Alchemy and Runic Symbolism

This post was sparked off by a link sent to me by C.M.Reed which promotes two books about the symbolism of the REBIS and its shape which features universally and, of course, is the shape of the Long Man, the Herne Giant, Viracocha, the Atacama Giant and the Ear-Cweorth Runes. The link is to www.RichardCassaro.com which has a number of images of the symbolism. We have already shown some images of the rune-shape but this post will bring into play another meaning of these runes, one linked to the 'Graal Runes' theme that we have worked on many times. What we need to do is to go through the REBIS and the symbolism.

The image is male-female as shown by the two heads.

The Sun is male, next to the male head.

The Moon is female, next to the female head.

The Man is dressed in RED (The Red King) and the Woman is dressed in WHITE (The White Queen). 

The man holds the compass which makes a circle and thus symbolises the Spirit.

The woman holds a square which (as the word suggests) makes a square and thus symbolises Matter.

Aphrodite (Venus) and Hermes (Mercury) have a child named Hermaphrodite who is born male but becomes male-female thus uniting the two as one. The above shows the union of Venus (Female) and Mercury (Male). This is the Alchemical Wedding. 

An alternative symbolism is that of the Red King (Spirit) and the White Queen (Matter). This is symbolic of Man who is Spirit born into Matter.

At the bottom is a Winged Globe in which is a Triangle (Spirit) imposed upon a Square (Matter). Above this is a Fire-Serpent (Fire-Dragon) which represents a transmutation by fire. The Number 4 is found on the Square, and the Number 3 on the Triangle - again 4 = Matter, 3 = Spirit. 

At the top is a Golden Star which represents the transmutation of Lead into Gold, and thus the coming Golden Age. This is a six-pointed star symbolic of the union of male-female, within which is the Sign of Mercury.

Looking at another site I found a very interesting explanation for the word REBIS which is said to be from the Latin res bina meaning 'dual-matter' or 'double-matter'. The site gives a better explanation of this as RE (Ra - Egyptian God) - B - IS (Isis - Egyptian Goddess). No explanation is given as to the 'B' as far as I could see. This is obviously the Male-Female union as found in the rest of the symbolism. 

Analysing the images on the website the figures in this position are holding in each hand -

Two Stags - Anatolia/Assyria

Two Dragons/Serpents - Afghanistan/Norse

Two Serpents - Andes/Crete

Two Lions - Egypt/Mesapotamia

Two Leaves/Corn - Greece

Two Birds - Greece

Two Horses - Hittite

Two Tigers - India (?)/ Persia 

Two Wolves/Dogs - Minoan/Persia

Two Rams - Persia

Two Animals/Horned Animals - Sumeria

Although not quite the same this image of Woden and Two Wolves contains the same theme without the same pose. It is Anglo-Saxon.

Now, simple logic tells us that these images are very different from the alchemical images of much later times, and are not a continuation of the original images. There is no hint in the later medieval images of either a male-female (they are either male or female) or of a union of male-female (the animals are the same on both sides). The only thing that links all of these images is that they show the stance of the Ear-Rune/Cweorth-Rune. Also these two runes are associated with death in that the Ear-Rune is the 'Earth-Grave' and the Cweorth-Rune is 'Ritual Cremation'. 

At the end of the Cycle of the Ages the world is dissolved into Chaos, into the Primal Material, into the Source, into the Darkness of the Void. This, as Blavatsky pointed out, involves the 'Dissolution of the Races' which we can clearly see happening today. Miguel Serrano's work, which we have taken up too, involves the idea that the 'Alchemical Marriage' (Male-Female) is not the end-phase of the 'Great Work' and that there is a further stage where we can go beyond this to become the God-Man. All other spiritual disciplines teach the union of male-female and the dissolution into the 'All', 'Cosmic Consciousness', 'Union with God', 'Union with Nature' etc. as the end result, but as Steed has pointed out, what would be the use of doing this since our lives would have no purpose and meaning, just being dissolved back into the source. 

Thus, the need for a union and then a separation is required to achieve going beyond, crossing the abyss (Void - Black Sun) to the Green Ray of Venus; this involves a transmutation which is achieved through Fire. Here we see the importance of the Cweorth-Rune which is the Rune of Transformation (by Fire). This transformation takes us to the Ubermensch of Friedrich Nietzsche. 

Going back to the REBIS I will now look at this as a Runic Formula - RAD - BEORC - IS. 

Rad - The journey, quest (for the Graal), the Self-Sacrifice (on the Tree of Woe).

Beorc - A regeneration (birch tree), a new beginning, rebirth, a New Dawn.

Is - The 'I' transformed into the Absolute I. 

