One thing that I rarely did last semester was to respond directly to the comments made on my packets by my advisor. I choose mostly to just take my advisor's comments as advice which I would take into account when working on my successive packets. However, I see now that responding to my advisor's comments directly can further my own understanding of my own work, and as such I will explore that route here. I will address these comments to Steryl directly, and for simplicity's sake I will note which quotes were made by who (Steryl or myself) before each quotation. 

Steryl: "I did disagree with you idea that "true mysticism" has, de rigueur, a voyage to reunited godhead. Fill me in." 

I have obtained this sense of mysticism leading towards unity with the godhead by studying many different mystical traditions, and not just taken this idea from Buddhism. I guess the crux of my argument would come down to the fact that I take what might be considered by others to be a very loose interpretation of the term "unity with the godhead." I suppose that a more specific way of me stating this idea would be to say that I feel that all mystical traditions suggest that a movement towards unity with the "Other" is the end result of following the mystic tradition. It is true that Buddhism seems to state this idea of reunification most blatantly, but I must say that all mystic traditions do promise some sort of unification with that which is farthest from us, whether that is labeled as a godhead, egolessness, the physical environment, or anything else which appears to be removed from our regular everyday conscious experience. Some traditions seem to promise a more severe and literal reunification, whereas others are more content with simply stating that the mystic moves into a new and higher state of conscious understanding. 

I take the term "godhead" to be nothing other than the great "other." "Other" means to me something which is not known by us, but of which we are somehow aware. Usually this "other" is something which is defined by our existence as beings which understand the world through a filter of duality, i.e. "If I am such-and-such a thing, then I can imagine that there is a directly opposing thing which I could be." There is no understanding of what it would actually be like to exist as this "other," but we can define the idea of it none the less. Mystical traditions, as far as my understanding goes, always and without fail suggest that by following their precepts, we can transform ourselves into a state of "other" - a state which we can imagine but not actually understand until the transformation has taken place. 

It could even be said that because the mystic retains some part of his or her original state of consciousness, but after the transformation also experiences the "other," he or she is now overcoming a dualistic understanding of their selves, whether they consciously realize the fact or not. If we choose to define "godhead" as that force which is the totality of the universe, is the unity of all things before consciousness splits this unity into duality, then by overcoming the duality of original consciousness versus "other," the mystic is moving toward reunification with the "godhead" by experiencing the reunification of a duality. Am I being clear here? Language really begins to fail us, especially western language, when we start trying to use it to define terms such as "unity" and "godhead." 

Keep in mind when considering all of the above that I am talking strictly about mystical traditions, and not the general religions which have spawned from them. 

Steryl: "Needless to say, the church is responsible for limning the face of God, not the individual seeker." 

By misrepresenting the face of God to the seeker, is the seeker who seeks through a given church's misrepresentation altered as well? This is more a question without an answer than anything else.... 

Steryl: regarding "We Thirteen" "Is it Earth itself preparing its own survival and including humans into the bargain (how nice!)." 

also, 

"Could you take the themes here and make a story?" 

If you want my personal feelings on the Earth preparing for its survival and humankind's relation to that preparation, I'll tell you what I think. I think that it is the nature of life to transform. I view the Earth as one consciousness, with humans being tiny specks which make up a part of that consciousness. Naturally, we are each individually consciousness's as well, but our consciousness's are intrinsically linked up to the consciousness of the Earth. Thus, when she transforms, so do we. I don't think that the Earth particularly values humans, and I especially don't think that the Earth values some humans over others. To view her consciousness in this light would be what I would consider to be secondary personalization. The greater consciousness of this planet is just that - greater. She's not too concerned with what is happening, or why. The transformation just unfolds, and she is part of it, and thus so are we. Perhaps she is just part of the transformation of the greater consciousness which the Sun's consciousness is experiencing, just as we are a part of her transformation. This is, as you probably know, nothing other than "microcosm-macrocosm" philosophy, which I find is true in my reality. 

I'd even be so bold as to state that all of human history has just been an element in the general transformation process of this planet. Even though we look at it as all the blood, sweat, and tears of individual human beings, to her its just what is. I like to think, in my cynical point of view, that she probably views us as I view my own ego - a part of my consciousness which is ultimately necessary, seems to think that it's pretty damn important, but in point of fact just seems to foul things up real good. 

I'd also like to point out that nature, like transformation ritual, requires a dying off of the old way to make way for the new. This is precisely why "We Thirteen," in my mind, relates so directly to my other work in the packet. My friends and I in that story are being forced into a new way. We happen (isn't it nice...) to be the ones who are lucky enough to adapt to the new way, whereas others, such as the member of the group who went insane, or the general populace, are not quite so lucky. They are part of the old way which must die off. 

It's funny how in apocalypse hysteria, any group that writes about the coming apocalypse always views their group as the one which will survive.... 

Yes, I would absolutely love to spend time turning this into a full fledged story. Do I feel up to the task? No. My original intention was to make this a story like you described, but I found, and still find, myself daunted by the idea. When I wrote the piece that I did, I was consciously thinking that it was mainly to serve as a reminder to myself, so that I could come back later and rework the material into a real story. Actually, what I really thought would be great would be to make a movie, but that can be nothing other than a pipedream at this time. I think it is really interesting that the two people that I have shown this piece to both said, "You should make this into a real story," when that was my intention in the first place. If things go well, I will work on turning this into a story later on in the semester, but for now I feel like I have to let it gestate in my mind for awhile before giving birth to it, if you know what I mean. 

