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7 - Coagulation

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The final, 7th circle shows a youth emerging from an open grave, with the Latin word Lapidem, meaning “the Stone,” on the outer ring next to it. This is the operation of Coagulation, in which the fermented Child of the Conjunction is fused with the sublimated spiritual presence released during Distillation. The resurrection of the soul is accomplished by bringing together only the purest essences of one’s body and soul into the light of meditation. In other words, Coagulation incarnates and releases the “Ultima Materia” of the soul.

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Coagulation images include, a soaring eagle, brilliantly shining gold, scales of justice, an egg-shaped Stone, a heavenly-scented balsam, the elixir or ambrosia (food of immortality), wingless creatures borne away by winged creatures, the serpent and lion united, and the Phoenix (a mythical bird that repeatedly rose from the fire). The event is also indicated by the King and Queen breaking free of their chains to matter and appearing as naked Sol and Luna.

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On the mental level, Coagulation is first sensed as a new confidence that is beyond all things, though many experience it as a Second Body of golden coalesced light, a permanent vehicle of consciousness that embodies the highest aspirations and evolution of mind. Coagulation incarnates and releases the Ultima Materia of the soul, the Astral Body, which the alchemists also referred to it as the Greater or Philosopher’s Stone. Using this magical Stone, the alchemists believed they could exist on all levels of reality. In society, it is the living wisdom in which everyone exists within the same light of evolved consciousness and knowledge of Truth. 

madamlaydebug:

6 - Distillation

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Distillation is the 6th of the major operation in alchemy, and it is represented in the 6th circle by a unicorn and a rose bush. According to legend, the unicorn runs tirelessly from pursuers but lies meekly on the ground when approached by a virgin. The virgin is the purified matter at hand, which has returned to a state of innocence and potential. Above the circle is the word Occultum, meaning secret or hidden, since the essences at the beginning of this stage are invisible.

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The alchemical symbol for Distillation is the alembic, which is a hood that fits over the boiling fluid, condensing the rising vapors, and directing the purified condensate via a funnel or tube to a collecting vessel. Images include complicated distillation trains with multiple piping into tall vessels, large turning wheels, baptismal fonts, a rain of purified dew, the lotus flower, a 5-petaled rose, the Rosy Cross, the unicorn, white doves, and the Pelican. The Pelican was thought to sacrifice its own blood to feed its young, and it is also the name of a feedback-distillation apparatus. Sometimes this crucial step is represented by flames ascending into the sky or a dragon in flames with its tail in its mouth.

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Psychologically, Distillation is the agitation and sublimation of psychic forces is necessary to ensure that no impurities from the inflated ego or deeply submerged id are incorporated into the next and final stage. Personal Distillation consists of a variety of introspective techniques that raise the content of the psyche to the highest level possible, free from sentimentality and emotions, cut off even from one’s personal identity. Distillation is the purification of the unborn Self – all that we truly are and can be.

madamlaydebug:

5 - Fermentation

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The 5th circle of the Azoth is under the inscription Invenies, which means “you will discover.” This is the operation of Fermentation in which the unexpected mystic substance forms, the ambrosia of the gods, which represents the first lasting solidification of the conjoining of soul and spirit. The circle shows the Soul and Spirit birds nesting in a tree, brooding over their Egg, waiting for the mystical birth to occur.

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Images of the Putrefaction phase of Fermentation include corpses, graves, coffins, funerals, guardian angels, massacres, mutilation, worms, rotting flesh, Drawings of this phase occasionally depict a bird descending into a pitch black sky or caught lost in the dark clouds during a thunderstorm. Skeletons or black crows standing on corpses or rotting balls of earth are also seen. Images of Fermentation include scenes of sowing and germination, greenness and rebirth. Sometimes the King and Queen are show with wings or as angels to emphasize their spiritized form.

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Psychologically, this process is the death of the feeble (or unstable) Child of the Conjunction that will eventually result in its resurrection to a new level of being. Fermentation starts with the inspiration of spiritual power from Above that reanimates, energizes, and enlightens the alchemist. Out of the blackness of the alchemist’s despair (Putrefaction) comes a brilliant display of colors and meaningful visions (the Peacock’s Tail.) Fermentation can be achieved through various activities that include intense prayer, desire for mystical union, breakdown of the personality, transpersonal therapy, psychedelic drugs, and deep meditation. Thus, personal Fermentation is living inspiration from something totally beyond us.

madamlaydebug:

4 - Conjunction

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The 4th ray of the Azoth depicts the twin birds of soul and spirit leaving the earth together, lifting a spiked crown (the Fifth Element or Quintessence recovered from the preceding operations) into heaven or the realm of spirit. The goal of the Conjunction operation is to recombine these saved elements into a whole new incarnation.

