I’m sure we’ve all asked, what exactly were the alchemists turning into gold? The answer lies in the context of transmutation–turning the Moon (unconscious mind) into silver and the Sun (conscious mind) into gold in a figurative sense, or in the language of the alchemist. Or perfecting the contents of consciousness through the process of transfiguration, or bringing the “prima materia” the purest desire (beyond a “shadow” of doubt) or spirit itself into conscious reality using the following steps:

The Alchemist’s Magnum Opus Explained by Carl Jung and the Egyptian Tarot

Step 1. Calcination

The first, black stage of the lesser work comes under Saturn, whose metal is the densest and most chaotic of all metals: lead. This is the mortification and putrefaction stage. Symbolised by the Raven or skull. At this stage consciousness must be withdrawn from the senses and turned inwards. Saturn’s glyph is the cross of matter over the lunar crescent of soul. The Soul is submerged in matter (the cross) and hidden from the light.

The process of using the fire to dissolve and coagulate. First dissolve the impurities in fire and coagulate the elements of consciousness into a newer, higher form. Or the act of removing the parts that hold us back from the free flowing consciousness of wholeness.

Therein you unlock the mystery of the sphinx–the mystery of uniting all four elements shown as the Magician in tarot (Arcanum I. The Magus).

 

 

This first step marks the primer for the dissolution of the ego and is often prompted by the recognition of an archetype of our unconscious mind (our anima/animus) that appears in the surface reality. The appearance of the archetype prompts the conscious recognition of the unconscious contents.

The archetype is a reflection of what lies below, as the contents of the Moon can only be perceived through the lense of the Sun.

According to analytical psychologist Carl Jung, the unconscious mind contains its own parts, including the anima, animus, persona and shadow–relating the Moon (unconscious) to the Sun (conscious) in dream perceptions and symbols etched with raw feeling and emotion.

A symbol for this process in tarot would be The Priestess and the Empress (Arcanum II. Veiled Isis and Arcanum III. Isis Unveiled). Veiled Isis demonstrates the self’s natural blindness to the unconscious contents, yet Isis Unveiled shows that these once hidden influences are now being perceived by the conscious mind and therefore are surfacing to be integrated into our conscious reality.

Step 2. Dissolution

The second, whitening stage of the lesser work is dominated by Jupiter associated with the metal tin. Now the crescent, the soul has risen out of matter and is on the horizontal arm of the cross. It has risen above and out of the earth. Jupiter or tin its corresponding metal, represents the first step in the loosening of the soul from the elemental pairs of opposites.

In the second step, we have established a sovereign viewpoint represented by the Emperor in tarot (Arcanum IV. The Sovereign). It is the process of overcoming the shortcomings of the the previous viewpoint and the recognition of how our unconscious mind and conscious mind interact and influence the surface reality in lessons of good and evil or the recognition of “karmic returns.”

 

 

The better the instrument–or the more mature the spiritual consciousness–the quicker the return. Shocking things may surface or archetypes (of our shadow or within our unconscious mind) that we fear may very well appear on the surface reality. The Hierophant of tarot (Arcanum V. The Heirophant) demonstrates the mind’s sway on the surface reality and its ability to influence outside minds or align its thoughts with that of the World’s soul. Organized spiritual institutions follow this practice in that all are working toward one united goal–for the common “good.”

And the lovers represent the question that follows–what is the nature of our consciousness manifestation?

Is it good, because if it is not, you will surely know it soon. The next step presents itself as the Lovers in tarot (Arcanum V. The Two Paths). It describes the nature of the perspective our consciousness manifests. Will the path we choose lead us down a road of eros or agape, as these two types of desire manifest different things on the surface reality.

If what is in your mind is good, it will create more good and unite with more good to be good.

So for the alchemist, the next step would be building structures through exterior organizations (leading by example) and creating something (a paradigm, perhaps) that reflects the quality of his/her thinking in this new found consciousness.

Step 3. Separation

The reddening stage of the lesser work brings us to the Moon or silver. Here the crescent stands alone free from matter, independent of the cross of elements. Here the potentiality of the soul has been purified from the initial chaos of death (Saturn) and has now fully developed and united in a state of pure receptivity. The white mirror like metal of silver manifesting this purity, a state also symbolized by the “blessed virgin mother”, the Moon.

In passing the previous trials, we proceed to the act of separation symbolized by the tarot the Chariot (Arcanum VII. The Conqueror). It is the stage of sorting out different types of conscious contents and their origins, or recognizing the nature of the various types of conscious thought–that which originates in the Sun and that which originates in the Moon and the various elements (anima, animus, persona, shadow).

It is in this process by which we allow all conscious contents to surface–no matter their meaning–and we are able to assess these hidden qualities of our character through the light of the Sun.

