Alchemical ramblings

[khinterberg]

No: HPFGUIDX 117157


Many people view alchemy as an important idea in the Harry Potter
books.  Because of this, I read a small book entitled "Alchemy: The
Great Secret" which contained a basic education on the subject and
also writings of different people on the subject.  I looked closely at
the Jung excerpt, as many people refer to him when speaking of Harry
Potter.  I will put the entirety of his explanation of the
Nigredo(Black), Albedo(White), and Rubedo(Red) stages here, because I
can only begin to form ideas about what this means in connection to
Harry Potter.  Here goes.

"The nigredo or blackness is the initial state, either present from
the beginning as a quality of the prima materia, the chaos or massa
confusa, or else produced by the separation(solutio, separatio,
divisio, putrifactio) of the elements.  If the separated condition is
assumed at the start, as sometimes happens, then a union of opposites
is performed under the likeness of a union of male and female(called
the coniugium, matrimonium, coniunctio, coitus), followed by the death
of the product of the union(mortifacatio, calcinatio, putrifactio) and
a corresponding nigredo.  From this the washing(ablutio, baptisme)
either leads direct to the whitening(albedo), or else the soul(anima)
released at the "death" is reunited with the dead body and brings
about its resurrection, or again the "many colours"(omnes colores), or
"peacock's tail"(cauda pavonis), lead to the one white colour that
contains all colours.  At this point the first main goal of the
process is reached, namely the albedo, tinctura alba, terra alba
foliata, lapis albus, etc., highly prized by many alchemists as if it
were the ultimate goal.  It is the silver or moon condition, which
still has to be raised to the sun condition.  The albedo is, so to
speak, the daybreak, but not till the rubedo is it sunrise.  The
transition to the rubedo is formed by the citrinitas(yellow), though
this, as we have said, was omitted later.  the rubedo then follows
direct from the albedo as the result of raising the heat of the fire
to its highest intensity.  The red and the white are King and Queen,
who may also celebrate their "chymical wedding" at this stage..."

-C.G. Jung, Psychology and Alchemy, 1944

This process leads the the scarlet red Philosopher's Stone.  I would
also like to add the the symbol for the Stone is the phoenix, and that
snakes, eagles, and lions are found often in the symbolism as well. 
Even a toad is a symbol for the black raw state of the material at the
beginning of the process.  

Let the interpretations begin.

khinterberg, who is terribly upset with her country after the election