Steryl: "You really need to compare these ideas with Campbell's." 

All I can really do here is laugh, because there was no way for you to know that my entire introduction to the subject of comparative myth and religion came through the work of Campbell. Long before I even knew Goddard even existed, I diligently studied his books and video tapes. I remember sitting in front of the television for several days in a row, watching old Joe speak three sentences, hitting the "pause" button, then furiously scribbling down notes, hitting "play" again, listening to three more sentences, etc. In fact, I still have the notebook, and the most amazing thing to me about it is that I wrote down so many words without really understanding their meanings and ramifications, but now have come to realize through my own path things which line up exactly with what I wrote down then. Life, heh? Sometimes it just makes you laugh out loud. 

As a side note, but a good story, I remember being maybe ten years old, watching the news one night with my father. At the end of the news they had a man of the week, a man who had died. My father expressed how sad it was that this great man had died. I asked him who the man was, and what he had done. My dad told me that this man had traveled all over the globe and lived with different cultures, studying their ways and finding similarities between all of them. I remember thinking, "That's what I want to do with my life. I want to be that man." About two or three years ago, already having been studying comparative myth and religion for some time, I recalled the memory of that night, and realized that the man who died was Joseph Campbell. Life, heh? 
  

Initial Notes on Psychology and Alchemy by C. G. Jung 
  

I use all capital bold letters in these notes so that I can more easily scan for key terms and main ideas later on when reviewing these notes. 

Note the conscious mind's resistance to let the unconscious mind take control. The conscious mind grew out of the unconscious, and thus had to "fight it off," but now we have sung too far into the conscious, ego-based mind to be healthy. The healthy state is, of course, moderation between the two. 

MERMAID - strong symbol of unconscious (femanine and water) 

TEMENOS - piece of land, often a grove, set apart and dedicated to a god. 

SUBLIMATION - ascent towards center. LADDER is a good symbol of sublimation. 

SOLIFICATION - culmination of SUBLIMATION, central point of solar divinity one attains to. 

ILLUMINATIO - enlightenment 

PSYCHOPOMP - one who shows the way, a guide. 

As we grow from childhood (a period of less restriction of subconscious by conscious mind) we experience a loss of instinct (instinctual atrophy) and hence disorientation in everyday human situations arises. The conscious mind's continual repression of instinctual urges (a threat representing the subconscious) only makes this atrophy grow worse and worse, until there is a near complete loss of soul. 

MOTHER and FATHER roles are particularly important. 

SEVEN (7) - highest stage of illumination (cardinal directions, zenith, nadir, center) seven planets of astrology. 

MERCURIUS - lowest as PRIMA MATERIA and highest as LAPIS PHILOSOPHORUM, the HERMAPHRODITE, the six other planets were combined in Mercurius. A helpful friend and a teasing, elusive goblin. 

WATER - good sign of the living power of psyche. Alchemical terms for it include: AQUA NOSTRA, MERCURIUS VIVUS, ARGENTUM VIVUM, VINUM ARDENS, AQUA VITAE, SECCUS LUNARIE, etc. These terms express the plowing vitality as opposed to rigid mind. 

SUCCUS LUNARIAE = sap of the moon plant. 

ACETUM FONTIS = A powerful corrosive water that dissolves created things and thus leads to the most durable product, the LAPIS. 

GOLD (AURUM PHILOSOPHICUM) - "Aurum nostrum non est aurum vulgi" (Our gold is not the common gold), holds an obvious analogy with the SUN and is not given the highest honor. THE LAPIS PHILOSOPHORUM is higher than gold, as the "transformer is above the traansformed, and transformation is one of the magical properties of the stone. 

GOLDEN FLOWER - magical plant, is the noblest and purest essence of GOLD, can sometimes be the SAPPHIRE BLUE FLOWER of the HERMAPHRODITE. Led to the Rosie Crosse of the Rosicrucians. 

FLOS CITRINUS/FLOS AERIS AUREUS/FLOS EST AQUA NUMMOSA - "Flos" was used by late alchemists to express the mystical transforming substance. 

ENANTIODROMIA - the play of opposites. 

The SOUL has definite affinities with the SPHERE in neoplatonic philosophy. 

The SUN is a seperate priciple from the ANIMA. 

A DEVIL is a good symbol of an aspect of the psyche which has broken free of conscious control. 

SILVER - LUNA 

MERCURIUS - can be VIRGO? What does this mean? 

SOL NIGER - black sun, NIGREDO? What part of the process does this represent? 

PUTREFACTO - ??? 

"And thus the philosopher is not the master of the STONE, but rather its minister." 

AENIGMA REGIS - final production of LAPIS in the form of the growned (kingly) HERMAPHRODITE. 

DONUM SPIRITUS SANCTI - The Precious Gift 

AQUA NOSTRA NON VULGI / AQUA PERMANENS - "For the stone is this selfsame water; and while it is water it is not the stone." This water's commoness es emphasized - "What we are seeking is sold publicly for a very small price, and if it were recognized, the merchants would not sell it for so little." The water of life is easily had - everyone possesses it, but it is continuously spurned (SPERNITUR ASTULTIS - despised by the stupid, IN NIAM EIECTUS - flung in the street) by everyone just because it is so common, and thus seemingly without calue. Individuation is not only a spiritual problem, it is a problem of all life. 

