The language of secret symbols has always hidden alchemy from the curiosity of the uninitiated. Its true essence is still not clear to us: for some it is the making of gold, for others it is the discovery of the elixir of immortality, for others it is the transformation of man.
Royal art
Alchemy is the mother of chemistry. It was in alchemical laboratories that sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric acids, saltpeter and gunpowder, “regia vodka” and many medicinal substances were first obtained.
Medieval alchemists set themselves very specific tasks. One of the founders of European alchemy, Roger Bacon (13th century), writes the following:
“Alchemy is the science of preparing a certain compound, or elixir, which, if added to base metals, will transform them into perfect metals.”
By transforming base metals into noble ones, the alchemist challenges nature itself.
Despite the fact that in Medieval Europe alchemy was actually outlawed; many ecclesiastical and secular rulers patronized it in anticipation of the benefits that the receipt of the “despicable metal” promised. And they not only patronized, but also worked on it themselves. Alchemy has truly become a “Royal Art”.
Elector of Saxony Augustus the Strong (1670-1733), whose claims to the Polish crown required significant financial expenditures, turned Dresden into a real capital of alchemy. To replenish the treasury with gold, he recruited the talented alchemist Friedrich Böttger. How successful Böttger was in the gold field, history is silent.
There were many alchemists in Europe, but only a few became adepts - those who discovered the secret of the philosopher's stone.
In the language of symbols
The origins of alchemy go back to Hermeticism, a teaching that absorbed the traditions of ancient Greek natural philosophy, Chaldean astrology and Persian magic. Hence the mysterious and polysemantic language of alchemical treatises. For an alchemist, metals are not just substances, but the personification of cosmic order. Thus, gold in alchemical manuscripts turns into the Sun, silver into the Moon, mercury into Mercury, lead into Saturn, tin into Jupiter, iron into Mars, copper into Venus.
The choice of seven celestial bodies is also not accidental. Seven is a sign of completeness and perfection, the highest degree of desire for knowledge and wisdom, evidence of magical power and the keeper of secrets.
The recipe written down in the Hermetic treatises also looks mysterious. The English alchemist George Ripley (15th century), in order to prepare the elixir of the sages, suggests heating philosophical mercury until it turns first into a green and then into a red lion. He advises collecting the resulting liquids, which will result in the appearance of “tasteless phlegm, alcohol and red drops.”
“The Cimmerian shadows will cover the retort with their dull blanket. It will light up and, soon taking on a magnificent lemon color, will again reproduce the green lion. Make it eat its tail and distill the product again. Finally, my son, rectify carefully and you will see the appearance of flammable water and human blood.”
How to turn a symbolic alchemical word into a living practical reality?
Some tried, taking it literally. For example, Joan of Arc's comrade, the famous Marshal Gilles de Rais, went so far as to kill babies for the sake of young blood, which was believed to be necessary for the success of the Great Work.
To descendants who want to lift the veil of secrets of alchemical texts, the philosopher Artefius writes: “Unhappy fool! How can you be so naive and believe that we will teach you so openly and clearly the greatest and most important of our secrets?” Hermetic symbolism was supposed to forever hide the secrets of adepts from the uninitiated.
Scientists of the 19th century managed to unravel the allegory of the alchemists. What is the "lion devouring the sun"? This is the process of dissolving gold with mercury. Ripley's recipe, which describes the procedure for obtaining acetone, has also been deciphered. However, chemist Nicola Lemery notes that he did this experiment many times, but never received red drops - a substance that, according to adepts, had the properties of the philosopher's stone. The chemical extract was extracted, but the alchemical miracle did not occur.
Alchemical symbolism is more than a reflection of the chemical process. For example, one of the main alchemical symbols is a dragon swallowing its own tail - the personification of multiple births and deaths. The symbolic language of sacred texts is addressed not only to technology, but also to all structures of existence, the balance between which can lead to success in alchemical transformations.
Philosopher's Stone
The central element of alchemical teaching is the philosopher's stone or elixir, which can transform base metals into noble ones. It was represented not only in the form of a stone, it could be a powder or liquid. Some adepts left us a recipe for preparing their “Grand Magistery”.
For example, Albert the Great suggests using mercury, arsenic, silver scale and ammonia as components of the philosopher's stone. All this, having gone through the stages of purification, mixing, heating, distillation, should turn into “a white substance, solid and clear, close in shape to a crystal.”
The property of the philosopher's stone was not only the transmutation of metals. Alchemists of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance recognized the elixir’s ability to grow precious stones, enhance the fruitfulness of plants, heal all diseases, prolong life and even grant eternal youth.
The 14th century French alchemist Nicholas Flamel is considered one of those masters who managed to obtain the philosopher's stone. Having become acquainted with the treatise of Abraham the Jew, he spent his whole life deciphering the “key to the Work” left there. And, in the end, he found him, gaining, according to legend, immortality.
The spread of the legend was facilitated by repeated eyewitness accounts who allegedly met Flamel many years after his official death. The opening of the alchemist's grave only strengthened the myth - Flamel was not there.
However, the philosopher's stone should not be considered solely as a material substance. For many adepts, the search for the “Grand Magistery” was akin to finding the truth that could solve the highest task of Hermeticism - the deliverance of humanity from original sin.
Is alchemy a science?
The Church considered alchemy to be a source of superstition and obscurantism. For the poet Dante Alighieri, alchemy is “a completely fraudulent science and good for nothing else.” Even Avicena had a negative view of the Hermetic mysteries, arguing that "alchemists can make only the most excellent imitations, by coloring red metal white - then it becomes like silver, or by coloring it yellow - then it becomes like gold."
Back in the 4th century BC. e. Aristotle wrote that copper, when combined with zinc or tin, forms golden-yellow alloys. Often an alchemical experiment was considered successful when a simple metal only acquired the color of a noble one.
