The alchemists wrote as if they were describing a chemical process, and in one sense they were. They were also describing something else: the movement of a psyche undergoing transformation. Jung read the corpus that way in Mysterium Coniunctionis and Psychology and Alchemy; Edwin Edinger later rendered the stages usable clinically in Anatomy of the Psyche. What the alchemists called an opus is recognizable, by a modern reader, as the long work a soul undertakes to become itself.
The opus moves through stages named for the colors the matter takes as it changes. Nigredo, the blackening — dissolution, depression, the old self breaking down. Albedo, the whitening — clarification, separation, cool light. Citrinitas, the yellowing — dawn, warmth returning, first action. Rubedo, the reddening — embodiment, the new self coagulated into a stance that can live in the world.
The stages are not a ladder climbed once. A psyche can be in nigredo in one domain of life and rubedo in another, and most lives re-enter the dark materials many times. What this assessment offers is a reading of where the opus is most active in you right now — where the soul is doing its current work.
How the Assessment Works
Twenty-four statements, six per stage. For each, rate how often the statement describes your experience from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always). Each stage receives a score out of 30. The dominant one names the operation the psyche is currently undergoing. None of the stages is better than another; all are necessary.