The Alchemical Ballad of John & Yoko

Analyzing the syncs between John & Yoko and the Rosarium Philosophorum.

    (expansion on a sync originally noticed by Alan Green - http://allthehappycreatures.blogspot.com/)

from A Commentary of the Rosarium Philosophorum - by Adam McLean

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/roscom.html

http://www.alchemywebsite.com/iconology/imag6.htm

We interpret this series as a process for the integration of the three facets of man - the Body, Soul and Spirit. In our present state of evolution these facets do not work together in harmony. There are polarities and vast gulfs between the different realms within our being. It is the task of alchemical transmutation to unite these facets in a new harmony, into a perfected state of being where Body, Soul and Spirit mutually interpenetrate and work together.

Man's soul is thus the bridging element between the outer realm of the physical body and the spiritual world. This bridge must be built out of integrating the primal polarities of the soul, so that it becomes both a vehicle or vessel for the spirit and the master and moulder of the physical realm.

In illustration 1, we have a picture of man's inner soul world. In the lower part of the soul we see a triple fountain which pours forth the threefold soul-substance. These three streams pour forth from the head of the fountain, at the central point of the soul, and stream down merging together in the basin at the lowest part of the soul. This vessel contains the primal substance of the soul forces, the Inner Mercury, the Mercury of the Philosophers, that is one and yet is composed of these three streams.

Thus we have here a picture of the unintegrated soul realm of man. The three streams pour down from the heart centre into the lower soul world, but are cut off from a balanced direct connection with the upper soul, the realm of the soul that can touch upon the spiritual. The only connection with this upper soul initially is through the unintegrated polarity of the lunar and solar streams within the soul.

 Thus in illustration 2, there is pictured a personification as King and Queen of these solar and lunar forces. The Sun King and Moon Queen, have to be recognized by the alchemist as archetypal polarities within his soul and they must be brought into a new relationship. These polarities meet and touch, though at this initial stage, their encounter is very restrained and distant. As Jung points out in his commentary to these illustrations, they give each other their left hands in union. The left (sinister) being the dark or unconscious side of their being. Thus they are united in the unconscious aspect, in the depths of the lower soul. Their right hands, the more conscious side of their
being, proffer two-blossomed flowers to each other.

and this meeting in consciousness is thus more restrained and distant.

However, from above, from the higher spiritual realm indicated by the Star, a bird descends bearing a further two-blossomed flower and brings a stronger unity into the picture.

In illustration 3, the process moves one stage further. The court clothes of the King and the Queen, the veils of consciousness, have been taken off, and the two participating forces or archetypes in the soul (Jung called these the Animus and Anima) can for the first time see each other clearly.

At this stage their gesture changes and they grasp each other's proffered branch (which now is single blossomed). The solar King holds out his branch in his right hand and this is grasped by the right hand of the Queen, while her branch proffered by her left hand is received by the left hand of the King, and from above the dove still bears its unifying branch. The scroll above the Sun King states, "O Luna, let me be thy husband", while Luna says, "O Sol, I must submit to thee", and the dove bears the inscription, "It is the Spirit which vivifies". The two archetypal facets of the soul are here proffering to each other, in the form of flowers, an aspect of their forces.

 

In illustration 4, the King and Queen, still maintaining their mutual gesture of uniting their forces through the aid of the spirit, descend into the watery vessel. This is the realm of the unconscious, the inner ever-flowing Mercury of the soul, that we met in the first woodcut of the Mercurial Fountain.

"In the middle of a bath - In the middle of a bath, I call your name" - Oh, Yoko

The higher archetypal forces within the soul have entered into the vast dark sea of the unconscious realm of the inner soul life. This vessel is here hexagonal, as the triplicity of Spirit, Sun and Moon is still working within this experience.
"Shake your vessels, break your pretzels." - It's Gonna Rain by Yoko Ono

In illustration, number 5, we see the first Conjunction, the Coitus or inner union of the male and the female forces of the soul. They merge together in sexual intercourse, the man uppermost. In this first cycle of transformation, the male forces are spiritually active working upon the passive female forces.

The solar-masculine and lunar-feminine forces in the soul have now united together in the most intimate way possible. Through this union an hermaphrodite being is formed, as with the next figure, number 6, where the masculine and feminine soul forces fuse into one body with two heads. After this primal fusion and exchange of energies within the soul archetypes, an inner darkness, a nigredo or putrefaction occurs. This takes the form of a descent of the complex of interconnected male and female energies into the dark unconscious sphere of the soul.

