Nigredo

NIGREDO

CONFESSION & CATHARSIS

The First Stage of Transformation

A focused, online, twelve-week course introducing the journey into the unconscious, shadow work and the practice of individuation. Nigredo, the stage of confession is an investigation of the shadow: personally, collectively and archetypally. It is the first stage and keystone of the individuation process. This is part one of the four-part series: The Magnum Opus of Jungian Psychology.

COURSE DETAILS

Course Duration: 12 Weeks
Course Start Date: 9 January 2023
Registration closes Sunday the 8th at midnight (PST)!
Course Fees: $390 single payment or $150 per month for 3 months.

COURSE CONTENT

This twelve week course will focus on:

1. Archetypes (Part 1 and Part 2)
2. Complexes (Part 1 and Part 2)
3. Projection
4. The Shadow

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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The purpose of Alchemy is to liberate the whole individual which is hidden in the darkness, threatened by the rational and correct conduct of life, consequently experiencing themselves as hindered and on the wrong path.

(Jung, Vol. 13, par. 433)

WHAT IS THE COURSE ABOUT?

Carl Gustav Jung was introduced to Alchemy in 1928 when Richard Wilhelm sent him a copy of the famous oriental text The Golden Flower. He commissioned a Munich book dealer to alert him to any Alchemical Texts that may cross his path. A few months later, he received an Alchemical text written in 1593 called Artis Auriferae Volumina Duo. Glancing at it he thought, “what nonsense” and “this is impossible to understand”. It was two years before he started reading it and realised that the alchemists were talking in symbolic language about the individuation process. Fascinated and intrigued, he spent the next 16 years researching and studying alchemy.

The Alchemical process has four distinct stages: Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas and Rubedo. These stages are the framework of Jung’s characterization of the four stages of transformation: Confession, Illumination, Education and Transformation. The first stage is Nigredo, the blackening. This stage is also referred to as the putrification and is the stage of confession or catharsis. The burning away of the dross. This process starts with the Prima Materia, the essential basic matter which is black on the outside and white on the inside.

The psychological process involved in Nigredo is shadow work. This involves understanding what you project onto others and the world. It is about becoming aware of your own darkness (shadow). Only through the process of burning away your false ideas and beliefs do you gain clarity on who you truly are. Nigredo is the first stage of the Alchemical process. The process of creating the philosopher’s stone. Viewed psychologically, this is the process of individuation. Giving birth to your true, honest and individuated Self. It is the reason for embarking on the Great Work (Magnum Opus). Alchemically the transmutation of lead to gold, psychologically and spiritually the transmutation of shadow to Self, of ‘sin’ (any psychological ailment) to virtue.

Nigredo Images

This course will introduce you to the key elements involved in shadow work and teach you the skills and tools that you will need to engage and work with your own unconscious.

This programme is open to all, regardless of previous experience with Jungian or psychodynamic theory. This is an excellent introduction to the key concepts in Applied Jungian Psychology. These concepts are engaged with using a creative and reflective perspective. The course is designed to facilitate the development of a more holistic perspective on yourself and the world around you. The focus is on individuation, meaning and consciousness.

WHO IS THE COURSE FOR?

Nigredo is the stage of deep introspection. This stage usually manifests in the mid-life, although today we frequently encounter much younger people reaching this point prior to mid-life. This is the time when the question of meaning or purpose becomes central for the individual, triggered by feelings of dissatisfaction, unhappiness, frustration and being unable to identify what the exact source or cause of these feelings. Sometimes there is an element of dysfunction in either their relatedness to others or to themselves. Certain habits or defense mechanisms that were developed in early years are no longer aiding the individual,

but instead hampering them in their ability to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. It is at this stage that individuals become depressed, melancholic or deeply restless.

Jung realised that this is the precursor to the transmutation of self. The impulse towards leading a soul-filled life is an archetypal dynamic that the majority of individuals face at some stage in their individuation journey.

This work is a calling to all those who experience the following:

• a desire to live life more fully and authentically
• feeling stuck or trapped
• feeling fragmented
• trying to make sense of a loss or trauma
• a desire to individuate
• distress at not understanding why you keep repeating the same behaviour patterns
• feeling helpless about always being confronted by the same situations
• a desire to become more self-aware
• a desire to be more effective in engaging with other people
• feeling that there is something fundamentally wrong with the world
• tired of attracting the same type of people into your life
• a longing to reconnect with yourself and know yourself
• feeling spiritually exhausted and confused
• dissatisfaction at your inability to move beyond a particular challenge
• a desire to lead a more meaningful life
• knowing that you need to move or shift but unsure of where you need to go
• deep frustration with yourself
• inability to get in touch with your creative, spiritual self

HOW DOES THE COURSE WORK?

