Hamlet's Father's Ghost

It appears Hamlet is prepared for his father's ghost to visit him. There is no doubt in his mind when told that his father's ghost was seen by Marcellus and Bernardo that this did occur and that he needed to engage him. This interests me. It is as if he is in the realm of the imaginal already and no preparation is required. He strikes me as one with little interest in the outside world up to this point. The prince who has been pampered is a puer aeternis being compelled to grow up and his father is compelling him. Dressed in battle garb his father demands Hamlet avenge his death. This call to battle is every father's call for his son. The call to battle through the mother realm to become an autonmous man. Yet when Hamlet first sees him he is not sure what to call him. Hamlet, King, father...in that order as if Hamlet himself is sorting out who this archetypal/hallucinated figure is. He uses his first name, first, as if he is thnks he is on equal ground somehow with his father. Then he wavers and calls him by his title, King, which also doesn't quite define his relationship and perhaps pulls it too far the other side and then settles on father which, like Goldilocks, feels just right. Again the number three comes up when Hamlet demands his friends swear not just once but three times to never report what they saw. Is this a little OCD on behalf of Hamlet or have we already moved into the archetypal realm where numbers have significance and demonstrates Hamlet's respect for and understanding of this realm? We know we are in for quite a battle not just between Hamlet and those in whom he expects to seek revenge but between the archetypal and literal realms. We are just moving out of the alchemical period in history and its imprint is all abound in this play. WE will have fun.

The Mercurial Fountain

We are the metals’ first nature and only source
The highest tincture of the Art is made through us.
No fountain and no water has my like
I make both rich and poor both whole and sick.
For healthful can I be and poisonous.
Above is the translation of the Latin inscription that is beneath the first alchemical plate of the Rosarium Philosophorum. This first plate depicts the Mercurial Fountain which represents the sealed vessel or vas hermiticum. All lies within including the opposites. C.G. Jung believed this vessel perfectly represents the analytic relationship. We will be exploring in our own way how the unconscious waters from the fountain interplay with our conscious lives. We will alos be exploring literature, philosophy and analytic writings to develope a deeper understanding of ourselves. Much like the alchemists.

The fountain depicts the three spouts of liquid which included the lac virginis (virgin’s milk), acetum fontis (vinegar of the spring) and aqua vitae (water of life). Also in the image are the opposites, the sun and the moon. We will be referring back to this image and others throughout this blog.

Vas Hermeticum.

The sealed vessel has been opened. But what lies inside?