Revised: August 2019 The colors alchemists use to illuminate their various picture-symbols are every bit as important as the scenes they depict. Some medieval ideas, representing perfection in both alchemy and theology, involve colors. Salomon Trismosin, who was supposedly the teacher of the famous Paracelsus, is often mentioned as the author of Splendor solis. Carl Jung thought this sequence originated with Heraclitus, although no reference from the ancient Greek philosopher is given (2). The original manuscript of these plates is … Hi Debra, I had to return to this post today because the color black has been on my mind. 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. Some medieval ideas, representing perfection in both alchemy and theology, involve colors. 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. A fascinating post , reblogged from ptero9.com. In a book that was to become the cornerstone of medieval education, Saint Augustine preached that the world we know is pointless. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Colour My World, Alchemical Psychology, Part I – Black. Now, the essential or at least an essential component of every mental set, of every personality, is language. Sol niger (black sun) can refer to the first stage of the alchemical magnum opus, the nigredo (blackening). Another alchemist reading this passage would understand that the third step required water (or some other substance) to melt the metal. One of my favorite James Hillman books is his, “Alchemical Psychology,” which I have just recently read. The best thing about the end of the world is that it only happens once. These Four Stages are represented as THE 'ASCENDING SCALE OF ALCHEMICAL COLORS.' Thanks for reading and leaving a note Symbol Reader! [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. It has been found that some colors can trigger specific reactions, even in animals. Any social issue which, in the alchemist's view, required perfecting provided an analogy for alchemical purification and was incorporated into the allegorical dynamic. And the only point in looking at all this would be to remind you of those symbols. ( Log Out / Post was not sent - check your email addresses! 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. There were no fixed definitions and order of stages in the alchemical process because each alchemist had his personal concept of his goal. 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. Thank you for bringing Hillman to my field of conscious awareness. ( Log Out / I hope to continue on this theme and at least run through each stage of color and briefly describe them. Alchemists were imagining their world the way they wanted it to be instead of how it was. Thanks so much for leaving a note! I have read Jung extensively but never Hillman. The first stage of the alchemical work is dissolution, usually called the nigredo or the black stage. [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. [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 imagery of the lion is one of those that are prevalent among alchemical art. While the sages tell us that nothing should be taken from their writings in the literal sense, it is also true that nothing is arbitrary in a genuine alchemical … This is the perfect putrefaction, when all blackness has disappeared and the … Initially, the process was linked to four colors that represented the specific transformations resulting during each phase. 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 process of using the fire to dissolve and coagulate. Nothing really existed, except as a symbol for something else: something religious. Words cannot express how much your support and friendship here has colored my world, in a very full spectrum way. Hillman refers often to C.G. In this sense the peacock was seen as a royal bird in ancient times, and it corresponded with the phoenix. Fascinating. The Stages of Transformation The alchemical process of transformation has been variously described, according to the text that is consulted, as being a six-stage process, 12 stage, 20, 22, 50, and even 75 stage process! Many alchemical works list specific colors and an order in which those colors should appear. Just as you mention in your post here the relationship between neurosis and language (which is so true) I happened to write on such a relationship on my blog here, Hillman is a rare gem in modern psychological thought; a much needed rebel and dispeller of literalistic thinking while still honoring the best of western ideas. This is a rather engaging read. Lol, we can thank those crazy alchemists and their nonscience Initially, the process was linked to four colors that represented the specific transformations resulting during each phase. An alchemical transformation of lead into gold would involve a change from a flat color, like black, to a brilliant color, like white or red. by Stephan A. Hoeller . For an even more obscure example, later in this same work, pseudo Aquinas writes two pages on wisdom without offering a clear alchemical context for his sermon[6] and he isn't the only alchemist to digress from his ostensible subject of alchemy. Therein you unlock the mystery of the sphinx–the mystery of uniting all four elements shown as the Magician in tarot (Arcanum I. Their strived for goal varied: sometimes the goal was the white or red tincture, the philosopher’s stone, which, as a hermaphrodite, contained both; philosophical gold, golden glass, or malleable glass. 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. