Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts. Silberer Herbert

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       Herbert Silberer

      Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts

      Published by Good Press, 2020

       [email protected]

      EAN 4064066103613

Table of Contents

       Part II.

       Analytic Part.

       Section I.

       Psychoanalytic Interpretation Of The Parable.

       Section II.

       Alchemy.

       Section III.

       The Hermetic Art.

       Section IV.

       Rosicrucianism And Freemasonry.

       Section V.

       The Problem Of Multiple Interpretation.

       Part III.

       Synthetic Part.

       Section I.

       Introversion And Regeneration.

       A. Introversion And Intro-Determination.

       B. Effects Of Introversion.

       C. Regeneration.

       Section II.

       The Goal Of The Work.

       Section III.

       The Royal Art.

       Notes.

       Bibliography.

       Index.

Part II.

       Table of Contents

Analytic Part.

       Table of Contents

Section I.

       Table of Contents

Psychoanalytic Interpretation Of The Parable.

       Table of Contents

      Although we know that the parable was written by a follower of the hermetic art, and apparently for the purpose of instruction, we shall proceed, with due consideration, to pass over the hermetic content of the narrative, which will later be investigated, and regard it only as a play of free fantasy. We shall endeavor to apply to the parable knowledge gained from the psychoanalytic interpretation of dreams, and we shall find that the parable, as a creation of the imagination, shows at the very foundations the same structure as dreams. I repeat emphatically that in this research, in being guided merely by the psychoanalytic point of view, we are for the time being proceeding in a decidedly one-sided manner.

      In the interpretation of the parable we cannot apply the original method of psychoanalysis. This consists in having a series of seances with the dreamer in order to evoke the free associations. The dreamer of the parable—or rather the author—has long ago departed this life. We are obliged then to give up the preparatory process and [pg 044] stick to the methods derived from them. There are three such methods.

      The first is the comparison with typical dream images. It has been shown that in the dreams of all individuals certain phases and types continually recur, and in its symbolism have a far reaching general validity, because they are manifestly built on universal human emotions. Their imaginative expression is created according to a psychical law which remains fairly unaffected by individual differences.

      The second is the parallel from folk psychology. The inner affinity of dream and myth implies that for the interpretation of individual creations of fancy, parallels can profitably be drawn from the productions of the popular imagination and vice versa.

      The third is the conclusions from the peculiarities of structure of the dream (myth, fairy tale) itself. In dreams and still more significantly in the more widely cast works of the imagination creating in a dream-like manner, as e.g., in myths and fairy tales, one generally finds motives that are several times repeated in similar stories even though with variations and with different degrees of distinctness. [Let this not be misunderstood. I do not wish to revive the exploded notion that myths are merely the play of a fancy that requires occupation. My position on the interpretation of myths will be explained in Part I. of the synthetic part.] It is then possible by the comparison of individual instances [pg 045] of a motive, to conclude concerning its true character, inasmuch as one, as it were, completes in accordance with their original tendency the lines of increasing distinctness in the different examples, and thus—to continue the geometric metaphor—one obtains in their prolongations a point of intersection in which can be recognized the goal of the process toward which the dream strives, a goal, however, that is not found in the dream itself but only in the interpretation.

      We shall employ the three methods of interpretation conjointly. After all we shall proceed exactly as psychoanalysis does in interpretation of folk-lore. For in this also there are no living authors that we can call and question. We have succeeded well enough, however, with the derived