The Relevance of Analytical Theory to Alchemy, Mysticism, and Theology

The object of this discussion is to apply a theoretical model, approximating closely with Jung's, to some phenomena of alchemy and mysticism. This will lead on to a general comment upon the relation between analytical theory, alchemy, and theology.

The thesis depends upon the contention that Jung's most significant contribution is scientific. He has: (i) invented the elements of an incompletely articulated model, and (ii) succeeded in testing the components of this model against empirical observation.

A model is a theoretical entity and is used to explain any suitable empirical material under investigation. A theory does not exist in the sense of the empirical material, whether it be a dream, fantasy, everyday talk about events in the outer world, or any text under consideration; it may, however, be an analogue of empirical contents. It has an existence of its own and so theoretical discoveries can be made; they have an “existence” whose value consists in “doing a job”. This conception of theory is in line with Stein's (1958), who has relied on Mayo's philosophy of science. Correctly used, Jung's model gives access to the world of archetypal forms which cannot, however, be adequately expressed in abstractions but only in picture language or metaphor.

It is often held that scientific abstraction excludes values and metaphor. This contention is clearly untenable in analytical psychology, since there is no person for whom a sense of values is not an integral part of his nature (cf. Fordham, 1958, p. 27). It is, however, to be understood that no abstract model can match the inner feeling life of man to which such importance is given by Jung in his pioneering endeavour, and further that there is no basis for the idea that abstracting processes, so important in science, obstruct either the irrational functions or the inner transforming processes. It is not science itself which is exclusive but rather the use of abstraction to manage