Individuation, in Jungian psychology, is the process whereby an individual realizes a state of spiritual and psychological wholeness. Through this process, that, which was previously broken and fragmented, is restored and synthesized so that a whole and unique individual emerges. An individual who fully accepts, and is one with, him or herself. An individual who lives authentically and embraces his or her destiny. It is a movement away from being a pawn in the hands of fate, to consciously collaborating in the realization of your unique destiny.

The Magnum Opus online programme in Applied Jungian Psychology is designed to take the student through these four stages of transmutation and transformation. The trajectory and goal of this process is clear: to produce the Philosopher’s Stone. In the terms of Jungian psychology this is individuation. To better describe and realise this goal, we include two additional and essential elements in our stated objective of individuation. Together these three elements and cardinal points form the  psychological triptych that informs our work and stated aims of the Magnum Opus Programme:  consciousness, meaning and individuation.

Magnum Opus is The Centre for Applied Jungian Studies' signature course spanning 15 months. This is made up of four 12-week blocks of study with a month’s break between each stage. This online, in-depth, course includes all learning materials, live webinars, facilitated forums, and one-on-one mentoring.

Course Duration: 15 Months

Start Date: 26 January 2026

Registration Closes: 25 January 2026

The Great Work (in Latin: Magnum Opus) refers, in the alchemical and Hermetic tradition, to the process of transmutation of the primal material (prima materia) into the philosopher’s stone (lapis philosophorum). The philosopher stone is the most refined and valuable substance which through the alchemical process emerges from the crudest and most worthless. In traditional alchemy, this was the transmutation of lead into gold. Later, in the Gnostic tradition, this was interpreted not as the transmutation of metal, but of the soul or psyche of the alchemist himself.

Carl Gustav Jung (1875 – 1961), the founder of analytical psychology, usually referred to as “Jungian psychology”, saw in Gnostic alchemy a precedent to the process of individuation, as encountered in his own clinical practice. This was a breakthrough for Jung and offered a vast amount of data supporting his theory of the collective unconscious; more specifically, that psychic transformation follows an archetypal and universal process.  This transformative process happens through the integration of the conscious and unconscious aspects of the subject’s psychology.  Jung describes this process as having four stages.

Please click on the arrows below to scroll through all 4 stages.