On the Stone at Bollingen “I am an orphan, alone: nevertheless I am found everywhere. I am one, but opposed to myself. I am youth and old man at one and the same time. I have known neither father nor mother, because I have had to be fetched out of the deep like a…
Carl Jung at Bollingen “I pump the water from the well. I chop the wood and cook the food. These simple acts make man simple; and how difficult it is to be simple!” from: Memories, Dreams, Reflections Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water. Zen Proverb Carl…
The Rejected Stone The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. Psalm 118: 22 From Memories, Dreams, Reflections The story of how this stone came to me is a curious one. I needed stones for building the enclosing wall for the so-called garden, and ordered them from the quarry near Bollingen….
“It is required that the vessel be not only round but egg-shaped.” From Psychology and Alchemy: “For the alchemists the vessel is something truly marvellous: a vas mirabile. Maria Prophetissa says that the whole secret lies in knowing about the Hermetic vessel. “Unum est vas” (the vessel is one) is emphasized…
Carl Jung: The Diamond as a Symbol of the Philosopher’s Stone From Psychology and Alchemy: “The diamond is an excellent symbol because it is hard, fiery, and translucent. Orthelius tells us that the Philosophers have never found a better medicament than that which they called the noble and blessed Stone of the Philosophers, on…
The Alcyhmist, in Search of the Philosopher’s Stone, by Joseph Wright of Darby (1771) The Philosophers’ Stone From: Atalanta fugiens (1618): Music-Image-Text In keeping with the intellectual pursuits of many of his contemporaries, Maier strove to produce the philosophers’ stone. But what exactly did this mean? The early modern alchemist understood himself as being a…
The Race between Atalanta and Hippomenes, by Nicolas Colombel (1644-1717) Information and Links about the Myth of Atalanta From Theoi ATALANTA was a great Arkadian huntress and a favourite of the goddess Artemis. She was exposed by her father in the wilderness at birth, but was suckled by a she-bear and afterwards found…