The SQUARING OF THE CIRCLE breaks down original chaotic unity into four elements and then recobines them into a higher unity. Obtaining one from four is commonly called obtaining the "QUINTESSENCE," and is the result of a process of DISTILLATION and SUBLIMATION, which takes a "circular form." Out of the gross and impure one there cometh an exceedingly pure and subtle one. Soul and spirit must be seperated from the body, which is the equivolent of death. The spirit must be seperated from its body, and after the purification of the body, it is infused back into the body. Here the spirit (or spirit and soul) represents the TERNARIUS, or number three, whereas the body would represent the number four. 

MAGNESIA - The arcane of transforming substance. 

Symbol Here 

The basic mandala of alchemy - a circle inside a square inside a triangle inside a circle. 

CIRCUMAMBULATIO - to work around in a circle. To circumambulate towards the left is to move toward the unconsious, and to circumambulate to the right is to move toward the conscious. 

"Out of man and woman make a circle, and extract the quadrangle from this and from the quadrangle the triangle. Make a round circle and you will have the Philosopher's Stone." 

Symbol Here 

Another mandala of alchemy - one circle inside another, with the space between the two divided into four equal parts. This represents the circulation of spirits or circular DISTILLATION. That is, the outside to the inside, the inside to the outside; likewise the lower and the upper, and when they meet together in one circle, you can no longer recognize what was inside or outside, or lower or upper, but all would be one thing in a circle or vessel. This vessel is the true Philosophical Pelican, and there is no other to be sought for in all the world. (The little circle is the inside, and the circle divided into four is the outside; four rivers flowing in and out of the inner ocean). 

The left hand path, noted earlier, does not lead upward to the kingdom of gods, but leads down into natural history and the bestial instinctive foundations of human existence. 

Ancestor worship can be interpreted as an integration of the unconscious, as ancestors are that from which we came. 

ARGENTUM VIVUM = MERCURIUS = transforming substance = WORLD SOUL = SPIRITUS VITAE = HERMES, the god of revelation 

HERMES = is associated with the square and the circle, thus, "Fourheaded Hermes," Quadrangle, and the number four. "The square figure of Mercury, made up of nothing but a head and a verile member, signify that the Sun is the Head of the world and scatters the seeds of all things.: The quality of a unity composed of four parts makes Mercurius a suitable symbol for the transformative substance, a representation of the perfected man. 

CYNOCEPHALUS - dog headed baboon (egyptian) of Thoth-Hermes 

It is accepted that layers exists below consciousness (the subconscious mind) so why not layers above as well? Does consciousness not take a middle ground? 

MASSA/MATERIA INFORMIS/CONFUSA = Chaos, contains the divine seed of life. 

If transformation is to come about, there must be exclusive concentration of the center (CIRCUMAMBULATIO). 

MERCURIUS - labeled "Servus" (servant) or "Cervus Fugitiuus" (fugitive stag). The Alchemisits never realized, according to Jung, that Mercurius was a projection, and the more they attributed to the substance, the further they were getting from the psychological source of their expectations. This means it is a characteristic of the Alchemist to run from Mercurius, and not the other way around. But there is evidence that they realized they were transforming themselves, and not just substances. "Transform yourselves into living Philisophical Stones!" 

TETRAKTYS - a four sided/pointed something??? 

TESTUDO - Tortoise, an alchemical instrument; a shallow bowl with which the cooking vessel was covered while on the fire. 

CABIRI - TELESPHORUS (one of the Cabiri) - unseen creative dwarf gods who appear at the ocean side (edge of unconscious) and protect navigation (the venture into darkness). In the form of DACTYLS they are gods of invention, small and insignificant like unconscious impulses, but containing great power. 
  
  
Notes on John Reid's "Course on Practical Alchemy, Part I" 

The five basic tenets of alchemy, according to John Reid, are: 

What I see in the above is nothing other than a projection of the internal transformative process which the alchemist is experiencing onto the exterior realm. Projection is not quite the term to use however, because I do not necessarily believe that the alchemist is falsely projecting incorrect meaning onto the material realm. What I do believe the alchemist is doing is finding an exterior material process of transformation which mirrors the internal process of transformation which he or she is experiencing. To ask which realm, interior or exterior, comes first, or for that matter which takes precedence, is an empty question, as the two processes are unfolding hand in hand, step by step. If we are to believe in a fundamental unity between our interior and exterior worlds, than how could the two processes not be intrinsically linked? 

The Three Essentials: 

Symbols Here 

MERCURY 

Symbols Here 

SULPHUR 

Symbols Here 

SALT 

The above three substances are not to be taken as the regular chemical compounds which their names represent, but instead represent three fundamental forces which create and exist within every material manifestation in the universe. They are also substances which can be isolated by the alchemist that fully embody the idea of the force they represent. Mercury represents unity, or spirit. Sulphur represents the active force, sometimes called the masculine force, and also the soul. Salt represents the inactive, or feminine force, and also the body. 