Ra and Isis produce Horus the Son; Woden and Grid produce Widar the Avenger; Beorc is the Regenerated God. Ra is the Sun (Spirit), Isis is the Moon (Matter), Horus is the offspring - Spirit incarnate in Matter. Woden (Spirit) and Grid (Matter) produce Widar (Spirit incarnate in Matter). This is the same as Osiris (Spirit) and Isis (Matter) who give birth to Horus who is the new 'Horus-King' incarnated on Earth. 

It is interesting to note that it is Mercury (Woden) who is shown at the top, above the heads of the man-woman. It is thus Woden who ushers in the new Golden Age, who transforms the Lead into Gold, who transforms Saturn into the Golden Sun of the Golden Age. 

There seems to be no common denominator throughout the ancient images, bar for the fact they are mostly a figure, either man or woman, god or goddess, holding two animals, birds or mythical creatures. The Long Man of Wilmington shows the ancient figure of Waendal or Mundilfore, so the image suggests that of the God of Cyclic Time, the World-Turner and Cosmic-Turner. The Twin-Serpents in some images are related to the figure of a god that turns the world from the Cosmic Axis. 

The above figure shows the 'Churning of the Ocean of Milk', the 'milk' obviously symbolic of the Milky Way Galaxy. This is done by a Serpent, with Gods (Devas) and Demons (Asuras) being on either side pulling the Serpent. This is the balance of opposites or conflict of opposites. 

The Cweorth-Rune is also the Fire-Twirl which is the Creation being whisked into being by Mundilfore. It is Waendal/Mundilfore who whisks the worlds into creation. This rune thus suggests a 're-creation' of the worlds, and thus also of Man. 

In the Ar-Kan Rune-Lag we use two similar rune-staves for Ear and Cweorth' Ear has two small staves at the end of the 'arms'. These suggest the twin animals, staves, spears which are shown on the ancient symbols, and this also suggests an 'earthly' link as with the 'earth-grave' meaning given to this rune. The Cweorth-Rune has no short staves and is thus going beyond, being a Rune of Transformation by Fire. It is a Rune of Transcendence and one of the Four Hallows, which themselves contain the Graal-Runes - Calc/Stan/Gar. 

The same images appear on the Horns of Gallehus and these feature what seems to be the Lord of the Animals who is Herne the Hunter (Woden). The figure is also that of a Warrior or Twin-Warriors. The 'Lord of the Animals' is shown horned - 'The Horned One' (Woden).

On this 'Runic-Stance Horn' it appears as Twin-Warriors imposed upon each other, one upright and one sideways (third row right). This one is associated with the Wolf's Head Warriors bearing a Club (Woden) and an Axe (Thunor). 

This is an image of Shiva which is obviously derived from earlier images which may show Rudra, from which Shiva developed. Here there are four arms, which merely suggests movement. 

There is somewhat of a problem concerning the REBIS image, which uses classical terms rather than Northern European. This despite the amount of stuff that would have been available to scholars of the time. There are obvious connections - at a later time perhaps - with Masonry, since the same images come into Masonry. Masonry became the tool of the Counter-Initiation and the 'Third Estate' - the Merchant Age or 'Capitalism'. 

Such imagery sees the Sun as male and the Moon as female, which is the opposite of our Germanic Lore where the Sun is Female and the Moon Male. Indeed, there is also a marked difference than Tantric Lore, even though Shiva is Male (The Sun) and Shakti is Female (The Moon). Here Shiva represents Being which is static, which 'is', and which is unchangeable, and Shakti represents Becoming which suggests movement and change. Julius Evola sees this as Solar (Being) and Lunar (Becoming), the former being Male, the latter being Female. 

To understand this we may need to consider that in ancient cultures the 'Son of the Sun', the Divine King, was represented as a Male God-King. This does not negate the idea that the Sun is Female, as I will show. Ingwe-Frey is a Solar-God, as seen from the description of his Solar-Boar with 'Golden Rays'. So we could view the Sun-Spirit as Female, whilst the Sun's Rays (Boar's Spikes) are Male, and it is these rays that reach down to Earth. Thus this Sun-Spirit incarnates as a Male God-King. 

Julius Evola seems to see the Solar-Force of Being as having a far higher significance than the Lunar Force of Becoming. But Being does not change, and to bring change into effect (for whatever reason) we need Becoming - a Lunar and Feminine Force. This is the essence of the Tantric Lore where Shakti is the force of movement and change which rises from the base (Earth-Matter) and unites with Shiva (Being) in order to create a change in consciousness. This state of Becoming is perhaps symbolised by the Fylfot-Swastika, since this is the Force of Movement and Change. We can see here the Being is brought into movement and change through Becoming, though in reality Being does not change in essence. 

