Series 2, Episode 2: The Melting Pot of the Mind - Alchemical symbology in dreams
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Fire, floods, sex and death. Flying and falling. Coming apart and putting the pieces back together to be more of yourself than you ever were before. Finding the gold within. Welcome to your dreams of personal transformation, and the symbolic system that can guide you through them: Alchemy.

If you’ve heard of it, it might be from Harry Potter or maybe as the mystical antecedent to modern chemistry. Or maybe you’ve heard Laura and Dave talking about it on the Dream Boat!

In this episode, they give a brief overview of alchemy as a symbolic system that describes the stages of change in the psyche, originally identified by Jung in his reading of medieval mystical texts and still used in analytical psychology and taught on the Diploma in Integrative Transpersonal Counselling and Psychotherapy at CCPE in London.

• Included in this discussion:
• The 4 stages of the alchemical model
• Seven major “operations” or processes that help change occur
• Images in dreams that signify the stages and operations
• The symbolic elements – earth, water, fire and air – and the aspects of consciousness they represent

And the Dream of the Week is a magical dream of transformation aided by a shaman in the desert under a starry sky, leading to the emergence of a golden snake. Dave and Laura talk about the rich alchemical imagery and what it might mean for the dreamer.

Don’t you wish you had dreams like that? Your dreams are fascinating, too. Send dreams to share as Dream of the Week or in our Dream Lab via the social and website links below.

In this episode:

Psychology and Alchemy, Carl Jung)

Anatomy of the Psyche, Edward F. Edinger)

Alchemy: An Introduction to the Symbolism and Psychology, Marie-Louise von Franz)

Awakening Through Dreams: The Journey Through the Inner Landscape, Nigel Hamilton)

Alchemy and Mysticism, Alexander Roob)

Let us know what you think, and submit a dream for us to explore on the podcast! 

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DRI website: driccpe.org.uk/contact) 

This podcast is a project of the DRI), the centre for dream studies at CCPE), the psychotherapy college overlooking the canals at London’s scenic Little Venice.

Remember you can join the DRI for just £30 a year currently to access discounted events, courses, newsletters and join in the conversation about dreams. Go to driccpe.org.uk/sign-up) to join!

Keep dreaming, and keep sharing your dreams!

Credits

Recorded by Sophie, Lev and Ella at the Boat Pod https://theboatpod.com) 

Edited by James Ede at Be Heard https://beheard.org.uk) 

Podcast Artwork Design by Kat Seager Design

Music:

Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu) 

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT)

Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE) 

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8)