It doesn't take too much to see what we have established for our basic working ground here - duality (sulphur versus salt) and the unification of the duality (mercury). This is the ultimate reduction to a binary code type of understanding which every single mystical tradition affirms in its own way. One example of this duality which can be experienced in the interior realm is the idea of self versus other. The fact that alchemy considers everything in the universe to be made of both duality and unity points toward the idea that the alchemist is working with his or her projection of duality as a universal absolute, which I cannot fundamentally agree with. On the one hand, the alchemist's consciousness is based on dualistic perception, so to him or her the duality would seem a universal absolute, but at the same time, if there was no alchemist's consciousness interpreting the matter, there would only be unity. This is an interesting point which I will have to return to later. 

As a side note, I will always use the terms "active" and "inactive" hereafter to denote the two types of force present in a duality, as the sexual terms which have been related to these two forces in the past can easily lead to secondary personalization in today's culture. 

I may return to these three symbols at a later date to further clarify what forces these three substances represent, but for the moment all that is required is the understanding that they represent the basic trinity in any of its various interpretations. 

The Four Alchemical Elements: 

SYMBOL HERE 

FIRE 

SYMBOL HERE 

WATER 

SYMBOL HERE 

AIR 

SYMBOL HERE 

EARTH 

According to John Reid, 

Before trying to fully understand the ramifications of what is said above, let's see what particular qualities are associated with each of the four elements. It must be understood, as with Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, that the names of the elements do not represent the actual physical bodies of the same name. 

To Fire is attributed the qualities of being volatile and not fixed. The upward pointing triangle which symbolizes this element represents the three essentials (via the three points of the triangle) positioned in such a way as to suggest upward mobility, or in this case, volatility. Fire is said to be the most simple of the elements, as well as the first to be created. It is also described as being "expansive, radiant, and electric," and has the qualities of being hot and dry in nature. 

Water is symbolized by the downward pointing triangle, which represents the three essentials in a non-volatile, or fixed, relationship. Water is the second element to be born, and is described as contracting, cold, wet, and magnetic. Water is said to be born from the death of Fire. 

Air's symbol closely resembles that of Fire, with the addition of a horizontal line divided the triangle into two parts, representing that Air contains both volatile and fixed qualities. This vertical line divides off the bottom third of the triangle, which suggests that the volatile is more dominant than the fixed. According to the alchemists, Air receives one of its two natures from each of its parents - volatile from Fire and fixed from Water. Because of the fact that Air is born from the commingling of Fire and Water, Air is said to not be a true element. Its qualities are heat and moisture, and it is said to work in the laboratory to control the electric fluid and the magnetic fluid of Fire and Water, and therefore it acts as the consciousness of the matter at hand. 

Like Air, Earth is also considered not to be a true element. It is made up of the action of the first three elements working off of each other. Its symbol is the divided downward pointing triangle, with the dividing line falling in the top third of the triangle, once again showing that this element is more fixed than volatile. Its qualities are dryness and coldness, and it is interesting to note that the birth of this element from the action of the first three causes actual physicality to be born, i.e., space, measure, weight, etc. 

Now then, what are we to make of these four elements? I might note here, out of interest's sake, that there are four forces known to modern physics which pervade all of the known universe, those forces being called the Strong, Weak, Gravitational, and Electromagnetic forces. The easiest way that I can see to understand these four elements is to view them at their most basic level, that being the level of their base characteristics. If we were to assign "A" to the volatile characteristic, and "B" to the fixed, we would have the following: 

Fire - A 

Water - B 

Air - a 

Earth - b 

Here, a capital letter represents a more dominant form, and a small case letter is a less dominant form, similar to the "dominant and recessive gene" idea in genetics. 

Another way to express a similar idea is to work through a binary code system, where "1" is volatile and "0" is fixed: 

Fire 1 1 

Water 0 0 

Air 1 0 

Earth 0 1 

What I am trying to get at here is that these four elements seem to represent two basic characteristics of matter (volatile and fixed) working off of each other to create variations. It should be noted that the I Ching system works off of this exact same binary system of understanding. In the I Ching, a solid line represents the volatile force, and a broken line the fixed force. The I Ching, however, did not stop with defining just the above four possibilities, but instead expanded it out to the sixty four possible combinations of having six positions which could possibly contain a 0 or 1, as opposed to the two positions represented above. In the Kabalah, the ancient mystic book of the Hebrews, the true name of God is said to be "YHVH," and it is understood that the "Y" represents the dominant masculine aspect, the first "H" the dominant feminine aspect, the "V" recessive masculine, and the final "H" the recessive feminine - exactly the same base symbolism. 

What I am curious about at this point is how the three essentials coincide with the four elements. I see that Sulphur certainly represents a volatile force, as does Fire, and Salt represents a more fixed force, as does Water. Air then, perhaps, would be a sort of "Salt of Sulphur" and Earth a "Sulphur of Salt," but this doesn't ring quite true with me. It seems that there is a difference in the fact that the essentials are forces which act on the states of matter which the elements represent, but I am having trouble defining what the difference truly is. I keep coming back to the idea that the essentials are the force of consciousness interpreting, and the elements are the actual physicality being interpreted, but I am unsure if this is what the alchemists intend. This does seem to make sense, however, because the alchemists speak repeatedly of the importance of finding the Mercury in all things, and the Mercury represents nothing other than the unity which combines both halves of dualistic understanding perfectly. This message would say more to me, "Find the middle way," than "Go extract this substance from some actual physical matter," but it is clear that the alchemists saw both sides clearly, and as such I feel that I must be missing something about how the force relates to the matter it is being extracted from. 
  
