The Unstruck Sound: Archetypes of Rhythm and Emotion in Indian Alchemy and Jungian Analysis

Abstract

Musical and rhythmic dimensions of the alchemical endeavor, and of clinical work, are often in the shadows. Indian philosophy has often been criticized as being otherworldly and even world negating, including by Jung. India has a long history, with many diverse traditions of inquiry. Ideals of renunciation and unification with the Godhead, and perspectives of the world as Maya/illusion—in contrast to some greater Truth—exist, but these only represent an incomplete set of voices. Putting aside verbal traditions, as well as what hasn't been scribed, complex forces shape which texts cross the barriers of language, culture, and history and what sorts of understandings and fantasies emerge as we grapple with the Other. In the Shaivite Tantric traditions, the upward movement into the realm of spirit is only one arc of a larger rhythmic oscillation. The downward earthly embodiment in one's lived life is equally important. In the spirit of Jung, with his emphasis on bringing light into the shadows, we will explore these areas. After a brief review of Jung's interest in medieval European alchemy, we begin our dialogue with lesser-known perspectives from Indian alchemical and Tantric systems. Drawing from Indian philosophy and aesthetics, core archetypes of rhythm (Spanda) and emotion (Rasa) are introduced and developed. Psychological dimensions of Indian classical rhythm and performance are explored. We relate these to perspectives within psychoanalysis and analytical psychology, and then we conclude with clinical considerations, looking at musical and rhythmic dimensions of the analytic exchange.