The Gold Is in the Dark
We are all walking through alchemical fire – and we’re going to be okay.
Alchemy – the process of transforming one thing into another – has ancient roots. In medieval times, alchemists sought to transform base metals, such as lead, into gold. This is material alchemy. Spiritual alchemy has a similar aim: to transcend the limitations of human existence and achieve an ideal state of being – enabling the individual to come into harmony with all of reality – whether called enlightenment, salvation, or nirvana in the world’s religious and wisdom traditions.
In Jungian psychology, this spiritual alchemy is called “shadow work.” The shadow consists of our repressed, unconscious, or denied traits, desires, and emotions – including both negative tendencies (shameful, destructive, or frightening) as well as untapped potential and creativity. Carl Jung taught that ignoring the shadow allows it to control our actions from its stealthy position in the deep recesses of our unconscious. The goal of shadow work isn’t to expunge the shadow, but to consciously integrate it. When acknowledged and made conscious, shadow aspects lose their power to manipulate us. For this reason, Jung said the shadow is “90% gold.”
Carl Jung compared shadow work to medieval alchemy – an inner process of transformation. Each of us carries parts of ourselves that exert influence beyond the reach of the conscious mind. And the same dynamic operates within our larger society.
In recent weeks, the nightmarish revelations surrounding Jeffrey Epstein have shaken many people’s faith in human goodness. The files are, if nothing else, a horrific compendium of our collective shadow – one that must be acknowledged to be transformed. The atrocities and corruption they recount were hidden in plain sight for decades.
Our work in the coming months – if not years – will be to consciously choose a different way forward: to alchemize our outrage and despair into vision and purposeful action. I say months because we are living through a period of exceptionally rapid evolutionary astrology.
Yesterday, the second new moon after the winter solstice ushered in Chinese New Year – the Year of the Fire Horse. Following the shedding of the Wood Snake in 2025, the Fire Horse year surges forward with new creative potential. Underscoring this birth of a new reality, yesterday’s new moon coincided with a potent solar eclipse – one visible only in Antarctica, yet likely to reverberate in the weeks ahead. We can expect dramatic changes, revelations, and disclosures.
For those who follow astrology, you may have heard about the major headline event of Neptune and Saturn entering Aries. Neptune moved into Aries in January, where it will remain for the next 13 years. Saturn joined Neptune earlier this week and will remain in Aries for the next two years. The two planets will be exactly conjunct at 0° Aries on February 20. This alignment, once again, signals the birthing of a new reality.
Neptune – planetary ruler of Pisces – represents imagination, spirituality, and dreams. It is often considered the higher octave of Venus, transforming personal love into universal compassion. Saturn – ruler of Capricorn and the classical ruler of Aquarius – represents discipline, structure, and reality. Joined together in Aries – the first, initiatory sign of the zodiac – Saturn and Neptune support us as we move into a new era of humanity, unifying our collective understanding and underscoring our essential interdependence.
The gold is in the dark.
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