However, there is indirect evidence that in their laboratories alchemists were able to produce gold, which in its qualities is in no way inferior to natural metal.
Exhibited in one of the museums in Vienna Golden medal, the weight of which corresponds to 16.5 ducats. On one side of the medal is engraved the inscription “Golden descendant of a lead parent”, on the other - “The chemical transformation of Saturn into the Sun (lead into gold) was carried out in Innsbruck on December 31, 1716 under the patronage of His Excellency Palatine Carl Philip.”
Of course, the testimony of a noble person cannot guarantee in any way that real gold was not used in the smelting of the medal. However, there are other arguments.
In the 14th century, King Edward II of England ordered the Spanish alchemist Raymond Lull to smelt 60 thousand pounds of gold, providing him with mercury, tin and lead. It is unknown whether Lull was able to cope with the task, however historical documents indicate that when concluding large trade transactions, the British began to use gold coins in quantities that significantly exceeded the country's gold reserves.
No one knows where the 8.5 tons of gold bars came from in the inheritance of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612). It was later established that the gold of Rudolf II contained practically no impurities, unlike the natural ingots used for minting coins.
Having brought its secrets from time immemorial, the art of alchemy still jealously guards them, probably forever depriving descendants of the opportunity to penetrate into the secrets of the Great Work.
Humanity has always been interested in something mystical, mysterious, unknown. A science such as alchemy arose a long time ago, but interest in it has not disappeared to this day. And nowadays, many people are wondering what alchemy is. Let's figure it out.
The concept and essence of alchemy
The first association that comes to the mind of an ordinary person when he hears the word “alchemy” is magic. But in reality it shows how to reach the essence of all existing things. Many consider it a pseudoscience that focuses on obtaining so-called alchemical gold from ordinary metals and in this way getting rich. Many practicing alchemists indeed set themselves the goal of enrichment, but the original meaning of alchemy was to understand the whole world. True alchemists, through philosophical reflection, praise the unity of the world and claim that they take part in the cosmic process of creation.
Another association people have with the word "alchemy" is potion. And there really is some meaning in this. Alchemy involves the practice of mixing various ingredients. The most important essence of this science is that everything that exists moves and strives for development.
The history of the word “alchemy”
Answering the question of what alchemy is, you need to know the history of the origin of this science. It is believed that this science first arose in Ancient world: in Greece, Egypt and Rome, and then it spread to the East. It is impossible to say exactly what this word means because it has many roots. The first version suggests that alchemy comes from the word Chymeia, which means “to infuse”, “to pour”. This word refers to the medical practice of many ancient doctors. According to another version, the name comes from the word Khem, which symbolizes the black land, country (Egypt). Ancient Greek origins indicate a derivation from the words "hyuma" and "chemeusis" - casting, mixing, flow.
The basis and purposes of alchemy
Alchemy performs three main functions:
- Find a way to get gold from simple metals to get rich and gain power.
- Achieve immortality.
- Find happiness.
The basis of alchemy is the use of four basic elements. According to this theory, developed by Plato and Aristotle, the universe was created by the Demiurge, who from the original matter created 4 elemental elements: water, earth, fire, air. Alchemists added three more elements to these elements: mercury, sulfur, and salt. Mercury is feminine, sulfur is masculine, salt is movement. By mixing all these elements in different orders, transmutation is achieved. As a result of transmutation, the philosopher's stone should be obtained, which is also called. Most often, obtaining this elixir is the main goal of many alchemists. But before receiving the treasured elixir, a true alchemist must comprehend his true spiritual nature. Otherwise, there will be no way to get the treasured philosopher's stone.
Alchemical evolution and stages of transformation of metals into gold
Famous alchemists, based on their many years of reasoning and study, came to the conclusion that from the very beginning all metals were noble, but over time, some of them became blackened and stained, which led to their ignobility.
There are several main stages in the transformation of simple metals into noble ones:
- Calcinatio - this stage involves the renunciation of everything worldly, all personal interests;
- Putrefactio - this stage involves detaching the perishable ashes;
- Solutio - symbolizes the purification of matter;
- Distillatio - consideration of all elements of purification of matter;
- Coincidentia oppositorum - a combination of opposite phenomena;
- Sublimation - means suffering after abandoning the worldly for the sake of striving for the spiritual;
- Philosophical hardening is a combination of the principles of airiness and concentration.
The evolution of alchemy is to let everything pass through oneself, even if it causes great harm, and then it is necessary to recover with the help of the energy that was received at the previous stage.
Great alchemists
All alchemists tried to answer the question of what alchemy is. This science has played a significant role in the history of mankind. Many philosophers have suggested that alchemy has much in common with psychology. This science helps a person to reveal himself as an individual and achieve his individual spiritual goals. Many people have been involved in alchemy since its inception. But the alchemists of the Middle Ages played a key role in this.
One of the most famous alchemists is rightfully considered Nicola Flamel (years of life 1330-1418). Nikola was born into a very poor family, and at a young age he went to Paris to become a clerk. He married an elderly lady, received a small capital and opened several workshops. Flamel decided to start selling books. His alchemical career began thanks to a dream in which an angel showed Flamel a book containing all the secrets. He found this book and began to study it diligently. It is not known how he was able to comprehend all the truths, but literally three years later the alchemist managed to obtain the philosopher's stone and turn ordinary mercury into silver, and after some time, gold. Starting in 1382, Nicholas Flamel began to get rich, he bought land and houses. He was involved in charity work and simply donated money. Rumors of his fabulous wealth reached the king, but with the help of bribes, Flamel was able to hide his wealth from the king. In 1418, the alchemist died. But they say that in addition to gold and silver, Nikola comprehended the secrets of immortal life. He faked his death, and he and his wife went on a trip.
