DREAM SYMBOLS OF THE INDIVIDUATION PROCESS BY C. G. JUNG (E)

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 We have now reached the final part of the analysis of this dream: (1, 2, 3, 4) the matter of the square and everyone walking counterclockwise around as the dreamer is not in the middle but on one side. I picked this dream from his collection of dream analyses with the help of the mandala symbol. (I have shared other interpretations and will continue to do so.)

Here is a short explanation by Dr Jung on Mandalas and their meaning in comparison between the East and the West which he got the chance (as he wrote;) In 1938, I had an opportunity to meet and speak with a lamaistic Rinpoche named Lingdam Gomchen in a Monastery of Bhutia Busty (near Darjeeling) about the Mandala (Khilkor). He explained it as a “dmigs-pa” (pronounced migpa), a mental picture (imago mentalis) which can only be constructed by imagination by a trained lama. No mandala is like the other; they are individually different. Also, the mandalas you see in monasteries and temples have no special meaning since they are only external representations. The true mandala is always an inner image, which is gradually constructed by (active) imagination when a disturbance of mental balance or thought cannot be found and must, therefore, be sought because it is not included in the sacred doctrine.

There are some texts, such as Shri-Chakra-Sambhara-Tantra, which contain instructions for making the “mental image”. The “khilkor” is strictly separated from the “sidpe-korlo”, the wheel of life (Fig. 29), representing the course of human existence according to the Buddhist view. In contrast to the “khilkor”, the wheel of life consists of a ternary system, namely the rooster = lust, the snake = hate or envy, and the pig = ignorance or unconsciousness (avidya). Here, we throw out the dilemma of three and four, which also play a role in Buddhism. We will reencounter this problem as the Dream Series progresses. (From The Serpent Power, hrsg. von Avalon, 1919)

Fig. 29
Tibetan World Wheel (sidpe-korlo)

Alchemy and Its Phases—A Road Map for Individuals and Cultures:

These four phases—nigredo, albedo, rubedo, citrinitas—describe the stages of alchemical change not only on the individual level. Jung recognized that “the collective psyche shows the same pattern of change as the psyche of the individual. This being so, collective life would manifest the following:

In the nigredo phase: fires, floods, epidemics and natural disasters, plane crashes and other events that leave hundreds or thousands dead; inflation, in the economic sense of rising prices; the discovery of rot and corruption in the public sphere, in corporations and in government; greed, with the basic motivation being money, with people being “bought” in a variety of ways, and the political system held hostage by the plutocrats or moneyed interests; large segments of the population not understanding what’s going on in the world, experiencing confusion, disorientation, feelings of being “out of the loop,” shut out of public life; sickness of spirit, with many signs of spiritual malaise, e.g. widespread substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, sexual violence; anxiety and irritability, along with a rash of psychosomatic illnesses, a rise in mental illness and more minor forms of madness like “road rage.”

in the albedo phase: confrontations between the sexes; public debates about the role of women in the public sphere; protests and agitation for more equal rights for women and minorities; more push to integrate women and minorities into the mainstream of our collective life

in the rubedo phase: more discussion of unity, the interdependence of all beings (not just human beings), the preciousness of life, a growing reverence for life and Earth, our planet that sustains our life; and the appearance of new attitudes and concerns (e.g. the growing planetary awareness of global warming)

in the citrinitas phase: new ways of being and living that create a world that works for everyone, all beings, not just humans; the rise of a way of living and working that sustains natural systems, that provides spiritual fulfilment and economic justice to all. Visionaries in indigenous cultures hundreds of years ago have provided descriptions of this phase as a time of peace (all sources of conflict are gone), union (all recognize that we are one), life directed by the Creator, with everyone understanding the cosmic plan; everyone being able to communicate with everyone and everything else (i.e. telepathy is the usual way communication occurs); a single currency, with no governments; love and joy being experienced all the time. From Jung’s Prophetic Visions

