Tarot Alchemy in Seven Stages: Coagulation
AUTHOR’S NOTE: As the final stage in traditional alchemy, one that is analogous to the clotting of blood, coagulation of the refined elixir produced by distillation is intended to yield gold in physical terms or the “Philosopher’s Stone” as its spiritual output. In The Collector, Thomas Ellison describes it as “the process of solidification where one’s essential self becomes whole.” He elaborates by adding: “Coagulation involves the complete unification of polarities: spirit and matter, body and soul, masculine and feminine, to form a single whole. In this final stage, one’s higher self emerges, and it can be likened to the point when the gold cools and solidifies.” My other source, Credo Quia Absurdum, says it a bit more lyrically: “The perfect substance is found. In the most physical way, we observe a fluid state change into a thickened mass. This process is a metaphor for the elevated self.” The author likens it to experiencing “the rebirth of a beautiful new being.”
To emulate the principle of coagulation with the Major Arcana of the tarot, I chose what might be considered the three most malleable of the Earth trumps: the Empress as Venus; the Hierophant as Taurus (the docile sign ruled by Venus) and the World, with its double correspondence of ductile Earth and form-building Saturn, the planet of solidification and structure. I placed these cards in an inverted equilateral triangle pattern with the World at the down-turned apex to suggest materialization. (In the image below, the face-down cards are placeholders showing the architecture of the fully-populated layout.)
I separated the pip cards from the deck, shuffled them and dealt three cards on top of the trump cards in the order Empress-Hierophant-World to show the mundane “processes” by which the archetypal “principles” can be applied to the act of coagulation in the individual’s quest for perfection. He received the 4 of Swords (Truce); the 3 of Wands (Virtue); and the 8 of Swords (Interference).
The 4 of Swords is elementally unfriendly to the earthy Empress, presenting a mental roadblock that obstructs furtherance of her agenda. Jupiter in Libra has no knack for the administration of natural law (it is more prone to rule by decree) and can make no headway by mimicking the “velvet glove” firmness of Venus; it is clearly the wrong tool for the job in that it seeks to harvest a crop that has barely germinated.
The 3 of Wands, in its embodiment of virtue, is swayed by the orthodox bias of the Hierophant and thereby absorbs the pastoral innocence of Taurus; the characteristic growth potential of the number Three is bolstered in the seeker’s pursuit of a higher calling.
The edgy 8 of Swords, ill-at-ease in its investiture of Gemini, imparts a disruptive uneasiness to the orderly domain of the World, fostering the indecision and anxiety typical of a debased Mercury in the realm of Earth. Forthright Jupiter is once again out-of-sorts in the clutches of Air, this time in fidgety Gemini, creating a dysfunctional environment for any kind of controlled expansion. The querent has come all this way only to experience a reprise of the meddling dissension he first encountered during the dissolution and separation stages; the 8 of Swords knows just where to throw a wrench into the works. There appears to be no real closure for him in this final iteration of the last stage of spiritual alchemy, as we shall see in the next card.
Next I shuffled the remaining court cards and placed one on top of the Significator to indicate how the querent will “personify” the influence of the enveloping medley of forces. This turned out to be the Princess of Disks (Earth of Earth) reversed; it is at odds with both of the Swords pips and only moderately supportive of the 3 of Wands. In its traditional expression as the Page of Coins, this card has been described as “a student,” but here the reversed figure seems to be backing away from the learning opportunity, reluctant to engage. Although as an Earth card it is elementally friendly to the Knight of Cups, there is no enthusiasm for “carrying his banner;” this uprooted Princess is too reticent and insecure to be a standard-bearer in this last battle of the seeker’s “war of ascension.” He will need to find his herald of revelation elsewhere.
Here at the very end of his adventure in spiritual alchemy, it appears that this unfortunate individual may have to wait for a future incarnation if he is to become master of his own destiny. Nothing really comes together for him this time round.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on February 25, 2024.
