Alchemy - Another Complimentary Interpretation (Was: Re: Okay, Who Dies?) - Long

[Goddlefrood]

No: HPFGUIDX 170812

> Montavilla47:

> There's something I've been wanting to float as an idea ever 
> since I looked up the seven stages of alchemy.
<SNIP>
> 1. Calcination:  Heating the substance until it is reduced to
> ashes.
> 2. Dissolution:  Dissolving the ashes in water.
> 3. Separation:  Filtering the substance and removing any
> impure ingredients.
> 4. Conjunction:  Combing the separated elements again
> into a new substance.
> 5. Fermentation: A period of rest allowing for the growth of
> bacteria (which is how cheese and wine is created from milk 
> and grape juice.)
> 6. Distillation:  Boiling and condensation of the fermented 
> solution to increase its purity.
> 7. Coagulation:  The precipitation or sublimation of the 
> purified ferment from the substance.
<SNIP>

Goddlefrood:

As I was able to understand the process, the above refers to 
the chemical interpretation of the seven stages of alchemy. 
It is very interesting indeed and I proffer my compliments 
to you, Montavilla47, for putting forward an explanation of 
the seven stages in terms of how a link could be made to Lord 
Voldemort's progress during the books.

I would also go a little further and add that there are three, 
and possibly more, other ways of interpreting the seven stages. 
They are psychologically, physiologically and societal. It is 
the latter of these that a look at may be of assistance in 
development of the idea further. It may just enable you, and 
others interested, to fit Lord Voldemort's and more importnatly 
perhaps, Harry's journey into a scheme that tallies with this 
seven stage process as opposed to the three stage process that 
has been referred to not only in my earlier post on this thread 
but also often by those seeking enlightenment over who may die.

Like I mentioned in the previous an alternative way of construing 
the three stage process can lead to a conclusion that it is Harry's 
development through that that could be a key to understanding how 
his journey towards his goal would be achieved.

Taking the societal method for the seven stage process and 
transposing that onto the seven stages of Voldemort could 
lead us somewhere interesting. With no further ado here it 
is:

> Montavilla47:

> 1. PS/SS:  His host body, Quirrell is burned from touching Harry.

Goddlefrood:

Calcination in societal interpretation is compared to heroes or 
revolutionaries who attempt to subvert the status quo. In terms 
of fitting that to PS/SS it does not really work. However, if we 
go back to the beginning of Lord Voldemort's first rise it may do 
so. His goal appears to have been to oust the existing regime and 
impose his own rule over the wizarding world.

> Montavilla47:
 
> 2. CoS:  Voldemort's soul is dissolved into the waters of the 
> chamber.

Goddlefrood:

Dissolution is the time of purging the Earth of all that is 
deficient and it seems to me that in his own mind Lord Voldemort 
wanted to do just that. This is quite easily divined from his 
spiel towards the end of CoS as well as GoF. His two lengthy 
speeches in canon to date in fact. The first from his younger 
self and the latter from his contemporary self after he has 
regained a body.

> Montavilla47:
 
> 3. PoA:  Voldemort is separated from any human "body" and 
> floating around, spirit-like.
 
Goddlefrood:

Separation then equates to the formation of a new order. This 
appears to me to be a reasonable extrapolation of what Lord 
Voldemort wanted to do. It starts once the process of ridding 
the wizarding world of its chaff, as he saw it, had been 
achieved. The ground has been prepared in stage two for 
stage three to progress.

> Montavilla47:

> 4. GoF:  Voldemort is combined with other elements into a 
> new "substance." A human body.

Goddlefrood:

Conjunction is simply where the new society has been created 
and is moving along the road to its final form. 

> Montavilla47:

> 5. OotP:  Voldemort, now substantial, seems to be waiting.  
> He has a lot of plans "fermenting," but not of them are quite 
> ready to execute.

Goddlefrood:

During the fermentation stage the new culture is developing its 
own ideology in terms of arts, sciences, magic development (as 
this is tied to the fictional world of Harry Potter). In the 
typical system espoused comparing the seven stages of societal 
development this is also the point at which religion becomes 
established in whatever form that might take.

> Montavilla47:

> 6. HBP: Voldemort is now revealed as evil in pure form.  
 
Goddlefrood:

It is at this point where it is no longer reasonable to compare 
the sixth stage of societal development to what Lord Voldemort 
had contemplated. This is because the sixth stage is where 
nirvana is reached through a process of society commingling 
into one and striving towards a common search for truth.

In response to item 6 of Montavilla47's comparison I would say 
that it is a bit of a stretch to say that HBP is where he is 
revealed as pure evil as that had occurred long before during 
his first rise. Momentarily I will attempt for my next trick 
to fit Harry into the seven stage societal alchemy schemata.

