ONLY SEPARATED THINGS CAN UNITE: An Alchemical Journey to Love and Consciousness

The reason is two-fold. The connection between our Colorado program and this little region in Italy is an intercontinental bond that has provided a unity of once separated spirits.

We have chosen this location because our training program’s reach has spanned this distance of nearly 6,000 miles for several years, and we now travel to the region of Puglia to experience the place while exploring psyche. The region’s beauty and mythological draw will be explored throughout the course of the seminar. Also, our seminar will examine the psychological experience of the union of opposites, an encounter with love that generates new life.

We are inspired by the poetic vision of Dante, whose quest to understand the nature of love we share…

Beyond the sphere that turns the widest gyre ...

We will begin on Saturday, September 21, at noon, and will conclude on Friday morning, September 27, just after breakfast and a circle ceremony. We will explore themes of alchemy, matter and spirit, love and psyche, as well as the history of Jungian psychology in Puglia. The seminar will include daily readings and reflections on fairy tales and poetry, as well as three excursions to historical sites.

Rises a sigh my heart cannot contain...

On our first evening, we will be taken into the world of Puglia by the first Jungian Analyst in this region, Giancarlo Magno. His lecture is titled, "Jung, Alchemy, and the Apulian Land: different Alchemies in context." Giancarlo’s presentation will be spoken in Italian and translated by Grazia Di Giorgio, and this will be our initial grounding in the region where we will be spending the week.

In that book which is my memory ... appear the words ... here begins a new life ...

For the first full day of the seminar, Jungian Analyst Lara Newton will take us into the world of alchemy as we seek a deeper understanding of the relationship between matter and spirit. The mysterious connections between these archetypal energies will be seen through the lens of our themes – love and consciousness. We will examine our own relationship to the eternal cycle that they lead us through as our individuation unfolds.

In the second half of the day, we will learn about Maria Prophetissa, the first non-fictitious alchemist in the Western World. We will look at Maria through some of her prophetic proclamations and through her inventions or devices. In another half-day seminar, Lara will take us into the profound experience of mother love as it opens and protects psyche’s development – we will work with a Bavarian fairy tale, “The Maiden and the Devil,” for this part of our journey.

Love and the open heart are always one...

On one full day of the seminar, Jungian Analyst John Todd will lead us in a deep study of the central role of Eros in Alchemy. The driving force that leads us from one coniunctio to the next, from lesser coniunctios to the mysterium coniunctionis is Eros. The day will be spent reflecting on its many manifestations and its crucial role in alchemy and transformation within our lives.

In another half-day seminar, John will present, “The Love of Sophia: An exploration of the deep love between Sophia, the alchemist and the world.” In some Alchemical traditions Sophia is seen as simultaneously the prima materia, the process for transforming the prima materia, and the Philospher’s Stone itself. Within these traditions, in an act of love Sophia shares her wisdom and gifts with the alchemist as well as the world. In this seminar, Eros will be seen manifesting in the relationship between the alchemist and Sophia.

Neither love nor heart can be until the other is begun...

And Lara and John will share in psyche’s work as the week draws to a close – reflecting upon soul/Eros, matter, spirit, and the creation of that which cannot be destroyed.

She is the sum of nature’s universe. To her perfection all of beauty tends...

During the course of the seminar, we will take three excursions to local sites of archaeological and cultural interest. One full day trip will be to Matera, the 2019 European Capitol of Culture, best known for its extensive cave-dwelling districts, the “Sassi.” In Matera, we will visit the museums and wander through the ancient city, which shows evidence of continuous human occupation through several millennia.

In one half-day trip, we will visit the ravine of S. Marco in Massafra, which is also the site of the alchemist Mago Greguro's dwelling. The ravine is lined with grottoes dating mainly from the 9th to 14th centuries, cave churches hewn out of the rock by Greek monks and decorated with lavish frescoes.

In an evening excursion with torchlights, we will visit the Park of the Rupestrian Churches, rock formations dating back as far as the Paleolithic Era.

Most mornings and evenings, we will sink into our own personal experiences of psyche through active imagination, meditation, and fairy tale/poetic reflections. The reflective time is meant to encourage all of us to deepen our imaginal experiences that are unfolding during this week. Lara and Grazia will alternately accompany us in these experiences.