The third degree of [Alchemical] conjunction is universal: it is the relation or identity of the personal with the supra-personal atman and of the individual Tao with the universal Tao. . . . ~Carl Jung, CW 14, Para 762

Just as some alchemists had to admit that they never succeeded in producing the gold or the Stone, I cannot confess to having solved the riddle of the coniunctio mystery.
On the contrary, I am darkly aware of things lurking in the background of the problem-things too big for our horizons. ~Carl Jung, Letters Vol. II, Pages 392-396

The image on top: Inner Oracle by Carlos-Quevedo

And now, the final part of the dream analysis:

The Mandala Symbolism (Dream 16) P.4

There are a lot of people there. Everyone walks counterclockwise around the square. The dreamer is not in the middle but on one side. It is said that one wants to reconstruct the gibbon.

Fig. 53
Demon in monkey form; the mirror of human salvation. 14th century

If taken seriously, the symbolism of the renewal rites points beyond the merely infantile and archaic to that innate psychological disposition, which is the result and deposit of all ancestral lives back to animality; hence, the ancestral and animal symbolism. These are attempts to abolish the separation of consciousness from the unconscious, which is the actual source of life, and to reunify the individual with the mother soil of the inherited, instinctive disposition. If such renewal rites did not have pronounced effects, they would not only have died out in ancient times, but they would never have come into being at all. Our case proves that even if the conscious mind is miles away from the ancient ideas of the renewal rite, the unconscious tries to bring them closer to the conscious mind in dreams. The autonomy and self-sufficiency of consciousness are properties without which it would not come into being at all. Still, it also means the danger of isolation and desolation by creating an unbearable alienation from instinct by splitting off the unconscious. But lack of instinct is the source of endless trials and tribulations.

Finally, the fact that the dreamer is not in the “centre” but on the side clearly indicates what will happen to his ego: he will no longer be able to claim the central place. Still, he will probably have to go with him to the position of a satellite or at least a planet rotating around the sun. The important place in the middle is apparently intended for the gibbon to be reconstructed. The gibbon is one of the anthropoids and, due to its human kinship, is a suitable symbol to express that part of the psyche that extends into the subhuman. Using the example of the Cynocephalus (baboon; Fig. 54), which was associated with Thoth-Hermes, which was the highest ape known to the Egyptians, we have seen how, thanks to its relationship to God, it is suitable to express that part of the unconscious which exceeds the level of consciousness.

Fig. 54
Thoth as Cynocephalus. From the grave of Amenherchopschef near Deir el-Medina.20 Dynasty, 1198-1167

It is unlikely to cause serious offence if one assumes that the human psyche has levels below consciousness. But the fact that there could just as well be floors that lie above consciousness, so to speak, seems to be an assumption that borders on a ‘crimen laesae maiestatis humanae’ (crime of injured human majesty). In my experience, consciousness can only claim a relative middle position and has to tolerate being towered over and surrounded on all sides by the unconscious psyche. It is connected through unconscious contents with physiological conditions on the one hand and archetypal prerequisites on the other. But it is also anticipated forward by intuitions, which in turn are partly conditioned by archetypes and partly by subliminal perceptions that are related to the space-time relativity of the unconscious. I must leave it to the reader to form their own judgment about the possibility of such a hypothesis from careful consideration of this dream series and the problems it raises.

So! That was my effort to explain a bit about Alchemy and its meaning with the help of symbols through Dr. Jung’s words. I hope those interested enjoy the term! Thank you.

Vita & Virginia

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Actually, I didn’t even think about making a second contribution. Since yesterday, I’ve been feeling under the weather and have some feeling that I’ve got a case of influenza.😜 I probably have my wife to thank, who was sick all last week! But after watching this movie the day before yesterday, I thought I could write a few lines.