In this process, we begin to understand the nature of our unconscious mind through its archetypes–we see the shadow in plain sight.

And as such, it vanishes. It was just a shadow to begin with, and it no longer has a hold over us.

The process is demonstrated in the tarot as Justice (Arcanum VIII. Justice). This is a recognition process in which we begin to separate our consciousness into types of thoughts that may be prompted by various aspects of our character or the human condition itself so that we begin to pinpoint the origins of their expression, thereby forming a means to balance their influence.

Throughout this process of separation, we may need to call upon our “higher self” to recognize the nature of our current ego consciousness. The Hermit appears to take us deep into our psyche by exploring the nature of our unconscious contents. We must go it alone–thus is the nature of the hermit (Arcanum IX. The Hermit).

We see this symbol pronounced in Star Wars, when Luke Skywalker goes to the Dagobah system to meet Yoda. The Hermit is Yoda, yet it is only a symbol of this process on the surface reality. The true Hermit is Luke Skywalker himself, and the act of becoming a “jedi” took place when Luke cut off his own head.

 

 

Thus, he severed his ego, a process that can only be done within Self. It is our decision to create the new persona.

This process allows all thoughts to surface so that the bigger picture of our consciousness may also reach the surface. We begin to reconstruct the contents of our own consciousness so that we may retain only the purest aspects of character in each–as if tuning an instrument before beginning playing practice.

Step 4. Conjunction

In the lesser work the energy as represented by the crescent moves upwards in an ascending movement until the Moon stands alone. These first three stages correspond to the “spiritualisation of the body” the last three stages correspond to the “embodiment of spirit” and represent a downward movement and descent back into matter.

The next step has already been brought into play, as it is symbolized by the The Wheel in tarot (Arcanum X. The Wheel). Our thoughts and actions will now be measured through karmic returns–that which we’ve put into our will and desire is now set into motion. This process is standing by to watch the effects of the Moon as it turns to silver and we cross into the spiritualization of the body.

The conjunction is the moment the contents of the Moon reach the Sun. This is often brought about by a conscious recognition of the true meaning of the unconscious contents. It is represented by the purest Strength given by the spark of divinity or the spirit within (Arcanum XI. Strength).

Most often, we see this stage of spiritual development as an a flooding of the unconscious contents into the conscious reality, but at this point, they can be integrated into our conscious perception more readily through the help of divine guidance. This is a revisiting of the same archetype (anima/animus) that released the unconscious contents into the conscious mind in the first place, then sent us into the depths of the unconscious.

Hello, synchronicity, psychic phenomena and absolute love–it’s a good time to meditate. Keep that feeling for as long as you can because it’s your patronus (in the land of HP).

The Sun is in conjunction with the Moon–the soulmates are united.

 

 

It is at this step in the process that we begin to see how our former mode of consciousness no longer satisfies the World we wish to create. This step in the process is symbolized by the tarot The Hanged Man (Arcanum XII. The Martyr), because it shows how the reality we live in has been turned upside down to the point that it no longer suits our path–and so, we hang by the structures of our former consciousness.

Step 5. Putrefaction

The first stage of the greater work, the blackening:

Venus dominates the first stage of the greater work. Here the form giving power of the active essence of spirit imprints a new to the cross of the elements. At this stage the volatile power of Quicksilver prevails over the solid bodies, later the fixative power of sulphur will prevail over volatile Quicksilver and crystallise a new soul-body form.

The colouring power of Sulphur does become visible in Copper (Venus’s metal) yet the new creation is not perfected, it is still unstable and coarse, because it is still attached to the opposing forces contained in the cross of the four elements.

This step starts to stink–and that’s because the rotting thoughts that were within our unconscious mind (only the Moon knew) must make their way to the surface reality so they are recognized by the conscious mind to make it even better, much like the aging of rotting grapes into wine or the rising of the phoenix from the ashes. Otherwise, these thoughts locked within the Sarcophagus (unconscious) will consume the pure effort put forth to manifest the work–in other words, these bad thoughts, usually in the form of doubt, could be locked in the Sarcophagus and taint the outcome of the work.

This process often prompts the dark night of the soul. It’s a dark time for your spiritual consciousness when all that pent up energy is opened much like Pandora’s Box. It’s also known as fermentation and is sometimes referred to as the “death” of ego (Arcanum XIII. The Reaper). There is no possible way you will ever be the same again–thus this is a sign of a new beginning.

This step works its way to a time of testing, where we meet Temperance in tarot or the Alchemist (Arcanum XIV. The Alchemist). At this time, we must be reminded to keep these new ideas in mind or this new mode of thinking (a balanced mind), lest we destroy the work in the fire before its completion. This shifts our attention to the inner work and the need to silence the noise of exterior influence.