Alchemist Paracelsus: brief information
Another equally famous alchemist was Paracelsus (life 1493-1541). This man was a famous physician, and many deny his role in alchemy. Pracelsus tried to find the philosopher's stone, but did not believe that it could turn metal into gold. The alchemist needed it in order to comprehend the secret of immortality and create medicines. Pracelsus believed that any person can do what nature cannot do, all it takes is time and effort. Medicine owes a lot to Pracelsus. It was this doctor who rejected the theory that epileptics are possessed by evil spirits. The scientist said that he managed to create the philosopher's stone, and he was immortal, but he died after falling from a height when he was 48 years old.
Denis Zacher: brief information
Denis Zacher (lived 1510-1556). Born into a fairly wealthy family. As a young man, he went to the University of Bordeaux to study philosophy. His mentor turned out to be an alchemist who introduced the young guy to this science. Together with their mentor, they studied and tested more and more new alchemy recipes. But they failed over and over again. Zasher quickly ran out of money, so he went home and mortgaged his property. But the experiments did not bring results, and the money simply slipped through our fingers. Denis decided to go to Paris, where he spent several years alone, studying the philosophy and recipes of alchemy. In 1550, he still managed to make from mercury a precious metal- gold. Denis distributed his debts to everyone and left for Germany, where he wanted to live a long and carefree life. But a relative killed him while he was sleeping and left with his wife.
Seefeld at a glance
For a very long time, very little information was known about this alchemist. Since childhood, Seefeld was interested in alchemy and conducted experiments. Of course, he had little success, and ridicule rained down on him from all sides. Then he left Austria and returned only ten years later, and settled in a small town with a family who accepted him. As a sign of gratitude, he showed the owner how he learned to extract gold from ordinary metals. Soon the whole city knew that Zefeld was a real alchemist. The emperor learned about his experiments and sentenced him to life imprisonment for fraud. But soon Sefeld was pardoned, but on the condition that he would continue his experiments for the emperor. But after some time, Seefeld fled the country, and no one knows anything more about his fate. He literally disappeared into thin air.
Thanks to the information presented above, it becomes much clearer what alchemy is, what its essence is and why it is needed.
Few people know the story of the discovery of the “Emerald Tablet of Hermes”, and it is undeservedly overlooked by researchers. But it may well be that we are trampling a real diamond in the dust of the road. For me, my acquaintance with alchemy began with this engraving.
I am not an expert in Latin, so I translated the motto as follows: - "Penetrating into the depths of the earth, you will extract the philosopher's stone." The symbolism of the coat of arms (or emblem) is blatantly Masonic. The main motive is the dualism of light and darkness, good and evil, west and east. male and female. At the bottom is the Earth, to the left of the shield with a seven-pointed star, and... Space? So it turns out that obscurantists - alchemists, in their ignorance, believe that the concepts of “Earth” and “Space” are antagonistic, and also equivalent in scope or meaning? Are they stupid and don’t know that the Earth is just a grain of sand in endless space?
Well, the motto itself, of course, makes you think about what was in the mind of the creative who composed it. The first thought that should come to the mind of a modern enlightened person should be that the alchemists, like misguided, dark ignoramuses, hoped to bury themselves in a mine and find a certain cobblestone. Or maybe the philosopher's stone is not a stone at all? And not even geopolymer concrete, not porcelain stoneware, not artificial marble, but something that we have no idea about? But first, a minimum of background information:
The Emerald Tablet of Hermes (lat. Tabula Smaragdina Hermetis) is the most important monument of Arab medieval Hermeticism, widely used in Latin translation. According to legend, the text of the tablet was left by Hermes Trismegistus on an emerald plate in an Egyptian temple and discovered on the tomb of Hermes by Apollonius of Tyana, according to another version - by Alexander the Great.
M Doesn't anyone think that the text is depicted "upside down"?
This work, according to occultists, is one of the most ancient monuments of Egyptian Hermeticism. It represents an extremely condensed formulation of the basic teachings of Hermetic philosophy, a kind of Hermetic “creed.” According to one of the common versions of the interpretation of the “Emerald Tablet”, it contains the recipe for the alchemical Great Work, that is, the recipe for obtaining the philosopher’s stone.
Everyone knows that knowledge is power, but it is also known that no one will share power voluntarily, disinterestedly. I'm not talking about the knowledge that slaves need to successfully work for their master. I'm talking about knowledge that allows the owner to keep slaves in obedience so that the slaves, at the same time, sincerely believe that they are absolutely free. I suggest you think about the meaning of one quote from the “Tablet”.
"True - without any lies, authentic and supremely true:
What is below is similar to what is above. (Is our world a matryoshka doll? The earth is hollow, and inside is the same as in the sky? Moon, Sun, stars?)
And that which is above is similar to that which is below, in order to accomplish the wonders of the one thing. (What thing?)
And just as all things came from the One, so all things were born from this one essence through adaptation.
The sun is her father, the moon is her mother. (What essence, the creation of the Moon and the Sun, are we talking about? Why does it need devices, and who is the master who makes the “devices”?)
The wind carried her in its womb. The earth is her nurse. (Is the wind a surrogate mother?)
This thing is the father of all perfection in the entire universe. (It smells like the Illuminati, and Jehovah's Witnesses, in my opinion.)
Its power remains intact (that is, unspent) when it turns into earth.
You will separate earth from fire, subtle from gross, carefully and with great skill.
This thing ascends from earth to heaven and descends again to earth, receiving the power of both the higher and lower regions of the world.(Actually something enchanting, some kind of psychedelic.)
In this way you will gain fame throughout the world.
Therefore, all darkness will depart from you.
This thing is the power of all strength, for it will conquer every most subtle thing and penetrate with itself every solid thing.(Luciferianism again...)
This is how the world was created. (Is this how the world was created? I didn’t understand anything from the description of the creation of the world...)
From here amazing devices will arise, the method of which is as follows (that is, as described above). (Ah... So there will be other instruments!)
