The Wedding of Sophia

Book excerpt: Author of the acclaimed Jung and the Alchemical Imagination, Jeffrey Raff continues his teachings in psychoidal alchemy with an in-depth look at the feminine aspect of the divine. Sophia is, in the esoteric teachings, the embodiment of Wisdom, the matrix from which God arose, and God's heavenly consort and mirror. But, as Raff explains, she suffered a fall from this exalted state, corresponding to the obscuration of the feminine archetype in the patriarchal world. Without Sophia, God is not whole. It is our task to work with imagination to reunite Sophia and God. Raff explains the difference between fantasy, a product of the ego, and imagination, which comes from the soul. More importantly, he brings Sophia to life through a vivid analysis of an 800-year-old text, The Aurora Consurgens, as well as his personal experience with Sophia and active imagination. This process empowers us to become whole and realize our innate drive to unite with the divine.