Author(s): C. G. Jung

Philosophy

C.G. Jung was one of the first modern thinkers to realise the importance of alchemical symbolism to men and women today. He saw it as a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious mind, a bridge needed just as much now as in earlier times when alchemy was a flourishing tradition and practice. In Psychology and Alchemy Jung worked out in detail the analogies between alchemy, Christian dogma and symbolism, and discusses individual dream symbolism in relation to alchemy, focussing on the mandala in particular. He also describes religious ideas in alchemy, and the use of alchemical symbols such as the unicorn, the phoenix, the brazen serpent and the tree of life in various religious traditions.