Aidrian O’Connor 

My general area of study for this spring semester is comparative mythology and tradition. Specifically, I would like to concentrate on bringing the ideas of self - transformation of consciousness, which are inherent in myth and tradition, to the modern mind in a form it can easily comprehend, in hopes of inspiring modern individuals to understand their own lives as processes of self - transformation. 

I will begin my study by looking into the various understandings of self - transformation of consciousness in various ancient myths and traditions, in order to establish a clear idea of what this transformation represents to all people, regardless of race, gender, or religious background. In other words, this initial stage will be an attempt to define what the experience of transformation of consciousness means to us as humans, as well as gaining an understanding of how this experience has been evinced in people in the past. Having gained an overview of what self - transformation represents, I then plan on moving into an in - depth study of the medieval discipline known as Alchemy, with a focus on understanding the various stages of self - transformation defined therein, as well as gaining working knowledge of the meaning of the symbols which are an inherent part of this system. It needs to be stated clearly that I have no interest in the specifics of Alchemical work, but instead am interested in interpreting the knowledge that this system contains through my own system of understanding (i.e. by relating the symbolism of Alchemy to my own feelings on the process of transformation of consciousness). I hope to not only study this system as it did exist in its heyday, but to also rework the knowledge into a form which is easily understood by the modern individual in my own direct culture through the mediums of creative writing and illustration. If time allows, I will approach ancient shamanism with a similar attitude of understanding the transformative process which the shaman experienced through symbols which the modern mind can easily grasp on to. As with my study of Alchemy, I have no interest in studying shamanism with the intent of becoming a shaman myself - I am simply interested in how shamans have understood the transformative process in relation to the way in which I myself, and consequently others, may experience it today. I will only move into this study of shamanism if I feel that my study of Alchemy is complete and thorough. 

Hopefully by the end of this semester I will have gained a more in - depth understanding of how the self - transformation of consciousness has been regarded in the past, and consequently gained a better knowledge of the transformative process as a whole. I hope to create several finished creative pieces, whether they be writing or visual art, which can carry the knowledge I have gained to the culture which I am surrounded by. As part of my study I intend on researching and actualizing publication of my material through submitting the work to various publications and the internet. I also intend on working with self - publication as a grounded form of reaching my surrounding community as directly as possible. 

Packet descriptions: 

I offer the following as a brief outline of what my semester may look like, and not as a rigid syllabus that I will follow to the letter. 

First Packet: I intend on beginning the semester with an attempt to gain an overview of what past comparative myth and tradition scholars define as the self - transformative process. For this I hope to touch on as many different cultures as is possible in the brief time available, which means dealing mainly with short essays written by various authors. There will be very little creative work on my behalf at this point, as I will be attempting to establish a left - brained systematic understanding of the material, which I can work off of creatively later on in the semester. 

Second Packet: After having established a basic overview of transformation as a whole, I plan on moving into past authors’ interpretations of the symbolism in Alchemy, with a specific focus on Jungian interpretations. I doubt that I will produce any large creative pieces on this particular subject, as I will still be working with establishing a left - brained understanding, but I do intend on working to create a sort of personal mini - dictionary of Alchemical symbols, with definitions of the symbols as I have come to understand them myself. This mini - dictionary will undoubtedly include original illustration work. In addition, I hope to be at a point where I can start to use some of my new knowledge to write creatively about how I can perceive the information I have studied in my own reality. If these writing and illustration pieces do in fact come about, they will be undoubtedly brief and simple. 

Third Packet: As long as I feel that I have come to a good understanding of Alchemical symbolism (50% chance), I will move to working with actual Alchemical texts and illustrations which have been authored by real Alchemists in the past. I will focus mainly on interpreting the complex symbolism of these pieces into a form which I can easily understand, and then will go on to reinterpret my understanding of the pieces into creative metaphors (either written or drawn) which I feel can carry the message of the origin texts and illustrations to a modern audience with little difficulty. 

Fourth Packet: Assuming that I have been cranking out work as I currently foresee is possible, I will now repeat the process described in Packet Two, although this time working to establish an understanding of the symbolism of Shamanism, as opposed to Alchemy. It is far more likely that I will not be on schedule, or that I will opt to continue working with Alchemical texts and illustrations in order to deepen my understanding of that field. I will also begin to research the processes required to get my work published, or to publish it myself. 

Fifth Packet: If I began working on Shamanism in my last packet, then this packet will be devoted to reworking the knowledge which Shamanism has to offer into a modern format, as in Packet Three’s work with Alchemy. If I have not begun to work with Shamanism by the fourth packet, then I will not start now, but will instead work on a creative Alchemical "Magnum Opus" in an attempt to sum up what I have learned from this semester’s work. It is also at this time that I will focus on attempting to actually publish my previous work from the semester. 

Bibliography 

Anonymous. The Emerald Tablet Evanescent Press, 1988 

Barrett, Francis. The Magus: A Complete System of Occult Philosophy, Citadel Press, 1975 

Campbell, Joseph, ed. Papers from the Eranos Yearbooks vol. 5: Man and Transformation, Princeton Univ. Press, 1964 

Edinger, Edward F. Anatomy of the psyche; Alchemical symbolism in psychotherapy, Open Court Publications, 1985 

Eliade, Mircea. The Forge and the Crucible; The Origins & Structures of Alchemy, University of Chicago Press, 1979 

Eliade, Mircea. Shamanism : archaic techniques of ecstacy, Pantheon Books, 1964. 

Jung, C.G. The Collected Works of C.G. Jung No. 12: Psychology and Alchemy, Princeton University Press, 1968 

Jung, C.G. The Collected Works of C.G. Jung No. 13: Alchemical Studies, Princeton University Press, 1968 

Jung, C.G. The Collected Works of C.G. Jung No. 13: Mysterium Coninunctionis, Princeton University Press, 1970 

Waite, A.E., ed. The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus, Alchemical Press, 1991