Gaia Alchemy

In November 1989, I remember driving through the rain in the dark on my way to a conference on Gaia theory organised Teddy Goldsmith in Devon, attended by leading people in the field (incidentally, I heard on the radio about the collapse of the Bulgarian Communist government, having visited the country over the summer). This was my first major exposure to Gaia theory, the year before Stephan Harding arrived at the newly established Schumacher College as resident ecologist and later leader of the MSc in Holistic Science along with other Network members like Brian Goodwin, Margaret Colquhoun and Henri Bortoft. Since that time, Gaia theory has made inroads into more mainstream thinking, even if there is still considerable resistance from mechanistic left hemisphere thinkers. In this remarkable and courageous new book, Stephan builds on his earlier work in Animate Earth to provide a blueprint for science that fully embraces imagination and intuition represented in depth psychology and the alchemical tradition. I find it more than intriguing that Stephan uses the same set of alchemical Rosarium Philosophorum images as Melinda Powell in her book on the alchemy of the soul in lucid dreaming, also reviewed in this issue. We are indeed living in a liminal time necessitating a powerful alchemical transformation.

We are called upon, as Stephan himself exemplifies, to do the inner work of remaking ourselves in developing a science with a soul – one that values wisdom - requiring different modes of thinking and perception as well as engaging the feelings and listening to dreams. The book is informed by the Unus Mundus and the spirit of Gaia herself, and indeed readers are invited to find a special Gaia place where they can undertake reflective exercises and be in direct touch with Gaia. Jung’s psychology and especially his work on the collective unconscious and on alchemy are important sources of inspiration. Stephan explains and illustrates the various phases of the alchemical process in relation to different natural cycles and the history of life itself. These are calcination (burning off the dross to leave the essential), dissolution, separation into distinctive natures, conjunction in a coherent wholeness, fermentation or rotting down, distillation, and finally coagulation. At an individual level, this represents the process of individuation, while in relation to the thesis of this book, it brings together ‘archetypal Gaia and scientific Gaia’ (Sol and Luna) in the body of Mercurius symbolising the opposites.

As a culture, we are striving to overcome this split and one-sidedness represented by Descartes and the dominance of mechanistic left hemisphere thinking as the only valid way of knowing. Stephan creates an imaginary conversation between Descartes and an alchemist, bringing in Marie Louise von Franz to clinch the argument with her deep knowledge of dreams. Descartes emerges transformed, as does a hard-boiled reductionist in a later conversation, although I did wonder if the process is likely to take two years rather than two weeks! Throughout the book, there are detailed scientific explanations of Gaia theory and its processes in different contexts and at various scales, including carbon and temperature regulation, endosymbiosis, and the relationship between fungi and plants. Throughout, there are illuminating snippets of conversation with Jeffrey Kiehl. The introduction of what Stephan calls the Gaiascope provides a fascinating template bringing together the four modes of Jung, the four elements of alchemy and those of Gaia, with the Philosopher’s Stone in the centre. This produces a series of correspondences, for instance intuiting with fire and life, and sensing with earth and rocks.

At this point, readers are introduced to the Tabula Smaragdina and the Azoth des Philosophes, with detailed descriptions of the corresponding alchemical processes – my favourite image was of the alchemist with his head being pushed into an oven. Newton himself used the Azoth Mandala but he split off his alchemical from his scientific work, at least in terms of his public reputation. Humboldt and Goethe are conjured up to offer a more integrated perspective, also with respect to time and development. The ten extraordinary images of the Rosarium Philosophorum are elaborated with reference to fungi and plants, and the symbolism is strikingly profound and worth working with. Stephan also develops Arne Naess’ ecosophical tree with his friend Per Ingvar Haukeland, beautifully evoking their long walk in the forest and reminding us that we need to recover the sense of seeing living intrinsic value in nature. The final chapter explains how we can experience Gaia Mercurius as a way of integrating the realms of psyche and science in an essential transformative process. Stephan is a bold and inspiring pioneer in this respect, inviting scientists to embark on a journey towards wholeness that also represents a vital reconfiguration of our thinking, perception and feelings. The cultural stakes could not be higher – thinking as usual is no longer an option, and I look forward to seeing Stephan on our webinar platform in August.