairy tale The Gnome, a part of which I tell in the episode, exploring its connection to this cluster of images and ideas.
You will find all these ideas and more discussed in greater detail in this week’s episode. I hope you enjoy this latest offering from Digital Jung. You can find it wherever you listen to your podcasts or simply by clicking this link: The Heart of the Matter: Alchemy and the Prima Materia
Thanks for listening, and take good care!
Remainders
Just a short one this week for the remainders section, once again from Marie-Louise von Franz’s book Alchemical Active Imagination. Here she addresses the participatory nature of the alchemical work:
“Before you can find the universal medicine you desire to reach in this opus you must first become it yourself.”
Upcoming Events
The Symbol of the Grail: I will be returning to the Jung Archademy starting on Monday, March 6th, 2023 for a deep dive into Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival. In this class we will explore the rich symbolism of the Grail legend and discover the relevance of the Parzival myth to the modern experience of individuation. For more details visit: The Symbol of the Grail: Parzival and the Path of Individuation
Religious but Not Religious: I will giving two presentations at the Maine Jung Center in March. On Friday, March 24th I will be giving a talk on my book, Religious but Not Religious: Living a Symbolic Life. The following day — Saturday, March 25th — I will be offering a workshop that explores the practical dimensions of this material, titled Deep Listening: Developing Symbolic Sensitivity. For more information, just click on the links for each of the programs.
Psychology and Alchemy by C.G. Jung
Once again, Jason, you share your talent for taking difficult ideas and concepts and bringing them down to earth--coagulatio. Thank you. I'm wondering if you have ever thought of continuing to post this as a blog on your website (I just went to your website to look for an easier way to read--as substack is not natural for those of us who are not native to the internet---people over 60 for sure). Maybe I'll just get used to substack! Working on it!