  
Alchemy as Self-Transformation; 
An Introduction to the Symbolism of Alchemy 
  
Part 1. Understanding the Language of Alchemy 

There are several reasons why the symbolic language used in alchemy is so hard for the average person to understand, and it is important to make these reasons clear in order for the reader to obtain a full understanding of what I am trying to demonstrate in the following paper. 

First off, the so called "language" of alchemy is only a language in a very loose sense of the term. It is true that the alchemisists have developed their own complex terminology to express ideas, and thus developed a specific language, but it is also true that nowhere have there been any solid definitions laid down that would clearly define any of the terms. Many alchemists use the same terminology that their predecessors and contemporaries do, but it becomes clear very quickly upon reading the alchemists' various works that each author has his or her own specific understanding of what a particular term might mean, and that understanding could very well be quite dissimilar to any other alchemist's understanding. It is true that the general idea of a particular term remains fairly constant from one author to another, but the specific character of any particular term can only be gleaned by viewing the term in the context of the overall metaphor which it is contained in. This requires not only studying, but also understanding in the fullest sense of the term, an author's entire literary piece, keeping in mind that this particular piece cannot necessarily be directly related to any other piece. 

A good part of the reasoning behind the undefined nature of the alchemists' language relates to the fact that the alchemical terms are being used to define ideas which are not easily defined in the usual sense of the word - the terms are defining experiences which cannot be easily pinned down by language. As such, the language of alchemy has become a very complex system of metaphor and allegory. As stated, the only way to understand any particular term completely is to take it in the context of the specific overall metaphor which it is being used in. Even if one can mentally understand what the term is meant to symbolize, the fullest understanding of the term can only be reached by experiencing the process which the alchemist is attempting to define in the personal sphere of one's own life. 

The most major reason that the alchemical language is so hard to understand is that the alchemists are trying to map out the process of transformation which all life experiences. Obviously, they have a big job cut out for them, one which contains many levels of understanding. They are trying to define the system of continuous creation which generates the very material that the universe consists of, and it is important to note that it is not only the creation of the physical universe that the alchemists are concerned with. They are trying to understand creation as it relates to the smallest atom; to the largest star; to the birth of an animal; to the creative power of the human consciousness in every moment; and to every other thing in between. The fact that this total understanding is their ultimate goal necessitates that their language be broad, so broad as to border on total obscurity at times. 

It is easy to see that a scientific, coldly logical language and system could never hope to encompass the complex relationship of all things, and as such, there has to be an element of what might be called "grace" in their work. By "grace" I am referring to the idea that a deep and true level of understanding can become possible after the would-be alchemist fully acclimates him- or herself to the material which they are studying. This acclimation is caused by expending serious effort to mentally understand the material, and then by learning to see their own physical reality through the filter of what they have read. By taking an alchemist's work into the personal sphere of one's own life, the fullest definition possible can be obtained by the student - the definition which applies directly to his or her own experience. 

Complicating matters further is the fact that the alchemists absolutely believe that the chemical experiments, perhaps the most popularized aspect of the alchemical arts, are in fact enacting the same transformation which the alchemists themselves are experiencing. It is for this reason also that much of the specific definitions of their terms have to be broad, so as to encompass both the inner transformation of the psyche and the outer transformation of the chemicals. What I am saying is that a specific chemical substance in an experiment is believed to represent a specific part of the alchemist's psyche, and therefore the language which discusses how the chemical substance reacts with other chemical substances has to relate directly to how the specific part of the psyche associated with that chemical substance reacts with other parts of the psyche. Perhaps you see how this system of encompassing the inner realm and the outer realm fully into one would require some rather broad definitions and understanding. If not, understanding of this idea may come with the specific examples I provide in the later sections of this essay. 

The metaphors which the alchemists employ are meant to stand up to interpretation on all levels of understanding, because they are meant to define ideas which apply to all levels of the universe. It is because of this multi-level applicability that specific definitions cannot be placed on the alchemical language of symbols. (It is interesting to note here the relation between the typological dual focus of myth, as defined by Erich Neumann, and this idea that alchemical terms are applicable to all levels of understanding. See my previous analysis of Neumann's Origin and History of Consciousness) 

I feel that the easiest way to understand this idea for those who have been exposed to the work of C.G. Jung is to view alchemical terminology as attempting to define archetypes - in this case some of the largest and most basic archetypes of human comprehension. As with archetypes, a strictly logical understanding does little to educate the student, i.e., to state alone that the moon and the ocean are contained within the same archetype teaches little. With time, however, and a full assimilation of the idea, the relation between the two becomes clear, although not necessarily in a way that one can express easily in words. Alchemical terms are much the same, as they are dealing with defining ways to understand oneself and the role one plays in relating to the external world. As with archetypes, the general idea which any given alchemical term is meant to encompass can be defined, and it is to that purpose that we now turn. 

  
Part 2. Symbolism of the Transformative Process;  The Three Essentials 

One of the most basic starting points for understanding the symbolism of alchemy is the Three Essentials. Some of the various levels of understanding the Three Essentials are presented in the following correspondence chart. We will follow this chart row by row. 

ROW 1; SALT, SULPHUR, MERCURY 

The first row contains the three alchemical substances known as Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury. Keep in mind that these three terms apply to physical substances, parts of the human psyche, and also greater powers which exist throughout the universe. THEY ARE NOT IN ANY WAY RELATED TO THE MODERN CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES OF THE SAME NAME. We will return to these substances shortly. 

