Events

The Joseph Campbell Foundation Mythological Roundtable of Ojai presents an evening at the Ojai Foundation on Thursday, January 10th at 7pm in the Council House. This month’s topic is “Alchemy: The Art of Inner Transformation.” Whether one has committed years of study to the subject or not, alchemy remains highly nebulous. It is deeply personal, and hence, the mysteries of its dynamics will not be pinned down to a specific universal interpretation or meaning. Conventional usage tends to reduce alchemy to a quasi-esoteric buzz-word indicating anything transformative. And this is true enough. But simplified and fixed in this literal context, its higher values are left unrecognized. The intellect with its compulsion to set phenomena into neat and static definitions is ever-thwarted by the mercurial spirit of this ancient tradition. To most, the evasive quality of alchemy is deemed a great inconvenience. Ironically, this inconvenience is also its greatest gift. This month’s meeting addresses the reality of alchemy’s symbolic potency. We will examine how work on outward matter (e.g., the literal practice of attempting to turn lead into gold) provides faces and names for the patterns and stages that govern the dynamics of our own personal interior. Thus techniques in keeping with the nature of inner human reality can be recognized and applied to guide the practitioner into more developed states of autonomy known in Jungian terms as “individuation.” And even though this overview may sound excessively sober and meticulous, we shall endeavor, as always, to mix a generous portion of spirited presence and play into the evening. We look forward to seeing you there.