Across culture, the Alchemist was known to take base materials such as lead and, through a series of laboratory processes – such as dissolving, burning and separating – attempt to turn lead into gold. The Alchemist does this through a disciplined practice of experimentation and close observation. Carl Jung saw alchemy as a metaphor for soul work. The “lead” or “prima materia” of daily life – depression, disturbances, meaninglessness, emotional struggles – can be actively engaged and transformed into wisdom, the Philosopher’s Stone, Sophia, Gold. By engaging that which disturbs us, we activate the potential for more consciousness and wholeness, thereby creating a more satisfying life.