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Above this circle is inscribed the word Rectificando, which means “by rectification” or setting things right. The alchemists often referred to the Conjunction as the “Marriage of the Sun and Moon.” After this Marriage of the Mind, the initiate experiences an increase in intuitive insight and the birth of Intelligence of the Heart. Images include the fruitful earth, sexual intercourse, rams and satyrs, double-chambered furnaces (athanors), glue or tape binding opposing entities, two streams coming together in one stream, Janus or double-faced people, people wearing crowns, and the hermaphrodite, Often engravings show the King and Queen in reconciliation at this stage, with Hermes (Tehuti) joining them an embrace or handshake.

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Psychologically, Conjunction is empowerment of our true selves, the union of both the masculine and feminine sides of our personalities into a new belief system or an intuitive state of consciousness. The alchemists referred to it as the Lesser Stone, and after it is achieved, the adept is able to clearly discern what needs to be done to achieve lasting enlightenment.

madamlaydebug:

3 - Separation

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The 3rd ray of Azoth shows the operation of Separation in which the black, earthbound Soul Bird splits into white birds that retrieve the saved remains of Calcination and Dissolution. This is the first coming together of soul and spirit, and the newly acquired vantage point allows the discernment of what is worthy of being saved from the previous two operations. Above this circle is the written Terrae, which means “of the earth” and refers to the real or manifested essences being separated out from the dregs of matter at this stage.

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Images for the Separation process include filter funnels, piles of sand or dirt, knights wielding swords, the caduceus as a weapon, divorce, dismemberment, surgery, splitting of the Red Sea, breaking apart of heaven and earth, scenes from the Apocalypse, and complicated geometric diagrams such as the Squaring of the Circle. Another popular image is that of a youthful Hermes (Tehuti) wearing full armor and trying to separate the arguing King and Queen, like a teenaged boy in a family dispute.

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Psychologically, this process is the rediscovery of our essence and the reclaiming of dream and visionary “gold” previously rejected by the masculine, rational part of our minds. Much of this shadowy material is things we are ashamed of or were taught to hide away by our parents, churches, and schooling. Separation is letting go of the self-inflicted restraints to our true nature, so we can shine through.

madamlaydebug:

The Ladder of the Wise

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The Great Work consists of various stages and processes, which are typically presented as laboratory processes. For the Alchemist working on the inner plane, the imagery of alchemical emblems often speaks more eloquently than the accompanying text. Their meaning is offered up over time when meditated on repeatedly, particularly when a series of images are considered as a whole, as well in isolation.

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The number of degrees of the Great Work varies by manuscript, with some having 12, 14, or 22, but most commonly 7. These stages can be loosely aligned with the 7 planets, 7 colors, 7 musical notes, 7 lower Sephiroth, etc. However, the order of these is often changed to protect the knowledge, and indicate that there can be alternate sequencing of these degrees. Alchemy is often suggestive rather than discursive. Allow the emblems to seep into your being, they can animate your subconscious and come alive in your dreams and meditations, thus transmitting very personal messages. Trust in the process and allow the spirit to move within you.

madamlaydebug:

1 - Calcination

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The 1st circle in the Azoth shows a Black Crow perching on top of a Skull. Next to the first circle (between the first and second rays) is the Latin word Visita, which means to visit or start a journey. Black crows are symbols of the initial Black Phase (the Nigredo) of alchemy, during which the subject of transformation is purified by breaking it down. The skull in the first circle is the classic symbol of the process of Calcination. Other images can include funeral pyres, hell, bonfires, blazing furnaces (athanors), crucibles, salamanders, the Red Lion fighting other animals, the Sun and Moon roasting over flames, the King being burned alive, cremated, or sitting inside a sweat box. Another Calcination image is a yellow lion devouring or struggling with a green snake.

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Psychologically, this operation involves the destruction of ego and our attachments to material possessions. Calcination is usually a natural humbling process as we are gradually assaulted and overcome by the trials and tribulations of life, though it can be a deliberate surrender of our inherent hubris gained through a variety of spiritual disciplines that ignite the fire of introspection and self- evaluation.

madamlaydebug:

AZOTH

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The “Azoth” (above) is a meditative emblem that is based on an illustration first published in 1659 in the ‘Azoth of the Philosophers’ by the legendary German alchemist Basil Valentine. The word “Azoth” in the title is one of the more arcane names for the First Matter. The “A” and “Z” in the word relate to “Alpha” and “Omega". Thus, Azoth represents not just the chaotic First Matter at the beginning of the Work but also its perfected essence (the Philosopher’s Stone) at the conclusion of the Work.

