Alchemical Perspectives on Lucid Dreaming
What is Lucid Dream Alchemy?
The use of alchemical emblems to better understand the characteristics of
the lucid dream state.
Carl Jung famously linked alchemical imagery to the process of individuation in which a person’s outer life becomes more aligned with their inner nature. Dreams, in this case, are mini alchemical emblems that mirror the dreamer’s inner state and reflect what the dreamer needs to move towards inner balance. On one level, this understanding of alchemical images serves as way to understand the workings of the psyche and dreams.
On another level, alchemical emblems can also be understood as a way to understand the potential healing power of lucid dreaming. Paracelcus, the great healer of the 15th century, hypothesized that alchemical emblems held secret arcana that were the key to healing. In Old English, the word for healing means wholeness.