Air & Earth: Bridging Alchemical Elements for Transformation

Guidance to move from sublimatio to coagulatio

In this edition of The Artemisian, I’m answering a question from a paid member. To submit your own, consider joining the membership where you’ll deepen your inner work through archetypal perspectives, explore the symbolic language of the psyche, and grow alongside a like-minded community. Membership includes monthly workshops, discounted 1:1 support, a growing resource library, and more.

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A paid member writes…

“I feel caught in a liminal space between who I’ve been and who I’m becoming. A deeper identity—what I sometimes call “Fox Woman Rising”—is calling me to step forward and guide others through mythic and soulful work. Yet I often find myself going down many rabbit holes—gathering insights, practices, and ideas—but struggling to weave them into something coherent. Despite years of inner work, I hesitate to be seen and question the value of what I carry. I feel both full and fragmented.

There’s also a particular loneliness in doing this kind of deep inner work alone.

I have scattered notebooks and files—seeds of something important—but no clear way to track or integrate them. I long to live this work day-to-day, to let it shape how I move through the world. But I often wonder: how do I bring form to something so layered and alive? How do I let my inner work truly inform my outer path? And how do I stay connected to what matters most, rather than becoming overwhelmed or losing the thread?

What archetypes might be present at this threshold, and how might I work with them to find coherence, clarity, and soulful embodiment in this next stage of the journey?”

Minerva in the Heavens by Andrey Ivanovich Ivanov

“Sublimatio is an ascent that raises us above the confining entanglements of immediate, earthy, existence and its concrete, personal particulars. The higher we go the grander and more comprehensive is our perspective, but also the more remote we become from actual life and the less able we will be to have an effect on what we perceive. We become magnificent but impotent spectators.”

— Edward Edinger, Anatomy of the Psyche

Engrossed in alchemical studies and writing as of late, I read this inquiry and was struck by the descriptive language, words jumping out as image that seem to offer keys to resolution. I sense the yearning for change, the archetype of transformation constellated, and yet somehow thwarted. Disoriented by emotional intensity, caught in the details, the restrictive thought patterns, and questions that seem to have no answers…I think this is something we can all relate to, the trials we face on the great and winding creative paths of life.

It is what inspired me to design the Alchemical Inner Work¹ technique, born at a time when frustration and uncertainty reigned for myself, where typical problem solving seemed to reach its limits. I always see those experiences as a defeat of the ego, a place where we reach the boundaries of what we can consciously grasp and work with. When that happens, I know it is time to open to the great archetypal depths of the unconscious, to do a tarot spread, incubate a dream, to work with a myth or engage in active imagination.

But what of alchemy, how can that be called upon to support us?

The alchemist explored the borderlands of spirit and matter, attempting to transmute base materials into their highest expression through experimentation that had a concrete, chemical component as well as a psychological one. The illustrations in their manuscripts, operations and procedures that read more like a myth than laboratory instruction, reveal what happens when the psyche brings imagination into the “real world”, how meaningful change can be achieved when we bridge the practical aspects of life with the power of symbol. Their work becomes an archetypal map for facilitating transformation, especially the kind that is seemingly impossible.

So, like the alchemist, we begin with a prima materia, which in the technique is linked to our psychological conditions or struggles that we wish to work on. Rather than staying caught in the confines of the literal world and its oppressive details and cycles of rumination, we reimagine the situation through an inner focusing, allowing spontaneous images to arise. It is through these images and their sensory details, the color, weight, texture, and feeling, that we uncover their alchemical nature. These qualities ground us in both psychic and concrete reality, offering a symbol that not only represents our struggle but also hints at the alchemical operations needed to bring about change. Let us see what prima materia this member’s language brings forth.

They mention:

• Liminal space, like the shifting sky, moving from twilight to dawn, darkness to blazing sun.

• A sense of rising, lifted high on eagle’s wings, soaring with no attachments.

• Fragmented and scattered, like clouds drifting through the heavens, caught in the grip of competing winds pulling in opposing directions.

