ALCHEMY
LOOKING
FOR GOLD
IN
EACH
STUDENT
HISTORY OF ALCHEMY

Oldest traced roots are from 2,500BC in Chinese
philosophy where it encompassed science, medicine,
healing, religion, astrology, astronomy

Practised in Egypt, Greece, Spain, Italy & Arabia
before 12th century

From a translation of an Arabic text in 1144
entered the English speaking world

Aimed to transmute lead into gold
OVERVIEW OF ANCIENT ALCHEMY
The Great Work
Rubedo
Gold
The goal
Transmutation
The Middle Work
Albedo
Silver
The processes
Extraction
The Lesser Work
Nigredo
Lead
Hermetic fermentation
Prima materia
ANCIENT ALCHEMY AND JUNG
 Jung studied and researched metaphysics, Chinese
philosophy, Buddhism & Alchemy
 Believed that the chemical changes in the base metal
corresponded to the psychological changes in the psyche of
the alchemist
 For Jung, Alchemy = an inner psychological journey
 Jung used this as basis of his analytical psychology (early
20thcentury)
JUNG’S ALCHEMY
Describes the process of seeing/viewing any life
situation, occurrence or belief as having a higher
meaning, a purpose, Participation Mystique
The day to day reality of our lives is about much
more than it appears
Withdrawal of projection onto others
Looking for gold in every situation
LEAD
THE LESSER WORK/THE SHADOW
Darker, hidden side of psyche – unresolved feelings,
memories of childhood, suppressed life experiences
(then repressed and lost to the conscious state)
Blaming others for something that has little or nothing
to do with them
Unexpected over-reactions to certain people or
situations
Can operate on an individual, group, racial or
international level
SILVER
THE MIDDLE WORK
 Acceptance of the inter relationship between the
conscious and the unconscious
 Acceptance that occurrence of childhood issues in
adulthood happens for a reason (to be dealt with)
 Dealing with events by taking notice of:
o meaningful coincidences or happenings
o dreams, premonitions, forebodings,
o hunches, innerknowings
o déjà vu experiences
 Accepting our connectedness in the world
 Withdrawal of blame and of projection
GOLD
THE GREAT WORK
 Self awareness from introspection
 Using one’s inner beliefs for the good of others
 Realization and acceptance that there is a higher
purpose to one’s life
 Finding the gold within oneself giving the feeling of
standing on solid ground within oneself
 The peace at the centre -The eye of the storm
 Seeing oneself as responsible for and the centre of
creating change in one’s own world, and then in the
great world
OVERVIEW OF JUNG’S ALCHEMY
The Great Work - Gold
A state of higher consciousness
Self-awareness/ Individuation
Beliefs: I can make a difference
Question: What is the bigger picture?
The Middle Work – Silver
The desire to learn and change
The beginning of introspection
Beliefs: I can’t help it? I don’t understand.
Questions: What does it mean? What can I
do to change it?
The Lesser Work/Ego/The Shadow – Lead
The Negative Emotions
Need to be right, anger, aggression, hatred, jealousy, judgments
Overreactions to situations based on beliefs, experiences
Beliefs: It is somebody else’s fault. Life isn’t fair.
Questions: Whose fault is it? Why is it happening to me?
BOYS AND BEHAVIOUR
DISORDERS
 Boys arrive in schools in the nigredo
 Educational participation mystique set-up involving
alchemic processes
 Schools and teachers often over-react, reinforce and
sometimes even create behaviour difficulties in boys
 Boys are over-represented in the area of behaviour
disorders
 Egocentric issues
EGOCENTRIC ISSUES
Rejection by peers, victim consciousness
Confusion about adult relationships
Dreams and recurring nightmares
Acute anxiety disorder, learning difficulties
Anger about mother and women in general
Unresolved anger about mother’s projection of fear, loss
and sickness onto him
 Hopelessness about own ability
 Freedom to choose friends despite gender
 Confusion about sexuality






EDUCATIONAL ALCHEMY
The Great Work - Gold
Self-realisation
Academic and social success
Creativity- music/ art/dance
Ownership
The Middle Work – Silver
Empowering Students
Curriculum modification
Behaviour management
Withdrawal of projection
The Lesser Work - Lead
Projection (teacher/parent)
Ritalin
Behaviour disorder
Ego-centric issues
Learning difficulties
Special Needs
HOW CAN WE USE THIS?
 Just use the techniques, ideas and strategies
to assist in student management
 Accept notion of synchronicity as a central
element to using ideas and strategies
 Accept the participation mystique of life, of
teaching, of lessons needed to be learnt by all
of us in this life
WHAT CAN WE DO?
Become more aware of how schools are constructed as
examples of participation mystique - see the bigger
picture
Listen to boys, ask them how we could help
Withdraw judgment about males and boys
Withdraw projection of the contents of the shadow onto
others
Learn the reasons for disturbed behaviour
Help boys to understand egocentric issues
Teach boys how to get out of the nigredo
Look for the gold within each boy
Start to practise educational alchemy
REFERENCES
Faludi, S. (1999). Stiffed: The betrayal of the American
man. New York: William Morrow & Company, Inc.
Jung, C.G. (1951). The collected works. London: Routledge
& Kegan Paul.
Myss, C. (1996).Anatomy of the spirit: the seven stages of
power and healing. London: Bantam Books.
Von Franz, M.L. (1975). Alchemy: Introduction to the
symbolism and the psychology. Toronto: Inner City Books.
West, P. (2002). What is the matter with boys? Sydney:
Choice Books.