Therefore I was called Hermes the Thrice-Greatest, since I have knowledge of the three parts of universal philosophy.(Modest, however!)
What I said about the action of the sun is complete." (That is, there is nothing to add? Did you tell everything, everything, everything? But I didn’t understand...)
Either the skis don’t work, or it’s me... But I can’t get rid of the feeling that alchemy is completely different from what we were told about making gold from lead, and about the search for the philosopher’s stone. In alchemy, everything is “password-protected” twice or three times. Or maybe there will even be as many as seven “layers”, like in a nesting doll! They tell you: - “Lion”, and you should know that this means “sun”, but then you must translate “sun” into “gold”, and “gold” most likely also has another secret meaning, and that’s all there are seven of them. But in which case what meaning should be put into it is not clear
Remember what a password is? Right. A secret word, the true meaning of which is known only to initiates. Thus, among military pilots, “boxes” are the name given to enemy armored vehicles, while among intelligence officers, “Slavic wardrobe” has nothing to do with furniture. So what is the "philosopher's stone"? After all, this is a password, there is no doubt about it.
Here's another image:
The inscription at the top is translated from Latin as “The Emerald Tablet of Hermes.” Hermes is not a Greek god, but an Arab alchemist, according to the official version. At the bottom, the inscription is translated literally as “the secret word of Hermes,” and in a language we understand, simply “HERMES PASSWORD” , i.e. the author of the manuscript. And here is another version of the engraving, later, and already colored in. Color plays a very important role in alchemy, so it is most convenient to consider this image.
I'll start with the squiggles. The Sun and Moon are not planets. In Alchemy, each symbol has its own meaning, sometimes several. Only real alchemists know which to use in each specific case. So:
The seven metals of alchemy corresponded to the seven heavenly bodies:
1) The sun is gold,
2) Moon - silver,
3) Venus (ankh on a green background) - copper,
4) Jupiter - tin,
5) Mercury
(ankh with "horns")
- mercury,
6) Saturn is lead,
7) Mars - iron
Now it’s clear why gold is Auro in Latin. The Sun has an aura, or corona, as is known. Moon in Latin is Lunae, but silver in English is silver. Indeed, the Moon is usually silver in color. Interestingly, Venus is written as Venerem in Latin. Remember. that Venus has an unofficial name, which for some reason is not used in Russia. But in the West, they often say “Russian Planet”. Why? Nobody knows. But you and I know that the Venets are a Slavic tribe; Estonians to this day talk about the Russians “VENE”. And the root of the word “Venerem” is precisely “VENE”.
Mercury is absolutely beautiful. Both in Latin and in English, the words “mercury” and “Mercury” are written the same way - “Mercury”, however, when composing the Latin language, the authors added the ending “US” to words that were borrowed from other languages without modification. So in the Abkhaz language, all borrowed words sound exactly the same, only the letter “A” is placed in front of the word. So it turned out that in Abkhazia we have such funny signs on the streets: - “Akinoteatr”, “Amagazin”, “Astadion”, etc.
Saturn in English - lead. Isn't this where the "leader" comes from? And Mars, as befits a warrior, is clad in iron armor, and therefore ferri. But it is iron that gives the soil its red color! So it turns out that the obscurantist alchemists knew that Mars was full of iron ore?
And another interesting point. Historians claim that alchemy goes all the way back to ancient Egypt! Then how could they know about the existence of tin? Tin was first mined only from cassiterite, an ore whose deposits existed exclusively in the British Isles!
So, what will we get in the end from the 7 main metals of the Earth? I have virtually no doubt that the engraving contains the formula. A cup in alchemy usually means a mixing process. Moreover, it happens that mixing is carried out in two or more stages. Then the components are depicted in the quantity required for the mixing steps. The order in which the components are displayed also plays a role. The elements are depicted from top to bottom, and from left to right, in descending order of their mixture proportions. In our case, the main component is gold. Then a little less silver, etc. The least amount of iron in the alloy will be iron (the seventh element).
As a result of melting, we will simply have gold. Not pure, with impurities. For what? Big question. I don’t know the proportions, and hardly anyone knows. The options for opening a seven-digit combination lock device are significantly fewer than the options for preparing the desired alloy with the required properties. And we don’t know these properties.
In general, I am led to the conclusion that the subject of alchemy is not the philosopher’s stone, nor cold fusion, in which lead is turned into gold, but nothing less than the creation of worlds and beings. Sounds crazy? Understand!
Well, watch this short video and think about what it is about. Essentially, the plot is an open admission that the laws of conservation of energy and mass can be thrown into the trash. Is this not enough?
Didn't catch the connection with the meaning of the above?
This article examines in detail the basics of alchemy - the great counter-science of sciences, which, according to Carl Gustav Jung, was the forerunner of depth psychology. To understand alchemy, we first need to understand the historical context in which it existed.
The beginning of the Middle Ages. The Inquisition is raging throughout Europe, people are forcibly thrown into a state of schism (Christian dualism of spirit and matter is, in fact, a philosophy of schizophrenic schism, which has already shown its inferiority). Everything earthly, material, and sensual is given over to the devil’s competence and is postulated as an obstacle to salvation. All philosophical and religious teachings that adhere to other, healthier positions are destroyed as heresies (see my article on the Ophites). However, “in the unconscious” the need to compensate for the one-sided collective attitude remained, and alchemy became its hidden expression.
Alchemy, in contrast to Christianity, rushes into matter, towards metals and primary elements, in order to achieve salvation through their transubstantiation, while a Christian strives to escape from matter. The Christian directs his soul to God beyond the material, while the alchemist seeks the God hidden in matter. The God of the Christian is perfect, and salvation is achieved through turning to perfection - the God of the alchemists needs man as a liberator from the shackles of the elements. A similar idea had already been found in some Gnostic views, as well as in the system of Kabbalists, and at that time it was reborn from the collective unconscious. Jung cites numerous alchemical parallels in the symbolism of Christ and the philosophers' stone (otherwise known as the "son of the philosophers"). Even the very name “philosopher’s STONE” points to Christ, who in the gospel allegories is called “the stone rejected by the builders, but which became the cornerstone.” Also common allegories of Christ and stone are the pelican, unicorn, etc. Anyone interested in this issue more deeply should read Jung's work Psychology and Alchemy.
