Devil. Dragon. Trickster. God. The symbol of Mercurius is one of the most fascinating and confusing figures in the literature of Western Alchemy. As changeable as its mythic namesake (Hermes, Mercury), it is a symbol overflowing with a multiplicity of meanings and references. As such, the image of Mercurius offers the potential for great insight, richness, and vitality while, at the same time, being difficult to track and resistant to understanding. It is just these qualities that, for Jung, makes this symbol a particularly apt one for the experience of the unconscious psyche.
In this class, we will read through Jung’s essay The Spirit Mercurius and discover the many, often contradictory, aspects of this important symbol. In the course of our exploration we will see how this multifaceted image can help us to understand the tricky character of the unconscious in our individual psychological lives. Finally, we will learn how to better track the mystery of our own peculiar nature as it unfolds along the path of individuation.