[8] And so, alchemists described a process using secret and obscure imagery. These instructions would not be at all clear to the uninitiated. Twentieth Century science may look at this earnest view of alchemy with skepticism. Strange as it may now seem, this theological view was common in the Middle Ages. This habit of expressing alchemical change through color was called ‘dyeing’ and underlay a belief that colors expressed fundamental stages of nature (1). Words cannot express how much your support and friendship here has colored my world, in a very full spectrum way. The fourth stage is man, to whom no color is assigned. Another alchemist reading this passage would understand that the third step required water (or some other substance) to melt the metal. Thank you for going back to that post and yes, especially for all of our mutual sharing here. A fascinating post , reblogged from ptero9.com. Thanks for sharing your insights here and for your work with youth. Women's humanity or lack thereof was one such social issue, since alchemists and medieval theologians saw women as incomplete or imperfect. Marginals. I hope to continue on this theme and at least run through each stage of color and briefly describe them. Putrefaction, by decomposition or falling apart; mortification, by grinding down, as seeds in a mortar are refined into ever thinner and smaller particles.”. James Burke explains: They wouldn't say, 'Hmmm. In other words, alchemists fabricated instructions to accomplish their goal of transmutation the "Great Work" as they thought it ought to be. The Four Color-Phases are (in sequential order:) BLACK: 'Massa Confusa' It follows that since the alchemist never carried out his lead-to-gold experiment successfully, his instructions represented assumptions regarding the nature of what was thought to be good or perfect. classification of alchemical stages (f) Whereas the original tetrameria was exactly equivalent to the quaternity of elements, it was now frequently stressed that although there were four elements (earth, water, fire, and air) and four qualities (hot, cold, dry, and … Carl Jung thought this sequence originated with Heraclitus, although no reference from the ancient Greek philosopher is given (2). Glad you enjoy Hillman! The magnum opus is associated with a variety of alchemical symbols attached to it. When the Matter has entered the stage of blackness, … The whole of nature was nothing but a kind of giant, holy cryptogram to be decoded by the faithful.[3]. Alchemical Psychology (Uniform Edition of the Writings of James Hillman) (Kindle Locations 292-293). In alchemical symbols Nigredo is always indicated by something black: the raven, the raven's head, the dark jacket, darkness, the night, the Solar or Moon eclipse, the tomb, hell, and death. The principal colors of this icon in most texts are Yellow for the central nerve current, Shushumna, the central staff of the icon. AthanorIn alchemy, an athanor was a furnace used for diverse alchemical works related to obtaining … Similarly, alchemists fabricated this color list from ideals on how they thought the world ought to be. [28] Until his work, the color list like many pseudo-scientific theories controlled the imaginations of alchemists in their laboratories as well as the progress of science in general. The second phase involved albedo, a whitening. Obviously, hiding the alchemical instructions in biblical commentary is problematic because biblical scriptures can be taken so many ways. This "color list" consistently figures throughout the writings: black, white, and red. Thus, the change from black to white is likened to the spiritual journey from sin to purity. Links to all posts in the series: Colour My World , Alchemical Psychology, Part I – Black http://wp.me/pZ0y1-T7 Alchemical Psychology, Part II – Blue http://wp.me/pZ0y1-TA Alchemical Psychology, Part III – Silver http://wp.me/pZ0y1-Um Alchemical Psychology, Part IV – White http://wp.me/pZ0y1-UT Alchemical Psychology, Part V – Yellow http://wp.me/pZ0y1-WV Alchemical Psychology, Part VI – Red http://wp.me/pZ0y1-XT Alchemical Psychology, Part VII – Air http://wp.me/pZ0y1-11b Alchemical Psychology, Part VIII – Caelum http://wp.me/Z0y1, I am a transformation junkie of sorts. The colors are suggestive of the white and red stage of the alchemical process. Alchemists, in constructing the color list, were likely to have incorporated their belief that the female was superior to the neuter, and that the male was more perfect than the female. