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The Alchemical Journey Of The Soul

An art exhibit that attempts to show the different stages of the soul as it goes through an alchemical journey of transformation that involves purification and unification.

Miriam Koshy

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These works entitled ‘As Above, So Below’, were created during the Altamirra residency in April 2022.  ‘As Above So Below’ explored seeing the opposites within oneself, including one’s shadow and finding a union in them through the stages of alchemy.

The Title ‘Sol Niger’ (Black Sun) acts as a creative muse, referring to the process of giving one’s darkness its due by embracing and alchemising one’s shadow. As the alchemist attempts to transmute lead into gold, the human being goes through an analogous process of becoming conscious of unconscious content and eventually becoming whole by embracing the most authentic expression of oneself.

‘Sol Niger ii’ dwells on the citrinitas stage where ‘necessary deaths are followed by the releasing of the true authentic spirit . (Citrinitas: The yellowing or the rising of the sun. The rising sun is the symbol of a mystical experience and contains aspects of revelation. It can take many forms but is experienced as a vision, a dream or an intuition of our ‘truth’). Artwork by Miriam Koshy
‘Sol Niger iii’ dwells on the rubedo (reddening) stage in which the divine union of opposites takes place, where one learns from and embraces one’s shadow to live more authentically. (Rubedo: The Reddening. The spirit that was freed in the previous stage needs to be united with the psyche again. The spirit that has been awakened now needs to be expressed appropriately and more authentically in the life and work of the individual. This is the stage of adjustment and re-alignment with authentic goals and purpose.) Artwork by Miriam Koshy
‘Chrysalis II’ marks the ‘albedo’ (white) stage of alchemy where, after the base matter has been burnt (in the nigredo stage) the process of purification or separation begins. (Albedo: The Whitening). Here the process is of shedding, similar to metamorphosis. A separation from the constructs of the self. It marks a liminal stage, where one can no longer identify with one’s past but knows not what form the future will take. The albedo stage sets the ground for the final union of opposites in the rubedo (red) stage. Alchemists saw the union of opposites in the symbol of the cosmic tree, rooted in this world yet growing high into the heavens. Artwork by Miriam Koshy

(This appeared in the print edition as "Engaging With ONE’S SHADOW")

Miriam Koshy is a curator and interdisciplinary artist

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