The course is a facilitated, self-study, online programme that includes both live and pre-recorded & transcribed lectures. The programme is supported by mentors and a community on a private Facebook group. The group is managed by a facilatation team who are available to answer questions and provide guidance as you work through the programme.

Nigredo consists of six modules. Each module is explored over a two-week period. The learning material is delivered to your email in the form of a link to a podcast and a transcript. The programme includes two live webinars: an introduction at the commencement of the programme and a Q&A and discussion mid-way through. (These webinars are recorded for later viewing as well)

The link to the lectures, transcript and applications are also posted on the private Facebook group. There are discussions on the Facebook page on each topic as well as guidance on the applications by the facilitation team.

The focus of the Centre for Applied Jungian Studies is on the application of these psychodynamic concepts. It is through reflection and personal application that these ideas are made conscious and transmutation is achieved.

WHAT WILL I GET?

You will receive the following when you register:

* A pre and post course questionnaire to help you gauge your progress on the course.

* Nigredo consists of six two-week modules: every second week you will receive a podcast and a transcript, containing the lecture and applications for the current module.

* A comprehensive practical and applied lecture on each of the concepts covered.

* Two live webinars with the Centre's Head of Learning, Stephen Anthony Farah.

* Applications and exercises for each module with which to integrate the concepts and apply them to your own life and psyche.

* A list of additional reading material and YouTube videos for each concept covered in the programme.

* Access to an international student body and facilitation team hosted on a private Facebook group page for the duration of the programme.

* A facilitator who will address your questions and offer guidance thoughout the programme.

THE MAGNUM OPUS PROGRAMME

Nigredo is one of four stages in the Magnum Opus programme. All four stages will guide you through the individuation process. The other three stages are Albedo, Citrinitas and Rubedo.

Albedo focuses on the development of communication between the conscious and unconscious aspects of the psyche. This stage builds relationship to the self. This course will start in May 2023.

Citrinitas focuses on exploring relationship dynamics with the world, others and intimate partners. This course will start in September 2023.

Rubedo focuses on the individuation process. This course will start January 2024. Please note that this stage is only open to students who have completed Nigredo, Albedo and Citrinitas.

REGISTER FOR NIGREDO

Registration will open the 27th of December 2022.

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TESTIMONIALS

Everyone who has been engaged in this and previous modules, I reckon has the utmost right to hold themselves with tremendous self-respect. Bravo, Bravo!... This and the previous modules come back to me each day, each interaction I have is coloured differently, each symbol, each dream, each transference and projection, archetype and synchronicity. And now I know they are there, I cannot ignore them. My change is for the better. I have shed some illusion, looked myself in the face, excavated my soul, and I am humbled. I will continue to grow, to change, and I’m grateful. To Tasha Tollman, Johann Mynhardt, Anja van Kralingen and Stephen Anthony Farah, my heartfelt thanks, liking and enduring respect. Of course I haven’t finished. I’ll never finish this work. And I have Rubedo to come, anyway. Thank You All, Fellow Travelers.

Sarah

The Nigredo course has been invaluable in more ways than can be written here, or perhaps completely expressed. Thank you for the space you’ve held and the assistance given. It was profoundly life altering.

Sue

Sadly, though it's been difficult, we're almost at the end of the Nigredo; its importance and effectiveness is just hitting home. I want to thank all of you who participated... your honesty, openness, kindness and courage has been incredibly valuable to my processing. And thank you to Stephen Anthony Farah Johann Mynhardt and Tasha Tollman and Anja for your insights,and attention to questions and responses to comments and postings. This has been truly a coming home to the darkness and its healing power for me. " As Kerényi has demonstrated, the birth of healing power from the nigredo belongs to the archetype of the wounded healer. In Kerényi's words, the myth refers psychologically to the capacity “to be at home in the darkness of suffering and there to find germs of light and recovery with which, as though by enchantment, to bring forth Asklepios, the sunlike healer”.

Laurie

The Nigredo course has been an enlightening experience and just looking at the questionnaire from before I realized how dishonest I was being with myself in regards to some of those relationships. I’m looking forward to continuing the process and growing through it with y’all. Thank you.

