Through Darkness into Light: The Alchemy of Writing
A program from Susan Tiberghien, offered through the Jung Society of Washington
As a follow-up to Susan Tiberghien’s lecture, the Calgary Jung Society is offering a three-part guided workshop on successive Tuesdays on April 13, 20, 27, 2021, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. called Through Darkness into Light: The Alchemy of Writing. This program will be hosted and facilitated by a member of the CJS Board; it consists of pre-recorded brief lectures from Susan, many examples and excerpts from contemporary writers, and guided writing exercises, and one major exercise for each evening. The cost of the program, which is purchased through the Jung Society of Washington, will be at a reduced price for CJS members (Regular $99.00 US), more information to come soon. CJS will charge a small fee for facilitating.
Why participate in this program? Susan writes: You will see how alchemy opens the way through darkness to light. Jung’s journey toward selfhood in The Red Book was an alchemical journey: going into the unconscious (nigredo), encountering and listening to its contents (albedo) and bringing them to the light (rubedo). After an introduction to alchemy, we will follow Jung on his journey in and out of darkness as written in The Red Book. We will then look at how we can make our own alchemical journey. There will be examples and excerpts from contemporary writers—Marion Woodman, Orhan Pamuk, and Elaine Pagels—along with guided writing exercises. We will become alchemists, finding our stories in the dark, remembering that we cannot hoard our bits of gold, our growing awareness. Rather we need to share our light in the world around us.