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that alchemists, as followers of the faith, came to find spiritual meaning in the alchemical work that they did. I have never explored Hillman in detail but the kernel of his thought is so intellectually appealing – at least for those who want to avoid the dry theories of materialistic psychology and instead want to find the meaning in life through the understanding of “psyche”. The Stages of Alchemical Transformation The Latin expression solve et coagula best describes the alchemical transformation. Or the act of removing the parts that hold us back from the free flowing consciousness of wholeness. You have the various colors of them, red, white, black, gold, and green. Fascinating. The second phase involved albedo, a whitening. A heart of gold might all the more valuable yes? He then notes that the idea of the color in each stage that we move through as we make our way through life is sensate and naturally embedded with images and ideas as compared to conceptual notions that especially modern psychology would use. The two serpents entwined about the staff are colored Red for the right nerve current Surya (Pingala), and White for the left nerve current, Rayi (Ida). Those who live from their own fires, sweating it out, self-sustaining their own temperatures which may be at variance with the collective climate.”. His song Cantilena explains the alchemical mystery. 2). This particular post has left me wanting more today – I am so happy your more recent articles are longer. Hi Debra, I had to return to this post today because the color black has been on my mind. ( Log Out /  Here's a red flower.' [26] Because any substance that turns lead or mercury into gold would have to be active as well, red was a logical choice for the final color on the list. If I am neurotic, I am neurotic in language. It can be the collection and totality of all colors in the white light. The original manuscript of these plates is … Debra. Initially, the process was linked to four colors that represented the specific transformations resulting during each phase. [20] From the implied gender of colors, one would expect the process represented to be black, white, then red. Alchemists were imagining their world the way they wanted it to be instead of how it was. This kind of interpretation really resonates when I am trying to get across to youth that ‘as above, so below” and “as without, so within” means looking at the exoteric and esoteric connections. » Seven Stages of Alchemical Transformation » Seven Stages of Alchemical Transformation Hypnosis Program » Adam McLean's Courses on Alchemical Emblems Fifth Stage - Fermentation ... Its arrival is announced by a brilliant display of colors and meaningful visions called the "Peacock’s Tail." As any modern chemist knows, the alchemical transformation of lead into gold could never have occurred in the alchemist's laboratory. This habit of expressing alchemical change through color was called ‘dyeing’ and underlay a belief that colors expressed fundamental stages of nature (1). 7 Colors and 7 Rays – Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Violet. Carl Jung thought this sequence originated with Heraclitus, although no reference from the ancient Greek philosopher is given (2). Many alchemical works list specific colors and an order in which those colors should appear. Hillman in some ways is more approachable, he had an amazing way of turning ideas inside out and I enjoy his primacy of Psyche in everything he writes about. Here, “solve” means the breakdown and separation of different constituent elements, whereas “coagula” is a reference to the reconstitution of separated elements into a new and higher form. The first four color terms – black, white, red, and yellow – are also the primary color terms embracing the entire alchemical opus: nigredo, albedo, xanthosis or citrinitas, and iosis or rubedo. As fascinating as it might be to change base metals into gold, I think what changes our perspective is even more fascinating and freeing too. After all, who today interprets a physical process capable of generating vast amounts of wealth as an act of God? The stages of alchemical transformation are a process that occurs on the vital, psychological, spiritual levels in a person who has devoted themselves to the revolutionary initiatic path. A Green Lion would really look no different from a Red or a Gold Lion, except in color (see Fig. To that end, the creators of the color list would have chosen colors which initially suggest feelings of death or stasis and lastly perfection. The first four color terms – black, white, red, and yellow – are also the primary color terms embracing the entire alchemical opus: nigredo, albedo, xanthosis or citrinitas, and iosis or rubedo. So glad to see somebody looking at this stuff. Therein you unlock the mystery of the sphinx–the mystery of uniting all four elements shown as the Magician in tarot (Arcanum I. I guess the transmutation of man is a continuous and ever-evolving process. Initially, the process was linked to four colors that represented the specific transformations resulting during each phase. Chart of Correspondences Correspondences of Chemical References Operation Processes Elements Metals Chemical Arcanum Process Colors Process Odors Calcination Roasting; Conflagration; Reduction; Trituration Fire(Solve) Lead Sulfuric Acid (Vitriol) Black; Magenta Biting; Brim- stone Dissolution Dissolving; Corrosion; Cibation; Bain Marie Water(Solve) Tin (Pewter) … But Jung points out that there is another quaternity of colors associated with the marriage of the king and queen of heaven—yellow, red, green, and blue. C. G. Jung and the Alchemical Renewal. Another medieval person, uneducated in alchemy however, could assume that this was a quotation from the Bible. Second, the blackening negates the “light,” whether that be the light of knowledge, the attachment to solar consciousness as far-seeing prediction, or the feeling that phenomena can be understood. The alchemical stages are experienced as colors: Each color represents a phase that is entered into in the work: Salomon Trismosin, who was supposedly the teacher of the famous Paracelsus, is often mentioned as the author of Splendor solis. As fascinating as it might be to change base metals into gold, I think what changes our perspective is even more fascinating and freeing too. Hillman suggests that the difference for the alchemists was that they did not conceptualize their mental states in the way that we do today, but lived them through the work. 6 Anyone who has had the good fortune to observe some of the major alchemical codices in their original form and feast their eyes on the incredibly impressive imagery, pictured in vivid colors and fantastic shapes, will sympathize with Jung's habit of meditating upon this imagery as an exercise in altered and expanded consciousness! The Magus). [7] So obscure are these instructional documents that historians cannot determine if the "Great Work" referred to turning lead into gold or finding an "elixir" or "Philosopher's Stone" which would turn lead into gold. It has been found that some colors can trigger specific reactions, even in animals. Consequently, the "Great Work" of alchemy parallels the "Great Commission"; that is, perfecting metal parallels the perfecting of the soul. From the Book "The Emerald Tablet" The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy for Personal Transformation by Dennis William Hauck. “My neurosis resides in my mental set and the way it constructs the world and behaves in it. For example, from the same quote, was the alchemist supposed to provide air to the reaction because of the phrase, "And the prophet his wind shall blow", or was that merely abstract prose? Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. What an interesting take on color. The first stage of the alchemical work is dissolution, usually called the nigredo or the black stage. But Jung points out that there is another quaternity of colors associated with the marriage of the king and queen of … From the implied gender of colors, one would expect the process represented to be black, white, then red. The third phase was represented by citrinitas, a yellowing while the last phase involved rubedo, a reddening. So the development occurs in four stages, and this is no coincidence. However, it is possible to understand the alchemical process in terms of four basic stages… , Ditto! Therefore, the alchemist, in creating the color list, may have picked black as the beginning to represent the first step in the "Great Work." Indeed, with Chadwick's definition of an element being related to the number of protons an atom has, the possibility of an alchemical transformation is zero, since changing the number of protons an atom has requires expensive, hazardous, and what was then nonexistent radioactive bombardment by neutrons. Thanks so much for visiting and leaving a note. » Seven Stages of Alchemical Transformation Hypnosis Program » Adam McLean's Courses on Alchemical Emblems . 25 - Fitzwilliam Museum, MS 276* Consequently, the one-sidedness that characterizes all neuroses in general is also to be found specifically as a one-sidedness in language.”. Gold Sherwood Taylor states: We cannot, in fact, interpret these complicated and fragmentary recipes well enough to say definitely what occurred, but it is clear that they were felt to be enormously significant by the alchemists who studied them, and that gave rise to impressive symbolic writings.[27]. The external alchemy was practiced by the people that tried to harmonize the external forces to transform matter into what they believed to be its purest form: gold. Jung’s writings on alchemy in which he refers to the Opus as the Opus Contra Naturam, a work against nature, which I understand to mean against the inclination towards entropy. by Stephan A. Hoeller . I always thought it was just visible wavelengths that got rejected by whatever object that reflected that color back to us. Fredrick Soddy sums it up well: If man ever achieves this further control over Nature, it is quite certain that the last thing he would want to do would be to turn lead or mercury into gold for the sake of gold. The process is simply a map of a path that was created by Chinese masters long ago. