Post by KG on Feb 20, 2007 3:32:45 GMT -5
On the surface Spiritual Alchemy seems very complex. There is a reason for this. It is to mask the real meaning. In other words ancient alchemist hid simplistic principles, in complex forumlas, simply because their work was on the border of being illegal. The kings were interested enough in turning iron into gold, to allow them some freedom of practice, but the whole of physical alchemy was for the most part a ruse, in order to be able to maintain and record and transfer the knowledge of a spiritual practice.
Much of spiritual alchemy could be classified as psychology, or spirituality, even religion, but in those days it could have very easily been called witchcraft, so they hid it in complex symbolic drawings, and long recipies aledgedly for the work of producing gold... but the real gold they sought to produce was the golden light of a pure heart.
Lambspring, was one work which is fairly self explainitory to the modern student, familiar with symbolism.
Use this link to view the pictures
www.alchemywebsite.com/prints_series_lambspring.html
In the Cover plate we see a tripple furnace.
In the first five drawings we see various symbols of inner duality. The original state of man, in the begining of the work. Througout alchemical works we see the duality of man is seen as pairs of opposites.
Sun-Moon
Male-Female
Stag-Unicorn
Dragon-Knight
Soul-Spirit
Wild Wolf-Tame Dog
West-East
In eastern terms we mean yen and yang in the nature.
The first five pictures speak of great inner struggle, and awareness of seperation... and basically different ways to attempt to deal with the fact we are somehow a strange conglomeration of opposites, and contradictions within our psyche, heart and soul.
In the first picture of Lambspring, we see a body of water, which represents our inner sea, with an island of wilderness on one side, and a cluster of buildings on the other shore. There is a boat on the sea, and in the foreground two fish swim past each other going in opposing directions the fish are labeled soul and spirit. Thus man is seen as divergent, and litterally pulled in opposing directions.
In the second picture of Lambspring, we see a knight fighting a dragon in the forest of the soul. WE get a sense of struggle to overcome the beast within, by means of force.
In the third picture of Lambspring, we see a stag meeting a unicord in a clearing in the forest. The creatures seem to be acknowledging each other peacefully. The stag represents the sun, and the unicorn the moon.
In the Fourth picture we see a male and female lion, in the place of the stag and unicorn. The rest of the picture is essentially similar. Thus we see the idea of male and female of the same species.
In the fifth picture we see a wild wolf fighting with a tame dog. These animals seem to be fighting for dominance.
Thus you see that we face our inner opposites in various ways,
1. By passing and repassing them, as "ships in the night" or fish as the case may be. never aware that we are in fact going in opposite directions deep down.
2. By trying to kill the beast within. Glorifying our honor, while murdering our less than civilaized but genius self.
3. By meeting and acknowledging, the opposite with some respect, as the stag and the unicorn.
4. By courtship of the male and female within.
5. By each side fighting for supremacy, without either ever pervailing. Always conflicted, and never completely resolving anything.
The next five pictures show how we must unify our polar opposite inner natures.
In picture six we see the dragon grasp his own tail, forming an ouroborus. The circle of the soul.
In Picture seven is something that only certain practioners would fully understand. The picture shows two birds, one sits in a nest in the tree, while it's mate flies off litterally into the heavens. I say litterally because this theme is covered over and over in alchemical drawings, in various ways. This is the assent, of one party, while the other guards the nest... the body, and/or the psyche. One party or part of the self holds base so to speak, while the other does the work of assending(to heaven.) "The one that is below holds the one that is above" The Emerald Tablet. In other words holding base assures the safe return of the one who ventures off. this could also apply to astral travel, or any event where the soul leaves the body. IT is good practice to leave somebody at home, to guard the fort, and provide a link to return to.
Picture eight shows two birds a red and a white fighting, the verse explains that the birds are tranformed into two doves, and then they together become a Pheonix. At this stage the two birds fight, absorb one another, and then are reborn in a completely new form... this stage is called the hermaphrodite stage and is symbolized as a couple in the Roserum PHilosophorium. In this stage of the couple they are shown joined as siamese twins. The Roserum Philosophorium describes the same process in a totally different way, with a couple. Sun headed man and moon headed woman.
In the ninth drawing we see that a king is pictured, resting his feet peacefully on the dragon who now seems to be a pet. No struggle was necessary. The two fish are now the arms of his throne, and he rules the forest of the soul. Seven steps lead to the throne.
Emblem ten shows the man roasting a salamander on a huge fire... the salamander represents the changed dragon. Now this doesn't harm the dragon... strangely. It purifies and elevates the dragon to a greater power. The dragon becomes smaller and more dense. He becomes the glowing, and living source of the philosopher's stone... the white philosopher's stone is the first goal of the alchemical process. It is a great symbol of wisdom and purity of thought.
