The ancient practice of alchemy, which thrived in Europe until the seventeenth century, dealt with the phenomenon of transformation--not only of materials (ore into gold) but also of the human spirit (self into Other). Through their work in the material realm, alchemists discovered personal rebirth as well as a linking between outer and inner dimensions.C. G. Jung first turned to alchemy for personal illumination in coping with trauma brought on by his break with Freud. Alchemical symbolism eventually suggested to Jung that there was a process in the unconscious, one that had a goal beyond discharging tension and hiding pain. In this book, Nathan Schwartz-Salant, a leading Jungian analyst with an interest in alchemy, brings together a key selection of Jung's writings on the subject. These writings expose us to Jung's fascinating reflections on the symbols of alchemy--such as the three-headed Mercurial dragon, hermaphrodites, and lions devouring the sun--and brings us closer to the spirit of his approach to the unconscious, closer than his purely scientific concepts often allow.

The Swiss-born Carl Jung was one of the most famous of modern psychologists and psychiatrists. The son of a minister, Jung originally set out to study archaeology. He switched to medicine and began practicing psychiatry in Basel after receiving his degree in 1902. Jung first met Sigmund Freud in 1907 when he became his foremost associate and disciple. The break came with the publication of Jung's Psychology of the Unconscious (1912), which did not follow Freud's theories of the libido and the unconscious. Jung eventually rejected Freud's system of psychoanalysis for his own "analytic psychology." This emphasizes present conflicts rather than those from childhood; it also takes into account the conflict arising from what Jung called the "collective unconscious"---evolutionary and cultural factors determining individual development. Considered as a "deserter" and a "mystic" by Freud's followers, Jung's theories have continued to be the topic of heated discussions. Jung invented the association word test and contributed the word complex to psychology, and first described the "introvert" and "extrovert" types. Jung's interest in the human psyche, past and present, led him to study mythology, alchemy, oriental religions and philosophies, and traditional peoples. Later he became interested in parapsychology and the occult. He thought that unidentified flying objects (UFOs) might be a psychological projection of modern people's anxieties. Jung was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and received an honorary D. Sc. by Oxford University, the first psychologist to receive such an honor in England. He also received honorary degrees from Harvard University, the University of Calcutta, the Banaras Hindu University, the University of Allahabad in India, and the University of Geneva.

Schwartz-Salant is Director of the Center for Analytical Perspectives in New York and has a private practice in New York and Princeton.