 

 

Now we must have an adversary who is bent on knocking us off the path. It is the Devil in tarot, but the Black Magician is a more suiting title (Arcanum XV. The Black Magician). The encounter is a reminder that there is an opposition to every supposition, and its important to know that when we believe something strongly enough, the exact opposite of that believe will soon confront us–and as quick as our spiritual maturity brings karmic returns, we will have our adversary. These are the parts of our consciousness that experienced death coming back to haunt us.

This is simply a rule of the universe–I did not make this up.

When “good” was created “evil’ was created. For one pole, therein exists the other. Therefore, I’ve always preferred a Taoist approach to the way in which we view the universe, because yin and yang was always much easier to stomach than full blown demons and angels.

Step 6. Distillation

The second stage of the greater work, the whitening:

Mars dominates the second stage of the greater work. Saturn and Mars are opposite each other, seen in their glyph where the cross sits atop dominating the crescent of the soul or the sphere of spirit. Both represent an extinction of sorts, while Saturn symbolises the chaotic condition of death, Mars is an active and directed descent of spirit into the lowest levels of human consciousness.

Here the body is completely penetrated by the incombustible Sulphur. In Iron the fixative and colouring power of Sulphur, though present, can not manifest its lustre. The spirit is wholly submerged in the body, this is the threshold of the final completion; the transformation of body into spirit-become-form.

This step is initiated by the Tower of tarot (Arcanum XVI. The Tower). The lightning above the tower symbolizes the spark of divinity within us–some refer to this stage as kundalini rising, as the contents of each dimensional frame of consciousness represented in the chakras is purified by the spirit. At this moment in time, we have watched the structures we once held in our consciousness crumble and embraced the sight of a new paradigm unfolding by way of recognition of our own divine spark.

At this stage, we may become more aware of synchronous events (thank you, universe!), psychic senses (surprise! you’re an empath) or feel so much pure love for the universe–it pours out in ways we never knew possible.

Practicing gratitude is of the utmost importance.

So much pure love in fact it becomes a symbol of our unconscious mind in the conscious reality. We all have a Star (and it is yours and only yours) symbolically expressed by the Star in tarot (Arcanum XVII. The Star). The Star is pure inspiration from your divine spark–the passions flowing from the spirit of your unconsciousness into the conscious reality and purifying all that exists in the dimensions of each of your seven chakras (those parts that make up your Sun or ego consciousness).

It is a truth that lights the way, much like the North Star.

 

 

It is your light of your beloved.

It exists in the world of the Moon (Arcanum XVIII. The Moon), where it always remains–because it is the master of that domain. It is the animus to your anima, a constant reminder of the divinity within us all living in the place of our unconscious mind where we are connected to the “soul of the World” or Jung’s “collective unconscious.” Because according to Jung, the collective unconscious is reached only through our own unconscious archetypes.

Step 7. Coagulation

The final stage of the greater work, the reddening:

The completion of the greater work is expressed by the Sun. The centre point that was missing at the start in the circle, representing what was only potentially present is now manifest. This stage is the reddening, which expands spirit into matter, reflecting the completion through the colour royal purple-red.

In the greater work the energy as represented by the circle moves downwards until the Sun stands alone. The Sun is analogous to the soul transmuted and illuminated by spirit, representing the perfect union of spirit, soul and body, it is the centre point of equilibrium sought by the alchemists.

At this stage in the game, the alchemist has reached the conclusion of a new consciousness. A work of gold is manifested into the World by way of the Sun and the Moon. This is the work of the alchemist–not necessarily the perfection of consciousness, but the great work that will come about by way of this transformation. It is the ability to manifest pure consciousness into the reality at will in the form of a new paradigm made in our own image–it is a reflection of below, above. This step, is therefore, represented by the tarot the Sun (Arcanum XIX. The Sun).

Next comes Judgment as a product of the quality of the gold (XX. The Sarcophagus).

 

 

Of course, we’re operating on a plane of existence that contains many wills and even a will of its own. Therefore, the effects of our thoughts and actions as they pertain to the whole world will now be weighed. The nature of our work is now scrutinized. Much like the Egyptians weighed their soul against a feather of truth–we find out if our new consciousness was, indeed, so divine, after all.

Finally, the new paradigm has been given the blessing of the World (XXI. The Adept). We have championed the former paradigm that no longer served us, thus “ascended” into higher consciousness.

 

 

This has allowed us to multiply the work in the World–the alchemist’s magnum opus has been achieved.

 

Home

 

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CC: jenny downing

References:

7 Stages of Spiritual Alchemy

http://www.soul-guidance.com/houseofthesun/alcha12operations.htm

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-jungs-4-major-archetypes-2795439

Astrology and Alchemy