The Rebis symbolizes harmonious fusion of seemingly opposite forces, embodying unity of spirit and matter. The divine hermaphrodite is equated with the Magnum Opus. It represents balance and integration, where dualities of male and female coexist in a single entity.
Colors white and red in Color Phase Therapy of Spiritual Alchemy relate to albedo (white, purification) and rubedo (red, Magnum Opus). Rebis corresponds to the masculine and feminine aspects within each person. Rebis, a Latin term, means double matter.
It's usually pictured with a male and female head sharing a body. If nude it might have both sets of genitalia. Male and female heads on the same body signify a holistic perspective. The divine hermaphrodite represents the inherent duality of the universe.
The Rebis illustrates awareness and acceptance of light and shadow, strength and vulnerability, beauty and ugliness. Resolution of contrast and similarity is crucial to achieve true wholeness and enlightenment.
Mythical Origin of the Rebis
The Rebis is a product of the divine marriage or heiros gamos between the Red King and White Queen. This theme is dripping with symbolism, such as unity of opposites, and concept of the Whole being more than the sum of its parts.
The Red King is sulfur, the Sun, combustible, activity. The Queen embodies mercury (quicksilver), the Moon, volatility and intuition. The Red King and White Queen are common motifs in alchemy, often depicted standing on their celestial symbols sun and moon.
The Rebis, a term derived from the Latin phrase res bina which translates to dual or double matter, holds a significant place in the realm of alchemy. It represents the culmination of the alchemical magnum opus or great work.
Symbolism of the Rebis
In the image above, from Azoth of the Philosophers by Basil Valentine, Sun and Moon correspond to male and female, the Red King (sun) and White Queen (moon). Dragon is creation, another name for the Philosopher's Stone, and can represent Mercurius.
All five planetary symbols known at the time surround the Rebis as stars. Mercury, positioned between two heads and at the top, plays a crucial role in astrology by embodying the full range of celestial influences and characteristics.
The male half of the Rebis holds a compass, used for drawing circles, symbolic of spiritual guidance and direction. The female half has a square, used to measure right angles in geometric shapes. The square symbolizes structure, tangible aspects and creation.
The triangle and square have sides numbering 3 and 4, respectively. In symbolic representations, circles often denote the divine or spiritual aspects, while square crosses (+) are linked to the material world. The square cross is an alchemical symbol or vinegar.
Triangles are important shapes in alchemy, representing not only the theme of triptychs, triads and trilogies but the power of unified interconnected strength. Alchemists often use the six-point star, a representation one triangle pointing up and another down.
In the artwork below the moon (left) and sun hold hands, parallel to lines of the six point star. Female moon has the downward pointing triangle, a sign for woman and female deities since the Stone Age; and the male sun is bestowed with upward pointing triangle.
Inside the star is the symbol for mercury (Mercurius). Zodiac symbols Cancer (Moon), Aries (Mars), Capricorn (Saturn) and Libra (Venus) surround the couple. The sun holds a snake representing fertility, and the moon holds a glass of aqua vitae, the water of life.
The Rebis has significant meaning in the context of esoteric traditions and appears in several Renaissance publications. In the Azoth of the Philosophers and other works, the Rebis embodies the concept of duality and unity, often depicted as a hermaphroditic figure.
Jung equates the above woodcut to the Axiom of Maria. Mary the Jewess or Maria Prophetissa is considered the first alchemist.
“One becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the third comes the One as the fourth.”
~ Axiom of Maria
According to Jung, this rule
“… runs like a leitmotif [leading motive] throughout almost the whole of the lifetime of alchemy, extending over more than seventeen centuries.”
The Rebis is analagous to the filius philosophorum (philosophers' child), an alchemical symbol, above. It's sometimes equated with the Philosopher's Stone (lapis philosophorum). In differing contexts it has its own meaning.
Other terms for the filius philosophorum include filius sapientiae (child of wisdom), infans noster (our child), infans solaris (sun child), infans lunaris (moon child) the last two can be combined as infans solaris lunaris (sun moon child).
The Rebis image serves as a visual metaphor for the alchemical process of transformation and the quest for inner harmony and wholeness. It's a indication of the philosophical and mystical themes explored in alchemical literature during the Renaissance period.
It connects to earthly elements such as the four seasons and cardinal compass points. In the Rebus artwork above the feminine principle corresponds to order, a theme also found in cultures such as Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Scribal writing, measuring and architecture in the Bronze Age are domains of goddesses such as Seshat of Egypt, from c. 2900 BCE. Seshat, daughter of Thoth, is goddess of sciences, accounting, architecture, astronomy, astrology, mathematics and surveying.
In Mesopotamia the Goddess Nisaba is deity of grain, scribes, writing, surveying and accounting. One of the oldest known divinities of Sumer, Nisaba is edged out when influence of scribe god Nabu begins to spread.
In broader terms, the divine hermaphrodite can symbolize fusion of any two conflicting elements such as copper and mercury, mercury and sulfur, silver and gold, body and spirit. These transmute into a new substance. Gold and silver alloys form in nature as electrum.
The combination of these symbols in alchemical tradition reflects a profound philosophy that seeks to unravel the mysteries of existence, the nature of reality, and the ultimate quest for spiritual perfection.
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