The great problem with symbolism is that every symbol has its meaning and its equal and opposite meaning. For example, the Rad Rune is of 'right order', the Rita, 'right action' and is the Solar Path; but it has the opposite meaning of the 'Rat', the destructive and parasitical animal that brings destruction and disease, and feeds off human waste in the main. Somehow, and in some way, it is uncannily linked to mankind. Thus, when we consider ancient symbolism and medieval symbolism we need perhaps to take into account that such symbolism can be changed into its opposite meaning in order to serve the Counter-Initiation. This has been done with the figure known as 'Baphomet' by Eliphas Levi, which suggests the union of opposites, i.e. the fusion of male-female, and black-white. This is the essence of Chaos and Racial Chaos.

The symbolism of the 'Golden Age' should also be considered in this light; what is the 'Socialist Paradise' but a theme based upon the 'Golden Age', but in reality a sick parody of what this really was. And this is the aim of the Counter-Initiation. This is no doubt a subconscious drive and many that take it up are no doubt convinced that what they are doing is right, but they do not have the true intelligence (and the True Light) to see that it is all an illusion, and that the end result is a 'Hell-on-Earth' rather than a 'Paradise' or 'Golden Age'. 

The last thing that we need to consider is that the 'One', the 'All', 'Cosmic Consciousness', 'Mother Nature' and the many other phrases used to encourage us to become 'united' with this refer not to a 'True God', nor to the 'Divine', but to the Demiurge, Ildaboath, Yahweh-Jehovah or any other name that is used for this Lord of Darkness and Chaos - as Miguel Serrano has pointed out. This 'Lord of Darkness' has become 'God'. So any 'Union with God' suggests a 'Union with the Darkness'. This is why we need to wary of the medieval images being a 'continuation' of an ancient image, even though the ancient images show very little similarity to the later ones. I am not suggesting we ignore or reject them, just that we be wary of what their underlying imagery shows. 

Baphomet

The arm-positions have been altered here to 'As Above - So Below', but the phrase 'Solve et Coagula' - 'Break down and run together' - points to the White Moon and Black Moon (White Man and Black Man). The figure is male-female and also represents the 'breaking down and running together' of the Man & Woman, as is happening today in our society. This, again, is the essence of Chaos. 

Lastly I would like to comment upon the concept of Kundalini since this has become one of the new 'fads' spreading over the world, in many cases from the USA. It is clear that the Kundalini Force is shown in the above figure of Baphomet where the 'phallic' symbol is a rod topped by a ball with twin-serpents reminiscent of the Caduceus of Mercury. There are so many videos and websites devoted to the 'Awakening of the Kundalini' that we need to consider why this is, and since it has become 'mainstream', what is the aim of this, since it is supposed to be a spiritual concept. 

It would seem obvious that the awakening of the Kundalini-Force is itself not a case of 'enlightenment' or some form of 'spiritual awakening', since those who are promoting this seem very far removed from any form of 'spiritual awakening', and are just offshoots of the 'New Age Movement' which is all part of the Global World Order. Indeed, many of these sites promote a forced awakening which is always deemed dangerous by those who are true Masters of this Serpent Force. It would seem obvious to me that this forced awakening is connected to a materialistic path, and that this has nothing whatever to do with a Spiritual Awakening. 

There seems no doubt that in very ancient times (possibly in Egypt) the Ancient Aryan Mysteries were stolen in some way, and then used by the growing Counter-Initiation as a counter-force to the Force of Light and Life. These Ancient Aryan Mysteries were stolen and subverted for the use of the Powers of Darkness, these being effectively 'turned on their head', or reversed in form, in order to serve the Darkness and Shadow-World. This may well be the symbolism of the cattle stolen in a raid, cattle which had to be found and taken back. This is also the symbolism of the Serpent which stole the Treasure/Gold and which the Aryan had to regain again through slaying the Serpent of Evil. The same theme occurs in Vedic India with the 'Flood' and the stealing of the Vedas (Ancient Knowledge) which had to be regained once more for the Aryans.

This is the reason why we should not reject or ignore what we see as possibly negative symbols, since where we find a symbol being 'stolen' and used against us we also find that these have an Ur-Form which contains the correct symbolism of the original meanings. These are Archetypal Symbols which have an Ur-Form but which can be overlaid with an opposite symbolism, just as in the figure of 'Jesus Christ' as the 'Hanged God', a symbol that far predates Christianity. This also shows in the imagery of Woden as the 'Horned God' being turned into its opposite as 'The Devil' or 'Satan'. 

The 'Caduceus of Mercury' is obviously symbolism connected to Woden, the Germanic God always deemed to be connected to Mercury. Thus Woden rules over the concept of the Kundalini-Force or Serpent-Force. It is the Inga-Fire which is the 'Fire of Transformation' and which transform Man into the Man-God. This has been looked at in another post.