• Sim-seong Yeon-gu
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.61-91
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• 2024

Alchemy is the process of producing worthless substances into the best substances through chemical opus(work). On the surface, many of the alchemist's experiments can be depicted as work on transforming substances, but in reality, the alchemist's result is a product of the Unconscious. This study aims to explain the three phases of alchemy, Nigredo, Albedo, and Rubedo, through Michael Mayer's alchemical text, Atalanta Fugiens, and understand the transformation process by utilizing images that appeared from clients' sand play therapy. This study first described why alchemy, as the foundation for the psychology of the Unconscious, is important in sand play that deals with images. Next, Nigredo (blackening), the first phase of the alchemical process, is briefly described, and how the contents of Nigredo, such as chaos, dissolution, separation, division, corruption, death, and calcination, appear in sand play therapy. Next, the second phase, albedo (whitening), is described, and how the images of water and fire, which are representative images of albedo in the form of purification, sublimation, distillation, separation, descension, and coagulation, are revealed in sand play. Lastly, the phase of rubedo (reddening) in alchemy is described, and how the form of union (mandala or central image) in rubedo, which appears in the form of conjunction and rebirth, is revealed in sand play. The symbols revealed in alchemy are very valuable in amplifying the images that appeared in sand play therapy or dream analysis. In particular, the procedures found in alchemical opus are helpful in understanding the transformation process of personality.

• Sim-seong Yeon-gu
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-60
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• 2024

This thesis originated from a dream of a young man clad in green, suspended like Christ on the stair landing. This dream reminded me of Jung's vision of the Christ on the Cross, bathed in a greenish gold aurum viriditas. Jung associated the analogy of Christ and aurum non vulgi, aurum viriditas of alchemy from this vision. I was fascinated by Jung's words that originally there were four alchemical stages, but by the 15th-16th century they were reduced to three (nigredo-albedo-rubedo); and that viriditas used to exist after nigredo had vanished. This thesis is about the process of unraveling these mysteries through amplification. In the realm of alchemy, viriditas (verdigris) was an old and humble substance, yet it would eventually metamorphose into pure gold under the supervision of alchemists. It was the prima materia of alchemical work and the ultimate product, mercurius itself. It was the celestial spirit, concealed beneath the earth, and the embodiment of transformation, enriching the earth, sprouting a myriad of buds and flowers, turning the land green. I examined the dreams, visions, and pictures of Hildegard of Bingen, C.G. Jung, my analysands, and my own to figure out whether viriditas was the fourth that leads to wholeness that engaged in the whole process of individuation. While working on this thesis, I learned that for our personalities to mature, we must include the lower, the secular, the feminine, the chtonic, and even the evil. To achieve this, we cannot avoid our opposite, the fourth, but to wait and persevere until we can walk together. Then, our lives will be fresh and blossoming.

• Sim-seong Yeon-gu
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.141-194
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• 2018

The article is about Yong-Ho-Bi-Gyeol(龍虎秘訣), which is one of the most important Taoist text in Korea written by Jeong-Ryum, a Taoist and alchemist in the Chosun Dynasty. The article deals with the alchemical and psychological meanings of Yong-Ho (龍虎, Dragon-Tiger), the way of nurturing cinnabar (修丹之道), the closing of the qi (閉氣), the method of alchemical breathing, the Dantian (丹田, cinnabar-field), and the Mysterious Female's One Opening (玄牝一竅), in addition to the brief introduction of the life of Jeong-Ryum and the bibliography of the book. The Yong-Ho (龍虎) meaning the dragon and tiger is the archetype of transformation in the form of their opposites, rooted in the psychoid system of the human psyche. The unified Yong-Ho makes Dan and the Dan, literally indicating cinnabar, has many alchemical connotations such as Mercurius, the rubedo state of the alchemical process, and the philosopher's stone. In the book, Jeong-Ryum emphasized the slow and subtle way of breathing in and out of Dantian to develop neidan (内丹, inner cinnabar or inner alchemy). The refining of neidan begins by the closing of the qi, which symbolizes the radical introversion and withdrawal of all the projections on the outer objects. The Dantian located at the lower part of the abdomen has been known to preserve jing (精), the vital essence of life, which can be refined into qi and spirit (神). In Jungian perspective, the Dantian is a mandala where an individual's mind can stay and focus at the center of psyche detached from ego and related to the Self. The long-nurtured introverted energy makes the Mysterious Female's One Opening (玄牝一竅), a pit or cavity in the transcendental space, through which the meditator can have a relationship with the great female principle of the universe. The current article has introduced the contents of the Yong-Ho-Bi-Gyeol in the perspective of analytical psychology. However, it has not dealth with the remaining topics including Taesik (胎息, embryonic breathing) and Juchenhwahu (周天火候, the great Celestial circuit firing), due to the lack of author's sufficient knowledge and experience. The unexplored areas of Yong-Ho-Bi-Gyeol will be studied in the future.