To me, their prima materia (i.e. their inner work struggle) feels airy, unmoored, floating, expansive. Their language implies that they have existed too long in the operation of sublimatio, where the material changes from a solid to a gaseous state. Psychologically, this is when we break out of the well-worn molds of life, transcending limitations to explore and be free. We follow the whims of spirit’s call, zigzagging through concepts, practices, rituals, moods. It gives one an incredible perspective! We truly see things from a new vantage point, gain visions of possibility, experience the vast field of learning and imagination.

But as Edinger reminds us, this state cannot be sustained indefinitely. We lose contact with actual life and are eventually called to descend, to return to the earth, to dig our roots deep. The member’s inquiry carries the intimations of this turning point as well.

They speak of:

• Seeds, those first kernels of something vital, waiting to be planted in fertile soil.

• Shape and form, the solid structures that offer a foundation from which to move and act.

• Embodiment, the truest expression of sensate reality, rooted in the body, moving with intention, made visible and tangible for all to witness and feel.

Their prima materia calls out for the earth elemental, to leave the realm of abstractions and find land once more. This is the operation of coagulatio, where the material transforms into a solid, fixed state. Psychologically, this helps ground the volatility of our desires, impulses and drives through limitation. It tells us to engage with reality as it is, rather than as we wish it to be. It anchors us to a starting place so we can build a meaningful foundation capable of supporting a new chapter of life.

Dense, solid, heavy with the pull of gravity, but necessary. It is through this pressure that form becomes possible, that vision gains structure, and that what was once only imagined begins to materialize in the outer world.

Coming Back to Earth

The Acropolis at Athens by Leo von Klenze

“…images of ascent, heights, and flying almost always indicate the need for a down-going. Modern individuals have had entirely too much sublimatio, at least of the lesser kind. They need descent and coagulatio. The relative freedom of the sublimated state is an important achievement in psychic development, but only a part. It can be disastrous to be stuck in the sky. Ascent and descent are both needed.”

— Edward Edinger, Anatomy of the Psyche

Once we have a prima materia, have analyzed its qualities and identified the alchemical operations that it needs, the technique instructs us to draw out its practical application, the real world actions that support transformation. After all, alchemy was an art of hands-on work: burning, dissolving, pulverizing, distilling. It demanded that the practitioner engage with the material directly.

The member’s sublimated states have let fears and uncertainties remain unchallenged. Their liminal condition holds the allure of potential but also protects them from the uncomfortable demands and confrontations of enactment. Bringing the spirit of the work to form is the first step in passing the threshold. Here are some considerations.

I — Establish Clear Boundaries

Choose a limited scope for now — one topic, one offering, one skill to focus on. Then, let the rest wait. This establishes clear boundaries and helps avoid fragmentation. All you’ve explored and learned likely has a role to play, even if it only shifted your perceptions or ideas. Transformation happens in stages, new layers are added as things shift. We never have the final form from the get go. Give yourself the structure to grow.

II — Commit to One Act of Visibility

As a step toward embodiment and coherence, choose a small way to be seen. Share a piece of writing, invite a trusted loved one to try out a session, ask for feedback on an offering, etc. The act brings your ideas and longings into reality, breaking down fears and building confidence for greater leaps and further transformation.

III — Track Patterns and Lessons

As you begin to be more visible, to lean into a chosen theme, track the lessons from these experiments. Have a single place to host it, like a notebook or app, and write what these experiences are teaching you. Are there patterns emerging in how you work, the topics that arise in conversation, or the frustrations you experience? These insights reveal what is fertile, where resources are needed, where you’ve hit your limits, carving out a path to further development.

Join the conversation

How would you apply the principles of coagulatio to this member’s situation? Do you have an inner work situation that is in need of coagulatio’s stabilizing and grounding influence?

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Curious how the Alchemical Inner Work technique can transform relationship dynamics?

One of the core principles of alchemy tells us that only separated things can be joined, that a process of differentiation is key to a successful and long-lasting union. In the upcoming member’s workshop series, we’ll explore relationships through this lens, applying the technique of Alchemical Inner Work to re-imagine the complexities of intimacy and connection, and to discover paths towards resolution and transformation.

Join us for the first live class this Saturday, May 10th at 11am PST.

1. For more, see the Alchemical Inner Work Guidebook or introductory class.