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Lol, we can thank those crazy alchemists and their nonscience Any social issue which, in the alchemist's view, required perfecting provided an analogy for alchemical purification and was incorporated into the allegorical dynamic. Therefore, the instructions are written in code which poses the problem of how to read the text: For example, the other alchemist knew that fluid was required, but was that fluid water? 12. Alchemy and psychology, two topics with which I have long been interested. Whiteness or Albedo. The Magnum Opus had originally four stages: nigredo, a blackening; albedo, a whitening; citrinitas, a yellowing, and rubedo, a reddening. [12] Generally, white was used to symbolize purity and innocence[13] and black was not used as a symbol but as a means to describe literal reality. While it may seem improbable to the inexperienced mind, each Alchemically-triggered Evolutionary Phase actually DOES produce some manifestation of the color of that Phase of Alchemy. The work, whether on ourselves or on physical materials, generates a psychic response. In Aurora Consurgens, pseudo-Aquinas provides other alchemists with one of the steps in the "Great Work": In the third place he maketh soft, that is, he liquifieth the hardness of the earth and dissolveth its condensed and exceedingly compact parts, of which it is written: The rain of the Holy Spirit melteth. In fact, it was not until the Eighteenth century when Lavoisier's call to arms converted science from a discipline that described a world the way it ought to be to a discipline that described the world the way it was. Thanks for reading and leaving a note Symbol Reader! Language is central to how humans come to know and understand – any and everything. Nigredo, a blackening, characterized the first phase. And the prophet: He shall send out his word and shall melt it, his wind shall blow and the waters shall run.[4]. The swan is a bird which is rarely seen in flight, but rather swimming upon lake or river, gracefully moving on the surface of water- in soul terms, on the soul's surface, its etheric interface with the physical. We are thus benighted. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! This is probably the most distinguishing feature of alchemical symbolism, and the colors are connected to three chief stages of the alchemical process. In a text ascribed to Marsilio Ficino three suns are described: black, white, and red, corresponding to the three most used alchemical color stages. I am so enjoying discovering like-minded souls blogging here on WordPress. [21] Some artists anticipate primal reactions to color and select colors to generate moods in the viewers of their work. ( Log Out /  Sol niger (black sun) can refer to the first stage of the alchemical magnum opus, the nigredo (blackening). I am so happy we both seem to have been able to find our voice through writing here. Allegories like "Allegory of John of the Fountain" or "The Parabola of Madathanus" can reach six-thousand words and also drift from topic to topic. That being the case, symbolically the colors should represent a change from female to male. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Thanks for visiting my blog. It should be clear that more than empirical observation was put into alchemical texts. I have a habit of reflecting on life and putting truths in form of aphorisms. . The separation of a component by removing the upper part, sometimes by skimming it off … Black dissolves meaning and the hope for meaning. This is the case, as Roberts explains, "A black color indicated that the material had been successfully broken down [into it's basic form] "[15] Black therefore makes a logical choice for the first color to be seen in the "Great Work" since it, as a color without symbolic meaning, can only represent imperfection. very interesting post! Here is to Black! I started reading about the alchemists through the writings of Jung and discovered Hillman through Jungian writers. This is the marriage of the alchemical fire and the water as our alchemical Sulfur and Mercury. Calcination is the process of heating and decomposing raw matter – or in other words, breaking down parts of ourselves… Third, the two processes most relevant for producing blackness –putrefaction and mortification – break down the inner cohesion of any fixed state. Peace and Love! And the only point in looking at all this would be to remind you of those symbols. Alchemy is a profession of marginals; those at the edge. These stages symbolized the Great Work – the process of creating the Philosopher’s Stone. Nigredo, a blackening, characterized the first phase. [19] White is symbolically associated with the feminine, and red is symbolically associated with the masculine. The magnum opus has been carried forward in New Ageand neo-Hermetic movements which sometimes attached new symboli… Alchemy can be categorized into two types: external and internal: 1. The energy that would be liberated, if the control of these sub-atomic processes were possible as in the control of ordinary chemical changes, such as combustion, would far exceed in importance the value of the gold.