Washing

Washing is a recurring activity in the alchemical process, referred to as ablutio or baptisma, and is sometimes synonymous with bathing (as the Latin terms suggest); it is, of course, a form of purification. From nigredo, washing leads to the next stage. Jung makes the following general observation (Psychology and Religion, par. 423):

"What had to be washed was the black initial material, and this, like the washing agent (sapo sapientium! [the soap of wisdom]) and the washer, were all three the same Mercurius in his various forms."

Washing as a transformational process, or as an expression of individual development, also appears in dreams. Inner growth is a work that time and again requires washing. It is a physical activity we need to return to, which also expresses our warm regard for the material, the earthy. The Jungian analyst Joseph Lee humorously captures this recurring effort in the podcast This Jungian Life (episode 65): “First the laundry, then enlightenment—then back to the laundry again.”

Washing, ironing, hanging up our bed linens, and so on, can symbolize tending to our smaller shadow aspects—cleaning things up a bit and starting fresh with whiter sheets. von Franz suggests that psychotherapy is largely about “washing one’s linens” (Skuggan och det onda i sagor, p. 170).

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