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 Inscriptions on the Stone at Bollingen In Bollingen, silence surrounds me almost audibly, and I live “in modest harmony with nature.” Thoughts rise to the surface which reach back into the centuries, and accordingly anticipate a remote future. Here the torment of creation is lessened; creativity and play are close together.In 1950 I made…
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…
“It is always important to have something to bring into a relationship, and solitude is often the means by which you acquire it” Letters Vol. II Page 610
To Gustav Schmaltz 30 May 1957 Dear Schmaltz: I understand your wish very well, but I must tell you at once that it does not fit in my with my situation. I am not getting on at 82 and feel not only the weight of my years and the tiredness this brings, but even more…
Those of you have been following this story for the last few years know the central importance of the mythology and symbolism of the Red Egg in this narrative. I have been circumambulating around the idea of making a large egg out of red river stone for some time; originally I had planned…
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul. Oliver Wendell Holmes On this rock I will build my church. Matthew 16:18 There seems to be a correspondence between where I am working with stone and what I am working on within. Last summer and fall, after being away from Alaska and home for five…
Reflections on fire It is a wonderful alchemical pleasure to sit inside the cabin with a fire in the woodstove, and look to the outside world and see a fire on the stone altar. The dual fires reminds me of the alchemical axiom from the Emerald Tablet, “As above, so below.” The…
It has a been a bit of a puzzle to me why I have been so consistently drawn to working on the Stone Sanctuary for the last three years. In the next few weeks, I hope to explore the symbolism of stones and the psychological process of working with stones. The work above is the…