The Complete Idiot's Guide to Alchemy (Complete Idiot's Guides) by Dennis William Hauck

Author:Dennis William Hauck [Hauck, Dennis William]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: DK Publishing
Published: 2008-04-01T04:00:00+00:00

The Reddening

After suffering through the Nigredo, undergoing the intense purifications of Albedo, and experiencing the death of putrefaction, the matter of the work was depleted of energy and life force. It was pure but sterile Earth, which the alchemists compared to the bleak face of the moon. To make the work come alive again, the alchemists felt it must have fresh blood and undergo reddening in the fire.

The infusion of life into the dead matter was accomplished by the loving union of the White Queen with the Red King, who work together during Rubedo in a cosmic process sometimes referred to as the “Marriage of the sun and the moon.” Obviously, these are profound symbols with universal meanings.

If you have been a good apprentice and have paid attention to the symbolism presented thus far, you should know what spiritual forces are represented by the White Queen and Red King. According to Hermetic philosophy, these spiritual forces are the basic essences of every created thing in the universe. Do you know what they are?

The White Queen represents the universal feminine essence of soul; the Red King represents the universal masculine essence of spirit. If you missed the answer to this question, go back to the last chapter and make sure you understand the meaning of the symbolism described under the conjunction process before you proceed further in your apprenticeship.

From the Alchemist

German alchemist Franciscus Kieser described the work of the White Queen and Red King during Rubedo in his 1606 book Cabalistic Chemistry: “As the body used to be slow, rough, impure, dark and destructible because it lacked power and energy, so the reddened rebirth unifies soul with spirit, vivified and volatile, light and penetrating, pure, refined and clear, overflowing with energy, indestructible and full of energy. And it is able to maintain this.”

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