In George Ripley’s alchemical text, Cantilena, there is a story of a barren and dying king, the “Ancient of Days,“ who seeks rebirth by dissolving into the “First Matter” and thus returning to the Mother’s womb. While gestating, the Mother drinks from the golden chalice of Babylon. What’s in the chalice? — repressed material seeking integration. In order to revivify the society, the old ruling ideas are torn down and all that was formerly excluded is brought into this great cosmic womb to be reborn anew, to encompass the whole.
In a year that has felt apocalyptic, it is interesting to observe that both Carl Jung and Edward Edinger examine Cantilena within the context of the mythology of the Christian apocalypse. Alchemical symbolism is informed by apocalyptic themes illuminating the idea that dissolution and integration are part of the process of creating something new. Old systems are challenged amidst violence, fear, and disorientation. Each is a symptom, according to Edinger, of assimilating opposing forces.
We have witnessed both destruction and revelation this year. I find myself returning to this image of the chalice and wondering, what does it mean to “drink from the golden chalice” in 2021? This discussion will explore this question along with other key themes in the mythology of the apocalypse including bearing witness to suffering, holding negative capability in the liminal space between dissolution and rebirth, and the deep and complex process of healing.