// RUBEDO // The final stage of the perfection of an Alchemical Operation (of which Tarot is but one abstract example, if you take it seriously enough, and each human life the same) is known as RUBEDO, or “the Reddening Stage”. This is symbolically tied to some very ancient and sacred motifs – blood, red roses, a crowned king dressed…
// ALBEDO // No matter how bleak, how dark, how putrified the Nigredo may get, eventually – if the aspirant is sincere and serious about change, and about their own responsibility in being its agent in their own life – a Light appears. Dawn. A flame, illumination in the infinite void, a beacon in that all-enveloping darkness. From the mulch…
// NIGREDO // Do not misunderstand an Alchemist if, upon listening to you describe the Great Conundrum of your life, the insoluble problem from which you cannot possibly escape and which is the cause of all your suffering, they look you straight in the eye, and with no hint of a smile nor even the lightest of humour, sincerely advise…
The BODY of Alchemy A Treatise on Alchemy in Four Parts Part #4 We’ve seen that in Alchemy, the terms Sulfur, Mercury and Salt are codes for the more abstract concepts of Soul, Spirit and Body. Wait, is ‘body’ really an abstract concept?! Well…that depends. We all have one, right? Here’s mine, typing this out, advanced mechanical digits capable of…
The SPIRIT of Alchemy A Treatise on Alchemy in Four Parts Part #3 Alchemists were wise to secrete their teachings behind veils of “Jibberish” and carefully coded manuscripts – the religious sanctimony of the times meant that experimenting and discussing the Nature of Consciousness could cost you your life if it were determined to be apostasy, or sacreligious – a…
The SOUL of Alchemy A Treatise on Alchemy in Four Parts Part #2 In the 8th Century, a Persian alchemist by the name of Jabir ibn Hayyan (a.k.a Geber) wrote a mysterious treatise on 2 alchemical principles: Sulfur and Mercury. This would revolutionize alchemical studies and become synonymous with the language of alchemy thereafter. He – and most alchemists –…