The Alchemical Marriage: Union of Opposites

BY NICOLE LAU

The Alchemical Marriage—also called the Sacred Marriage, Hieros Gamos, or Conjunction—is the mystical union of opposites that creates the Philosopher's Stone. When the Red King (masculine, solar, sulfur) and the White Queen (feminine, lunar, mercury) unite in perfect love, they become the Rebis—the divine hermaphrodite, the integrated Self, the goal of the Great Work. This is not just symbolism—it's the actual process of becoming whole.

This is the sacred union that transforms everything.

What is the Alchemical Marriage?

The Definition

The Union of:

• Masculine and Feminine
• Sun and Moon
• Sulfur and Mercury
• Red King and White Queen
• Conscious and Unconscious
• Spirit and Matter
• Yang and Yin
• Active and Receptive

The Result:

• The Rebis (divine hermaphrodite)
• The Philosopher's Stone
• Wholeness, integration, completion
• The Self realized (Jung)
• Enlightenment

Why "Marriage"?

Marriage implies:

• Sacred commitment
• Two becoming one
• Permanent union
• Creating something new (child = Philosopher's Stone)
• Love as the binding force

Not literal marriage: This is an inner union, not an external relationship (though it affects relationships).

The Red King & White Queen

The Red King (Sol)

Represents:

• The masculine principle
• Sun ☉, gold, sulfur 🜍
• Consciousness, ego, will
• Active, projective, giving
• Fire, heat, day
• Logic, structure, order
• The animus (in women)

Color: Red (rubedo, completion)

Element: Fire 🜂

Quality: Hot and dry

The White Queen (Luna)

Represents:

• The feminine principle
• Moon ☽, silver, mercury ☿
• Unconscious, soul, receptivity
• Passive, receptive, allowing
• Water, coolness, night
• Intuition, flow, creativity
• The anima (in men)

Color: White (albedo, purification)

Element: Water 🜄

Quality: Cold and moist

Why They Must Unite

Separated, they are incomplete:

• King alone: All action, no receptivity = sterile, rigid
• Queen alone: All receptivity, no action = unfocused, chaotic
• Together: Perfect balance, creative power, wholeness

The alchemical maxim: "The Sun needs the Moon as the Moon needs the Sun."

The Marriage Process

Stage 1: Separation

What Happens:

• King and Queen are identified as distinct
• You recognize both principles within you
• Each is purified separately
• Masculine purged of toxic traits
• Feminine purged of toxic traits

Psychological:

• Recognizing your masculine and feminine aspects
• Shadow work on each
• Healing wounded masculine/feminine

Stage 2: Purification

What Happens:

• King bathes in Queen's waters (dissolution)
• Queen is heated by King's fire (calcination)
• Each transforms the other
• Impurities removed

Psychological:

• Masculine learns receptivity from feminine
• Feminine learns action from masculine
• Each becomes more whole through the other

Stage 3: The Wedding

What Happens:

• King and Queen face each other
• They recognize each other as equals
• They embrace in love
• They merge into one being
• The Conjunction occurs

Psychological:

• Masculine and feminine integrate
• No longer in conflict
• Perfect balance achieved
• You become whole

Stage 4: The Rebis

What Happens:

• From the union, a new being emerges
• The Rebis: half male, half female
• Or: fully both, transcending both
• The divine hermaphrodite
• The Philosopher's Stone personified

Psychological:

• The integrated Self (Jung)
• You are no longer identified with one pole
• You contain and express both
• Wholeness, completion

Psychological Interpretation

Jung's Anima and Animus

For Men:

• Conscious identity = masculine (King)
• Unconscious = feminine (Queen/Anima)
• The work: Integrate the anima
• Marry your inner feminine
• Become whole man (both masculine and feminine)

For Women:

• Conscious identity = feminine (Queen)
• Unconscious = masculine (King/Animus)
• The work: Integrate the animus
• Marry your inner masculine
• Become whole woman (both feminine and masculine)

For All:

• Everyone has both principles
• The goal is integration, not elimination
• Wholeness requires both

Shadow Integration

The Marriage includes:

• Light and shadow
• Accepted self and rejected self
• Conscious and unconscious
• The marriage is complete integration

