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Water as a Symbol of the Unconscious in AlchemyIn alchemy, one aspect of water symbolism is as a symbol of the unconscious forces within our psyche. This is often portrayed as an ocean or a pool, where things lie below the surface of our conscious mind. We can either choose to ignore the forces that lie within our individual and collective unconscious, but if we do this, they will continue to affect us, often through our habits. Not only that, but all of this submerged consciousness has many potentials, which if we can learn to access we can draw upon for our own creativity and benefit. This is one aspect of the alchemical process of turning lead into gold, or the Great Work, the pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone. So, how can we use an alchemy water symbol to approach the unconscious? One way is to work with the symbol directly, for example through visualizing water, perhaps an ocean or a pool, and through this use of the imagination explore the forces behind it. Another way is use the works of the western alchemy, Rosicrucian, Freemasonry, Gnosticism and spiritual psychology to explore our psyche and our full potential, to find out what symbolically lies beneath the water's surface. |
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