Solve et Coagula: Dissolve & Coagulate

BY NICOLE LAU

"Solve et Coagula"—Dissolve and Coagulate. These two Latin words, inscribed on the arms of Baphomet, contain the entire secret of alchemy. They describe the fundamental rhythm of all transformation: breaking down the old (solve) and building up the new (coagula). This is the heartbeat of the universe, the breath of creation, the pulse of evolution. Understanding solve et coagula gives you the master key to all change.

This is the fundamental alchemical formula.

The Meaning

Solve (Dissolution)

Latin: Solve = "Loosen, dissolve, break apart"

The Process:

• Breaking down structures
• Dissolving solid into liquid
• Releasing, letting go, opening
• Chaos, entropy, death
• The feminine, receptive principle

Symbols:

• Water 🜄
• Moon ☽
• Mercury ☿ (the volatile)
• The White Queen
• Yin, darkness, winter

Coagula (Coagulation)

Latin: Coagula = "Bind together, solidify, crystallize"

The Process:

• Building up structures
• Crystallizing liquid into solid
• Manifesting, creating, forming
• Order, negentropy, birth
• The masculine, active principle

Symbols:

• Earth 🜃
• Sun ☉
• Sulfur 🜍 (the fixed)
• The Red King
• Yang, light, summer

The Eternal Rhythm

Why Both Are Necessary

You Cannot Have One Without the Other:

• Solve without coagula = endless chaos, no manifestation
• Coagula without solve = rigid stagnation, no growth
• Both together = transformation, evolution, life

The Cycle:

1. Something exists (coagulated form)
2. It dissolves (solve)
3. It exists as potential (the void)
4. It crystallizes in new form (coagula)
5. The cycle repeats

Examples in Nature

Water Cycle:

• Ice (coagula) melts to water (solve)
• Water evaporates to vapor (solve)
• Vapor condenses to water (coagula)
• Water freezes to ice (coagula)
• Eternal cycle

Seasons:

• Spring: Coagula (growth, manifestation)
• Summer: Peak coagulation (full form)
• Autumn: Solve begins (dissolution, release)
• Winter: Complete solve (death, void)
• Spring returns: Coagula (rebirth)

Breath:

• Inhale: Coagula (gathering, solidifying)
• Exhale: Solve (releasing, dissolving)
• Every breath is solve et coagula

Solve et Coagula in the Great Work

The Alchemical Stages

Nigredo (Blackening):

• Primarily SOLVE
• Breaking down old structures
• Ego dissolution
• Everything falls apart
• Necessary destruction

Albedo (Whitening):

• SOLVE continues, but purified
• Washing away impurities
• Clarifying, refining
• Preparing for coagulation

Citrinitas (Yellowing):

• Transition from solve to coagula
• First gold appearing
• New form beginning to crystallize
• The dawn before full manifestation

Rubedo (Reddening):

• Primarily COAGULA
• The Philosopher's Stone crystallizes
• Complete integration
• New form fully manifested
• But the cycle continues...

The Operations

SOLVE Operations:

• Calcination (burning to ash)
• Dissolution (dissolving in liquid)
• Separation (isolating essence)
• Putrefaction (complete decomposition)

COAGULA Operations:

• Conjunction (recombining elements)
• Fermentation (new life emerging)
• Distillation (extracting pure essence)
• Coagulation (final crystallization)

Psychological Solve et Coagula

In Personal Transformation

SOLVE Phase:

• Questioning beliefs
• Releasing old identities
• Letting go of relationships that no longer serve
• Emotional release (crying, anger, grief)
• Deconstructing worldview
• "Who am I really?"

The Void (Between Solve and Coagula):

• Not knowing
• Uncertainty, confusion
• The dark night of the soul
• Pure potential
• The most uncomfortable phase
• But necessary

COAGULA Phase:

• New beliefs crystallizing
• New identity forming
• New relationships manifesting
• Clarity emerging
• New worldview solidifying
• "This is who I am"

In Relationships

SOLVE:

• Dissolving codependency
• Releasing expectations
• Creating space, independence
• Sometimes: ending the relationship
• Necessary for healthy relating

COAGULA:

• Committing, creating agreements
• Building together
• Establishing healthy boundaries
• Manifesting shared vision
• Solidifying connection

The Dance: Healthy relationships alternate—closeness (coagula) and space (solve), merging and autonomy.

