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Alchemy CirclesCircles in Alchemy are a symbol of wholeness and interconnection, and can be seen as a symbol of unity and spirituality. The circle is a symbol which can be found in many forms within the western mystical tradition. Let's look at chalices, specifically, the Holy Grail. This is a circle symbol, which reflects receptivity to the spirit above. Being a circle, it is a symbol of balance and unity, just as the zodiac is a circle balancing the 12 archetypes or astrological symbols. This is very clearly represented in Leonardo Da Vinci's work, The Last Supper, which is a form of the Holy Grail. 
However, not all alchemy circles are visual; some of the greatest spiritual thinkers of the west put the ramifications of the circle in literary form. For instance, Goethe, profoundly influenced by Alchemical and Rosicrucian thought, works with developing wholeness within our consciousness through an approach which helps us develop the ability to enter into the archetypes behind the material world, into the unity that is at the depth of matter (see HUM 202, our course on Goethe). Similarly, Plato's idea of the forms is a circle philosophy, finding the unity at the depths and heights, rather than the transitory in the particular (See our course on Plato). It is by using the works of these great spiritual thinkers that we can develop the meaning of the alchemy circles symbol - wholeness - within. However, much of what stands in the way of wholeness is our own ego, which is why alchemy has put such an emphasis on the act of transmutation or turning the base into Gold. This is why the great thinkers of the west have put such an emphasis on open-mindedness and self-questioning. In HUM 208: UNDERSTANDING THE MODERN EGO, explore the roots of the modern ego, so that we can begin to question our own assumptions about ourselves, opening ourselves up to the personal transformation. |
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Alchemy Course:
HUM 102: HESSE AND JUNG: GNOSTICISM IN MODERN FORM |