It fits Harry rather better than it fits Lord Voldemort, as 
I hope will become clear. It also somewhat complements the 
earlier post I made on this matter that had been expanded on 
by Jen in her response. The difference is that the reading 
of the societal version can be used to project what Harry 
has to do from the beginning of Deathly Hallows to one 
possible ending of it.

Thus distillation and coagulation do not easily fit in with 
comparison to Lord Voldemort's story ark, IMO.

> 7: DH:  Is it possible to predict Voldemort's fate using 
> alchemy as a guide?

Up to a point it is, yes, but that point using whichever of 
the interpretations whether chemical, as you had, or societal 
as I have, falls down after stage 5. It is my view that Lord 
Voldemort's chosen path this time around is very similar to 
his previously chosen path. He is repeating his errors and 
that will ultimately lead to his second and, hopefully, 
permanent downfall.

Unfortunately, while I would like to, I can not offer an 
explanation as to how alchemy would explain Lord Voldemort's 
future, a future that could be quite short.

Monatvilla47:

> So, perhaps while Harry is going through a positive 
> transformation through alchemy, Voldemort is also 
> going through a less psychological and more physical 
> transformation?

Goddlefrood:

It was certainly interesting and thank you for it. There is, 
if interested, available a good outline of the seven stage 
alchemical process from four perspectives, being chemical, 
psychological, physiological and societal offered at this 
site:

http://groups.msn.com/AncientWisdomNewMillenium/thesevenstagesoftransf
ormation.msnw

Perhaps someone else might be interested in using that as a basis 
for a theory on how the process could be at work in the books to 
date and how one of the methods outlined therein could compare.

Back though to Harry. Making some comparisons to the societal 
method led me to a similar, but distinct, conclusion to my 
previous. Using the five already outlined above before adding 
in the final two stages to see where that may lead us, let's 
go back to stage one. This is all based on the societal version 
of the seven stages of alchemy:

(i) Calcination compares to heroes or revolutionaries who attempt 
to subvert the status quo.

Harry has set out his stall already in terms of not accepting 
help from the Ministry of Magic, for my purpsoe the established 
regime. He has his own plan and it will undoubtedly serve him 
well in his quest in book 7. On that basis he is subverting the 
method that had been used against Lord Voldemort during his first 
rise as much as Dumbledore had with the establishment of the 
Order of the Phoenix.

(ii) Dissolution is the time of purging the Earth of all that is 
deficient. 

This goes hand in hand with Harry's primary goal in that to 
achieve that goal he must first overcome many obstacles, which 
include but are not limited to the destruction of the remaining 
Horcruxes and various conflicts with others who will be barring 
his objective. These others are Lord Voldemort's massed forces 
of darkness currently consisting of the giants, the Dementors, 
the Inferi, the werewolves and the Death Eaters. If there are 
any others I've overlooked do feel free to mention this.

(iii) Separation then equates to the formation of a new order.

This stage goes mostly to what will need to be done once Harry 
has succeeded in neutralising Lord Voldemort. There will be 
a process of cleaning up the wizarding world in general that 
may include a new Minister of Magic or even a new system of 
Government entirely within the wizarding world. It should also 
precipitate more equality for less favoured magical beings and 
improvement in relations between the magical world and the real 
world in terms of potential co-operation between them, but not 
in terms of realignment of the two.

(iv) Conjunction is simply where the new society has been 
created and is moving along the road to its final form.

This in and of itself is self explanatory and needs little 
further expansion.

(v) The fermentation stage of the new culture is when it 
develops its own ideology in terms of arts, sciences, magic 
development. This is also the point at which religion becomes 
established in whatever form that might take.

That also seems clear enough. I would only add that JKR will 
almost certainly give some expansion of how religion within 
the wizarding world works, which would put many a disagreement 
to rest.

(vi) Distillation now comes in. This sixth stage is the point 
at which the society progresses further and justice and truth 
have taken a firm grip so that the society can finally be 
realised in its final form in stage seven.

(vii) Coagulation is the last stage at which point there is 
a return to a paradisiacal state and that would be a rather 
satisfying point to have reached by the end of the story.

There is naturally a Caveat on all this, which is that it 
may not be that JKR advances the story right through the 
above stages. If it is at least moving towards the final 
state then that should be reward enough for many, if not 
all, readers.

Goddlefrood, who during the course of looking into all this, 
and there is a lot more but I'll spare you all any further, 
came across a quote he rather liked, I'll leave you with 
it:

"Darkness will appear on the face of the Abyss; Night, 
Saturn and the Antimony of the Sages will appear; blackness, 
and the raven's head of the alchemists, and all the colours 
of the world, will appear at the hour of conjunction; the 
rainbow also, and the peacock's tail. Finally, after the 
matter has passed from ashen-coloured to white and yellow, 
you will see the Philosopher's Stone".

- Heinrich Khunrath