The Alchemy of Shadow Work

In the alchemical opus, the early operations and procedures are characterized by a destruction of the prima materia. It must be cooked, incinerated, dissolved until it reaches a uniform blackness; this is the first stage of the work — the nigredo . Breaking down the material helps reduce it back to its primal state. Only then can it be truly redeem... See more

nigredo is an achievement. It means that meaningful work has begun and things are changing. This fluctuation has an impact upon us, and a period of instability can feel like too much to bear. Successful completion of this stage is contingent on the symbolic death of the material, that is, being with the process long enough so it can reach its natur... See more

As a psychological analog, the nigredo state draws the psyche deep into the underworld, where we are like to experience a dark night of the soul. Attachments, false beliefs, illusions, emotional distortions are stripped away in the process. Rather than turn away from this act, alchemists counsel us to stay with it, to make things blacker than black... See more

The nature of working with the shadow can be incredibly destabilizing in one’s life. Opening the gates to the unconscious is much like peering beyond the veil into the great unknown, it opens a portal of sorts, and what comes out can be as frightening as it can be healing. Many times, the fear comes before the cure. These previously unknown parts o... See more

"When you see your matter going black, rejoice: for that is the beginning of the work."

— Rosarium Philosophorum