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Abstract
The Trickster, a prominent figure in the mythologies of many cultures, has received the attention of mythologists, anthropologists, and psychologists seeking insight into the implications of his story for their fields of study. A great deal of understanding remains to be gleaned by contemplating the Trickster’s dynamic as it relates to the individuation of the human psyche. Through hermeneutic and alchemical hermeneutic analysis, this thesis explores how comprehension of the Trickster may increase understanding of the human journey of individuation and empower the navigability of this journey. The classical patterns of Trickster’s driving hunger, deviousness, grandiosity, and demise, considered from a depth psychology perspective, reveal a spiraling process of ego identification, deflation, and return to transpersonal consciousness that can be utilized as a model and map of the indwelling of the Self.