Vita & Virginia is not a brand-new movie; you might have already seen it. It is also not the best made of, but the name of Virginia Woolf was enough for me to take the time to watch, and the fascination of the development of her novel Orlando. The movie’s director, Chanya Button, might have tried to make an artistic film parallel to its creative expression. (for example, lecture reading the letters between Virginia and Vita), and these might bore some audience; for me, it was not. It reminded me of the masterwork by Joshua Logan, Camelot 1967, which my brother Al and I watched those days in Iran; after not even half of the film was over, most of the audience left the cinema!

I love the femininity running through this film (with the fully understanding husband!) and in her Novel, Orlando, Woolf’s discovery of the “man” in Vita Sackville-West.

Feminine consciousness has been operative in some individuals but not in a whole culture. Now, I think we’re starting to get free of the old matriarchy and free of the patriarchy. In other words, we are entering into a conscious relationship with our mother and father complexes. As a planet, we’re moving toward maturity. Marion Woodman

Unfortunately, I must add that the subject of misusing is constantly a shameful term in the man’s world!!

I also added some words from Wikipedia: Have a lovely weekend, thank you, and stay “healthy”!💖🙏🥰

Set in the 1920s, the writers Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf move in different London circles. When they meet, Vita decides Virginia will be her next conquest. They have an affair against the background of each of their open marriages.

Sexual abuse

Woolf stated that she first remembers being molested by Gerald Duckworth when she was six. It has been suggested that this led to a lifetime of sexual fear and resistance to masculine authority. Against a background of over-committed and distant parents, suggestions that this was a dysfunctional family must be evaluated. These include evidence of sexual abuse of the Stephen girls by their older Duckworth half-brothers and by their cousin, James Kenneth Stephen (1859–1892), at least of Stella Duckworth. Laura is also thought to have been abused. The most graphic account is by Louise DeSalvo, but other authors and reviewers have been more cautious. Virginia’s accounts of being continually sexually abused while she lived at 22 Hyde Park Gate have been cited by some critics as a possible cause of her mental health issues. However, there are likely to be several contributing factors. Hermione Lee states, “The evidence is strong enough, yet ambiguous enough, to open the way for conflicting psychobiographical interpretations that draw quite different shapes of Virginia Woolf’s interior life”.

Karomama I, Divine Worshiper of Amun-Ra, The Mysterious Priestess in the Rank of Queen!

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As we know with Osiris, Amun-Ra( Amon, Ammon, Amoun, Amen, Amana) is the most widely recorded of the Egyptian gods. Amun was the god who created the universe. Ra was the god of the sun and light, travelling across the sky daily in a burning boat. The two gods were combined into one, Amun-Ra, in the time of the New Kingdom, between the 16th and 11th centuries BCE.

©Kairoinfo4u – The sacred boats of Amun-Ra, Mut and Khonsu (Ancient Egypt Online)

Today, I would like to introduce the statue of Karomama, the “divine worshiper of Amun”. Amun had many worshipers; one of them was Karomama 1st. Here is a brilliant report by Marie Grillot (& Marc Charier) about the story of this treasure.

“Statue of Karomama, “divine worshiper of Amun” in Thebes Bronze inlaid with pink gold, silver, electrum – 22nd dynasty Probably coming from Thebes – Acquired by Jean-François Champollion

Princess Karomama is the granddaughter of Osorkon I, priestess and the divine consort of Amun.

Let’s read the whole story:

The image at the top: Amun-Re; Ammon; Amon; Amun (Cristalinks)

Karomama, Divine Worshiper, Totally and Eternally “Divine”!

égyptophile

Karomama, “divine worshiper of Amun” – bronze inlaid with pink gold, silver, electrum – 22nd dynasty
from Thebes – acquired by Jean-François Champollion in Egypt in 1829 from Giovanni (Yanni) of Athanasi
Louvre Museum – N 500

In July 1827, the outline of the Franco-Tuscan expedition to Egypt was put on paper. Jean-François Champollion and Ippolito Rosellini and their teams will have the primary missions of visiting the monuments of ancient Egypt and purchasing objects for the royal collections.

