21st Century Alchemy

Carl Jung used the language and imagery of alchemy to describe the process of personal development, a process he termed individuation. Considered an early precursor to chemistry today, alchemy’s dynamic metaphoric language is analogous to the process of personal growth and development. The desire to transmute lead into gold is an easy metaphor for turning weaknesses into strengths, fears into courage, and pain into a tool for helping others to heal.

The alchemical mantra solve et coagula (dissolve and coagulate) refers to the process of breaking a substance down and combining it with other materials to form something new and better. Psychologically, we can think of this as the breaking down of our old, ego-centric and fear-laden identity and allowing new experiences and emotions to expand self-awareness. Referencing successes to combat fears and choosing to believe that more is possible in the future if we are willing to sacrifice for it.

The process leaves us stronger and more capable than before. In Jungian terms, our voluntary confrontation of the doubts and fears that have always crippled us are incorporated into a more accurate understanding of ourselves as we choose to persist, persevere, forgive, explore, take chances, and grow.

The process happens after every breakup, every death in the family, every time we get fired. It also happens when we face a difficult situation and find that we handled ourselves better than expected. It happens when a friend comes to us for advice and we speak with a wisdom and compassion we didn’t know we had. And it even happens when we take a different route home from work, just to try something new.

Small acts of curiosity and willingness are, in fact, the seed and the fruit of this alchemy.

The idea that we can turn lead into gold is a metaphor for turning fear into courage, weakness into strength, and doubt into faith. It is the process of testing the waters of life, pushing our limits, and finding that we are capable of more than we ever thought possible. It certainly has been for me anyways.

What’s your experience? Leave a comment and tell me how are you challenging self-limiting beliefs today.