The Journey of Life through the Lens of Alchemy
Imagining Life Periods as Alchemical Stages
“…upon this simple system of many colours is based the manifold and infinitely varied investigation of all things.”
—Zosimos of Panopolis
Alchemy, as a symbolic language, offers a lens through which we can explore and deeply understand many -if not all- aspects of life. Carl Jung recognised in Alchemy a map and metaphor for the process of analysis/psychotherapy and the journey of Individuation; the alchemical tradition became the historical basis for his depth psychology.1
Alchemical language and imagery shift our perception of so many experiences, infusing them with depth and meaning; from the phases of a relationship, to the seasons of the menstrual cycle, to the layers and stages of the creative process, to the simple and profound act of cooking...our life is inherently alchemical.
As I became more interested in the underlying, symbolic meaning of our different life periods, and their function as rites of passage, I began wondering: what if we apply the alchemical system to our human journey and lifespan, psychospiritual development?
What if we look at Life itself through the lens of Alchemy?
The Four Stages of Alchemy
The Alchemical Work (Opus) consists of four distinct, progressive stages of transformation, culminating in the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone or Lapis Philosophorum that was thought to possess “the power to prefect imperfection in all things, able to transmute base metals into pure gold and transform the earthly man into an illumined philosopher”2 -a state of completion and wholeness, also portrayed as the hermaphrodite, to signify the total union of inner polarities.
The alchemical stages are named after the dominant colour that the prima materia (the original substance that sustains the transformation) assumes in each of them;
the Nigredo (blackening)
the Albedo (whitening)
the Citrinitas (yellowing), and
the Rubedo (reddening)
Each stage comes with specific qualities and objectives, and gets completed through a series of complex alchemical operations.
The Blackening is where the Opus begins. It describes a state of confusion, darkness and contamination. Psychologically, it corresponds to the Dark Night of the Soul; a time of suffering and loss -essential to set us off on the process of transformation.
The Whitening is a first, lunar breakthrough; the emergence from the dark pool under the light of the moon, a state of greater purity and clarity -psychologically, it is a time of peace, respite and deeper understanding of one’s experience.
The Yellowing is a transitional stage between the albedo and the rubedo, which brings the first encounter with the sun, symbolising spirit -psychologically, it holds an opening and expansion into the symbolic, archetypal or, in Jung’s words, psychoid realm; a movement from the personal to the transpersonal.
Finally, the Reddening is the culmination of the entire alchemical journey; the ultimate union between the moon and the sun, between psyche and spirit, the individual I and the Self, and the acquisition of inner Gold -psychospiritual wholeness.
Notice here that the stage names are expressed through gerund forms rather than adjectives (yellowing instead of yellow), signifying ongoing action and an unfolding state. Each stage is really a transition, a movement toward the respective colour frequency -not a static, end-product.
Life Periods as Alchemical Stages
If we imagine our life’s journey as the Opus, an inner Gold-making journey, and associate each period of life, spanning approximately twenty years, with each successive alchemical stage, we would get the following sequence:
Nigredo: 0-20 years of age
Albedo: 20-40
Citrinitas: 40-60
Rubedo: 60 and beyond
[Note: Just like with anything in Alchemy and in life, those time periods are offered as approximations and they are in no way rigid or set -the actual time we transition from one stage to the next is deeply individual, there are always both leaps and regressions between them, and each phase contains elements of the others in it.]
Let’s take a look now at the psychospiritual, alchemical dynamics of each stage.
Life’s Nigredo: Regardless of how peaceful or tumultuous our childhood may have been, the first two decades of our lives include our most formative years; it is the time when the seeds of our personal and relational patterns get planted, when our core wounding takes place and when our shadow (unconscious) gets separated from our ego (conscious), resulting in the -initial- development of our personality. It is in this stage that the prima materia for our Work of transformation is gathered; the material we will be later called to work with and through, which will, inevitably, considerably, shape the course of our lives.
Life’s Albedo: Early adulthood is the time when we emerge from the family cocoon and the symbolic “womb” of school, to venture out into the world and, slowly, build a life for ourselves. It is a time of ego development and actualisation, a first departure from the famil(y)-iar, to carve our own path, personally and professionally. It is an archetypally heroic time; we still very much carry the dark material of the nigredo phase, which will manifest through both internal and external challenges, obstacles and limitations -the dragons we will be summoned to slay. Eventually, we reach a place of (greater or lesser) stability -in our work, in our relationships, in our living situation. We build an identity that makes sense, through which we navigate life. We get known in certain fields and for certain qualities, and not others. It feels like we have arrived...
Life’s Citrinitas: ...and then comes Midlife! Halfway through our journey, midlife brings the plot twist; it shakes up all that we’ve so carefully built during the albedo and all that we (thought we) knew about ourselves and life itself, and commands change. Our body begins to change in more apparent ways, we become (more) aware of our mortality, and we are confronted with the reality of our lived first half -as well as the need to course-correct where necessary. Both Carl Jung and James Hollis have described midlife as a progressive transition from the dominance of the ego to a deep surrender to Soul; a renunciation of false identities and a reclamation of more of one’s true self -a whole lot of shedding is in order! The Yellowing carries the great paradox; profound loss and grief go hand-in-hand with profound growth and a more mature kind of spirituality. I have much more to share about this stage in my next posts...
Life’s Rubedo: The crowning. The golden years (isn’t that association interesting?!). The completion.
In a way, I don’t feel ready to write much about this phase, having only recently entered the previous one. However, looking at it through the alchemical lens, we can imagine it being a deeper embodiment and union with the Soul-Self; the transmutation of one’s significant life experience into the Gold of wisdom; and the transmission of that wisdom to the world, and especially, to younger generations from the role of Guide, Mentor or Way-Shower. In Alchemy, following the attainment of the highest inner union, the alchemist/philosopher is meant to return to everyday life and share the transformative powers of their ‘Stone’ with others.
I recently gave a presentation on Midlife during a Writing Festival, and some of the participants had already completed their yellowing phase and were journeying through their rubedo. One of them shared this beautiful reflection; that the reddening includes a deep sense of letting go, based on the acknowledgment that we will never get “there”, that there is no “there” to get to, that the alchemical process of our very human life will never reach perfection or be complete, in this sense. I thought there was such profound wisdom in the simplicity and humility of this statement, and I am grateful to the person who added this piece to the puzzle of our existence.
I would love to hear from you…
What alchemical stage are you currently journeying through in your life, and what emerges when you look at your experience through this lens?
Join me next time for a deeper dive into the Yellowing...
Memories, Dreams, Reflections, p. 231
Abraham, Lyndy, A Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery, 1998, Cambridge
University Press, p. 145