The Marriage in Different Traditions

Alchemy

• Red King + White Queen = Rebis
• Sulfur + Mercury = Philosopher's Stone
• Sol + Luna = Conjunction

Tantra

• Shiva (masculine) + Shakti (feminine) = Enlightenment
• The cosmic dance of creation
• Union of consciousness and energy

Kabbalah

• Chokmah (masculine) + Binah (feminine) = Daath (knowledge)
• The pillars unite in the middle pillar
• Balance of severity and mercy

Taoism

• Yang + Yin = Tao
• The union creates harmony
• The Tai Chi symbol shows their dance

Christianity (Mystical)

• Christ (masculine) + Sophia (feminine) = Divine Wisdom
• Bride and Bridegroom
• The mystical marriage of the soul with God

Signs of the Alchemical Marriage

Before the Marriage

• Internal conflict between masculine and feminine
• Identifying strongly with one pole, rejecting the other
• Projecting your missing half onto others
• Seeking completion externally
• Feeling incomplete, fragmented

During the Marriage

• Increasing inner peace
• Less projection onto others
• Ability to access both masculine and feminine
• Dreams of weddings, unions, integration
• Feeling more whole

After the Marriage

• Deep inner peace and wholeness
• Effortless balance of both energies
• No longer seeking completion externally
• Paradox is comfortable
• You ARE the Rebis
• Relationships transform (no longer codependent)

The Marriage Ritual

Preparation (7 Days)

Days 1-3: Honor the King

• Identify your masculine qualities
• Strengthen healthy masculine
• Release toxic masculine
• Prepare the King for marriage

Days 4-6: Honor the Queen

• Identify your feminine qualities
• Strengthen healthy feminine
• Release toxic feminine
• Prepare the Queen for marriage

Day 7: Prepare the Sacred Space

• Cleanse yourself and space
• Create altar with both masculine and feminine symbols
• Set intention for the marriage

The Ritual (60-90 minutes)

Part 1: Invoke the King (15 min)

1. Light gold/red candle (masculine)
2. Stand tall, embody masculine energy
3. "I invoke the Red King within me"
4. Feel strength, clarity, will

Part 2: Invoke the Queen (15 min)

1. Light silver/white candle (feminine)
2. Soften, embody feminine energy
3. "I invoke the White Queen within me"
4. Feel receptivity, flow, intuition

Part 3: The Marriage (30 min)

1. Sit in meditation, both energies present
2. Visualize King and Queen facing each other in your heart
3. They bow to each other in mutual respect
4. They speak vows of eternal union
5. They embrace in perfect love
6. They merge into one golden light
7. This light fills your entire being
8. You ARE the marriage

Part 4: Seal the Union (15 min)

1. Speak: "I am whole. I am the Sacred Marriage. I am complete."
2. Drink wine/juice (communion with the union)
3. Journal insights
4. Close ritual with gratitude

Living as the Rebis

Daily Practice

• Morning: Invoke both King and Queen
• Throughout day: Flow between both as needed
• Evening: Thank both for their gifts
• Maintain the marriage through conscious practice

In Relationships

When you're whole:

• You don't need another to complete you
• You choose partnership from wholeness
• You can dance with another's energies
• Relationship becomes sacred play, not desperate need
• You attract whole partners

Conclusion: The Sacred Union

The Alchemical Marriage is not a one-time event—it's a state of being you cultivate and deepen. It's the ongoing integration of all opposites within you: masculine and feminine, light and shadow, conscious and unconscious, human and divine.

When the Red King and White Queen unite in your heart, you become the Rebis—the divine hermaphrodite, the integrated Self, the Philosopher's Stone. You are no longer fragmented, seeking completion outside yourself. You are whole.

This is the goal of the Great Work. This is enlightenment. This is becoming fully human and fully divine. This is the Sacred Marriage.

May the King and Queen within you recognize each other, honor each other, and unite in perfect love. May you become the Rebis. May you embody the Philosopher's Stone.

The Sacred Marriage awaits. The union is within you.

The next article explores "The Red King & White Queen: Sacred Union"—diving deeper into these archetypal figures and their individual qualities.