Grigor

My soul was touched and torn and pulled and stretched. I faced my deepest fears and discovered my most hidden desires. I finally embraced those inherited archetypes I attempted to run away from for so long..I have grown to love my dark side. I have learnt to listen to me. I have grown courage to let go of things and people who did not respect my journey. It was hard but necessary and rewarding. There were the fragile moments when we all shared our inner stories that I will always hold close in my heart. You took us on a magical carpet ride through the universe.

Karen

This has been a brilliant course for me. I have quite a few dreams and synchronous experiences where I have felt more whole and now feel in greater contact with what I see as the sun in my shadow which values my own inner world and private space and is the protector. It is the part I always throw away but is my most precious part and it brings light on me and then on the world. I need to treasure it and bring it out more and more by writing. Thanks!

Phil

As I see myself developing, I am witnessing this shadow and the destructive patterns at work in myself. I am becoming stronger within, more confident and beginning to be able to make decisions about what I prefer and not always pleasing or appeasing others. The result has been that in my good interpersonal relationships, I am letting myself be more courageous and open and allowing myself to take more risks with my feelings and letting some people see the real me. The impact is positive and humbling, as people are more generous with themselves, respond more openly. I have a greater sense of awe at the process, and a real gratitude for, and joy in, these intimate friendships. Thank you all - for your generosity and warmth in engaging with me and reading and sharing with me on this course. Wishing you blessings and increased fulfillment in your travels within...

Anthony

I have gained incredible insight through these past few weeks. The course and group discussions have enriched my life tremendously. The side lectures and readings we have all been doing added to the learning and transformation process. Deeply grateful!

Michelene

I have benefited so much from this course, and I really would like to give a testimonial. Thank you so much. My soul journey is in celebration to the Magnum Opus! My initial intention when I signed up to the Magnus Opus, was to address the issues of why I abandon my writing... During the work, where I expected dreams and visions, I found myself bereft of these tools. Journaling, word by word, has taken me into my subconscious, and brought me back into the daylight. My ruing of the ability to see my writing into fruition, has morphed into awe, as I have found the energy, the motivation to post my writing with the Magnum Opus. Furthermore, it is my writing that is giving me hope as I have written letters and mailed those words into the world. These letters have oppression, belittlement, and unrest written in each line. I have owned the victim inside me. The call has been heard by my wounded warrior, and my hero. It is with words, I have flung out the despair of my soul, into the universe. There is Light shining into this place of darkness. There is hope that things can be different. Changes are taking place. Shifts from the inside out. The voice that was silenced so long ago, far beyond memory, is awake and speaking. At the ground physical level, my workplace is being affected by this course. It is not just for me, but for many that I am making a plea. As quickly as I have sounded my voice, through the written word, the Universe is responding. My little self is now being asked to stand true to the words that I have issued forth. I will stand in the knowing; I am not alone. The Magnum Opus course is awesome. I cannot praise it enough, and yet, to praise it does not feel right. I bow to this experience of Divine connection. Thank you members. Thank you facilitators.

Janie

This has been a ground-breaking year for me, and much of it is due to the Magnum Opus stages we have been going through. Thank you so much for your inspired knowledge and stories. It’s a joy to know you are all here.

Lori

I want to express my gratitude for this course and also (again) for the Magnum Opus as a whole. It can be hard to determine cause and effect, but I feel like after almost a year of delving into my own psyche, the fruits of my work are really starting to bloom. After years of unclarity in the relationship-area, I find myself in (the still early stages of) a beautiful committed relationship that has taken form exactly as it fits me, even though it is somewhat different from how I though it ‘had to be’. Next to that, it seems I am slowly moving into other areas of work. Professionally speaking, opportunity is knocking and I hope this seed will take root over the coming months. Also, after years of floating about somewhat, I find myself in the midst of a beautiful community full of caring people that share so much values that I highly ascribe to. I feel nourished and held on a daily basis. And last but not least, I think I have never felt this whole and connected inside, on a daily basis in stead of just momentary. It really feels like all the parts I identified as complete dark chaos in Nigredo, have finally come together to unite in holy union. There is some bickering there still, but the capacity to meet the inner turmoil with conscious choice has vastly increased. Thank you so so much Stephen Anthony Farah and the Magnum Opus facilitators for developing this course and for your guidance during the process. I am really amazed at the results so far and cannot fathom what the completion of the full cycle will bring. Looking forward very much to the last stage, Rubedo.

Kim