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. So the development occurs in four stages, and this is no coincidence. I see this is actually where we met in the blogosphere – how awesome. very interesting post! 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. Although Christianity permeates alchemy and was therefore a major factor in the development of the color list it was not the only factor. 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. C. G. Jung and the Alchemical Renewal. This attribution is particularly widespread in the English-speaking world, as the hermetic Julius Kohn published an English translation of the German text of Splendor solisin 1920 and identified Trismosin as the original author. BLUE is the color of water and … 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. » Sixth Stage of Alchemical Transformation . AthanorIn alchemy, an athanor was a furnace used for diverse alchemical works related to obtaining … Ablation. The second phase involved albedo, a whitening. Alchemy influenced strongly various degrees that eventually became part of the Scottish Rite. The third phase was represented by citrinitas, a yellowing while the last phase involved rubedo, a reddening. Alchemy can be categorized into two types: external and internal: 1. Therefore, the alchemist, in creating the color list, may have picked black as the beginning to represent the first step in the "Great Work." » Seven Stages of Alchemical Transformation Hypnosis Program » Adam McLean's Courses on Alchemical Emblems . ( Log Out / After all, who today interprets a physical process capable of generating vast amounts of wealth as an act of God? It could take months, a year, or lifetimes. The lovely little town of Knittlingen, near the Black Forrest in West Germany, is noted far-and-wide as the original residence of the famed Dr. Johannes Faustus. The alchemical stages are experienced as colors: Each color represents a phase that is entered into in the work: 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). It can be the collection and totality of all colors in the white light. In Alchemy there is what is referred to as the Opus, the Great Work. The three above colors are the essential colors in alchemical symbolism, denoting successive stages of the alchemical transformation or "work". Consequently, the "Great Work" of alchemy parallels the "Great Commission"; that is, perfecting metal parallels the perfecting of the soul. [17] Cooper, in his dictionary of symbols, associates males with activity, power, aggressiveness, and dominance, whereas females are associated with pacifism and submission, with being peaceful and at ease. His song Cantilena explains the alchemical mystery. [16] As such, a hierarchical world view which was antifeminist was incorporated into the alchemical writings. "[2] Not surprisingly then, in the Middle Ages, science was to defer to religion. Twentieth Century science may look at this earnest view of alchemy with skepticism. This is the marriage of the alchemical fire and the water as our alchemical Sulfur and Mercury. 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. As we noted earlier, one form that the quaternity symbol takes in alchemy is the four colors linked to the stages of alchemical work—black, white, yellow, and red. Yes, likewise! I have a habit of reflecting on life and putting truths in form of aphorisms. Thank you for visiting my blog. [19] White is symbolically associated with the feminine, and red is symbolically associated with the masculine. Outsiders. This "color list" consistently figures throughout the writings:[10] black, white, and red. Learn how your comment data is processed. I see I need to now. It should be clear that more than empirical observation was put into alchemical texts. The magnum opus has been carried forward in New Ageand neo-Hermetic movements which sometimes attached new symboli… , Ditto! 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 … 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? James Burke explains: They wouldn't say, 'Hmmm. The process is simply a map of a path that was created by Chinese masters long ago. First dissolve the impurities in fire and coagulate the elements of consciousness into a newer, higher form. 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. 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. Alchemy is a profession of marginals; those at the edge. 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. Or the act of removing the parts that hold us back from the free flowing consciousness of wholeness. The magnum opus is associated with a variety of alchemical symbols attached to it. I figured that the first in a series is a safe bet, so here I am. 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]. Spring Publications, Inc.. Kindle Edition. Putrefaction, by decomposition or falling apart; mortification, by grinding down, as seeds in a mortar are refined into ever thinner and smaller particles.”. 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! Thanks so much for visiting and leaving a note. Gold Trismosin’s reputation as a legendary figure with supernatural powers—he is sai… 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. The alchemical tradition recognised this and symbolised this stage as the White Swan. This habit of expressing alchemical change through color was called ‘dyeing’ and underlay a belief that colors expressed fundamental stages of nature (1). This "color list" consistently figures throughout the writings: black, white, and red. 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. 