The Four Gold Keys: Dreams, Transformation of the Soul, and the Western Mystery Tradition

I had a dream of four keys myself, so I was eager to read Clarke's account. My dream: I am going downward through multiple levels, through doors and stairs. One level has a golden pollen material on the floor, another level has a shop display of pens (creative activity?), until finally I am on the ground floor of a classic old building like you would see in Europe, with a piazza and balconies. A monk has followed me throughout this journey. At the end, I find four living keys, each about human height, displaying a changing cascade of images. I sense that they represent all of human knowledge since time began. The dream has an unfinished feel to it, and a sense of mystery. I have used the nickname, 4Keys, ever since. In Clarke's dream, Jung gives him four gold keys, which Clarke interprets to mean that he has, "taken on the task of furthering Jung's work". The keys lead, "to the great mysteries of eternal spirit and soul, and ultimately to God", and to the collective unconscious, "another reality that actually exists". In my dream, the keys are the collective unconscious, and according to Jung and Clarke, "the way to it is through the personal unconscious". At one point, I was intrigued by his statement, that with the gift of the four keys, "I am meant to continue with the great work myself, to whatever extent I am able". He also states that the receiving of four keys is often a sign of priesthood. I wondered if I had a similar calling. In response to this, I dreamt that I was in a steak cooking contest (I am an avid fan of the TV show, Top Chef), and our challenge was to cook steaks outdoors on a metal rim, using only solar energy. I felt unprepared, but decided to give it a try. Contestants with flank steaks were able to cook their meat using only the sun, but my steaks were porous and not enough substance to absorb the rays of the sun. So much for my being a "high priestess"! Overall, Clarke's dreams are worth reading, although his commentary, analysis and interpretation are, at times, "immature" and less than satisfying. Nevertheless, I am grateful to him, Colin Wilson and Spirit for the publishing of this work.

Jung said if we want to study dreams, a dream series is better than isolated ones. The book under review is a good illustration of that, being composed exclusively of dreams of the author and his comments on them. This is a rare achievement, very challenging and very instructive. Verily I learned from the book some of the pitfalls to avoid when dealing with our dreams, but that is enough in itself to make a treasure. When we offer our dreams to the world, we must accept the possibility that they will be diverted of their way. Clarke presents himself as Jung's successor, but I have my doubts about that. He talks all the time about the `Higher Self', but as far as I know Jung never did. Jung at the end came up with the equation psyche = matter, Clarke wants to be all spirit, a Priest of the unconscious as he says. When he writes "Jung speaks of the ferocious conflict between the sex instinct and the love of God" (p. 230), or "Jung states that we must live by the higher Lord of Spirits, but that modern man has fallen into the dark, negative side of Mercurius" (p. 346), I want references because I don't recognize Jung in that. But this is a lesser evil. After all everybody is entitle to follow his own way. The greater evil in the occurrence is not listening to our dreams, and I think Clarke falls badly here. If we amplify a dream with collective material, be it Christian, Egyptian, alchemical or what not, we will end up talking only about our readings if we don't come back to the dream. What it has to say to the dreamer - before the Western man or humanity - might well lie hidden precisely in the little details in the dream that differ from the collective material. Jung said (well, I don't give the reference) that every dream talks about something the dreamer doesn't know, otherwise it won't occur at all. It may be debatable, but it makes a good tool in understanding dreams. For instance if a dream agrees completely with the conscious attitude or thinking of the dreamer - many dreams in the book are of this type - then, according to the tool, something must be wrong with this attitude or thinking. The `moral quest' with dreams consists in taking them personally and doing something with them, otherwise we get stuck with the shadow - even if God himself appears on our bedside. What is missing throughout the book is the feminine in its totality.

The Four Gold Keys is the best book on Christian symbolism I have ever read. Clarke does not merely explain the symbolism. He shows how the symbols and archetypes of the individual and collective consciousness are meant to transform our lives, to individuate us into the types of spiritual heros described by Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. I recommend this book for those who desire to transform their lives for the better by using the wisdom hidden in the Christian mysteries. Jim Marion, author of "Putting on the Mind of Christ, the Inner Work of Christian Spirituality."