Thus we see that the dragon realizes it has an opposite end to it's head. It grasps and comprehends, itself in it's entire being. Then we find unity of male and female aiding each other, by one holding base, while the other flies to heaven. Then after we see a unity increase to where they become one thing. We then see the victory, not by fighting, but by authority. Lastly we see the Dragon getting cooked. Again not in a negative way. This is the crucible. The fire that is applied in "physical alchemy" the trial by fire so to speak to purify and clean. This isn't a murder this is to produce an assended state of being for that part. In the Roserum Philosophorium where male and female are the symbols you see more of an equality between the male and female symbols, but even there one does for the other first. One purified into the white stone, and the other purified into the red stone.
In the last five pictures we see three persons. The old king, a young prince, and a winged guardian.
In picture 11 the winged guide takes the prince to see a vision of his heavenly throne. HE is excited at first but then the prince is sorrowful that his father cannot see the vision and so he returns to the old King.
In Picture 12. We see again the prince on a high mountain gazing at the sun and moon and the obvious portal to the spiritual world.
In picture 13. The son returns to find his father near death, but when the son returns his father swallows him. this is bizzare, but it is symbolic. In truth father and son are one being so that the son is the spirit of the father.
In picture 14. the son rises from the body of the father in the form of a sweat... which eventually forms the boy anew as if he were reborn from his father in some way. The verse states. "The son is ever with the Father, and the Father is ever with the son. This process very much indicates the chemical process of evaporation. In other words add a liquid to another liquid and one will evaporate first. Distilation, which is also a purification process. So we see that once the spirit saw the vision, and then returned to the earthbound part of the soul, it recombined and then was stilled out again, another purifying process, which forever combined soul and spirit.
Picture 15 shows the Father, the son and the angelic looking guide sitting together. The inscription reads "they perish no more and laugh at death." (Immortality of the soul and spirit.") Thus you have the whole process, and the last process would yield the red stone.
The purpose of alchemy is to yeld the two stones, red and white, to produce the gold of the heart. It is a great purification process. Alchemy is the purification and unification of the set of opposites within a being, and the unification of the soul and spirit. It is actually quite simple. Of course it is much more difficult to do than to understand, but that is the process, which is a lifes work within itself.
Here is a link to the pictures in the Roserum Philosophorium, a very similar concept put in a much more 'plesant' metaphore.
www.alchemywebsite.com/prints_series_rosary.html
Much of spiritual alchemy could be classified as psychology, or spirituality, even religion, but in those days it could have very easily been called witchcraft, so they hid it in complex symbolic drawings, and long recipies aledgedly for the work of producing gold... but the real gold they sought to produce was the golden light of a pure heart.
Lambspring, was one work which is fairly self explainitory to the modern student, familiar with symbolism.
Use this link to view the pictures
www.alchemywebsite.com/prints_series_lambspring.html
In the Cover plate we see a tripple furnace.
In the first five drawings we see various symbols of inner duality. The original state of man, in the begining of the work. Througout alchemical works we see the duality of man is seen as pairs of opposites.
Sun-Moon
Male-Female
Stag-Unicorn
Dragon-Knight
Soul-Spirit
Wild Wolf-Tame Dog
West-East
In eastern terms we mean yen and yang in the nature.
The first five pictures speak of great inner struggle, and awareness of seperation... and basically different ways to attempt to deal with the fact we are somehow a strange conglomeration of opposites, and contradictions within our psyche, heart and soul.
In the first picture of Lambspring, we see a body of water, which represents our inner sea, with an island of wilderness on one side, and a cluster of buildings on the other shore. There is a boat on the sea, and in the foreground two fish swim past each other going in opposing directions the fish are labeled soul and spirit. Thus man is seen as divergent, and litterally pulled in opposing directions.
In the second picture of Lambspring, we see a knight fighting a dragon in the forest of the soul. WE get a sense of struggle to overcome the beast within, by means of force.
In the third picture of Lambspring, we see a stag meeting a unicord in a clearing in the forest. The creatures seem to be acknowledging each other peacefully. The stag represents the sun, and the unicorn the moon.
In the Fourth picture we see a male and female lion, in the place of the stag and unicorn. The rest of the picture is essentially similar. Thus we see the idea of male and female of the same species.
In the fifth picture we see a wild wolf fighting with a tame dog. These animals seem to be fighting for dominance.
Thus you see that we face our inner opposites in various ways,
1. By passing and repassing them, as "ships in the night" or fish as the case may be. never aware that we are in fact going in opposite directions deep down.
