Alchemical Symbolism: Gold Destruction and the Guardian of the Threshold

This symbol suggests the alchemist's communication with the Waters in a not yet differentiated state, with pure Mercury whereby consciousness itself, through the action of this water, results as "rejuvenated," that is, as it was before "aging" and falling into matter. Sometimes it is said that metals that are "dead" (individuated) must be revived and thus become "alive" according to a technique that we will see later.

BREAKING OF GOLD AND NECESSITY OF A SOLVENT
THE GREEN LION ON THE RED LION

At this point the Alchemist has reached a certain degree of dissolution, he must now through fire complete the putrefaction with a series of operations that are often symbolized by the destruction of gold. It is a long and difficult thing so much so that Alchemists often say that "it is more difficult to destroy Gold than to make it." They make it understood however that this destruction is necessary:

"Whoever does not know the destruction of metals (dissolving the knots of consciousness), necessarily does not know construction according to nature" The secret book of Artephius

In this image the process is symbolized by a wolf (which suggests a voracious solvent) that eats a King, symbol of Gold, other times the same symbol is considered as one of the possible variants of the Green Lion that eats a Sun or a Red Lion, or of anything green in color (which would represent in this meaning the solvent) that devours or destroys anything red or gold in color.

In the first key Basil Valentine specifies: Throw to this Wolf the body of the King so that it receives nourishment (dissolving the nucleus of consciousness by means of this potent solvent). When it has devoured the King, make a great fire and cast the Wolf into it to consume it entirely and then the King will be freed. When this is done three times (in relation to the three main knots of consciousness), then the Lion will have triumphed over the Wolf and the latter will find nothing more to eat in that. Thus our body is good for the Work.

VII BLACK OF THE WORK

With these well-conducted operations the matter is brought to perfect philosophical solution and perfect putrefaction. We have reached the "blackest black of black" sign of the correct development of operations.

"Whoever does not see this black color at the beginning of his operations completely misses the mastery, whatever color he sees" Flamel.

The alchemists say they rejoice at the sight of this black because - they say - dawn is near. The alchemist, indeed after these operations, has freed himself gaining autonomy from matter and can begin the work to build the philosopher's stone with the first operation that is indicated by the name of sublimation, or eagles of Philalethes, or doves of Diana, or washing of the Laton.

THE GUARDIAN OF THE THRESHOLD

At a certain point of this procedure of progressive dissolution from matter, the Alchemist sees himself, as in a mirror, sees the specter of himself as materialized in an entity external to him, the alchemist sees himself as he himself has conceived himself consciously and unconsciously. It is as if in this fluidic matter an echo of all the conscious and unconscious conceptions of the alchemist had formed.

The Alchemist sees it because he is freeing himself from it and therefore sees it external to himself, he is emancipating himself from himself from his habits.

To this entity the Alchemists gave various names, sometimes diplomatic like mirror of art, loyal servant, subject of the wise or first old man who must become cherub according to the alchemical motto "yesterday's old man is tomorrow's cherub." But sometimes they indicated it with less complimentary terms: sometimes it is represented as a scaly vessel, sometimes as shadow of the body, sometimes as vampire, sometimes as a black dragon, covered with scales, often covered with red dots, with penetrating, nauseating and toxic odor to which one must cut off the head to not be poisoned.

When the alchemists speak of scales of this black dragon, they say they refer to the fact that this dragon is as covered by a black layer of coarse, hard, leprous impurities that must be freed, because they form like an obstacle for the Alchemist as, being heavy, they prevent him from accessing the higher and subtler spiritual planes and obscure his vision of the clear spiritual light.

If the vision of this entity and its transmutation process are treated, outside the alchemical symbols and with a correct interpretation of Christian character, in the 10th Notebook of Archeosophy, the way to operate this inner change in one's soul and make it pass from an egocentric state to a theocentric state is instead described in the 11th Notebook of Archeosophy which deals with mystical Ascesis and meditation on the heart.

Here then is the reason for the alchemical motto "yesterday's old man who must become tomorrow's cherub," or "the old Man who must become the new."

When they refer to the penetrating and nauseating odor they want to suggest a releasing from it of an irrational and ancestral state of terror to which the alchemist must immediately cut off the head to not come out terrorized.

Frantz Hartmann in The Secret of the Great Work identifies this entity, which he calls "Guardian of the Threshold," as the main matter of the work, identifies it as the means but also the main obstacle in the realization of the Great Work.

This is the main threshold to overcome to access the superior worlds of the spirit when the dark fetid spirit repelled, so much that no more odor remains, nor the dark color, then the body becomes luminous, the soul rejoices with it the spirit Comarius.

EAGLES OF PHILALETHES

In reality also the preceding operations are sometimes understood as sublimations:

"Know that all operations called putrefaction, solution, coagulation, ablution and fixation, consist in sublimation alone" Arnold of Villanova

The difference between these first sublimations and the successive ones seems however to be the result: in the first ones the alchemist remains at the black color and...