Champollion devoted himself with infinite passion to monuments for 17 months, from July 1828 to December 1829. But he was also keen to bring back numerous objects to enrich the Egyptian antiquities division of the Charles X Museum (future Louvre), inaugurated on December 15, 1827, and of which he was appointed curator.

Karomama, “divine worshiper of Amun” – bronze inlaid with pink gold, silver, electrum – 22nd dynasty
from Thebes – acquired by Jean-François Champollion in Egypt in 1829 from Giovanni (Yanni) of Athanasi
Louvre Museum – N 500

Thus, on December 26, 1829, he wrote to Baron de la Bouillerie: “I have also brought together a collection of selected objects of great interest, among which is a bronze statuette, of exquisite artistry, entirely inlaid in gold, and representing an Egyptian queen of the Bubastide dynasty. It is the most beautiful object of this kind.”

And, in a letter to Rosellini, Champollion explains the acquisition as follows: “This large bronze statuette of the divine worshiper Karomama was part of the collection assembled in Alexandria by Yanni Athanasi, the former collaborator of Salt: I had his beautiful bronze of the queen and a hundred other first-rate pieces for a thousand tari.” Giovanni d’Athanasi was then known and recognized: in 1819, he succeeded Belzoni to the English consul Henry Salt, who appreciated his ability to estimate the quality and value of antiquities and his sense of commerce. Athanasi thus supplied the Salt collections while building a personal collection himself.

Karomama, “divine worshiper of Amun” – bronze inlaid with pink gold, silver, electrum – 22nd dynasty
from Thebes – acquired by Jean-François Champollion in Egypt in 1829 from Giovanni (Yanni) of Athanasi
Louvre Museum – N 500

This is how the Karomama statue arrived in Paris. It measures 59 cm high and, on the Louvre website, it is presented as follows, under the inventory number N 500: “Walking on a base, barefoot, arms outstretched to shake the sistrums, Karomama is dressed in “a pleated dress close to the body, with ample sleeves. Half-long, the dress is caught in the plumage of the vulture, which slides over the thighs. The short hairstyle fits the face widely. The coiled uraeus emerges from the modius, a small pad on which a crown was originally embedded. A sumptuous goldwork adornment shines on the top of her shoulders and the base of her chest… The inscriptions on the base indicate her identity: “Beloved by Amon-Re, she is his divine spouse, the Divine Adoratrix.”

Karomama, “divine worshiper of Amun” – bronze inlaid with pink gold, silver, and electrum – 22nd dynasty
from Thebes – acquired by Jean-François Champollion in Egypt in 1829 from Giovanni (Yanni) of Athanasi
Louvre Museum – N 500

Today, It is considered one of the most beautiful pieces in the Egyptian Department of Antiquities. She finally overcame this problematic period where, after the admiration aroused upon her arrival, she was placed in a somewhat dark display case, covered with dust and oblivion… to make room for new acquisitions.

In the 1890s, Émile Chassinat (attached to the Department of Egyptian Antiquities) brought her out of her “exile where her happier rivals had relegated her”.

Karomama, “divine worshiper of Amun” – bronze inlaid with pink gold, silver, and electrum – 22nd dynasty
from Thebes – acquired by Jean-François Champollion in Egypt in 1829 from Giovanni (Yanni) of Athanasi
Louvre Museum – N 500

