임숙근 Sook-keun Lim

DOI: Vol.39(No.1) 1-60, 2024

This thesis originated from a dream of a young man clad in green, suspended like Christ on the stair landing. This dream reminded me of Jung's vision of the Christ on the Cross, bathed in a greenish gold aurum viriditas. Jung associated the analogy of Christ and aurum non vulgi, aurum viriditas of alchemy from this vision. I was fascinated by Jung’s words that originally there were four alchemical stages, but by the 15th-16th century they were reduced to three (nigredo-albedo-rubedo); and that viriditas used to exist after nigredo had vanished. This thesis is about the process of unraveling these mysteries through amplification. In the realm of alchemy, viriditas (verdigris) was an old and humble substance, yet it would eventually metamorphose into pure gold under the supervision of alchemists. It was the prima materia of alchemical work and the ultimate product, mercurius itself. It was the celestial spirit, concealed beneath the earth, and the embodiment of transformation, enriching the earth, sprouting a myriad of buds and flowers, turning the land green. I examined the dreams, visions, and pictures of Hildegard of Bingen, C.G. Jung, my analysands, and my own to figure out whether viriditas was the fourth that leads to wholeness that engaged in the whole process of individuation. While working on this thesis, I learned that for our personalities to mature, we must include the lower, the secular, the feminine, the chtonic, and even the evil. To achieve this, we cannot avoid our opposite, the fourth, but to wait and persevere until we can walk together. Then, our lives will be fresh and blossoming.

비리디타스, 연금술 작업, 사위, 빙엔의 힐데가르트, C.G. 융, Viriditas, Alchemical opus, Quaternio, Hildegard of bingen, C.G. Jung

김덕규 Dukkyu Kim

DOI: Vol.39(No.1) 61-91, 2024

Alchemy is the process of producing worthless substances into the best substances through chemical opus(work). On the surface, many of the alchemist’s experiments can be depicted as work on transforming substances, but in reality, the alchemist’s result is a product of the Unconscious. This study aims to explain the three phases of alchemy, Nigredo, Albedo, and Rubedo, through Michael Mayer’s alchemical text, Atalanta Fugiens, and understand the transformation process by utilizing images that appeared from clients’ sand play therapy. This study first described why alchemy, as the foundation for the psychology of the Unconscious, is important in sand play that deals with images. Next, Nigredo (blackening), the first phase of the alchemical process, is briefly described, and how the contents of Nigredo, such as chaos, dissolution, separation, division, corruption, death, and calcination, appear in sand play therapy. Next, the second phase, albedo (whitening), is described, and how the images of water and fire, which are representative images of albedo in the form of purification, sublimation, distillation, separation, descension, and coagulation, are revealed in sand play. Lastly, the phase of rubedo (reddening) in alchemy is described, and how the form of union (mandala or central image) in rubedo, which appears in the form of conjunction and rebirth, is revealed in sand play. The symbols revealed in alchemy are very valuable in amplifying the images that appeared in sand play therapy or dream analysis. In particular, the procedures found in alchemical opus are helpful in understanding the transformation process of personality.

연금술, 모래놀이, 니그레도, 알베도, 루베도, 미카엘 마이어, Alchemy, Sandplay, Nigredo, Albedo, Rubedo, Michael Maier

이승섭 Seungsub Lee

DOI: Vol.39(No.1) 92-128, 2024

This study examines Gijesa, a Korean tradition of memorial worship for departed ancestors, from the perspective of analytical psychology. To understand the psychological background of ancestral rites, a literature search was conducted to examine the basis for ancestral spirits, the objects of ancestral rites, the symbolic meaning of the customs and practice of Gijesa, and the contents of volume 3 of the book Jhuza-uryu about ‘Ghosts and Ancestral Rituals’. Gijesa, the Korean ancestor worship, may appear as a complicated formal ritual, but it reveals a psychological phenomenon of individuation. Gijesa facilitates a conversation between descendants and ancestors, bridging the conscious and the unconscious, leading to a realization of totality. The creative aspect of spirit worship lies in the ‘realization of the individuation process’ in that it fosters a connection with the collective unconscious, the root of consciousness. When an individual develops into a new integrated personality, we could gain strength from the support of ancestors, the support of the unconscious. The relationship with the spirits of ancestors is essential because consciousness has an important relationship with its root, the collective unconscious, especially for those of us living in an era of chaos where the fundamental meaning of human existence is lost due to rationalism and materialism.

한국인의 조상숭배(기제사), 상징, 개성화 과정, Korean Ancestor Worship (Gijesa), Symbol, Individuation

백기홍 Kihong Baek

DOI: Vol.39(No.1) 129-183, 2024

This study is an attempt to get closer to the psychological truth of alcohol addiction. After reviewing previous related studies, the experiences of Korean alcoholics were examined, encompassing both the conscious and unconscious aspects. In order to approach the unconscious, the researcher paid attention to the series of dreams that the patients reported, from the perspective of Jungian dream analysis. Working with dreams brought considerable benefits in increasing patient’s involvement in the therapeutic process and fostering therapist-patient alliance. It also helped to understand patients’ conscious and unconscious aspects further. The results were as follows. On the conscious level, patients showed a long-standing alienation from their true emotional needs, a lack of sufficient experience in genuinely expressing and being accepted with one’s own emotion, resulting in the need for emotional re-experience, along with the intense longing for maternal affection. This also meant that they were in need for maternal re-experience, and at the same time, for the associated paternal re-experience. Furthermore, the researcher identified that certain powerful archetypal complexes had been activated in the patient’s unconscious in response to their conscious situations, triggering the destructive shadows to emerge and exert a strong influence on their conscious lives. The series of reported dreams shows how the unconscious always properly and diligently compensates, modifying the perspective and attitude of the conscious and gradually opening the doors to healing, even for alcoholic patients. This indicates that the unconscious carries out a specific and consistent guidance role so the conscious can realize and adequately respond to it, and that it also provides the creative force for transforming the conscious life. These findings suggest that alcohol addiction is a psychological condition that can jeopardize one's life by allowing the powerful energy of the unconscious to penetrate the conscious, but at the same time, have the purpose and direction to urge the creative transformation of one's conscious life. From these results, it can be concluded that the first step towards true recovery is for the individual to turn their attention towards the psychological truth occurring within themselves. In this regard, the therapist’s role is crucial. This also suggests that various attempts in the field of addiction treatment will blossom their real values when they contribute, directly or indirectly, to the development of one’s self-awareness since as long as one continues to turn away from the psychological truth and persist in craving for false objects, their creative healing properties in the unconscious could rather have negative and destructive impacts on their life.

알코올 중독, 분석심리학, 무의식, 창조적 치유, Alcoholics, Analytical psychology, Unconscious, Creative healing