ROW 2; BLACK, WHITE, RED 

Here we find the most basic level of understanding these three substances. As with the I Ching, and many other ancient systems of understanding, the trinity here represents the basic binary understanding of all things, plus the unity which results from conjoining the two opposites. This binary understanding results from the fact that at its most basic level of discernment, the human consciousness breaks the fundamental unity that it perceives into two opposing ideals which it can more easily define. At the same time, if one can remove oneself enough to see both sides as one, 

One can view this symbol as two opposing fish, defined by one another's presence, or one can choose to focus on the overall symbol, which encompasses both halves completely - it is not one or the other, but is completely both, greater than both. At the same time, if one can understand the idea of the dual aspect of our understanding of the universe, then it is only a small step to understand the unity which encompasses both halves fully. 

ROW 3; PASSIVE, ACTIVE, CONJOINED 

Our trinity here is taken to the level of activity which each side of the duality possesses. One of these ideals is the passive principle, which is non-active and the receptive side - sort of the field which the active role plays in. The opposing ideal is the active principle, which in effect inseminates the receptive with its fertilizing seed. Once again, the unity of the two is the totality of everything - there cannot be a passive field if there is not an active force to sustain the field, and there cannot be an active force if there is no field for the force to exist in. Thus they define one another and create the totality. 

ROW 4; FIXED, VOLATILE, CONJOINED 

The alchemists consider all matter to be based on the mixing of two characteristics known as the fixed and volatile principles. These terms are very closely related to passive and active, although they pertain a little more directly to the chemical experiments which the alchemists perform. Also, it is important to note that the Four Elements of the alchemists (see Part Three), are defined by the various combinations of these two states of matter. Of course, the divine conjunction of these two states in perfect balance creates our third state of matter. 

ROW 5; FEMININE, MASCULINE, HERMAPHRODITIC 

Throughout history the basic duality has been comprehended through the veil of sexuality, and I will continue the tradition by presenting the sexual correspondences to our three substances here. Let me stress, however, that in our current culture, sexuality seems to be more a point of contention than of mutual respect and understanding, and as such there is a large danger of secondary personalization (taking things too literally). It takes no genius to realize that corresponding the feminine to the passive does not mean that human females are by nature passive, or that human males are active, etc. In this paper, we are dealing with ideas which do not have such a direct and obvious manifestation in reality, and to try to interpret them in such a way indicates a total lack of depth in understanding. 

ROW 6; GROSS, SUBTLE, DIVINE PERFECTION 

The alchemists theorize that because all things by necessity are part of one divine unity that all things must contain some inner spark of that original divinity. However, they believe that some things are closer to directly manifesting that inner spark than others, i.e., some things are more corrupted by their physicality than others. Gross is the term which is used to define those things which are less pure, and subtle is the term which is used to denote the pure essence of divinity. However, it is important to keep in mind here that the pure essence of divinity, that divine spark, is not the total unity, but is only one half which is equal to its opposing half (gross physicality). The true divine unity results from the gross and subtle being mixed half and half, because, as the alchemists believe, the divine spark only reaches its perfection when it had manifested into gross material form. 

ROW 7; BODY, MIND (SOUL), SPIRIT 

Yet another manifestation of the trinity. The body can be related to the passive field which the mind truly vitalizes with what we understand to be human life, and when the two of these are brought together in perfect balanced unity, a third state is created which encompasses both, and is somehow greater than either one. The old alchemical term "Soul" was used to indicate mental consciousness - the being which inhabits the physical body. These days that term could very easily be confused with the "Spirit" which corresponds to unity, so I use the term "Mind" in its place. 

It is interesting to note that there was no clearly defined field of psychology what so ever when alchemy was in its heyday (medieval times). This does not mean that people living in those days had no understanding of their own psychologies, but it does indicate that many of the clearly defined terms that we consider commonplace today, such as conscious, ego, id, psyche, subconscious, collective unconscious, archetype, etc., simply did not exist. It is evident from their writings that the old alchemists clearly did understand human psychology, however, and it is all the more impressive to me that they came to that understanding without the tools of western psychology as we know it to help them arrive at their understanding. 

ROW 8; PRIME MATERIA, PSYCHE, CONJOINED 

Prime Materia is the term that the alchemists use for the physical realm, which I have called the outer realm many times in my previous work. It is the outer physical world that we exist in, before we have placed any sort of meaning on it with our human perception and comprehension. The psyche here represents the inner realm of human consciousness, where we exists in a world of thoughts, emotions, dreams, and the like. The truest and most divine state which we can exist in is a perfectly balanced combination of these two, where we understand that the part of the unity which is manifesting in the outer Prime Materia is directly related to the part which is manifesting in the inner psyche. 

This point is particularly relevant when viewing the philosophy of the alchemists. They believe so thoroughly in the non-separation of inner and outer realms that they can perceive the self-transformative process unfold not only in their conscious thoughts, but also see the process unfold in the chemical reactions in their laboratory experiments. To them there is no difference between the chemical in the beaker and the part of the psyche which they equate it with. The sense that I get from their writings is that they do not go about their work with blind faith that this chemical is supposed to represent some part of themselves, but instead that they understand fully why it does, and as such they have ultimate faith. Perhaps it is this ultimate faith that has led in the past, and undoubtedly will lead in the future, to the miracle of transforming one substance into another. 