 


In the next illustration, number 7, the Extraction or Impregnation of the Soul, a masculine soul element separates from the dying hermaphrodite, and rises upwards in the soul towards the realm of the Spirit, as indicated by the clouds above.

"In the middle of a cloud - In the middle of a cloud, I call your name" - Oh, Yoko

Through this active penetration of the inner feminine by the masculine polarity of the soul, this aspect of the inner life has achieved a certain ability to ascend within the inner world to the realm of the Spirit. The hermaphrodite-body left below as the husk of the union of the male and female currents, and being abandoned by the masculine soul forces, is now in essence the vehicle for the naked female forces of the soul in an entirely unconscious passive form. This is the turning point of this sevenfold cycle of transformation.

In illustration number 8, a dew descends from the spiritual clouds upon the inert corpse of the female forces. This results in a spiritualization of the feminine lunar element of the soul, through a washing or purification of this aspect of the soul forces lying in the unconsciousness. The hermaphrodite needs to be cleansed both by the waters of the sea of the unconscious and by the higher conscious spiritual rain. This is the Ablution or Purification.
"In the middle of a dream - In the middle of a dream" - Oh, Yoko

When this stage has taken place, the male facet of the soul returns from its sojourn in the higher spheres and reunites with the hermaphrodite husk.

This process is also pictured at the base of the vessel, as we see a bird above ground meeting with a bird buried in the earth. This is the 'Ortus', the rising or dawning of new consciousness, the Jubilation or Sublimation of the soul forces. New life returns to the feminine lunar element of the soul, which having been through this inner death process, this descent into the primal darkness of the unconscious, has gained a kind of victory over the death forces working in the unstructured soul forces. 

Thus the soul gains a mastery over the lunar element within its being. This is the inner experience of the White Stone, 

the inner foundation in the soul for consciousness of the potentialities working in this lunar- feminine element which lies within us all, and it is pictured in the last illustration from this sevenfold development, number 10 
 
which shows us the hermaphrodite of the soul now reborn from its tomb, winged (indicating its spiritual development), and standing upon the crescent of the Moon (signifying mastery of the lunar forces) which is further emphasized by the appearance of the Moon Tree.

So, John & Yoko were just as winged as Paul & Linda.

Thus it is in illustration 11, we see again the Conjunction - the Coitus of the two soul facets. This is called the Fermentation distinguishing it from the conjunction of the White phase. This time the female forces are active, and in their intercourse it is the woman who lies on top of the man. The figures are also winged, indicating the degree of spiritual development that has occurred during the first cycle of transformation which resulted with illustration 10 in the winged hermaphrodite.

"It's time to spread our wings and fly" - Just Like Starting Over

The male solar forces of the soul enter now into the darkness of the unconscious realm within, as we see in the following illustration, number 12, the Illumination, in which a winged solar disc descends into the vessel of transformation that contains the living mercury, the ever mobile flowing energies of the unconscious. As the text indicates, "Here Sol dies again and is drowned with the Mercury of the philosophers."


In illustration 13, the two facets of the soul have again fused into the hermaphrodite which is resting within the dark grave like realm of the unconscious. The hermaphrodite is winged, and thus still bears the spiritual development from the previous cycle of transmutations, however, this too must be cast off if the solar transmutation is to take place.

This we see in the following illustration 14, the turning point of this cycle, where the now wingless hermaphrodite also gives up the female side of its forces, which soars up into the spiritual world, leaving the male aspect bound to the husk of the hermaphrodite body. This is the Fixation of these forces in the unconscious realm.



Then, as with the previous cycle, a dew descends from the spiritual realm above upon the corpse-like hermaphrodite, in the Multiplication of illustration 15, and the male solar forces of the soul are purified and washed by this gentle rain of the spirit.

"Watching the Rain" is a song by Yoko Ono on her 2009 album, Between My Head and the Sky

This done, the female soul element is free now to return from her journey to the higher spiritual realm of the soul, and rejoin and revivify the hermaphrodite figure in the lower soul, as is pictured in illustration 16.


Then the round of this second cycle of transformation is complete and the hermaphrodite arises in illustration 17, displaying the perfection of the Red Stone.

