Red King

Alchemists identified numerous symbolic pairs of opposites that need to be combined and transformed in the Great Work. The polarities are always masculine and feminine pairs, such as the Red King and White Queen, Sun and Moon, Gold and Silver, or Sulphur and Mercury. These pairs are listed in masculine and feminine columns in Table 5.1. 

Sulphur, as the soul, is consciousness, the individual spirit. The hot, dry, fiery, masculine principle, it is the active, engendering seed, called Sol and the Father of the Stone. It is form—eidos —the idea of a thing, as opposed to matter, the expression of the idea. Its symbols include the Sun, the stag and the Red Lion. In its unpurified state it is the red man, who quarrels with the white woman. When exalted, or perfected, he becomes the Red King. 

Released from their limited state, both Principles can be purified and reconciled, whereafter their sacred union can occur. This is the chemical wedding of the Red King and the White Queen. The child of their union is the transcendent androgenous child, spirit ensouled the immortal spiritualised soul described in the title of an anonymous i8 b century alchemical tome as The Hermaphrodite Child of the Sun and the Moon. 

When we know how to introduce the fixed, white Stone, the heavenly Light, as the dry Fire of the Philosophers, then we also know how to unite the white, fixed Queen with the red King. 

This efflorescent imagery was often coupled with distinctive colour schemes, somewhat after the manner of heraldry. There were, for example, the red king (gold, sophic sulphur, or the Stone) the white, or blue, queen (silver, or sophic mercury), the grey wolf (antimony sulphide), and the black crow (putrefied or mortified matter). 

Transmutation of base metals into silver or gold is ultimately achieved through projection —an unexplainable process that could occur at a distance— the red tincture projected from the heart of the red king (the red stone) onto his subjects, who personify the base metals. The basilisk (or cockatrice) (Figure 54) is a serpent of Roman mythology. Some versions have it hatched by a serpent from an egg laid by a cock. Others view it as a poisonous mixture of cock and... 

Imafuku M (1986) Sexual discrimination in the hermit crab Pagurus geminus. J Ethol 4 39 17 J0rgensen LL, Primicerio R (2007) Impact scenario for the invasive red king crab Paralithodes... 

Petiot was also asked to rename the drink to appease delicate sensibilities. He called it the Red Snapper, which is how the hotel s King Cole Bar still presents it. The original Mary, depending on which wild goose you chase, was (1) Mary, Queen of Scots, who died in a bucket of blood (2) Mary Tudor, who thirsted for Protestant blood (3) a patron at the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago or (4) a woman who was repeatedly stood up at Mr. Petiot s bar in Paris, which is, as tire English would say, pretty bloody. 

Mishin AS, Subach FV, Yampolsky IV, King W, Lukyanov KA, Verkhusha W (2008) The first mutant of the Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein that forms a red chromophore. Biochemistry 47 4666-4673... 

Cvejic JH, Rohmer M (2000) C02 as main carbon source for isoprenoid biosynthesis via the mevalonate-independent methylerythritol 4-phosphate route in the marine diatoms Phaeodactylum tricomutum and Nitzschia ovalis. Phytochemistry 53 21-28 de Nys R, Steinberg PD, Willemsen P, Dworjanyn SA, Gabelish CL, King RJ (1995) Broad-spectrum effects of secondary metabolites from the red alga Delisea pulchra in antifouling assays. Biofouling 8 259-271... 

The King shares his royal dignity with noble Venus, and appears in splendid state, surrounded by all the dignitaries of his court. Before him is borne a beautiful crimson banner, in which there is an embroidered representation of Charity in green garments. Saturn is the prefect of the royal household, and in front of him Astronomy bears a black standard, with a representation of Faith in yellow and red garments. 

Although a rampant self-seeder if allowed to flower, red orache is a very decorative plant whose leaves make a colorful addition to salads. The little-known perennial Good King Henry is another old-fashioned salad plant. 

The indigo plant was used as early as 3000 BCE to make purple dyes. For many years humans used insects, snails, and plants to make dyes of bright red, deep red, purple, brown, yellow, and black. The processes of extracting the dyes were expensive. Only the wealthy, and primarily royalty at this early time in history, could afford the deep purple dyes for their clothing and robes. Thus, the tradition of purple as the color of kings was originated. 

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