ROW 9; THE MOON, THE SUN, CONJOINED 

One more example of the creative trinity, particularly important here due to the high level of importance that the alchemists place on astrological functions and their work. There is also a high regard given to light and the way its character can be related to alchemical symbolism. The solar light is, of course, generated from the Sun, and in a very literal way energizes the field of the solar system with its active force. The Moon receives the solar rays, and reflects them down to us as a wholly receptive bystander - altering them, yet not generating them in any way. Here, on Earth, in the only Prima Materia we truly know, the two types of rays (direct and reflected) mix together to cause the utter miracle of life as we know it. 

This is a pertinent place to mention that throughout alchemy writings it is made clear that Mercury, and all its correspondences, exist here and now in all things. But it is through separating the two forces which are contained within Mercury (Salt and Sulphur), and then recombining them that the true Mercury is established. To translate, there is fundamental unity already present, but we as humans must take that unity apart, and in fact it is the very nature of our human consciousness' to do just that. Then, once we have come to an understanding of both extremes of the duality, we must recombine them back into the original state of unity that they once possessed. It is through this process of separating and uniting that our true role as human beings is fulfilled. 

To get back to astronomy in alchemy, the importance of astronomy in alchemy is related to the idea of fundamental unity. According to alchemical philosophy, if there is a direct relation between the inner realm of the psyche and the outer realm of the Prima Materia, does it not follow that there is a direct relation between the events which take place on the firmament and the events which take place in the heavens? 

The importance of understanding the fundamental unity of every aspect of creation cannot be over stressed, if one wishes to understand alchemical symbolism. It is easy to conceive of the abstract idea of a total fundamental unity, but it is more of a challenge to try to approach reality with the true understanding that all things - all things perceivable - are directly related. One could, however, say that they understand that all things are inter-related, but that it is impossible for us as limited human consciousness' to understand the great relations between all things, and thus one could excuse their own ignorance to themselves. To this I would have to say that whosoever should say that would be forgetting that we are fully and truly a part of the unity, and thus our understanding is part of the unity, and can show us everything in it if we are willing to let it. 

ROW 10; NIGREDO, ALBEDO, RUBEDO 

This particular row of correspondences pertains to my own work most directly. The three terms listed are names for stages of the transformative process that all life is believed to cycle through endlessly. The process begins with Nigredo, or blackening, moves to Albedo, or whitening, and finishes with Rubedo, or Reddening. In the case of alchemical laboratory experiments, Nigredo is associated with the Prima Materia or the base material, Albedo with the transformation into the lunar metal silver, and Rubedo with the transformation into solar gold. 

An interesting phase which Jung comments on in depth in his Psychology and Alchemy is the putrefacto stage, which is associated with Nigredo directly. The "blackening" of the Nigredo phase refers to the necessary petrification of the base material before separation of the subtle and gross aspects is possible. Keep in mind that this idea of a necessary petrification pertains not only to alchemical experiments with transforming chemicals, but to transformation as it affects all of life. There is a direct parallel here between the alchemical theory of transformation beginning with a period of petrification and the understanding that all ancient cultures’ transformative rituals began with a death of the old self, as defined by Mircea Eliade and commented on by myself in my first packet of this very semester. Also, it seems clear that there is a parallel to the hinayana stage of Buddhism (the first of nine stages) where the would-be practitioner turns in upon him or herself, observing the ego’s activity and allowing it to run rampant until it finally runs itself out and begins to drop away. Does this turning in not lead to a petrification of the ego? This aspect of the hinayana stage was also discussed by myself in this semester’s work, in the papers which I wrote in response to the work of Chogyam Trungpa. 

In the laboratory experiments of alchemists, the stage of petrification takes place after the initial base materials are mixed together. The combined liquid is set aside, sometimes for a period of weeks, in a place where a constant luke warm temperature can be supplied. Eventually, if what the alchemists claim is true, a solid, moldy substance forms in the liquid. When the putrification stage is complete, the moldy solid, which forms initially on the surface of the material, drops to the bottom of the container which holds it. The liquid, still containing the moldy solid, is then placed on a low heat, and as the liquid evaporates off it is collected by distilling equipment. When all the liquid has been evaporated off, a honey-like substance is said to be left in the bottom of the original container - the remains of the moldy material. This honey-like substance is called the universal Gur, and is saved for future use in other experiments. The universal Gur is considered to be a sort of essence of the Prima Materia, and the reasoning for this is fairly obvious if one understands the symbolism behind each of the actions taken in the lab thus far. 

But what of the liquid which was separated from the Gur? This takes us directly to the whitening, or Albedo stage. The whitening phase is related to separating the volatile aspect of a substance from the non -volatile. If we look at our table of correspondences, we see that this isolation of the volatile relates to separating the masculine perspective from the feminine perspective (row four), or the subtle aspect from the gross aspect (row five), or the mind from the body (row six), or the inner psychic realm from the outer Prima Materia realm (row seven), or frankly whatever duality one happens to be perceiving. In the laboratory experiment, the two aspects of the liquid are sometimes separated by the order in which the material evaporates and recondenses in the new container, i.e., the first half of the liquid which comes over in the evaporation process would be considered the volatile part, and the last half the non-volatile, etc., although I must point out that this is a bit of an oversimplification of the complex procedures which often actually occur in the laboratory. The point is, however, that this stage of Albedo is concerned with separating fully the two basic categories of the material on hand, so that one can have a full definition of what those two halves consist of. It would seem that the alchemists particularly focused their attentions on the Sulphur half, which as stated was considered to be the part closest to pure divinity. This divine half was associated with white, as opposed to the gross half which was associated with black. 