He made an exact analysis entitled “A bronze statuette of Queen Karomama (XXII dynasty)” which appeared in 1897, of which there are some extracts: “Karomama, indeed of mixed blood, Libyan of more or less recent stock, shows a finesse of line, which some will perhaps find dry, which denounces the race and which imitates, so to speak, the classic type of goddesses as the sculptors copied it from generation to generation. Perhaps it has even been embellished here to highlight the queen’s superior essence better… The nose is thin and slightly arched; the widely slit eyes are elongated naturally and not by the artifice of kohol; the mouth is pursed and curled with relatively thin lips, and the accentuated oval of the face changes us from the somewhat tiring banality of the portraits of women that we commonly encounter… She is represented in a conventional pose. Standing, left leg slightly forward, she half extends her arms; the closed fists most probably held two sistrums… The upper chest and part of the arms are hidden by a sizeable five-row necklace where the decorative talent of the damascener is given full display. Each row is made up of different patterns; the last simulates pendants… The electrum, gold and silver combine their colours, a little pale now, with perfect harmony and good taste. Despite the profusion of precious materials, the general impression is excellent; perhaps it was not the same when the work left the hands of the artisan; we cannot affirm it because time has often done things well by attenuating”… “It alone, one could say, of all the bronzes in the Louvre, gives the satisfactory impression of the perfection to which the artists Egyptians had reached all branches of plastics.”

Karomama, “divine worshiper of Amun” – bronze inlaid with pink gold, silver, electrum – 22nd dynasty
from Thebes – acquired by Jean-François Champollion in Egypt in 1829 from Giovanni (Yanni) of Athanasi
Louvre Museum – N 500

Christiane Ziegler (“Tanis the Gold of the Pharaohs”), who studied the inscriptions on the statue, specifies that this magnificent work: “was erected in order ‘to perpetuate the name of the sovereign in the temple of Amun'”. She adds: “Other passages in the text suggest that this effigy of Karomama was originally placed inside one of the multiple chapels built during the Libyan era in the sacred enclosure of the temples of Karnak.”…

Excavation site of the tomb of Karomama in the temple of Touy within the Ramesseum enclosure
Million-year-old temple of Ramesses II, on the west bank of Thebes
carried out in 2014 by the French Archaeological Mission of West Thebes (MAFTO/CNRS-UMR 8220/LAMS)
and the Center for Study and Documentation on Ancient Egypt (CEDAE/CSA)

And as Egypt took its time to reveal its secrets, Karomama returned to the news in 2014.

It is on the west bank of Thebes, on the site of the millions-year-old temple of Ramses II, the Ramesseum, where the French Archaeological Mission of West Thebes (MAFTO/CNRS-UMR 8220/LAMS) and the Center d Study and Documentation on Ancient Egypt (CEDAE/CSA) was carrying out their excavation campaign in 2014, when his tomb was discovered, precisely within the enclosure of the small temple of Touy. In this sector, the excavations were then carried out in cooperation with the Institute of Egyptology of the University of Leipzig, whose team was led by Benoît Lurson, with funding from the Gerda Henkel Foundation.

Oushebtis and canopic vases in the name of the divine worshiper Karomama were purchased by Karl Richard Lepsius in 1842

In “Ramses II and the Ramesseum”, published in 2019, Christian Leblanc provides this valuable information: “In the northern sanctuary, originally reserved apparently for Nefertari, the tomb of Karomama, a divine worshiper of Amun under the 22nd dynasty. Undoubtedly, the granddaughter of Osorkon II, this ‘wife of the god’ who had the rank of queen, is well known to us from the beautiful bronze statuette damascened with gold and silver acquired in Egypt by J .-F. Champollion and since preserved in the Louvre, but also by two canopic vases and some chaouabtis formerly purchased in Gournah by R.C. Lepsius during the Prussian scientific expedition. These funerary remains accessible on the local antique market obviously suggested that the tomb had been desecrated, which was confirmed when it was discovered in 2014. Its last looting, which could date back between 1820 and 1844, was almost systematic since the excavation only delivered a few amulets and fragmentary chaouabtis in glazed frit on which could still be read the quality and the name inscribed in a cartouche of its deceased and insignia owner: ‘The Osiris, the divine worshiper of Amon Karoma(ma) -loved-of-Mout justified'”.

