"The unconscious is not just evil by nature, it is also the source of the highest good: not only dark but also light, not only bestial, semihuman, and demonic but superhuman, spiritual, and, in the classical sense of the word, 'divine.'" The Practice of Psychotherapy, p. 364 (1953)
Detail
1. The Philosophers' Stone
Lecture by Stanton Marlan, Jungian Analyst
Friday, November 12th, 8:00 PM at 408 Franklin Street
Non-Members, $15; Members and Students, $12
The enigmatic notion of the Philosophers' Stone was considered by many as the ultimate achievement of the "Great work of Alchemy" and it was the sought-after, if elusive goal of, alchemical transformation. It has appeared in many forms, and has been described in numerous recipes and in ancient manuscripts, many of which disagree with one another. These differences in the way the stone is understood continue to be controversial in the Jungian tradition. In this lecture we will explore the archetypal and mercurial image of the stone and the various ways in which it remains a powerful image in contemporary life and analysis.
“New York Council for the Humanities” provided funding assistance for this program. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.”
Stanton Marlan, Ph.D., ABPP, is a Jungian psychoanalyst, clinical psychologist and adjunct Clinical Professor of Psychology at Duquesne University. He is a training and supervising analyst with the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and President of the Pittsburgh Society of Jungian Analysts. He holds diplomates in both clinical psychology and psychoanalysis from the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is the former editor of the Journal of Jungian Theory and Practice and is on the editorial board of Spring. He has published numerous articles on Jungian psychology and has edited three books: Salt and the Alchemical Soul (Spring, 1995), Fire in the Stone: The Alchemy of Desire (Chiron, 1997), and Archetypal Psychologies: Reflections in Honor of James Hillman (Spring Journal Books, 2008). He is the author of The Black Sun: The Alchemy and Art of Darkness (Texas A&M Press, 2005). He is currently working on a book on The Philosophers' Stone.