Dream Work as the Alchemical Process of “Separatio”

“All projections are unconscious identifications with the object…From this enchainment he had to free the soul by means of the separation …” (Jung, Vol 14)
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Dreams reveal the true nature and meaning of our life.  With the clarity of the new dawn, we may suddenly realize that we have found a way of life that brings us into relationship with our soul.  So too, the dream informs us that if we continue with the life we are living, we may end up alone, chasing mere illusions of a real life.These messages are often carried by the figures in our dreams.  While we may know and trust the intentions of these figures, our perceptions are often colored by projections. At times those who truly love us are presented as betrayers and those who have betrayed us, are seen as protectors.  Such is the workings of complexes and projections, and represents one of the greatest challenges in dream work.

Mythology, fairy tales and sacred literature speak of this Janus-faced nature of Psyche and symbolism.  Cain and Abel, God and the Devil, shapeshifters, and the Doppelgänger are all examples of this dual and often contradictory nature of human experience. In Jewish theology we find the “Dybbuk,” “who speaks out of the person’s mouth in a different voice, (seeking) to mask its true identity so it can remain unidentified and evade expulsion. The goal then, is to first identify the ghost and engage it in dialogue.”  This is an absolutely perfect description  of the needed discernment in working with complexes and archetypes in our dreams where it is difficult to distinguish between the voice of The Self and benevolence, and the malevolent complex. Much like the working of vampires, it is under the cover of darkness (unconsciousness) that such complexes create havoc and suffering in our life.
In dream work ,this discernment involves a process the alchemists referred to as the “Separatio”; whereby we “learn to discern between the parts of oneself that serve a higher purpose versus those that hinder spiritual growth … (which) is possible only if the delusory projections that veil the reality of things can be withdrawn.”

Taught by Michael Conforti, and our very special Keynote Speakers, Dr. Hansueli Etter and Jacqueline Dürmüller, both internationally acclaimed Jungian Analysts in Zurich, who bring the brilliance of ML von Franz and CG Jung’s original work on the primacy of archetypes and archetypal patterns to this Dream Conference.
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We hope you will join us for our Annual Winter Dream Conference.