Fragmentary chaouabtis in glazed frit on which the quality and the name can still be read
in a cartridge of his deceased: ‘Osiris, the divine worshiper of Amon Karoma (my)-beloved-of-Mout justified'”
discovered at the Ramesseum in 2014 during the MAFTO/CNRS-UMR 8220/LAMS mission
and the Center for Study and Documentation on Ancient Egypt (CEDAE/CSA) – photo by MAFTO

In the bowels of western Thebes, the story of Karomama continues to be written… because, as Christian Leblanc says: “This mysterious priestess who had the rank of queen still has a lot to teach us, particularly about her family ties “…

Marie Grillot

Sources:

Jean-François Champollion (Champollion the Younger), Letters written from Egypt and Nubia in 1828 and 1829, Didier & Cie Libraires Editeurs, Paris, 1868 http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k103771z/f1.image.r=Il%20est%20donc%20du%20plus%20haut%20interest%20pour%20l’Espagne%20elle-mère.texteImage

Statue of the divine worshiper of Amon Karomama http://cartelfr.louvre.fr/cartelfr/visite?srv=car_not_frame&idNotice=17845&langue=fr

Émile Chassinat, A bronze statuette of Queen Karomama (22nd dynasty) (Louvre Museum). In: Monuments and memories of the Eugène Piot Foundation, volume 4, fascicle 1, 1897. pp. 15-26; https://www.persee.fr/doc/piot_1148-6023_1897_num_4_1_1146 Elisabeth Delange, Marie-Emmanuelle Meyohas, Marc Aucouturier The statue of Karomama, a testimony of the skill of Egyptian metallurgists in polychrome bronze statuary, Journal of Cultural Heritage, Volume 6, Issue 2, April-June 2005, Pages 99-113 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1296207405000348

Benoît Lurson, Claude Obsomer et alii, Lost and found: the Tomb of the Divine Adoratrice Karomama (22nd Dynasty)
From the mother of the king to the wife of the god. The first summary of the results of the excavations of the temple of Touy and the tomb of Karomama // Von der Königsmutter zur Gottesgemahlin. Erste Synthese der Ausgrabungsergebnisse des Tempels von Tuja und des Grabes von Karomama, Safran, 2017 https://www.academia.edu/38735032/ From_the_mother_of_the_king_to_the_wife_of_god._First_synthesis_of_the_results_of_the_excavations_of_the_temple_of_Touy_and_of_the_tombe_of_Karomama_Von_der_Königsmutter_zur_Gottesgemahlin._Erste_Synthese_der_Ausgra bungsergebnisse_des_Tempels_von_Tuja_und_des_Grabes_von_Karomama
Christiane Ziegler, Tanis l’or des pharaons, exhibition catalog Paris, National Galleries of the Grand Palais, March 26 – July 20, 1987
Christian Leblanc, Ramses II and the Ramesseum. From the splendour to the decline of a million-year-old temple, L’Harmattan, 2019

DREAM SYMBOLS OF THE INDIVIDUATION PROCESS BY C. G. JUNG (D)

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In this part (the previous: 1, 2, 3,) Dr. Jung goes intensively into the essence of Geometry and Alchemy. It seemed this topic got his attention so profoundly that he stopped working on his work, Liber Novus.

In The Red Book, Reader’s Edition by Sonu Shamdasani, we read why Jung did stop working on Liber Novus: In his afterword, written in 1959, he wrote:
My acquaintance with alchemy in 1930 took me away from it. The beginning of the end came in 1928 when [Richard] Wilhelm sent me the text of the “Golden Flower”, an alchemical treatise. There, the contents of this book found their way into actuality, and I could no longer continue working on it. To the superficial observer, it will appear like madness. It would also have developed into one had I not been able to absorb the overpowering force of the original experiences. With the help of alchemy, I could finally arrange them into a whole. I always knew that these experiences contained something precious, and therefore, I knew of nothing better than to write them down in a “precious”, that is to say costly, book and to print the images that emerged through reliving it all – as well as I could. I knew how frightfully inadequate this undertaking was, but despite much work and many destructions, I remained faithful to it, even if another / possibility never…

