C.G. Jung: “It might be said that the secret of Merlin was carried on by alchemy…”
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C.G. Jung: “It might be said that the secret of Merlin was carried on by alchemy…”

Merlin Tutoring Arthur, 14th Century Merlin and Mercurius   Merlin represents an attempt by the medieval unconscious to create a parallel figure to Parsifal. Parsifal is a Christian hero, and Merlin, son of the devil and a pure virgin, is his dark brother. In the twelfth century, when the legend arose, there were as yet…

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The Mercurial Fountain

From the University of Glasgow: “Rosarium Philosophorum”  From Collected Works 16: The Mercurial Fountain This picture goes straight to the heart of alchemical symbolism, for it is an attempt to depict the mysterious basis of the opus. It is a quadratic quaternity characterized by the four stars in the four corners. These are the four…

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The Green Lion

In alchemy the lion, the “royal” beast, is a synonym for Mercurius, or, to be more accurate, for a stage in his transformation. He is the warm-blooded form of the devouring, predatory monster who first appears as the dragon. Usually the lion-form succeeds the dragon’s death and eventual dismemberment. … The lion has among other…