#in alchemy this is putrefactio

[iopanic]

Pan as an Alchemical Symbol

Metamorphosis is a key theme: Pan stands as a catalyst for change, much like the alchemist transforming lead to gold. His wild, fertile energy hints at putrefactio and rebirth – the breakdown of old forms and the flowering of new life. In alchemical allegory, this is the process of solve et coagula (dissolve and recombine), mirroring nature’s cycles of decay and regeneration that Pan oversees in myth (e.g. the seasonal return of spring).

Crucially, the image emphasizes the union of opposites, a concept alchemy holds as necessary for attaining the Philosopher’s Stone. Pan’s very presence can be seen as bridging dualities: he is a spirit of wild nature (instinct) who is placed in a geometric, orderly mandala (culture/cosmos), uniting chaos and order. Alchemical art often depicted a conjunctio – a sacred marriage of male and female principles – as a hermaphroditic being or a king and queen joining. For example, the Rebis figure shows one body with male and female heads, crowned by sun and moon​

Another layer is Pan’s connection to the prima materia, the “first matter” of the cosmos. Alchemists described prima materia as the chaotic, all-containing substance — “the material beginning and end of all things” that “holds the seed of perfection”​

Pan’s name itself means “All”, hinting at this concept of an original unity. He embodies the living prima materia, raw nature from which order and enlightenment (the Philosopher’s Stone) will emerge. Surrounding Pan with swirling mists or a dark cosmic background at the image’s edges could represent the undefined chaos of prima materia. Out of this murky “chaos”, the elements and opposites coalesce around Pan, who orchestrates their integration. The motto inscribed in the Ouroboros — “All is One” (hen to pan) — reinforces this idea that the diverse elements, forces, and dualities are ultimately one within the primordial whole​

[tattooed-alchemist]

Loving the moldy pumpkins around the 'hood.

[arkaikworld]

[contiemplo-blog]

🌑 Putrefactio, Nigredo, negro. La muerte de Osiris. El encuentro con el mal, la sombra. Dolor, separaciones, duelo, enfermedades, pobreza. Tener que enfrentarte a los propios karmas personales y fuertes. Proceso regido por Saturno, cada 7 años. “el alquimista no apresura su trabajo, espera el momento cósmico adecuado” 🌑 Putrefactio, Nigredo, black. The death of Osiris. The encounter with evil, the shadow. Pain, separation, grief, illness, and poverty. Having to face personal karma. Process by Saturn, every 7 years. "The alchemist does not rush his work, he waits for the right moment" #putrefactio #nigredo #transformation #transformacion #ilustration #ilustracion #alchemy #alquimia #Osiris #saturn #saturno 7/365 https://www.instagram.com/p/BsuBzYLn0i_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ka0bzizgso57

[maaarine]

The Innermost Kernel — Depth Psychology and Quantum Physics (Suzanne Gieser, 1995)

“Although the experimentation of the alchemists led them to certain empirical discoveries concerning chemical substances, their treatises contained an illumination of the structure of the psyche rather than of matter.

According to Jung, the alchemists were – quite accidentally – the first to discover and describe the processes of depth psychology. (…)

The basic idea in alchemy is that everything is a part of an evolutionary process that is striving to attain the highest form. 

Among metals gold is the highest form and all the other metals are in various preliminary stages of the gold stage. (…)

The alchemic process may be summarized as solve et coagula – dissolve and coagulate – in other words concepts corresponding to analysis and synthesis.

The original state is assumed to be a situation in which opposing forces are in conflict with each other.

The great work lies in the process of bringing these forces together in a unified harmony.

First it is necessary to separate the original material into its constituents (solutio, putrefactio).

In this way chaos is caused, a prima materia, which is the precondition for coniunctio, the new synthesis. (…)

For the alchemists, the final goal is a coniunctio, a unification of opposites which forms something third and unique.

Pauli notes with pleasure that at last one begins to discern the end of the Western tradition which has brought out only one side of reality.

This unbalanced ‘either-or’ perspective is now beginning to be replaced by a broader thinking on ‘both-and’ lines. 

We find the seeds of this ‘new’ thinking in the hermetic tradition and in oriental philosophy. 

Both Jung and Bohr refer to the wisdom of the East when they seek parallels with their own position.

They both try to deal with opposing pairs in a more symmetrical manner, the result being that they are coming closer to a worldview which includes irreversibility and a dynamic element of becoming.”

[nickas-serpentarius]

An alchemical snippet for George. Putrefaction again. . . . #blackwork #blackworkers #linework #adelaidetattoo #adelaidetattooartist #adelaideartist #alchemy #nickas #nickasserpentarius #illustration #nigredo #blackness #putrefaction #putrefactio #raven #crow #skeletonbones #bonesies #ilovebonesies #black #alchemicalprocess #esoteric #esotericart #occultarcana #occult