{This appears on p. 190 of the calligraphic volume of Liber Novus. The transcription was abruptly left off in the middle of the sentence on p. 189. This epilogue appears on the next page, in Jung’s normal handwriting. This, in turn, was abruptly left off in the middle of the sentence!}

There is one more completed painting in Liber Novus. In 1928, Jung painted a Mandala of the golden castle (The Red Book, p. 163); after finishing, it struck him that the Mandala had something Chinese about it. Shortly afterwards, he got a letter from Richard Wilhelm with the text of The Secret of The Golden Flower, asking him to write a commentary on it. Jung was struck by it and the timing:

The next gave me an undreamed confirmation of my ideas about the Mandala and the circumambulation of the centre. It was the first event which broke through my isolation. I became aware of an affinity; I could establish ties with someone and something. (Memories, pp. 222-23)

So! Let’s now continue the story.

The Mandala Symbolism (Dream 16) P.4

There are a lot of people there. Everyone walks counterclockwise around the square. The dreamer is not in the middle but on one side. It is said that one wants to reconstruct the gibbon.

Since alchemy, in its philosophical form, has dealt with problems that are very close to those that interest our modern psychology, it is perhaps important to go into the dream motif of the monkey that is to be reconstructed in a square room. In the vast majority of cases, alchemy identifies its transformation substance with the >argentum vitum< or Mercurius. Chemically, this term refers to Mercury, but philosophically, it refers to the ‘spiritus vitae’, even the world soul (Fig. 48). Thus, Mercurius also takes on the meaning of the god of revelation, Hermes.

Anima Mundi, Thurneysser to Thurn:_quinta_Essentia_1574_06

This is not the place to present this connection in detail. This should happen elsewhere. (The Spirit Mercurius, CW 13). Hermes is linked to the idea of roundness and squareness, as shown in a particular Papyrus V, line 401 of the ‘Papyri Graecae Magicae’. (Ed. by Preisedanz, 1928/31, p. 195). There you will find the name Strongylós και tetrágonos (rounder and square). It is also called tetraglochin (square). It actually has to do with the number four; therefore, there is also a Hermes tetracephalus (four-headed). (See Bruchmann: Epitheta Deorum, quae apud poetas Graecos leguntur, 1893). These attributes were also known in the Middle Ages, such as Cartari’s work shows. (Cartari: Les Images des dieux des anciens, 1581, p. 403). It says there: >Davantage, les figures quarres de Mercure (Fig. 49), qui n’avait seulement que la teste et le membre viril, signifoient que le soleil est le Chef du monde, et qui seme toutes choses, mesmes les quatre costez de la figure quarree, designed ce que signifie la sistre aquatre chordes, qui fut aussi donnee a Mercure, c’est a dire, les quatre parties du monde, ou autrement, les quatre saisons de l’annee ou bien que les deux equinocces, et lesdeux solstices, viennent a`faire les quatre parties de tout le Zodiaque.<

[“Moreover, the square figures of Mercury (Fig. 49), which only had the head and the virile member, signify that the sun is the Head of the world and which shows all things, even the four sides of the figure square, designate what is meant by the “four-chord sistrum”, which was also given to Mercury, that is to say, the four parts of the world, or otherwise, the four seasons of the year or even the two equinoxes, and the two solstices, come to make the four parts of the whole Zodiac.”]

Figure 10 Herm. Red-figure
vase. Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston. 465 BC.

It is easy to understand that such qualities made Mercurius particularly suitable to represent that mysterious transformative substance of alchemy because this is round and square. This whole consists of four parts (four elements). Therefore, both the four-part Gnostic primitive man (Paracelsus as a spiritual phenomenon, CW 13, § 168 and §§ 206 ff.) (Fig. 50) and the Pantocrator Christ are an >imago lapidis< (Cf. Ideas of Redemption in Alchemy, CW 12, §§ 332ff) (Fig. 51).