However, there is an important difference: while Christ after the ascension is identified only with the spiritual world, the "philosopher's stone" is both spiritual and material, i.e. born from the lowest "prima matter". By the way, again, some alchemists drew a parallel between Christ, born in a manger in a very ignoble environment, with the philosopher’s stone, which is created from the lowest, primary matter, “the darkness of Egypt,” becoming, as a result of alchemical manipulations, the king of kings and the God of Gods. Such parallels, of course, are not accidental and have the deepest psychological significance. The unconscious, not being able to directly compensate for the one-sidedness of the Christian medieval myth, compensated for it indirectly through the rich and complex symbolic series of alchemy, the meaning of which the alchemists themselves, for the most part, had no idea!
The question arises: how is this possible? How can it be that a person, being the bearer of any ideas and views, does not know the meaning of what he preaches and does?
Jung stated more than once: “The trouble with the alchemists is that they did not know what they were saying.” This paradox can only be understood in the context of the teaching of archetypes, which are present whether we are aware of their meaning or not.
Not everyone is capable of directly perceiving psychic reality. For the vast majority, the mechanism of psychological projection works, when one’s own psychological process is attributed to an object whose properties are still unknown.
In alchemical problems, this mechanism is very complex, since there is a relation to a very deep layer of the “collective unconscious”, the eternal archetypal forces of which will always remain a secret of mysteries for a person. Archetypes are activated in special situations - this could be a spiritual crisis or psychotic break, intense spiritual practice or prolonged solitude. The alchemist in this regard was an ideal subject: having left society for his laboratory (where people, out of superstitious fear, preferred not to look), he found himself alone with his unconscious. There is no doubt that prolonged solitude contributed to its activation. Dealing with metals and elements, he did not have scientific knowledge about them, and therefore they turned out to be an ideal “screen” for the projection of the contents of the unconscious.
Thus, in studying alchemy, we first explore the unconscious archetypal aspects of the psyche that were projected onto them. In this respect, alchemy is related to astrology. Just as an astrologer projects his mental processes not into the stars, and, having good contact with the collective unconscious, can quite accurately predict the future (sincerely thinking that he is reading the stars), the alchemist projects archetypes onto metals and elements, being completely convinced that works with pure matter, but in fact manipulates aspects of his own psyche, projected onto the same matter.
Conclusion? Being the least dependent on the collective myth and the most open to the influences of the collective unconscious, the alchemist turned out to be an ideal object for perceiving the need for healing compensation for a one-sided religious myth. Alchemy, without knowing it, becomes the sole heir of Gnosticism and the forerunner of depth psychology. By postulating the creation of God through a great work from ignoble primordial matter (which ultimately becomes the stone of stones, the “third son”, resolving the age-old conflict of spirit and matter), alchemy turns, if you like, into the noble queen of all heresies, prudently masquerading as a banal gold miner ! Few people paid attention to G. Dorn’s statement that “... our gold is not the gold of the mob,” although this statement hides the true truth of alchemy.
Below is a rough interpretation of alchemical symbolism in the context of depth psychology.
LEAD
An ignoble primary matter, it, as the heaviest of metals, became a symbol of powerful inertia, and the danger of being poisoned by lead fumes during smelting created the belief that a demon was certainly present in lead. (Such thinking is quite natural for medieval mystical participation, when the line between external and internal was not drawn). Psychologically, lead corresponds to initial uroboric unconsciousness or a state of severe depression. Even in modern language There are expressions such as “lead fatigue” or “lead melancholy” - extreme degrees of negativity. For an alchemist, as for anyone dealing with archetypal energies, there was a serious danger of going crazy, becoming possessed by an archetype, which in the language of alchemical allegories meant “falling into the power of demonic lead.”
However, it is from this worst substance that the master, through complex manipulations, creates the “philosopher’s stone” - the essence, the ultimate, highest integrity, the self. Jung viewed neurosis as an opportunity for potential growth, following the alchemical thesis "...where there is disease, there is a cure." The Christian thesis that God is revealed through suffering is filled with a special, secret meaning in alchemy.
MERCURY
For a person of medieval mentality, mercury was the exponent of Mercury - the highest and lowest God at the same time. Why? For alchemists, mercury is the embodiment of a paradox: it simultaneously behaves like a metal and like water. In addition, the ability of mercury to evaporate on its own made it, in the eyes of an initiated adept, a material embodiment of the spirit. For a modern, developed personality, such analogies look somewhat strange, but we should not forget the fact that medieval man did not have scientific knowledge, and therefore metals, being something completely incomprehensible, were an ideal screen for any psychological projections. Here are the psycho-properties of mercury:
“-it consists of all conceivable opposites. A pronounced duality, which is constantly called unity;
It is material and spiritual;
She personifies the process of transforming the lower into the higher and vice versa;
She is, one might say, the devil, a savior and a psychopomp, an elusive trickster; finally, the reflection of God in mother nature;
It is also a mirror image of the mystical experience of the alchemist, which coincides with the opus alchymicum; “...as such an experience it represents, on the one hand, the Self, on the other, the individuation process, and also (due to the unlimitedness of its definitions) the collective unconscious.” (C. Jung "The Spirit of Mercury")
Considering the above quoted text, we must understand that the mercury aspect of Mercury is very contradictory and often manifests itself in any metal. This creates considerable confusion for the interpreter, however, speaking directly about mercury, most often the paradoxicality, inconsistency, and creative irrationality of the unconscious itself are emphasized. Mercury begins to literally flood our dreams like a river and turns on a special imagination when we are required to abandon our rationalism and hear what is called “the clap of one palm,” the sound of which will open the soul for healing transformation.