[9]. Remember, the white light refers to the second stage, albedo, or whiteness. Thus language must be an essential component of my neurosis. The Great Work (Latin: Magnum opus) is an alchemical term for the process of working with the prima materia to create the philosopher's stone. These Four Stages are represented as THE 'ASCENDING SCALE OF ALCHEMICAL COLORS.' I figured that the first in a series is a safe bet, so here I am. Alchemy influenced strongly various degrees that eventually became part of the Scottish Rite. Since black is conventionally associated with death,[24] black would also be associated with decomposition. The third phase was represented by citrinitas, a yellowing while the last phase involved rubedo, a reddening. No exaggeration, working at expression in writing, voicing all of the thoughts and ideas that come through me, is essential to my sense of well-being, as much as food, water, shelter, and love are. ( Log Out /  But what indeed were they describing? Some medieval ideas, representing perfection in both alchemy and theology, involve colors. All quotes taken from: Hillman, James (2011-10-10). Except where noted, the postings here are ruminations of mine, and are never intended to be used as professional or medical advice. » Sixth Stage of Alchemical Transformation . Learn how your comment data is processed. Whether this underworld is frigid and ghastly or burning with the hots of hell, it is a realm characterized by temperatures suitable only for demons, ghosts, heroes and heroines, goddesses and shades who are no longer altogether of the upper world. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Nothing really existed, except as a symbol for something else: something religious. The best thing about the end of the world is that it only happens once. Great way to get into the right mind frame for doing phenomenology as well. The value he gives to this most valuable but least explored concept is what makes him endearing in psychological studies. Hillman begins by suggesting that one of the primary sources of neurosis is a deficiency of imagination which can be heard in the one-sidedness of the language we use – which is an important means to understand ourselves and the world. Hillman was the spell breaker par excellence, who even got the joke that spell breaking itself is just one more fantasy, one more metaphor to live by. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. "[23] Therefore, if colors can be used to manipulate emotions, then moods could be associated with colors. [14] If black were used as a "literal color", then it would be useless in the development of an idea of perfection, unless it were used as a starting point. Alchemists, in constructing the color list, were likely to have incorporated their belief that the female was superior to the neuter, and that the male was more perfect than the female. Another popular image is that of a youthful Hermes (or Mercury) wearing full armor and trying to separate the arguing King and Queen, like a teenaged boy in a family dispute. Thank you for bringing Hillman to my field of conscious awareness. "[2] Not surprisingly then, in the Middle Ages, science was to defer to religion. These Four Stages are represented as THE 'ASCENDING SCALE OF ALCHEMICAL COLORS.' Add to that the promise of sermons or biblical commentary with which there is no intended alchemical meaning and the use of biblical commentary as an instructional medium for alchemy becomes even more problematic. Revised: August 2019 The colors alchemists use to illuminate their various picture-symbols are every bit as important as the scenes they depict. They would say, 'Red for the blood of Christ, thorns for the pains of the devil, green for the emerald of sincerity,' and so on. I will leave you with one more quote from the book: “This is the Nekyia,  the night sea journey through the underworld made also by Odysseus, Aeneas, and Hercules, and by Eurydice, Inanna, Persephone, Psyche, by Orpheus, by Christ. Just as religion permeates the ideals of alchemical perfection, so the colors in the list may have been influenced by ideas of perfection represented by color. Outsiders. I am a transformation junkie of sorts. I had read Jung first too. Alchemical engravings often show white birds taking flight at this stage, sometimes with images of fire, destruction, and a blackened earth below symbolizing the results of the earlier operations. Debra. Ablation. Yes, they weren’t only interested in literally transforming substances, but about experiencing the transformation of the psyche and finding the Philosopher’s Stone. The first stage of the alchemical work is dissolution, usually called the nigredo or the black stage. The Seven Stages of Transformation. In this sense the peacock was seen as a royal bird in ancient times, and it corresponded with the phoenix. Thanks so much for leaving a note! The second meaning is that it represents the failure of the alchemical process.
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