7 Colors and 7 Rays – Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Violet. This first step marks the prime… Perhaps the alchemists were attempting to exploit natural evocations of color again fabricating the results from experiments to fit what they thought the results ought to be. Thus, the change from black to white is likened to the spiritual journey from sin to purity. Those who live from their own fires, sweating it out, self-sustaining their own temperatures which may be at variance with the collective climate.”. Most of the pigments were applied later, but the original materials – white paper, black iron-gall ink and red vermilion ink – represent the colours of the alchemical path. Consequently, the one-sidedness that characterizes all neuroses in general is also to be found specifically as a one-sidedness in language.”. The value he gives to this most valuable but least explored concept is what makes him endearing in psychological studies. Alchemy and psychology, two topics with which I have long been interested. 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. But what indeed were they describing? This is the most frequently found structure, as, for instance, in a basic law of alchemy, according to which the process of transformation occurs in four stages. Change ). Yes, they weren’t only interested in literally transforming substances, but about experiencing the transformation of the psyche and finding the Philosopher’s Stone. Marginals. ( Log Out / The first stage of the alchemical work is dissolution, usually called the nigredo or the black stage. What an interesting take on color. Third, the two processes most relevant for producing blackness –putrefaction and mortification – break down the inner cohesion of any fixed state. The book is a fascinating tour of the alchemical process and its correlative psychological journey as told to us by the Alchemists of old. I guess the transmutation of man is a continuous and ever-evolving 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. The colors are suggestive of the white and red stage of the alchemical process. 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. A Green Lion would really look no different from a Red or a Gold Lion, except in color (see Fig. [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. 12. This is probably the most distinguishing feature of alchemical symbolism, and the colors are connected to three chief stages of the alchemical process. It may be a path you or your clients follow exactly, or you may create your own path. Glad you enjoy Hillman! These stages symbolized the Great Work – the process of creating the Philosopher’s Stone. This habit of expressing alchemical change through color was called ‘dyeing’ and underlay a belief that colors expressed fundamental stages of nature (1). [18] Accomplishing the transmutation of metals would have to involve a process of high reactivity in order to turn something like lead or mercury into gold. Obviously, hiding the alchemical instructions in biblical commentary is problematic because biblical scriptures can be taken so many ways. 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. Language is central to how humans come to know and understand – any and everything. 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. So glad to see somebody looking at this stuff. 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. Carl Jung thought this sequence originated with Heraclitus, although no reference from the ancient Greek philosopher is given (2). Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. In a text ascribed to Marsilio Ficino three suns are described: black, white, and red, corresponding to the three most used alchemical color stages. Social issues, like Christian symbolism, were not the only potential sources for the color list. Peace and Love! That being the case, symbolically the colors should represent a change from female to male. Debra, Reblogged this on muscleheaded and commented: The 22 Colored Plates depicting the 22 Alchemical Stages of Salomon Trismosin's "Splendor Solis" are available for browsing from this page. Thus language must be an essential component of my neurosis. Great! "[23] Therefore, if colors can be used to manipulate emotions, then moods could be associated with colors. It doesn’t matter so much what you want to change, but that you want to change something. The alchemist could have also looked at black and white as expressing the dichotomous nature of evil and good and therefore imperfection and perfection. The fourth stage is man, to whom no color is assigned. » 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." Strangely enough, the Bible contains few references to color in general,[11] but does use color more often in prophetic works. Another medieval person, uneducated in alchemy however, could assume that this was a quotation from the Bible. It has been used to describe personal and spiritual transmutation in the Hermetic tradition, attached to laboratory processes and chemical color changes, used as a model for the individuation process, and as a device in art and literature. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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 Magnum Opus had originally four stages: nigredo, a blackening; albedo, a whitening; citrinitas, a yellowing, and rubedo, a reddening. From the implied gender of colors, one would expect the process represented to be black, white, then red. The second phase involved albedo, a whitening. Here's a red flower.' 