The Rubedo stage is all that remains, and unfortunately this is where my knowledge and research has not progressed enough. I do feel that I understand the symbolism of the Rubedo stage, but I have yet to encounter any first hand accounts of procedure in alchemical experiments which relate to this phase. I hope to pursue this topic in my next packet, but for now we will have to be content with a summery of the symbolism behind this stage, with no examples from alchemical experiments to back up my theories. 

The symbolism behind this stage represents the re-unification of the two principles into a more balanced and unified state, where the gross aspect does not hinder the subtle in any way, and vice versa. The process of taking material which is unbalanced, separating the two halves, and rejoining them in a balanced state is, the alchemists believe, the purpose of human existence as a whole, and so it is with this final stage that the alchemist completes his or her role. But we must keep in mind that it is not only the laboratory experiments that this idea of balancing pertains to. It was instead pertinent, once again, to all levels of understanding and perception. 

An interesting point at this stage is the grand "coincidence" that Jungian psychology defines the role of human ego based consciousness as the equalizer and unifier of all opposite, which once again speaks volumes for the alchemists understanding of the workings of the human mind. 

ROW 11; THREE SYMBOLS DEPICTING SALT, SULPHUR, MERCURY 

Here are the three tradition symbols used in alchemy to denote the Three Essential. We can learn a good bit from analyzing the symbols themselves, which were very consciously assembled to represent the nature of the substance which they symbolized. 

Salt is represented by a circle with a horizontal line dividing the circle in half across the diameter. The circle is a symbol of unity, or in this case more specifically representing all; everything; the universe. The horizontal line across its center shows us the idea of physical expanse without the idea of any kind of vertical movement present, i.e., the passive field exists, but there is no active force within the field. 

Sulphur is represented by a four armed cross, which is surmounted by an equilateral triangle. The four armed cross is a traditional symbol of the four directions, or the Four Elements (states of matter), in either case indicating the Prima Materia. Also it takes the strictly horizontal field that we see in the symbol for Salt, and adds a vertical element, representing the upward growth that is brought in by the volatile principle. The two lines are balanced and equal, thus creating the physical realm that we perceive. Here the Prima Material is being dominated by the equilateral triangle, age old symbol of creativity and the very trinity which we are currently defining. So, our symbol shows us that Sulphur represents the active, creative force dominating the non-active field. 

The symbol of Mercury is complex, and there are many interpretations of its meaning, but I will simply give you the interpretation which I feel is most accurate. Once again we find the four armed cross, representing the same Prima Materia that it always represents. On top of it sits the solar circle, which in turn is surmounted by the lunar crescent. Thus our symbol overall depicts the active principle (the Sun) and the receptive principle (the Moon) brought into perfect unity with one another in the field of the Prima Materia - and thus perfection is achieved. 

In order to understand the Three Essentials with a little more depth, as well as to learn more of the alchemical philosophy as a whole, let's take a look at the actual chemical substances which correspond to Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury in alchemical experiments. The following information comes from plant, as opposed to mineral, alchemy. Plant alchemy is considered by some to be the more basic form of the art. 

Salt as an actual substance is nothing other than precipitation, collected in a careful way so as not to taint it in any way. The reason why Salt is the water which falls from the sky can be explained no better than as it is by John Reid in his Course on Practical Alchemy: 

These two are combined, and left to "putrefy." According to Mr. Reid, putrification takes the form of a "tan to brown colored, spongy, slimy matter" which appears on the surface of the combined waters, and then drops to the bottom when the process is complete. Once the petrification is complete, the combined waters are gradually evaporated off while inside glass collectors. The first quarter that is collected from the evaporating process is attributed to the element Fire, the second quarter Air, the third quarter Water, and the final quarter Earth. Each of these four is evaporated off again, with the first third collected being attributed to Sulphur, the second third to Mercury, and the final third to Salt. Now the original water has been divided into twelve parts - Sulphur of Fire, Mercury of Fire, Salt of Fire, Sulphur of Air, Mercury of Air, Salt of Air, Sulphur of Water, Mercury of Water, Salt of Water, Sulphur of Earth, Mercury of Earth, and Salt of Earth. These twelve waters are then used for various laboratory purposes individually, or they can be recombined in a specific order to create, I believe, the universal Mercury (Mr. Reid choose to be a little obscure on this point in his writing). 

So we see that the chemicals used in alchemical experiments are in fact nothing out of the ordinary - indeed, they are quite ordinary, but they are treated with a certain reverence and passed through certain distilling processes to prepare them for the work. The understanding and belief in the presence of the essential forces in the two original waters seems to play a very key role in their use. 

Let it be noted that the process which I describe above is in no way close in comparison to the complexity of most alchemical experiments. The above process simply prepares some of the basic material which is to be used in the actual experiments later on. I offer it here because it shows a very straightforward example of how alchemists can come to understand that a particular substance embodies a particular universal idea, or a universal force.