On the left of the hermaphrodite we see the Sun Tree,

while on the right, the Pelican in its piety gesture, nourishing its young on the blood from its own breast, is a symbol of the Red Tincture. Behind, is a Lion, another solar symbol, and the hermaphrodite stands upon a mound below which is a triple-headed serpent, each head of which is mutually feeding upon the others. This symbolizes that the Spirit, Soul and Body are becoming united and penetrate each other, though this being still polarized in the form of the serpent (the head and tail polarity), indicates that final harmonization of these realms is yet to be achieved.

in Alchemy, the white and the red rose are well-known symbols for the lunar and the solar tincture, from which the "precious rose-coloured blood" of Christ-Lapis flows...

http://wisdomportal.com/Poems2008/RoseInAlchemy.html

The being of the alchemist during the hermaphrodite stages has dipped into this well of his being, but has never entirely penetrated deep into its mystery. However, this experience is necessary for the complete inner development of the alchemist, and it is pictured in illustration 18 as the Green Lion devouring the Sun. The sun here represents all that the alchemist has so diligently won for his consciousness, through working this process of inner development. The Green Lion is the devouring, dissolving aspect of the unconsciousness.

The alchemist must be prepared to make this sacrifice of his conscious achievements to the dark well of his unconscious being, if he is to further the process of integration, for only in this way can he fully encompass this realm and unite the three streams that pour from the fountain into the vessel of the lower soul (Illustration 1).

A similar inner task must be undertaken with regard to the upper soul realm, and this is portrayed in the penultimate illustration, where we see the being of the alchemist receiving a crown from the upper three streams of the Father aspect (body), the Son-Christ (soul) and the Holy Spirit. The alchemist must again make an ego sacrifice this time in respect to his upper soul. He must be prepared here to receive the blessing of this spirit that pours into his upper soul and recognize that the source lies outside his being. If he were at this stage to identify his self with this stream of spirit, he would be overwhelmed with egoism. The alchemist thus experienced through the sacrificial gestures towards his lower and upper soul (figures 18 and 19), the true spiritual ego that resides within his being, and which receives its essential foundation from the uniting of the Body, Soul and Spirit facets in both the upper and lower soul realms.

So, with the final illustration, the alchemist is seen having achieved a kind of resurrection which is paralleled with that of Christ. In the Green Lion stage he descended deep into the dark inner mysteries of his soul, as Christ descended into Hell, but has returned with renewed energies in a resurrection body bearing the mystery of the upper trinity. This is the true transmutation. Those who have gone through this experience are fundamentally changed, having undergone a self initiation that parallels the inner experiences that were gained through initiation into the ancient Mysteries of Greece, Egypt or Britain.

The series of illustrations in the Rosarium outlines a process for the inner conscious encounter, separation, purification, re-conjunction and harmonization of the male and female facets of the soul, and working through such a process brings about an initiation of the alchemist. The various blocks to the free flow of these inner energies are thus removed and the alchemist is able to experience life more fully, having both a living perception of the spiritual and the ability to express his being creatively in his encounter with the physical realm.


In 1968, Lennon & Ono held their bagism art piece at the Royal Albert Hall. The event was called The Alchemical Wedding.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagism#The_Alchemical_Wedding

Stanley Kheprik

Kubrick/Beatles syncs

The Beatles approached Kubrick with the idea of directing a film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings starring the Beatles. (And remember, Bilbo leaves the Shire on his 111th birthday).

Stephen King named his novel The Shining after Lennon's song "Instant Karma", which contains the lyrics, "We all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun."

"Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void. It is shining, it is shining" -Tomorrow Never Knows. A song inspired by T. Leary's The Psychedelic Experience, which is based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead.

I find it interesting that the opening scene from The Shining overlays in such an uncanny way with the Abbey Road album cover. See how the VW Beetles parallel each other.


In The Shining there is the mysterious Room 237. On 23/7, July 23rd, 1965, The Beatles released their Help!/I'm Down single.

Jack Torrence wants to be a Paperback Writer.


We see what appears to resemble a beetle on the headboard. (thanks, Subliminal Synchrosphere)


in The Shining, Wendy is seen reading Catcher in the Rye

Mark David Chapman was reading the same book in the days leading up to his murdering of Lennon.


We see a crushed red VW Beetle at one point in the film.


backwards messages, mirror usage.

The boy, Danny Torrence, is also referred to as "Doc". In the maze scene near the end Jack calls him "Danny Boy". In McCartney's Rocky Raccoon, the main character is named Danny, is referred to as "Danny Boy", and he is talking to his doctor, which he calls "Doc".

Tim Carey in his role from Kubrick's film The Killing in the Sgt. Pepper album cover crowd, though he ends up being hidden behind George in the final picture.
He is behind George and his gun is behind Paul, which is aimed at John.

In The Killing, Carey's character shoots a racehorse. Red Rum was a famous racehorse.
The Latin word for walrus is Odebenus Rosmarus Divergens. The Rosmarus part is Norse for "Horse of the sea".
The L and the H from 'Lonely Hearts' = 12 and 8 alphabetically. Lennon died on 12/8. (He delivered his apology for his "bigger than Jesus" remark on 8/12).