Fig. 50
Christ (as Anthropos) stands on the globe, surrounded by the four elements (fire, water, earth, air). (De Glanville: Le Proprietàire “The properties” of chaos, 1487)
Fig. 51
Tetramorph (Anthropos symbol), standing on two wheels (symbols of the Old and New Testament). (From the Athos Monastery Watopaedi, 1213).

Insofar as Western alchemy is largely of Egyptian origin, we direct our attention primarily to the Hellenistic Hermes Trismegistos, whose figure, on the one hand, is a godfather to the medieval Mercurius and, on the other hand, is derived from the ancient Egyptian Thoth (Fig. 52). The attribute of Thoth was the dog-monkey, or he was directly represented as a monkey.

Fig. 52
Amon-Ra, the spirit of the four elements of the Egyptians. (Champollion: Pantheon Egyptian)
(Budge: The Gods of The Egyptians, 1904, Vol. 1, pp. 21 and 404).

Thanks to the countless editions of the Book of the Dead, this view remained in direct view until the latest times. In alchemy, whose existing texts, with a few exceptions, belong to the Christian era, the ancient connection between Thoth-Hermes and the monkey has disappeared. However, it still existed in the Roman Empire. But since Mercurius has much to do with the devil (which will not be discussed in detail here), the monkey (Fig. 53) appears again in the neighbourhood of Mercurius in the Simia Dei. It is part of the nature of the transformative substance that, on the one hand, it is thoroughly cheap, even contemptible, which is expressed through a series of devil allegories, such as the snake, dragon, raven, lion, basilisk and eagle, but on the other hand it is also the valuable, even that Divine itself means. The change leads from the lowest to the highest, from the animal-archaic infantile to the mystical >Homo Maximus<.

Fig. 53
Demon in monkey form. (Speculum humanae salvationis, 14. Jh.) The Mirror of Human Salvation, 14th century.

Let’s take another break! I want to express my gratitude to all of you for being here with me. I appreciate it!🙏💖🤗

The Image at the top: Ex libris Maria (Combining Opposites) Albin Brunovsky, 1985

Just a Quick Update on my Return!

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With a heartfelt greeting, I wanted to say hello again and tell a little about my feelings and how I am happy to get back here, though I don’t know where I really am!
Sometimes I feel like I’m in the wrong movie, as the Germans would say: “Ich bin im falschen Film”! This feeling usually arises when I travel and am away from my loved friends and social media connections for an extended period.
Of course, I don’t want to be in media as much as I usually am, but I don’t want to break totally up, as I have some duties (translating the topics in English and German) about that happening in Iran right now.
But there is a leak in the matter; I do not have such facilities and all of the necessary resources (like I have at home) which might be needed, only a SmartPhone, making it difficult for me, and I must try to strain my aged eyes to read and work on the small display. I may never belong to this modern bourgeois world!

Honestly, my complaint is about something else; I feel that there is no understanding that sometimes one is prevented from reacting as usual to this mass of writers and artists in WP. I admit there are a few exceptions who understand me entirely, but most of my adorable friends have immense expectations for feedback or acquiring customers!

Acknowledging that every individual has unique experiences that shape their understanding of the world around them is crucial. As a result, when interacting with others, we must consider the diverse range of societies and backgrounds that exist to gain a fuller understanding of their perspective. Recognizing and respecting these differences can build stronger connections and more meaningful relationships with those around us.


I come from a time when artists struggled to make ends meet and did not know how to market their art. I belong to that era when young people would secretly wait for their beloved at the bakery, stealing glances from the corner of their eyes. I prefer communicating through letters and exchanging phone numbers rather than relying on technology.

Art has become increasingly commercialized in recent times. It is rare to find artists solely focused on creating art, as most must also consider the business side of selling their works. If only my father had known this, I would be wealthy now! My father was highly regarded and famous during his time, but he belonged to a generation of artists who were less concerned with making money and more focused on their craft.

My father at his best time.

Stop complaining! Let’s share something useful. 😉Thanks for your attention.🙏💖

Cartoon above; Istockphoto