The use of guided visualizations in Qabala is referred to as pathworking and consists of a series of interrelated symbols given in connection with a particular story. Each story is nearly identical in context, in that it has a beginning, an obstacle, the resolution of the obstacle, a reward for overcoming the obstacle, and completion or return. The content changes from pathworking to pathworking to reflect the various experiences one will encounter along the spiritual path. Alchemy has similar stories, both verbal and visual, in which the process of transmutation is detailed in the form of one or more interlocking stories. Short verses of poetry or prose may accompany each symbolic scene, as in Salomon Trismosin's Splendor Solis, or, like in the Mutus Liber, there may be nothing except images. Regardless, the ability to imaginatively enter into a scene, bring it to life, and extract information psychically from it is critical to the alchemical process. The following exercise will assist in developing a sense of the similarity between alchemical images and Qabalistic pathworking, particularly those systems utilizing the images from the tarot trumps. It is important that the images be visualized in both the third person and first person. Look at the images and what they are doing, and then become the images and observe what you as the image or character are doing.
The following exercise is taken from the images found in the Splendor Solis, an alchemical manuscript dating to at least the mid-sixteenth century. The Splendor Solis is one of the most famous alchemical manuscripts because of its twenty-two beautiful color plates, which are fully reproduced in Art and Symbols of the Occult: Images of Power and Wisdom, by James Wasserman. The Splendor Solis was a document much studied by some of the key figures in the early Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Reverend W. A. Ayton's pupil, Julius Kohn, was responsible for its first modem publication and translation in 1920, and S. L. MacGregor Mathers valued it highly enough to work on a translation reportedly published in 1907. Unfortunately, copies of Mathers's limited edition have not surfaced. The most recent edition of the Splendor Solis was translated by Joscelyn Godwin with commentary by Adam McLean and published by Phanes Press; however, its plates are in black and white. Copies of the color images can also be found on McLean's alchemy website.
1. Prepare yourself for meditation.
2. Imagine a glass egg or retort before you. Carefully build the image in detail.
3. Imagine yourself passing through the glass and entering the egg. There, in the center of the egg, you hover above the dark waters filling the lower third of the vessel.
4. Imagine that you are a small, naked child, like the cherubim often portrayed in Renaissance art. You hold a pair of bellows and are pumping them. Before you is a yellow dragon, and your bellows are pointed at its chest. As you pump the bellows, the dragon goes from yellow to a bright red.
5. The red dragon now transforms into three birds: one red, one white, and one black. They are intertwined and are pecking at each other.
6. The heat increases, and the three birds become one body and three heads, colored white. Each head bears a golden crown.
7. Again the heat increases, and the bird is transformed into a yellow dragon with three heads: one white, one black, and one red.
8. The heat increases, transforming the dragon into a peacock with its tail in full bloom.
9. The peacock transforms into a queen in a white dress, breasts bare, a crown upon her head and facing to her right. She holds a golden wand in her left hand and an orb in her right hand. The orb is before her belly, and she is surrounded by an aura of yellow edged with an equal amount of light blue. She stands upon a crescent moon, horns upturned (Tail of the Dragon).
to. For a final time, the heat increases, and the queen is transformed into a king in a red cape and robes. He wears a golden crown and holds an orb topped with a small equal-armed cross (the symbol of terrestrial victory, also antimony) in his left hand and a golden wand in his right. He stands upon an inverted crescent moon, horns turned down (Head of the Dragon), and he is surrounded by a brilliant golden aura.
11. After a period of time, exit the egg.
12. Write down your experiences, the date and time of the meditation, and the lunar cycle.
• Symbols are the language of the subconscious.
• Traditional astrological and Qabalistic tarot symbols can act as a bridge into alchemy
• The major arcana of the tarot cards can be read in relation to alchemy.
• Regular meditation on symbols improves dream life and increases intuition.
• The symbolic languages of alchemy and dreams are identical, and this language is referred to as the "language of the birds" and the "green language" in traditional sources.
• Dream practices can increase dream regularity, memory, and lucidity and can ultimately lead to astral projection.
• It is important to create your own dictionary of symbols for your dream interpretation.
• The four keys to success in interpreting dreams are consistency in symbolic interpretation, regular dream practices, writing down dreams, and using planetary correspondences to link dreams from week to week rather than in a linear progression across one week.
1. Obtain a deck of tarot cards. The Oswald Wirth deck is preferred; however, the Tarot of Marseille or the Rider-Waite deck will also do. Examine the cards in light of the brief alchemical notation given them in this chapter. Use only traditional decks for this exercise. Write, draw, or photocopy and paste these cards and the information in your notebook.
2. Obtain one or more of the books or courses mentioned in this chapter and begin the construction of your personal dictionary of symbols.
3. Pick a recent dream that you have experienced and, using the example in this chapter, write it down, using bullet points to note the key ideas. Interpret the events in as few words as possible and then synthesize the ideas into one or two sentences (or words if possible). Distill the meaning of dreams; obtain their essence.
4. Begin recording your dreams in the manner outlined in this chapter.
1. Begin a nightly dream practice as outlined in this chapter.
2. Meditate with the various tarot cards and the alchemical descriptions given in this chapter, and notice your reaction to the ideas presented.