In Creativity

SOLVE Phase:

• Brainstorming, free association
• Breaking rules, dissolving structure
• Allowing mess, chaos, exploration
• "Kill your darlings"
• Wild, unstructured creativity

COAGULA Phase:

• Editing, refining, structuring
• Bringing order to chaos
• Completing, publishing, manifesting
• Crystallizing vision into form
• Disciplined craft

The Truth: Great art requires both—wild solve and disciplined coagula.

The Baphomet Connection

Why on Baphomet's Arms?

The Image:

• Baphomet: Goat-headed figure with human body
• Right arm raised, pointing up: "SOLVE"
• Left arm lowered, pointing down: "COAGULA"
• Hermaphrodite (both male and female)
• Represents the union of all opposites

The Meaning:

• Baphomet IS solve et coagula personified
• The union of all dualities
• Masculine and feminine
• Above and below
• Spirit and matter
• The complete alchemical process embodied

Not Evil:

• Baphomet is often misunderstood as satanic
• Actually: A symbol of alchemical transformation
• Represents the goal—integration of all opposites
• The Philosopher's Stone personified

Practical Applications

When to Apply Solve

Use Solve When:

• You're stuck in rigid patterns
• Old structures no longer serve
• You need to release and let go
• Feeling stagnant, closed, tight
• Need emotional release

How to Solve:

• Question everything: "Is this still true?"
• Release consciously (ritual, journaling, therapy)
• Allow emotions to flow (cry, rage, grieve)
• Meditate on emptiness, void, dissolution
• Physical: Fasting, decluttering, endings

When to Apply Coagula

Use Coagula When:

• You've been in chaos too long
• Need structure, direction, form
• Ready to manifest new vision
• Feeling scattered, ungrounded, lost
• Need to commit and build

How to Coagula:

• Set clear intentions and goals
• Create structure and routine
• Take concrete action
• Commit to new path/identity
• Physical: Building, creating, manifesting

The Breath Practice

Solve et Coagula Breathing (10 minutes):

1. Inhale (Coagula): Gather energy, solidify, strengthen
2. Hold full: Maintain form, presence
3. Exhale (Solve): Release, dissolve, let go
4. Hold empty: Rest in void, potential
5. Repeat: This IS solve et coagula

Insight: Every breath is the alchemical formula. Conscious breathing makes it intentional.

The Danger of Imbalance

Too Much Solve

The Problem:

• Endless dissolution, no manifestation
• Constant change, no stability
• Always questioning, never committing
• Chaos without order
• Nothing gets built

The Fix: Practice coagula—commit, build, manifest, create structure.

Too Much Coagula

The Problem:

• Rigid structures, no growth
• Stagnation, calcification
• Clinging to forms that no longer serve
• Order without flow
• Nothing transforms

The Fix: Practice solve—release, let go, dissolve, allow change.

The Balance

Mastery is:

• Knowing when to solve and when to coagula
• Flowing between both gracefully
• Neither clinging nor avoiding
• Dancing with the rhythm
• This is the Great Work

Conclusion: The Eternal Dance

Solve et coagula is not just an alchemical formula—it's the rhythm of existence itself. Everything dissolves and reforms, dies and is reborn, breaks down and builds up. This is the pulse of the universe, the breath of God, the heartbeat of creation.

You are always in one phase or the other. Sometimes you're dissolving (solve), sometimes you're crystallizing (coagula). Both are necessary. Both are sacred. Neither is better than the other.

The wisdom is not to resist whichever phase you're in, but to honor it, work with it, and trust that the other phase will come. If you're in solve, let it dissolve. If you're in coagula, let it crystallize. Don't force the rhythm—dance with it.

This is the master key to all transformation. Solve et coagula. Dissolve and coagulate. Break down and build up. Die and be reborn.

The eternal dance continues. And you are the dancer.

The next article explores "The Alchemical Marriage: Union of Opposites"—the sacred conjunction that creates the Philosopher's Stone.