ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by describing the rage and depression that can accompany mourning. It continues with an analysis of the author’s dream of descending to the underworld and observing the decomposition of dead bodies. The archetypal motif of the descent to the underworld, nekyia or night-sea journey, is amplified, citing works by Jung, Joseph Campbell, Sylvia Brinton Perera, Murray Stein, Homer, and Dante. The role of the psychopomp, or guide of souls, is an essential aspect of the journey. The guide in the author’s dream is compared to the gravedigger in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The dream’s alchemical images are explored with reference to Edward F. Edinger’s Anatomy of the Psyche. Two Brothers Grimm fairy tales are cited to amplify the image of alchemical gold. The role of Hermes, messenger of the Greek gods, provides a transition to the next chapter.
