Water to Gold
From ‘Colors’ symbols-history-correlations
By Luciana Boccardi
On the color Black
The philosopher’s stone
The Magnum opus of the alchemical process analyses the values of black: the first of the four stages that govern our life, according to alchemy, and one which is linked to earth, night, winter, old age, wisdom, sadness and death.
It is followed by the second stage of white, corresponding to water, dawn, childhood and variable moods.
Yellow is the color of the third stage associated with air: noon, summer and youth.
The Fourth and last is the red stage, connected in alchemy to the element fire: light, autumn, sunset and maturity.
The passages from earth to water to air to fire mark the transformations of matter that progressively dematerializes until it reaches the ethereal and luminous consistency of the philosopher’s stone. This cyclical nature is a comforting guarantee that winter will be followed by spring, night by dawn, a symbol of resurrection.
Megan McIntyre is photographed at night performing a fire dance with 2 balls of fire.