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At the center is the face of a bearded alchemist at the beginning of the Work. The downward-pointing triangle over the face represents Water in its highest sense as divine grace or the gift of life pouring down from Above. The body is in perfect balance with the 4 Elements depicted by his arms and legs. One foot is on Earth and the other in Water, indicating he is grounded in the real world. In his right hand is a torch of Fire and in his left hand a feather symbolizing Air. Although he is firmly planted in the world of matter, the alchemist has easy access to the powers of spirit.

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Movement through the 7 Stages of Azoth is clockwise, and between each step on the Planetary Ladder are a series of circles that show how to proceed to the next step or transform the current situation. These are the operations of alchemy. 

tomasorban:

While the mystics have linked darkness and spirit, in the Ageless Wisdom there has not been a concrete correspondence in the outer world with which to form an analogy. The spiritual journey is the journey from form, to the light behind form, to the darkness behind light. Matter is close at hand, and we have the concrete symbol of the Earth to aid our understanding. Consciousness has for its symbol light, the electromagnetic spectrum and the sun. Being remains a mystery, and mystics and occultists alike have long sought to convey something of that mystery through poetic experiential descriptions. Now there are outer corresponding symbols that can be used to ground the experience of the First Aspect in the everyday consciousness of the seeker. The black hole at the centre of a galaxy is an outer symbol of the local coherence and source of Being, just as the sun is our local symbol and source of light. Dark energy and dark matter are the monadic equivalent of light and electromagnetic radiation. The universe as science knows it today, consists of 75% dark energy, 21% dark matter, and 4% all the visible and measurable matter including light and the forms of human beings. Dark energy is the energetic substrate of the universe, and everything else is a form of modification of that basic energy, just as the soul and the personality are modifications of the primary monad. Dark energy and dark matter are a dual expression of one underlying reality. This will be a key to future models that seek to understand their functioning in the universe. Dark energy is an expression of the universal fluid or plenum that generates motion and therefore is ultimately responsible for the speed of light as well as the spiraling of galaxies, and the spin of electrons. Dark matter is an expression which generates mass. Thus both mass and the speed of light (the two components of Einstein’s famous equation) are fundamentally manifestations of the same energy.

This is why dark energy cannot be isolated, although its influence may be detected in high energy particle physics experiments. Once we split the atom we discovered that at its core were particles— electromagnetic, high mass, low mass and so forth. As this is written, the Cern hadron collider has just started up and will be capable of accelerating particles close to the speed of light—that constant which underlies the world of consciousness, just as the atom once formed the underlying limit of matter. We know matter is merely a form of energy. Soon we will know that light and high energy particles are merely one form that dark energy takes. Dark energy and dark matter are the correspondence to the etheric and physical planes of matter—or the abstract and concrete mind. Dark matter is the modification of this basic energy that is affected by gravity—the cosmic Saturn principle. All formal structures within the manifest universe, from super-clusters of galaxies to the smallest asteroid, exist within the folds of dark matter. Dark energy is a cosmic Uranian principle. It is free from the pull of gravity and generates the expansion of the universe. Without dark matter there would be no coherent structure, without dark energy there would be no freedom from it. The relationship between black holes and dark energy will form the basis for future exploration. In the first case we have a singularity formed where matter has completely surrendered to gravity and collapsed past all coherency. In the second case we have the cause of the universe expanding so fast that gravity is negated and all form will ultimately fly apart. They are correspondences to the alpha and omega points in the spiritual dimension. Penetration by science into the mysteries of dark energy and matter is in reality the penetration into the higher etheric planes of the physical plane, and has as its correspondence in consciousness the penetration into the higher ethers of the cosmic physical plane. This is why the entrance into darkness (and the corresponding entrance of that darkness into consciousness) is the symbol for contact with the monad and Shamballa. 

According to the tenets of Eastern Occultism, DARKNESS is the one true actuality, the basis and root of light, without which the latter could never manifest itself, nor even exist. Light is matter, and DARKNESS pure Spirit. Darkness, in its radical metaphysical basis, is subjective and absolute light; while the latter in all its seeming effulgence and glory, is merely a mass of shadows, as it can never be eternal, and is simply an illusion.

Bruce Lyon - Occult Cosmology

(via tomasorban)