The Ouroboros or Uroboros is alchemy's eternal symbol of transformation and Integration. It symbolizes the cyclical nature of life, death, and regeneration. This ancient emblem encapsulates the transformative processes inherent to alchemical work, as well as the unification of opposites, specifically the conscious and unconscious mind.
Historically, the Ouroboros can be traced back to Egyptian mythology, where it first emerged as a representation of the eternal cycle of existence. Its timeless presence in spiritual traditions has earned it a central role in the alchemical philosophies of purification and renewal.
Carl Jung and the Archetype of the Ouroboros
Carl Jung identified the Ouroboros as one of the primary archetypes of the human psyche. He saw it as a fundamental mandala of alchemy, representing the circular and transformative nature of individuation, the process of integrating all aspects of the self you.
Jung’s explanation revealed the deeper alchemical meaning of the Ouroboros:
"The Ouroboros is a dramatic symbol for the integration and assimilation of the opposite, that is, of the shadow. This process of regeneration simultaneously becomes a symbol of immortality, as the Ouroboros kills itself and brings itself back to life, fertilizes itself, and gives birth to itself."
Alchemists believed the Ouroboros embodied the paradox of transformation within the individual. The serpent’s self-consuming nature represented the alchemical process of sacrificing something valuable in order to create something new. This is, in JUNGIAN psychology, the process of lowering a cognitive function in order to develop its opposite. To the alchemists these functions (Thinking, Feeling, Sensation and Intuition) were known as the four elements (Fire, Water, Earth and Air) or temperaments.
People generally only develop a superior or dominant cognitive function and a lesser auxiliary one. The other two are left undifferentiated from the unconscious. What Jung found in alchemy is the very process of developing a third and a fourth cognitive function. When one sacrifice momentarily his auxiliary cognitive fonction, let's say Thinking, the opposite function Feeling will rise from the unconscious to fill the absence of a judgemental function or vice versa. The same is true for Sensation and Intuition. The ultimate goal is to possess four cognitive functions which is the precious stone of alchemy, the optimal consciousness.
The Ouroboros remains a powerful symbol of human transformation, teaching us the universal truth of balance through opposites. It invites us to embrace cycles of renewal and dive deep into the process of self-discovery and integration.
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From Spankovics Istvan with JUNGIAN psychology précisions.
To learn more, please refer to my book
The KEY to Understand C. G. Jung,
available HERE on AMAZON.