2. By trying to kill the beast within. Glorifying our honor, while murdering our less than civilaized but genius self.
3. By meeting and acknowledging, the opposite with some respect, as the stag and the unicorn.
4. By courtship of the male and female within.
5. By each side fighting for supremacy, without either ever pervailing. Always conflicted, and never completely resolving anything.
The next five pictures show how we must unify our polar opposite inner natures.
In picture six we see the dragon grasp his own tail, forming an ouroborus. The circle of the soul.
In Picture seven is something that only certain practioners would fully understand. The picture shows two birds, one sits in a nest in the tree, while it's mate flies off litterally into the heavens. I say litterally because this theme is covered over and over in alchemical drawings, in various ways. This is the assent, of one party, while the other guards the nest... the body, and/or the psyche. One party or part of the self holds base so to speak, while the other does the work of assending(to heaven.) "The one that is below holds the one that is above" The Emerald Tablet. In other words holding base assures the safe return of the one who ventures off. this could also apply to astral travel, or any event where the soul leaves the body. IT is good practice to leave somebody at home, to guard the fort, and provide a link to return to.
Picture eight shows two birds a red and a white fighting, the verse explains that the birds are tranformed into two doves, and then they together become a Pheonix. At this stage the two birds fight, absorb one another, and then are reborn in a completely new form... this stage is called the hermaphrodite stage and is symbolized as a couple in the Roserum PHilosophorium. In this stage of the couple they are shown joined as siamese twins. The Roserum Philosophorium describes the same process in a totally different way, with a couple. Sun headed man and moon headed woman.
In the ninth drawing we see that a king is pictured, resting his feet peacefully on the dragon who now seems to be a pet. No struggle was necessary. The two fish are now the arms of his throne, and he rules the forest of the soul. Seven steps lead to the throne.
Emblem ten shows the man roasting a salamander on a huge fire... the salamander represents the changed dragon. Now this doesn't harm the dragon... strangely. It purifies and elevates the dragon to a greater power. The dragon becomes smaller and more dense. He becomes the glowing, and living source of the philosopher's stone... the white philosopher's stone is the first goal of the alchemical process. It is a great symbol of wisdom and purity of thought.
Thus we see that the dragon realizes it has an opposite end to it's head. It grasps and comprehends, itself in it's entire being. Then we find unity of male and female aiding each other, by one holding base, while the other flies to heaven. Then after we see a unity increase to where they become one thing. We then see the victory, not by fighting, but by authority. Lastly we see the Dragon getting cooked. Again not in a negative way. This is the crucible. The fire that is applied in "physical alchemy" the trial by fire so to speak to purify and clean. This isn't a murder this is to produce an assended state of being for that part. In the Roserum Philosophorium where male and female are the symbols you see more of an equality between the male and female symbols, but even there one does for the other first. One purified into the white stone, and the other purified into the red stone.
In the last five pictures we see three persons. The old king, a young prince, and a winged guardian.
In picture 11 the winged guide takes the prince to see a vision of his heavenly throne. HE is excited at first but then the prince is sorrowful that his father cannot see the vision and so he returns to the old King.
In Picture 12. We see again the prince on a high mountain gazing at the sun and moon and the obvious portal to the spiritual world.
In picture 13. The son returns to find his father near death, but when the son returns his father swallows him. this is bizzare, but it is symbolic. In truth father and son are one being so that the son is the spirit of the father.
In picture 14. the son rises from the body of the father in the form of a sweat... which eventually forms the boy anew as if he were reborn from his father in some way. The verse states. "The son is ever with the Father, and the Father is ever with the son. This process very much indicates the chemical process of evaporation. In other words add a liquid to another liquid and one will evaporate first. Distilation, which is also a purification process. So we see that once the spirit saw the vision, and then returned to the earthbound part of the soul, it recombined and then was stilled out again, another purifying process, which forever combined soul and spirit.
Picture 15 shows the Father, the son and the angelic looking guide sitting together. The inscription reads "they perish no more and laugh at death." (Immortality of the soul and spirit.") Thus you have the whole process, and the last process would yield the red stone.
The purpose of alchemy is to yeld the two stones, red and white, to produce the gold of the heart. It is a great purification process. Alchemy is the purification and unification of the set of opposites within a being, and the unification of the soul and spirit. It is actually quite simple. Of course it is much more difficult to do than to understand, but that is the process, which is a lifes work within itself.
Here is a link to the pictures in the Roserum Philosophorium, a very similar concept put in a much more 'plesant' metaphore.
www.alchemywebsite.com/prints_series_rosary.html