In addition, Mercury has an androgynous nature and in the male psyche, as a rule, manifests itself from the feminine side, as an anima, and in the female psyche it is the bearer of the male (masculine) principle as an animus.
In addition, mercury is chemically related to silver, and Mercury is equally related to the Moon, the great Goddess. Mercury (aka Hermes) is the essence, the basis of all alchemical art. Mercury paradoxically embodies the beginning and end of a great undertaking, a mentor, a guide and at the same time a trickster, an adversary and a fugitive. “We can equate the concept of Mercury with the concept of the unconscious,” Jung wrote. It is no coincidence that in alchemical texts there are a huge number of obvious and hidden parallels between Christ and Mercury, each of which represents the archetype of the Self.
SULFUR
Sulfur in alchemy symbolizes the active male substance embodied in matter. She is a pure type of dynamism. Like any substrate, in alchemy it has ambivalent properties: in the positive aspect it represents the fire of the sun, the light of consciousness, in the negative it is identified with the devil, hellish brimstone, with passions and lusts of all stripes. Marie-Louise von Franz suggests that the association of sulfur with the Devil and hell first arose with a monk who was experiencing sexual temptation and experiencing unbridled energy that seemed to burn to the ground - such a person could easily draw an analogy with highly flammable sulfur!
Sulfur is also associated with the substance of the Solar "redness" and therefore represents the principle of consciousness. "Sulfur represents the active substance of the sun, or, in psychological terms, the factor of motive in consciousness - on the one hand, will, which is best considered as dynamism subordinate to consciousness, and on the other hand, irresistible attraction, involuntary motivation or impulse, starting with simple interest and ending with real obsession." (Jung, MYSTERIUM CONIUNCTIONIS, par no. 151).
SALT
Salt represents the opposite of sulfur and is associated with the feminine, static principle. Like any object in alchemy, it has dual properties, forming a dialectical pair. Salt has long been associated with wisdom. This analogy of comparing the feminine principle with the deep mind is as old as the world - even among the Gnostics, Sophia was identified with the wisdom of God. Parallels can be found in Vajrayana Buddhism, where the feminine principle is associated with wisdom, and the masculine principle with mastery.
The opposite property of salt for alchemists was its bitterness, which once again confirms the paradoxical nature of alchemical thinking, for “...where there is bitterness, there is no wisdom, and where there is wisdom, there can be no bitterness” (Jung, MYSTERIUM CONIUNCTIONIS, par No. 330 ). In addition, salt, as having the property of a preservative, is correlated with the acquisition of immortality, since “salting the body” is a metaphor for acquiring an incorruptible body. However, salt at the same time defines the body as ordinary, perishable matter. Jung explained such contradictions by the fact that, unlike the “ego”, which clearly knows its limits, “the boundaries of the archetype are blurred and can be violated by other archetypes, so that there can be an exchange of certain qualities” (Jung, “MS”, par No. 660).
Jung identifies the alchemical triad (salt, mercury, sulfur) as an archetypal trinity found in Egyptian culture. Thus, sulfur represents the masculine principle, salt the feminine, and mercury the androgynous, uniting opposites together.
STAGES OF A GREAT WORK
PRIMARY SEPARATION, the first stage of the great work begins with initial unconsciousness, when consciousness is at a very low, primitive level (the mystery of unification cannot arise unless separation occurs). The spirit (sulfur), soul (mercury) and body (salt) at the first stage are in a state of undivided unity, where the spirit is subordinate to the soul, and the soul to the body.
Hence, the first priority is the liberation of the soul from the power of matter: “...separation means the extraction of the soul and its projections from the carnal sphere and from all conditions surrounding the body environment. In other words, it means introversion, introspection, meditation and a careful examination of desires and their motives" (Jung, MYSTERIUM CONIUNCTIONIS, par. No. 673). That is, psychologically, the stage of liberation of the soul from the bonds of matter corresponds to the withdrawal of projections from the external world and recognition of them as internal content.
Alchemists advise placing "Mercury in a sealed vessel and heating until transformation occurs." Psychologically, heating corresponds to close attention and observation, and sealing in a vessel corresponds to the extraction of projections from the object. Since we initially equated the concept of Mercury with the concept of the unconscious, the recipe runs like this: “Take the unconscious in its most suitable form (say, in the form of a spontaneous fantasy, a dream, a strong emotion) and operate with it. Give it Special attention, focus on it and objectively monitor the changes taking place. Dedicate all your energy to solving this problem, carefully observe the process of transformation of spontaneous fantasy. The most important thing is: don’t let anything from the outside world get into her, because she already has everything she needs” (Jung, MYSTERIUM CONIUNCTIONIS, par. No. 749).
This short passage contains the whole principle of psychotherapy, the whole secret of healing and liberation. The psychologist does not bring anything new, he only teaches the analysand to see his mental complexes and not project them outside. And the change, if all necessary conditions are met, will not keep you waiting long. In dreams at this stage there are motives of struggle, confrontation, persecution, visions of fire may appear, which marks a strong tension of consciousness. Therefore, the main task is not to slip back into an unconscious state of unconscious opposites and learn to understand your projections.
CONIUNCTIO, the second stage is the process of merging consciousness and unconsciousness. If at first the main object of recognition were the shadow parts, which must be observed as if from the outside, impartially monitoring their transformation in a sealed flask, then this stage implies a meeting with the anima.
At the level of "Coniunctio" there is a flight into the unconscious (catalyzed by anima) and merging with shadow energies. The coniunctio in alchemy is symbolized by the sacred marriage of the royal couple of the Sun and Moon, Christ and the church. Also among the symbols of coniunctio are the motives of consuming or eating like like: “An individual must come to the Last Supper with himself; this means that he recognizes in himself the existence of another person. But if he persists in his one-sidedness, then two lions will tear each other to pieces."
