Welcome back, dear reader, I hope the last week has found you well. If you have spent any time studying alchemy you have likely come across the discussion of symbolism as it plays a huge role in the history of alchemy and how the Great Work is transmitted. Today we will begin taking a look at the symbolism in alchemy but before we dive in and start going over some of the thousands of images associated with alchemy, it would benefit us most by discussing what we are even talking about so that we are all on the same page. Most importantly we will try to break down what are symbols? And why do alchemists have such an affinity for them?
So to begin, what are symbols? Symbols are “something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance.”[1] They represent more than just a simple word, they convey an entire idea. If I show you a picture of a fish and I am trying to convey a fish, that is not working as a symbol, but if the image of a fish is used to convey the idea of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through being a “fisher of men,” that would be a symbol. Symbols often tend to convey deeper thoughts that speak to the person on a level much closer to the subconscious. Carl Jung believed that using symbols as a focal point in the process of talk therapy could help bridge the gap between your conscious and subconscious minds, making the person able to facilitate a more permanent change.[2]
If you have read any of the other issues of this publication you have probably already heard me speak about symbols such as lead or gold. I’m sure that you can understand how the symbol of lead is a much easier term to use than trying to describe the mundane, base, primitive, unrefined ego body of a person, and the transmutation to gold makes the purification process much easier to grasp than trying to wrap your brain around the idea of ego death over and over again. Because of that, you can probably understand the ease that writing in symbols gave to the alchemists when they were trying to describe both physical and mental processes, however there were more reasons why alchemists chose to use them.
The second reason they were used can be seen in the last several issues of this publication, the fact that alchemy was practiced over a huge physical distance and thousands of years, so it was constantly plagued by language barriers. Anyone who has studied another language can tell you how difficult it can be to learn something as simple as the words for lead or gold, let alone the term for death of your ego, in order to get those ideas across you would need to be nearly fluent and that can take time. However, if you have ever tried to get around a foreign country where you couldn’t speak to anyone, you probably noticed that symbols could be extremely useful. This is the same case with alchemical symbols, I have been studying alchemy for many years and on several continents where I couldn’t really communicate well but I was able to accurately share and receive information just through the use of symbols. But being able to speak this secret “language of the birds”[3] served an even deeper purpose thank getting past the language barrier, it also got past political barriers.
It may not come as much of a shock but many people in authority have thought that the ability to create gold or grant everlasting life could be a little too much power for anyone to have, it may even put their rule in jeopardy, so it was banned several times. The practice was banned in Europe by the pope[4] as well as other kings at different times, and even in the byzantine empire[5] like we spoke about at the end of the Ancient Byzantine alchemy discourse, so at many times of history a practicing alchemist would need to be hiding from the law. Having some books around your house talking about changing lead into gold, chemistry, or other spirits would probably tip anyone off to your secret, but having things written in a secret script no one would be able to read or even recognize as a script could be what saves your life and allows you to finish your alchemical work. An alchemist could even send his notes to another researcher in the form of a painting with hidden meanings and no one would ever think that it was anything other than a picture.
Over the next several weeks we will be attempting to break through this cloud of mystery that alchemical symbols have been wrapped in for so many centuries, I say attempting because for every alchemist there is there are slight variations to the myriad symbols used and some of them are only in their interpretations even if the image looks exactly the same. However we will be covering many of the most common symbols as well as the larger groups of symbols such as elements, metals, planets, processes, and more so that each of you can move forward in your studies with confidence. I look forward to bringing you along on this journey and let me be the first to congratulate you on your journey learning the language of the birds. I look forward to speaking to you on a deeper level and I hope the next week finds you well.
References:
Abraham, Lyndy. A dictionary of alchemical imagery. Vol. 45. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Bayley, Justine. "Society and Environment: The Social Position of the Alchemist and Alchemy in the Court, in the Church, and in Society." A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Middle Ages 2 (2023): 93.
Davis, Tenney L. "Pictorial representations of alchemical theory." Isis 28, no. 1 (1938): 73-86.
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster. "Merriam-webster." On-line at http://www. mw. com/home. htm 8, no. 2 (2002): 23.
Dubs, Homer H. "The origin of alchemy." Ambix 9, no. 1 (1961): 23-36.
Edinger, Edward F. "Anatomy of the psyche: Alchemical symbolism in psychotherapy." (1985).
Gray, Ronald Douglas. Goethe the alchemist: A study of alchemical symbolism in Goethe's literary and scientific works. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
Hauck, Dennis William. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Alchemy: The Magic and Mystery of the Ancient Craft Revealed for Today. Penguin, 2008.
James, Stuart. "A Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery." Reference Reviews 13, no. 4 (1999): 13-14.
Jung, Carl Gustav. Psychology and alchemy. Routledge, 2014.
Mertens, Michèle. "Graeco-Egyptian Alchemy in Byzantium." In Colloquium-Byzantine Studies, Dumbarton Oaks: The Occult Sciences in Byzantium. La Pomme d'or, Genève, Switzerland, 2006.
Neihardt, John G. Black Elk speaks: The complete edition. U of Nebraska Press, 2014.
Olderr, Steven. Symbolism: a comprehensive dictionary. McFarland, 2012.
Sheppard, H. J. "A Survey of Alchemical and Hermetic Symbolism." Ambix 8, no. 1 (1960): 35-41.
Silberer, Herbert. Hidden Symbolism of ALCHEMY and the OCCULT ARTS. Courier Corporation, 1971.
Stratford, Jordan, and Jeffrey S. Kupperman. A dictionary of western alchemy. Quest Books, 2014.
Viano, Cristina. "Greco-Egyptian Alchemy." The Cambridge History of Science 1 (2018): 468-482.
[1] Dictionary, Merriam-Webster. "Merriam-webster." On-line at http://www. mw. com/home. htm 8, no. 2 (2002): 23
[2] Jung, Carl Gustav. Psychology and alchemy. Routledge, 2014.
[3] Hauck, Dennis William. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Alchemy: The Magic and Mystery of the Ancient Craft Revealed for Today. Penguin, 2008.
[4] BAYLEY, JUSTINE. "Society and Environment: The Social Position of the Alchemist and Alchemy in the Court, in the Church, and in Society." A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Middle Ages 2 (2023): 93.
[5] Mertens, Michèle. "Graeco-Egyptian Alchemy in Byzantium." In Colloquium-Byzantine Studies, Dumbarton Oaks: The Occult Sciences in Byzantium. La Pomme d'or, Genève, Switzerland, 2006.
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Interesting!