About alchemy

(picture above: "Putrefactio" (decaying) was an important process in alchemy because without it new life isn't possible. The crosses (both in the crossbows and on the graves), the sower and the picking birds, and, as last but not least, the figure rising from his grave, strongly remind to biblical symbols, events and parables. The shooters and their target symbolise the goal that has to be achieved. When watching these figures please do not attach any literal meaning to it, just simply see them and associate, letting the symbols do their work. Otherwise the goal will not be reached :-). (Picture used by Jung in his essay "Dream-symbols of the individuation process")

Conrad Roth stimulated me to gather more information about alchemy. Alchemy seems to be an occult or mysterious art, like e.g. astrology, handline reading, tarot, numerology, etc. I don’t feel any interests in those arts, with exception of alchemy. Carl Jung was interested and made extensive studies in alchemist subjects, because of his fascination with his expertise, psychology, in combination with archetypes which he discovered to be of crucial importance for the way humans deal with facts of life and world. Alchemy is full of archetypical symbols. It tries to reach higher spiritual insights, to become “better humans” by working (laborare) with the elements of nature. These elements performed “acts” under the direction of the alchemist, who himself also played a role in the act, and got improved by it in a spiritual way. Many alchemists, I believe, were religious and practising Christians. Conrad asked me explanation because I believed that alchemist roots can be found in the bible. I have to be more precise: In terms of Jung, the bible contains also many archetypical symbols. They were archetypical, just to raise the right human feelings and thoughts belonging to the texts, and thus had greater impact on the reader than just the words of the text itself.

It took years for me to understand that the Truth (see also previous posts) can often better be experienced in symbols (representing archetypes) than read in words. I was aware of this, and got confirmed by the following text which I just took from Internet, although in these texts Alchemy was also disapproved as a "science" distracting from the truth:

Let the studious Reader have a care of the manifold significations of words, for by deceitful windings, and doubtful, yea contrary speeches (as it should seem), Philosophers wrote their mysteries, with a desire of veiling and hiding, yet not of sophisticating or destroying the truth; and though their writings abound with ambiguous and equivocal words; yet about none do they more contend than in hiding their Golden Branch.
The Hermetic Arcanum

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed. By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.
The Bible, Proverbs 3: 13-20
http://www.world-mysteries.com/awr_alchemy.htm
http://www.sacred-texts.com/alc/harcanum.htm

I think that just like words, also chemical activities can be used to "tell how it really is". That's also why many alchemists were looking for a way to concretely turn stone into physical gold, and saw it as a blessing from heaven if they would succeed.

Some archetypical figures from the bible are, according to Jung, Christ himself (Jung is very positive about Christianity and its rites), Melchisedec (who is said to be the bearer of the Stone of Wisdom), some parables from the Gospels (the parable of the sower, see the picture with this post), Maria (representing more than “only” the mother of Jesus), the snake and the “tree of knowledge” in the paradise, etc. Of course, these archetypes existed before alchemy was practised, but alchemy incorporated them into their work.

As a freemason I’m not expected to tell anything about the symbols and rituals we use, at least not what they entail. The curious searcher will be able to get information about it anyhow, but not from me. We are left free to interpret these symbols and rituals our own individual way, talk about it wit brothers, respect them in their interpretation, and also we use the word “working” with these symbols and rituals, which we “use” to get better insight in ourselves and improve our way of dealing with others, to become “better humans”. Many of us are also practising Christians, like me. Having said this, I can add that I recognise many alchemist symbols in our “way of working”. We compare ourselves with the ancient masons building cathedrals, which is also a way of dealing with nature around us, maybe extended to fellow-humans and ourselves (the cathedral, or the stone (!) we work on, that’s my self.

I think that too many people take the written or spoken word as representing reality, or, reality itself. They didn’t learn to distinguish between, what Goethe pointed out, the myth containing more truth than written or spoken words can contain, on the one hand, and the myth as a story in written / spoken words with which the myth, and the truth, are completely identified. So they believe the myth has to be imposed on everyday life, and other people also have to take the myth as “truth” for everyday life, forming the basis of laws and regulations and if you don’t agree you will be killed or tortured.

There is an abundance of sites on alchemy on Internet, but I think one must be careful to make a distinction.