This stage poses a certain danger for the “ego”, since consciousness is threatened with complete disappearance, dissolution in the sea of the unconscious. An incorrect, unsuccessful coniunctio threatens madness. Therefore, the greatest caution is necessary during the passage of this stage. The main task of the analyst is to prepare the individual for a decisive and complete transformation. Here dreams abound with motifs of marriage, dissolution, flights into darkness, identification with unacceptable parts. Conclusion: you need to be able to “let go” of yourself and not interfere with the natural process of transformation.
NIGREDO. The Nigredo stage, as a rule, follows coniuctio, when the fusion of the ego with unconscious complexes has occurred; now both of them in their former form die and disintegrate. Nigredo is the level of death, decay and complete loss of any support; he is characterized by severe depression, sometimes with suicidal desires. It seems as if, where the “I” used to be, a black hole has opened, which absorbs everything and everyone. Any attempts to hold on to the old cause even greater suffering.
The worst thing here is the subjective feeling that now this will never end. Hence, assurance is necessary that such a state is temporary and is a necessary step on the path to higher self-awareness. "Disintegration is the precondition of redemption. The participant in the mystery must experience figurative death in order to achieve transformation" (Jung, MYSTERIUM CONIUNCTIONIS, par. no. 381). In Tibetan Buddhism, at high levels, the practice of "ched" was taught, the essence of which is that the practitioner went to the cemetery at night and imagined that hungry ghosts were flying from everywhere and dismembering the adept." As far as I know, this practice is considered the most dangerous of all the practices of Tibet and is recommended only for very well prepared individuals.It can be said that the practitioner of "ched" consciously induces in himself the most powerful state of Nigredo in order to speed up the process of transformation.
As for dreams, they abound with gloomy motives of decay; Claustrophobic locked rooms, dismemberment, crucifixion, castration, falling into the mud are typical. The completion of Nigredo usually marks the appearance in dreams of the mandala motif of quaternary, holistic structures, the experience of which is perceived as sacred.
NEW BIRTH (ANDROGYN), completion stage. The opposites are united in a new “I”, which carries within itself the features of each of the conflicting substances, but is neither one nor the other. This is the level of completion of the great work, corresponding to contact with the unus mundus (one mind). There is an experience of total unity: “...if such opposites as spirit and matter, consciousness and the unconscious, light and darkness, and so on are to unite, then the union will occur in a third thing, which is not a compromise, but a new transcendental being that can be described only through paradoxes" (Jung, MYSTERIUM CONIUNCTIONIS, par. No. 765).
Mercury here becomes the embodiment of the Self, ultimate integrity, unity with being. Now latent parapsychological abilities can be activated, many synchronistic coincidences occur: "...if the symbolism of the mandala is the psychological equivalent of the unus mundus, then synchronicity is its parapsychological equivalent. Although synchronistic phenomena occur in time and space, they demonstrate a remarkable independence from both of these indispensable determinants of physical existence and therefore do not obey the law of causality" (ibid., par. No. 662).
Dreams during this period are associated with the birth of a child, symbols of the fourfold and mandala. The final task: accept changes with gratitude and try, if possible, to avoid identification with the Self, because any inflationary tendencies subsequently bring serious problems.
A FEW GENERAL REMARKS
Since development has a cyclical form, the same stages can be played out many times, and on different scales. Above, an archetypal process was described that captures the entire conscious and unconscious psyche (in such conditions, the process, as a rule, occurs in the “mid-crisis”, that is, from 35 to 40 years). However, we must not forget about small coordinates, for example, if we are talking about the integration of a relatively weakly energetically charged autonomous mental complex. The very structure of the stages of integration will remain approximately the same, but, say, Nigredo will not be an all-consuming melancholy, but a mild depression, and the finale will, accordingly, not be a cosmic ecstasy of unity, but simply a pleasant experience. Here we can most clearly see how knowledge of alchemy helps in dream analysis.
MAIN POINTS
1) Alchemy represented a compensation for the one-sided Christian position, turning its attention to matter, looking for the spirit in it. Christianity, on the contrary, tries to discard matter in the name of spirit;
2) The substances with which the alchemist works are different components of the “psyche”;
3) The main theme of the alchemical quest is the creation of the “philosopher’s stone,” which is the unshakable Self, Christ-Mercury, where opposites are united;
4) Opposites in need of unification were symbolized chemically (salt-sulfur); zoomorphic (snake-bird; winged and wingless bird); anthropomorphic (king and queen, Adam and Eve); astrologically (Sun-Moon); in connection with the elements (fire-water, air-earth). Psychologically, this corresponds to the unification of consciousness and unconsciousness in the Self - “a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.”
5) The unification of opposites, contrary to the Christian “ascent to heaven,” among alchemists always began with a descent into matter, where annihilation and disintegration into atoms occurred, followed by albedo i.e. cleansing and resurrection in a new quality.
6) The complexity and inconsistency of alchemical texts is due to the fact that the alchemists themselves did not know what they were talking about, and were objects, not subjects, of the “Great Work”. No person of medieval mentality could withstand the conscious perception of the idea of the dark side of God.
7) Symbols of alchemy are often found in the dreams and fantasies of people who are not familiar with our subject, which is why knowledge of alchemy is necessary when working analytically with dreams. Alchemical stages occur on different scales throughout human existence, but are especially relevant in the “midlife crisis.”
