The Philosophers' Stone: Solid Ground of Wisdom

Digital Jung Season 3, Episode 11

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So far in this series on the symbolism of alchemy, I have discussed the relevance of alchemy to the modern practice of the symbolic life, explored the meaning of the image of the prima materia, the raw material on which the alchemists performed their operations, and I have surveyed the main stages of the alchemical opus. In this final episode of the series, I take a look at one of the central images of the goal of the opus: The Philosophers’ Stone.

One of the paradoxes inherent in the conception of the Stone — the lapis Philosophorum — is that it was not only the end of the work, but it was also present at the beginning. “The term lapis,” writes Jung, “is used all through the literature for the beginning and the goal.”¹ As an image of the beginning, the Philosophers’ Stone is a synonym for the prima materia, it is indistinguishable from the seemingly worthless muck, the massa confusa in need of transformation. This leads Jung to state:

“That is precisely why it is so hard to find the lapis: it is exilis, uncomely, it is thrown out into the street or on the dunghill, it is the commonest thing to be picked up anywhere.”

Despite these unexceptional origins, the alchemists eagerly sought the lapis as a precious treasure, an elixir of life, and as a kind of universal panacea. In connection with this idea, Jung paraphrases the conclusion of one 16th century commentator on alchemy: “The philosophers have never found a better medicament than that which they called the noble and blessed stone.”

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The lapis philosophorum has many synonyms and is known by many names. One of these is the Rebis, a hermaphroditic figure that symbolizes the union of opposites. The lapis, too, unites and reconciles the opposites. As a stone it is an image of something very ordinary, yet it is said to have extraordinary properties. According to a text known as the Turba Philosophorum, it is “a stone, and also not a stone; common and precious; hidden and concealed, yet known by everyone; of one name and of many names.”

That the Rebis is often depicted as winged, states Jung, suggests the quality of “intuition or spiritual potentiality.” And this points to an important aspect of the Philosophers' Stone — it is not a concrete or physical object, but rather a psychological or spiritual condition.

The Rebis, an image of the Philosophers’ Stone, standing on a winged globe.

The Stone, as I noted above, is both the beginning and the end. Seen at the beginning of the work, it is indistinguishable from the prima materia. Perceived at the end, it is a “celestial substance” and “precious treasure.” What is it, then, that leads the individual to such different observations of what is, in its essence, one and the same substance? It can only be a new way of seeing — a transformation, that is, of the perceiving subject.

As I note in the episode:

“The lapis, then, is not a thing, but an experience, a state of being, a quality of consciousness or imagination. This state of being is one of vitality, aliveness, and creativity.”

You’ll find these and other aspects of the symbol of the Philosophers’ Stone discussed in this latest offering from Digital Jung. I hope you enjoy it. You can find this episode wherever you listen to your podcasts or simply by clicking this link: The Philosophers’ Stone: Solid Ground of Wisdom

Thanks for listening, and take good care!

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Remainders

This week’s quote comes from Jung’s last great work on alchemy — Mysterium Coniunctionis. Here he reveals that the alchemists used the image of a lifeless and earth-bound stone to symbolize an aspect of psychological experience that was not only living, but ultimately transcendent:

“Whatever names the alchemists gave to the mysterious substance they sought to produce, it was always a celestial substance, i.e., something transcendental, which, in contrast to the perishability of all known matter, was incorruptible, inert as a metal or a stone, and yet alive, like an organic being, and at the same time a universal medicament.”

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Upcoming Events

Here are the programs that I’ll be presenting this month. I hope you’ll join me at one of the following events:

• The Symbol of the Grail: Parzival and the Path of Individuation

  • Jung Archademy, starting on Monday, March 6th, 2023. For more details visit: jungarchademy.com/parzival

• The Finer Forge: Inner Work and the Alchemical Imagination

  • Jung Society of Washington, Friday, March 17th, 2023. For more details visit: www.jung.org

• The Fires of Transformation: Life as a Work of Art

  • Jung Society of Washington, Saturday, March 18th, 2023. For more details visit: www.jung.org

• Religious but Not Religious

  • Maine Jung Center, Friday, March 24th, 2023. For more details visit: Religious but Not Religious: Living a Symbolic Life.

• Deep Listening: Developing Symbolic Sensitivity

  • Maine Jung Center, Saturday, March 25th, 2023. For more details visit: Deep Listening: Developing Symbolic Sensitivity.

1. Unless otherwise indicated, all quotes are taken from Psychology and Alchemy, CW12 by C.G. Jung