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. I am so happy we both seem to have been able to find our voice through writing here. Except for the legends we hear, we know that these people failed, and became a caricature for the modern. In this black, initial stage, “the body of the impure metal, the matter for the Stone, or the old, outmoded state of being is killed, putrefied, and dissolved into the original substance of creation, the prima materia, in order that it may be renovated and reborn in a new form.” Similarly, alchemists fabricated this color list from ideals on how they thought the world ought to be. Color . The third phase was represented by citrinitas, a yellowing while the last phase involved rubedo, a reddening. Red, on the other hand, has been found to generate feelings of rage and images of movement. 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. 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. But Jung points out that there is another quaternity of colors associated with the marriage of the king and queen of … As any modern chemist knows, the alchemical transformation of lead into gold could never have occurred in the alchemist's laboratory. The second meaning is that it represents the failure of the alchemical process. However, what they were actually addressing was a continuous search for transformational harm… Thanks for visiting my blog. 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? 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 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. [22] Researchers have determined that "shape is associated with reasoning and color with emotion. I am so enjoying discovering like-minded souls blogging here on WordPress. These color terms describe: (1) stages of the work; (2) conditions of the material worked on; and (3) states in the psyche of the artifex or worker-alchemist.”. [21] Some artists anticipate primal reactions to color and select colors to generate moods in the viewers of their work. Nigredo, a blackening, characterized the first phase. Alchemical Psychology (Uniform Edition of the Writings of James Hillman) (Kindle Locations 292-293). According to Cooper, black (the first stage of the "Great Work") indicates neuter and symbolizes dissolution. [5] The instructions disguise one meaning, the alchemical formula, while emphasizing another; the biblical commentary. These instructions would not be at all clear to the uninitiated. I am a transformation junkie of sorts. He would insist, we are in psyche and never the other way around. Thanks for sharing your insights here and for your work with youth. In the black or nigredo phase of the work Hillman says: “First, as non-color, black extinguishes the perceptual colored world. [1] As a result, the Church taught, "All that matters about this life is getting ready for the next one. Debra. 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. As we noted earlier, one form that the quaternity symbol takes in alchemy is the four colors linked to the stages of alchemical work—black, white, yellow, and red. 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. All quotes taken from: Hillman, James (2011-10-10). However, it is possible to understand the alchemical process in terms of four basic stages… If I am neurotic, I am neurotic in language. [20] From the implied gender of colors, one would expect the process represented to be black, white, then red. 7 Systems of Symbolism – symbolism of numbers, symbolism of geometrical figures, symbolism of letters, symbolism of words, symbolism of magic, symbolism of alchemy, symbolism of astrology. Since decomposition results in a renewal of raw materials,[25] black can be associated with the most basic form an object can take. Here is to Black! 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. It is simply entering into the mystery and walking that road. Whiteness or Albedo. Except where noted, the postings here are ruminations of mine, and are never intended to be used as professional or medical advice. This particular post has left me wanting more today – I am so happy your more recent articles are longer. The Gold Within You: Seven Alchemical Stages to Attain Spiritual Wholeness June 24, 2013 by Nanci Shanderá PhD READ TIME: 8 mins Alchemists put various base metals, such as lead, through a series of processes that refine them until they become gold. Internal alchemical transformation of the soul is possible for anyone who makes the correct and necessary efforts. When the Matter has entered the stage of blackness, … Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Carl Jung thought this sequence originated with Heraclitus, although no reference from the ancient Greek philosopher is given (2). I had read Jung first too. “My neurosis resides in my mental set and the way it constructs the world and behaves in it. They signal the stages of transformation: from a base metal like lead (black) through silver (white) to gold (red). The Alchemical Stages do not have time-based schedules. The Four Color-Phases are (in sequential order:) BLACK: 'Massa Confusa' 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) … 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. 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. 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 separation of a component by removing the upper part, sometimes by skimming it off … 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. Thank you for going back to that post and yes, especially for all of our mutual sharing here.
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