ILLUSTRATION No. 1. Below are two illustrations of how alchemical symbols are produced in the "unconscious" modern people. The first example I give is from my own experience. IN early childhood(around the age of 13) I had a dream that I remembered forever and only much later learned that it had to do with the collective unconscious and was directly related to alchemical symbolism. Here is his description:
"I'm walking around Moscow and go to a cinema. They're showing a film about God. I enter the hall - the action immediately begins on the screen. Instantly, I kind of stop being myself and become this action. Its essence is this: some ideal God is in his world where he can do everything. The only thing he cannot do is play with the crow, which is in the center of the world. God changes the whole world with the power of thought, but does not touch the crow. Then, feeling that he is missing something, he begins pity this crow, "unchanging in the changing." God finally turns his thoughts to her, and just at that moment something happens. He is sucked into the crow, and I see (or does he?) - unfortunately, there is no adequate way to describe it impossible) - how this ideal God disintegrates into molecules and atoms. Certain levels pass in succession before my eyes, I realize that perfection has collapsed “below the level of hell,” and in some incomprehensible way I am “him” and “not-him” at the same time A click before my eyes - I again find myself in the cinema. Leaving the hall, a dying world appears before me - and at the same time, everything seems to remain the same. I am overcome with sadness and sorrow. I tell myself: the main thing is not to cry! Then a friend of mine comes up and asks: “Have you seen the film?” I answer in the affirmative, to which she remarks: “It’s strange that you don’t cry - after all, the whole world is crying after seeing this tragedy!” This is where the dream ends.
AMPLIFIATION. The beginning and end of a dream are related to the personal unconscious, so they need not be touched upon. The main part is important, the action that takes place in the cinema, because this is a rather complex archetypal drama. The archetype of “violation of a sacred prohibition” exists in almost all myths, but here it appears from a somewhat unusual perspective - the main one actor It turns out that it is not man, but God. Which directly points to the ancient alchemical wisdom: “As above, so below.” Here there is a direct parallel with the Gnostic view of “the spark of God flying into matter and dissolving in it.” In this dream, the alchemical myth of Gabritius, rushing into the arms of Beya and dissolving in her, is played out almost verbatim. Beyya in this myth represented primary matter that underwent transformation. The Crow (one of the most popular allegories of the Devil in medieval scholasticism) among the alchemists symbolized the same primary matter and the stage of Nigredo. Anyone who has carefully read the article will easily recognize in the above dream the stage of Coniunctio, which smoothly and naturally turns into Nigredo. An attentive reader may ask: if such scales are characteristic, first of all, of a midlife crisis, then why was such a process activated in a 13-year-old child, and in all its archetypal grandeur? However, we should not forget that in psychology (unlike other sciences) there are no immutable laws, but only trends. And in this case we are dealing with an exception that occurs from time to time. Such rare archetypal breakthroughs occur if the psyche is for some reason very unbalanced and therefore open to all the “winds” of the collective unconscious. In its endless reserve, the individual ego finds solutions to problems that cannot be solved by conscious effort alone.
ILLUSTRATION No. 2. The following short dream belongs to a woman who has been undergoing psychological analysis for a long time. Her the main problem- perfectionism and super-rationalism, the strict criteria of which did not allow one to experience the unconscious in all its paradoxical and antinomic nature. The dream marked a key turning point in the analysis. “I’m at home, I see my son breaking a thermometer and mercury spilling all over the floor. There’s more and more mercury.” I think that this dream is quite clear to anyone who has read this article, so I will not repeat the amplification.
Looking for eternal youth, noble gold and the philosopher's stone, learned men of antiquity spent a lot of effort and energy studying alchemy - one of the most ancient sciences. Who is the person who was still able to get the gold?
Alchemy is one of the two most ancient sciences known to the whole world. It originates in the obscurity of prehistoric times. The Chaldeans, Phoenicians and Babylonians were familiar with the principles of alchemy. Together with astrology, it was practiced in Greece and Rome; this was the basic science of the Egyptians.
Ancient people considered alchemy to be God's revelation, with the help of which lost abilities could be restored. When the secrets of alchemy are comprehended, the curse of the forbidden fruit will disappear and people will again be able to live in the Garden of Eden.
It was believed that alchemy was discovered to man by the mysterious Egyptian demigod Hermes Trismegistus. The Egyptians attribute to this figure the authorship of all forms of art and science. In honor of him, all the scientific knowledge of antiquity was collected under the general doctrine of Hermeticism.
Alchemy is a “scientific” and philosophical doctrine of the transformation of some substances into others. She also studied how substances and their transformations were associated with magic and astrology. People who practiced alchemy were called alchemists. Most of them spent years in vain attempts to turn lead and mercury into precious gold. But their main goal has always been the search for the philosopher's stone - a substance much more valuable. It is believed that from it you can prepare the “elixir of youth”, which will cure any disease and even return youth to a person. Nowadays, this phrase is used for advertising purposes as a panacea for all ills.
Alchemists believed that substances, mind, philosophy, religion, magic and astrology were closely related to each other. And it was only necessary to find this connection. Alchemists tried to understand one thing through understanding the other, using a system of symbols. To a prying eye, these symbols are indecipherable. But for those who have studied alchemy, these are coded formulas, elements, planets, metals and ingredients. Designations have been used for centuries and have secret, mystical overtones.
For medieval people, alchemists and the atmosphere of mysticism and secrets surrounding them were something fascinating. Engravings and paintings from those years are filled with symbols. Icons of planets and metals are adjacent to human skulls and bones.
In the 17th-18th centuries, Europeans began to study only the properties of substances, discarding the religious and mystical aspects. They experimented and wrote down their discoveries so that other people could learn from them. This is how the science of studying substances - chemistry - appeared. And the people who studied them began to be called scientists.
With the discovery of radioactivity, a way was finally found to turn one chemical element to another. And in 1980, the American scientist Glenn Seaborg, to the envy of the alchemists of the Middle Ages, discovered a method for producing gold from bismuth in a nuclear reactor. True, it is much more difficult and more expensive to mine gold in a mine.
Alchemy penetrated into Russia after it entered the European cultural space. devoted a lot of time to the study of alchemy.
