“Darkness has its correspondence in the alchemical nigredo, which comes after the coniunctio, when the feminine has accepted the masculine within itself. From the nigredo arises the stone, the symbol of the immortal Self.”
— C. G. Jung
To one degree or another, and in one form or another, all of us go through depressive moods and periods that vary both in duration and in the intensity of symptoms, such as apathy and lack of energy, problems with concentration, sleep, and appetite, a depressed and gloomy mood, a lack of meaning and a sense of personal worth. Depression is so widespread that some call it the disease of the 21st century.
But why is this so? And what does this mean for us and for the time in which we live?
Although the usual descriptions of clinical depression are very important, they do not answer such questions. That is why I would like to share the perspective of Jungian analysis, which views depression as an archetypal experience of renewal and rebirth. For this purpose, I will quote one of its representatives – Liz Greene, who is also one of the founders of the psychological approach in astrology.
In her book Dynamics of the Unconscious (co-authored with Howard Sasportas), she presents depressive experiences as an expression of the first stage of alchemical transformation – nigredo, which refers to processes of decomposition and death, of darkness and disintegration. This is the stage when the old substance (the old identity) breaks down into its basic components, and that is why its typical dream images are of rotting bodies, decaying corpses, filth, excrement, mud, black earth, human skulls / death’s heads.
“‘Nigredo’ simply means ‘blackening.’ Without it, there is no possibility whatsoever for the substance of the old foundation to be transformed, because it must first be stripped, cleansed, and reduced to its essence – and this cannot be achieved without decomposition and death. Nothing new grows without nigredo. Here the imagery of nigredo, which is a metaphor for depression, is necessary and appropriate in alchemical symbolism, even though it is ugly and unpleasant.”
— Liz Greene
Thus, the spiritual meaning of depression is that it initiates the processes of spiritual transformation, when the masks fall and we look our Shadow in the eyes. We see that within us there are the very same things for which we judge other people; we painfully become aware of our mortality and the transience of everything to which we are attached. It is understandable that such an encounter with the dark side of life gives rise to depression. But, as the alchemists say, without nigredo nothing new can be born.
“In alchemy, depression is placed within the context of a particular stage of the alchemical process, rather than being understood as an isolated condition… Nigredo reflects the problem of being immersed in an experience of mortality and the darker world of the shadow… The term ‘shadow’ has a wide range and can conceal many dimensions of what is experienced – weakness, inferiority, badness, ugliness and darkness, the primitiveness of the human being. Who are you without your mask – what is your acceptable face? Behind it is the skull. We might say that an individual sunk in depression is no longer able to resort to a role in order to conceal what lies beneath – the mortal body with all its sins and darkness. A human being is not an eternal spirit, will not live forever in youth, beauty, and divine grace. He is simply human.
The alchemists hold fast to their nigredo; without it, they say, you cannot make gold, you will never release the divine essence locked in the prima materia.”
— Liz Greene
When we view nigredo as a metaphor for depression, we begin to see its special place in the processes of spiritual maturation and transformation. We understand that it leads to the birth of something new. And just as the mixing of opposing substances in the alchemical process gives rise to a new substance, so through the unification of opposites within ourselves we create the gold of our new identity.
“So in some cases and in certain experiences of depression, we may regard this difficult state as the beginning of something very important. If we understand depression in this context, it is the true end of childhood, the real encounter with the individual’s authentic self and its limits… Depression is like a prism. If you turn it one way, you see illness. If you turn it the other, you see a key to a door leading to a very mysterious and divine place.”
— Liz Greene
We can look at our depressive experiences as a reason for self-hatred or as a stage of spiritual initiation. As illness or as a key to a divine and mysterious place. In this I see the reason for its widespread presence in the time in which we live – it is an expression of the processes of transformation we are collectively going through as humanity. The time has come to take responsibility for evil, love, and forgiveness.
Kameliya Hadzhiyska
Note: The quotations are translated from Bulgarian and are not presented as verbatim citations.
