Most of us who delve into the work of Carl Jung have encountered at least something he said about alchemy,

that ancient art which Jung single-handedly restored to serious study in our modern age. Many of us know that, in it, he saw parallels with his theory of individuation, lead being transformed into gold, the integration of the Self. Yet, how much do we reali e the immense importance of the truths he uncovered with this discovery! "f a surety, the alchemical process is probably the single best description, in metaphorical form, of not only what occurs in the human psyche, but what occurs in #ature in general as the process of soul-making unfolds. $he images of alchemy are ama ingly robust and accurate in their descriptions of the various stages and psychological modes and processes of the Magnum Opus. %erein, & will begin several articles in which & will attempt to e'plore alchemy, as a spelunker would navigate a ma e of caverns. $he (reat )ork is an art form that has survived for thousands of years, undoubtedly due to its accurate representation of the processes of the psyche. &ts importance in matters of soul must not be underestimated. & plan on beginning with the basics and then delve deeper into alchemy as never before. & will initiate this article with a discussion of one of mankind*s closest companions throughout its history. & refer to fire. "ver two millennia ago, %eraclitus concluded that fire is the element that best describes the operations of #ature. %e believed that fire, which he seems to identify with (od, or the world process, is the source of all becoming. +&t throws apart and then brings together again, it advances and retires. -verything flows and nothing abides, everything gives way and nothing stays fi'ed+ ./td. in )heelwright 01-023. $o %eraclitus, fire is the perfect symbol to describe reality. 4ollowing %eraclitus, James %illman writes that +fire is the first principle, the root metaphor+ .%illman 0563. 4ire is constantly being transformed, but mysteriously remains the same. 4ire descends to us from the heavens in the form of lightning and sunlight, and ascends to us from the core of the earth in volcanic eruptions. &ts heat can be of many varying degrees, as well as its intensity. 7ll living things possess heat, thus possessing the fire within. )e speak of a +spark+ of divinity, of reason, of light within ourselves. 8ut this spark is in all things. 4rom cow dung to an atomic weapon, fire permeates reality. &maginally, it is a perfect symbol for the ultimate truth of the universe. (aston 8achelard writes, 4ire and heat provide modes of e'planation in the most varied domains, because they have been for us the occasion for unforgettable memories, for simple and decisive personal e'periences. 4ire is thus a privileged phenomenon which can e'plain anything. &f all that changes slowly may be e'plained by life, all that changes /uickly is e'plained by fire. 4ire is the ultra-living element. &t is intimate and it is universal. &t lives in our heart. &t lives in the sky. &t rises from the depths of the substance and offers itself with the warmth of love. "r it can go back down into the substance and hide there, latent and pent-up, like hate and vengeance. 7mong all phenomena, it is really the only one to which there can be so definitely attributed the opposing values of good and evil. &t shines in 9aradise. &t burns in %ell .8achelard 03. 4ire is the root of alchemy. )ithout fire, there can be no alchemy, and hence no lapis philosophorum. 4ire is to alchemy as blood is to life. &ndeed, without the fire within, there can be no life. $he alchemist is a Master of 4ire, wielding it as the agent of transmutation. :ike soul, fire is a mediator between forms. &t is found at the level of animal passion, as well as in the heights of spiritual power. &t dwells in the heart of Sol, as well as in that of Terra. $he alchemist uses her accumulated knowledge of fire in all

its modes to transform the strictly human soul into a temple of the gods. ;uring this <ourney, we will re/uire the light of fire to brighten our path as we e'plore the dark ways of alchemy. %ephaestus is the god of alchemy and alchemists are his children. %e is the blacksmith of the gods, forging all their weapons and all their finely-wrought works of metal. %e forged the winged helmet of %ermes, the magical girdle of 7phrodite, and the chariot of %eilos. :ike the alchemists, %ephaestus is a Master of 4ire. &t was from his forge that 9rometheus stole fire and gave it to mankind. $he alchemist, however, must avoid 9rometheus* transgression. 7s %illman says, 9rometheus does not belong in the alchemical devotio, and the work must always be on guard against the =promethean sin,> stealing the fire for human use .%illman ?063.

$he alchemist labors for the love of the (reat )ork alone. $he 9romethean spirit labors for ideology, as in 7yn @and*s Atlas Shrugged, and in ideological capitalism, in general. $he Masters of 4ire did not seek gold for their coffers. @ather, they were performing the work of #ature, for the alchemical process is not carried out to bring about personal transformation, but the transformation and transmutation of #ature. Christianity bought into the 9romethean ideology, as well, believing that personal redemption was paramount. %illman offers this warningA 7ny student of alchemy, any borrower of its tropes for oneBs own art or practice, doing the work for oneBs own nature, remains 9romethean, a secular humanist, a gold digger .%illman C1D3. 7lchemists dreamed of the perfecting and redeeming of #ature .matter3. 4ire was their method of implementation. &t is up to us to continue the (reat )ork and become Masters of 4ire. &n this way, we can further the creation of the Anima Mundi. Works Cited 8achelard, (aston. $he 9sychoanalysis of 4ire. $rans. 7lan C.M. @oss. :ondonA @outledge, 265C. %illman, James. Eniform -dition of the )ritings of James %illman Folume GA 7lchemical 9sychology, Hindle edition. ;allasA Spring, D12?. )heelwright, 9hilip. $he 9resocratics. &ndianapolisA &$$, 2655.