Tim Carey is one of three soldiers who gets executed in Kubrick's film Paths Of Glory.
The two Generals responsible for the execution were named George and Paul.
There is also a significant scene where Carey kills a cockroach/bug.
Stanley Kubrick released 13 films and died at age 70.
The Beatles released 13 albums and broke up (died) in '70.

Marlon Brando, who worked with Kubrick for 6 months on the film One-Eyed Jacks, starred in Wild One which features a gang named The Beetles. He too is part of the Sgt. Pepper crowd.

Brando - Godfather


Unused arial footage from Dr. Strangelove was used in Magical Mystery Tour, during the segment for the song Flying. Which is a standout song in their catalog, as being the only song credited to all four Beatles and the only instrumental.
Dr. Strangelove was co-written with Terry Southern, who appears on the Sgt. Pepper cover.

A similar psychedelic filter was added to the arial shots in 2001:ASO.

from Beatles Discography: Day-By-Day Song-By-Song Record-By-Record by Craig Cross

In A Clockword Orange, the Magical Mystery Tour double-EP can be seen in the record shop. On the top shelf, middle-screen, directly above a film soundtrack featuring music from 2001: A Space Odyssey and Rosemary's Baby.

MMT was released exactly 13 years to day before the death of Lennon. In the opening scene we see John standing next to a sign reading, "The best way to go is by MDC."

in A Clockwork Orange Alex is mind-controlled with Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" from his 9th Symphony.

The same tune that is used in the Help! film to pacify a tiger intent on attacking Ringo. It is the female protagonist that knows of this trick.


Stanley finished the screenplay for Napoleon the same day The White Album was released. Which was also the 5-year anniversary of the JFK shooting.


Ringo starred in Frank Zappa's film 200 Motels, which was filmed at Pinewood Studios, as was 2001:ASO, and features Kubrick's Monolith in two scenes.


1964 Ed Sullivan Show backdrop and 2001: A Space Odyssey stargate sequence.


The large red gemstone ring worn by Ringo in Help! reminds me of Hal. Particularly during the first shot of the Beatles, which is this close-up if the sacrificial ring worn by Starr.

Halp!








They are the eggwomen


In 2001:ASO, hen the Pan-Am flight first approaches the space station, it is revolving clockwise.

But just a few shots later, it is revolving counter-clockwise. The circular shape of the space station brings to mind an LP record disc. The alternating spin brings to mind playing the record backwards.
The Beatles song Rain was the first pop song to use reversed audio. It was recorded during the Revolver sessions.


The crowd shot is one thing, but notice the use of the palm tree in both. One of the main motifs mentioned in regards to Solomon's Temple in 1 Kings chapter 6 is his use of palm trees.

Interesting that the three space suits in 2001 are red, yellow and light blue. Ringo's & George's Pepper suits are both in the red family and could be seen as one, Bowman's. Ringo & George could be theoretically taken as the only two Beatles to live to see 2001, or most of it.
Quite interesting that Frank Poole wears the yellow suit and it is he who dies.
It is the light blue suit that is never used, it hangs there unembodied throughout the whole film.

After being sabotaged by HAL, Bowman does don a green helmet. This is echoed in the green feather in George's cap on the Sgt. Pepper cover.
See my Thoth post on how HarriSon resonates as Horus the Son and the Aeon of Horus.


Daniel Richter, the actor who played Moonwathcer in 2001:ASO was good friends with Lennon and was the director of photography for his Imagine video.
Which I can't help but think of how he imagines killing the tapir with the bone when he has his epiphany. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Richter_(actor)


The maze from The Shining. (forgive me for not knowing who first pointed out the pyramid).


Interesting that in the Lennon song "Come Together" on Abbey Road, you can hear him saying something that certainly sounds like "shoot me" during the opening bars of the song. It has been noticed that there are several occasions in The Shining when a human vocalization beginning with a "shh" sound can be heard throughout the first half of the film.






Abbey Road uses the one-point perspective so ubiquitous in Kubrick's work. Which resonates with a pyramid shape.









HAL's memory banks are translucent rectangular blocks arranged in rows & columns. As Bowman shuts HAL down the light emitting from them is projected onto his face. All of which bring to mind the crosswalk motif. As well as an 11:11 motif, which is synonymous with enlightenment/passing through a stargate.


Andras Jones pointed out that when Dr. Strangelove was released on January 19th 1964, the #1 song in America was "There, I've said it again" by Bobby Vinton. This was the last #1 song of the pre-Beatles era in American charts.