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"When the masculine and feminine  truly become one, all duality ceases to exist."  - Joseph Panek
 

Ancient cultures were aware of, understood, revered and utilized the complimentary aspects of duality. They realized that the masculine and feminine, the yin and the yang, complimented each other and, when utilized together, create a powerful synergy; wherein the combined Union of the two aspects of duality is more potent and creative than the sum of each of the two when acting alone.

The various indigenous cultures which occupy the most distant and remote places on our planet are also aware of this timeless and Divine Law.

"Modern" society, however, by way of its multiple institutions and organizations promotes an entirely different agenda in regards to duality. Instead of focusing on the complimentary aspects of duality so revered by ancient and indigenous cultures, "modern" society Indoctrinates its members to focus only upon the divisive aspects of duality. These aspects are the concept of me against you, us against them, masculine against feminine, etc., etc., etc.

Modern society Indoctrinates its members how to "pick things apart" instead of instructing  its members to be aware of, to observe and to understand how Nature, Natural Laws and duality work in unison  to create, expand and prosper.

And except for the indigenous cultures, and the very small number of individuals who are aware of and understand Divine Law, the divisive aspects of duality governs the behavior of the masses while the complimentary aspects of duality are ridiculed,
discredited and scorned.

Hence the misery we experience in today's fractured world of personal relationships and interpersonal interactions. These fractures are the chief cause of the antagonistic attitudes which exist between the various races, cultures and nations occupying this planet today.

Symbolism  is a great Teacher.  The purpose of symbolism is to show us in pictures, characters and designs those things which  are very difficult to convey by way of clumsy words. Symbolism, in effect, manifests abstract concepts into visible images.

The paintings and artwork pertaining to The Alchemical Marriage are the Symbolist's way of portraying the powerful interplay of the complimentary aspects of duality. Therefore, the Alchemical Marriage is, in fact, a Symbolic depiction of theUnion of Duality.

The Symbolism of the Alchemical Marriage:

The Alchemical Marriage is the most sublime and potent expression of the Union of Duality. It represents the ultimate conjunction, or intimate bonding, of all aspects of duality and represents the pure harmony which can exist when the masculine and feminine aspects of Nature are solemnly blended into One.

Symbolically, the Alchemical Marriage is expressed in many different ways. Some examples are:

A naked man and woman sharing a passionate physical embrace which entwines all parts of their bodies. In such instances the man is wearing the crown of a king and the
woman is wearing the crown of a queen. Sometimes the man has the face of the sun and the woman has the face of the moon. And other times the sun may appear over the body of the man while the moon appears over the body of the woman.

Not always do we find the man and woman being portrayed as sharing a passionate embrace. Often we see them, again both naked, either holding hands or simply looking at each other with a longing gaze. Again, in these instances the man may be either
wearing the crown of a king, be portrayed with the face of the sun, or have the sun displayed above his head. While the woman may be wearing the crown of a queen, be portrayed with the face of the moon or have the moon displayed above her head.

In other instances both the man and woman may be clothed in the garments of magicians and bonded together by a cord or have a bird, which represents the Uniting Spirit, hovering above and between them in the appearance of giving spiritual blessing to their sublime Union. In these instances the man may be wearing a garment of red or gold, which represents his solar aspects, while the woman may be wearing a garment of white or silver which represents her lunar aspects.

And yet, in other instances, we may find an androgynous figure representing the Union of Duality which is at the heart of the Alchemical Marriage. An androgynous figure is one in which both the masculine and feminine are portrayed in one body. This can be depicted by way of a single a body which contains both the head of a man and the head of a woman.  An androgynous figure can also be one whose facial features can appear to be either masculine, feminine or both at the same time.

There are still other ways in which the Alchemists portrayed the Alchemical Marriage but they all contain the same themes as mentioned above.

We also find the Union of Duality, which again is at the heart of the Alchemical Marriage, in other ancient and mystical teachings.

The Chinese yin and yang Symbol depicts both the yin and yang essences perfectly balanced, and in union with each other, while Harmoniously enclosed within the womb of the circle.

In the Tarot, we find the Alchemical Marriage (Union of Duality) expressed in the card of "The Lovers".

Androgynous figures also appear in astrology, mythology and  the Tarot.

In mythology and astrology the Greek god Hermes and the Roman god Mercury are portrayed as androgynous beings. Hermes and Mercury are later day representations of Thoth, the ancient Egyptian Neter of whom it was said "contained the wisdom of the heavens and all that is contained within the heavens".

In the Tarot we find the concept of androgyny portrayed in the character of "The Fool".

The Symbolism of the Total Solar Eclipse:

The ultimate example of the Alchemical Marriage, and the Union of Duality, which can be actually observed and experienced in the physical realm is that rare and perfect
conjunction of the sun and moon which we call the Total Solar Eclipse.

During a Total Solar Eclipse the moon completely covers, and entirely unites with, the sun. In that brief and rare moment the moon and sun occupy the exact same point in the heavens. In that one brief and rare moment the moon and sun, the cosmic feminine and masculine, are Symbolically and celestially One.

And In that final and brief cosmic moment, when the moon and sun unite in the heavens as One, a flash of solar brilliance shoots forth from the sun's corona Symbolizing that orgasmic cosmic moment when the sun and the moon, the masculine and feminine
aspects of the heavens, experience their blissful Union of Duality in a magnificent consummation of their celestial Alchemical Marriage.

Joseph Panek