Description
“Because psychological language is imprecise in grasping the movements of the soul, we have come to believe the soul itself is an ungraspable flux, whereas actually the psyche presents itself in specific behaviours, experiences, and sensual images." James Hillman, Alchemical Psychology.
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As the world seems to be falling apart, this is the perfect time to learn the art of psychological integration through dialoguing with the eternal images hidden in the everyday.
Alchemy is the ancient field of studying the transformation of nature. It is a discipline of poetic imagination, working with our physical and emotional experiences. Matter is alive with spirit, and spirit has matter.
Join us for this foundation Alchemy retreat and the enlivening work of soul-making, as we seek that which is incorruptible in the psyche.
Explore what it means to be an Alchemist. Find your unreflected matter, the starting condition of the Nigredo. Gather medicinal plants, build an alchemic still and learn the distillation of elixirs and essences. Dialogue with fire, and learn the dynamic relationships between heat and vessels. Understand the value and variety of the different types of alchemic union, the Coniunctio.
These hands-on practices are supported by studies and theory. We track the history and meaning of Alchemy in the Western, Indian and Chinese traditions. We consider some of the many ways humans have transformed matter: cooking, ceramics, blacksmithing, mining, forging, cloth dyeing, embalming, perfumes, cosmetics, pharmacy, and medicines.
While deepening into the practical work, we discuss astrology, alchemy in the Bible, Western magic, and the desire to control nature. We discover the contemporary relevance of Alchemy in our ordinary lives and in our personal relationships.
In these ways, we move closer to the goal of the 'real gold' of the Rubedo and a way of living with the strange beauty and wonder of the creative and destructive cycles of our lives.
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Alchemy 1: The Marriage of Heaven and Earth
7-12 September
Residential Tamboo Tygress Workshop. 6 days. Knysna. Homework. Preparation. Application subject to suitability.
Facilitated by Mordechai Brodie, Siobhan Brodie. Anthea Henry, and Nan McAughey.
For workshop bookings and the preparations, including homework and fees, contact: workshops@tamboo.co.za
For more information on
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See The Tamboo Academy calendar for other workshops and academic learning.
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Banner image from Clavis Artis, an alchemical manuscript published in Germany in three volumes in the late 17th or early 18th century.
Gallery images of the Conuinctio from the Ripley Scroll; and by Jamsthaler, Viatorium spagyricum (1625).
