ABSTRACT
This chapter underlines that the archetype of the black sun leads toward the goal of alchemical work, the philosopher’s stone. Following Jung and considering the ideas of a number of analysts, philosophers, and poets, the author addresses a variety of issues that impact our psychological understanding of the aims of alchemy and analysis, including ego death, the alchemical idea of the stone that is not a stone, and the astonishment at a direct experience of the ordinary. These issues are explored in the context of the different approaches to the philosopher’s stone as seen by James Hillman, who gives primary place to image, and by Wolfgang Giegerich, who privileges thought. The author challenges differing approaches to the goals of alchemy and analysis and seeks to understand the different implications of these perspectives.
