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Sylvia Rose

Xanthosis, the Yellowing: Spiritual Alchemy

Updated: Sep 14

Xanthosis means "yellowness". In alchemy and Jungian psychology, citrinitas is the solar day, the brightening and joyful spirit. Like other elements of alchemy and nature, it has a dark "opposite" side. The yellowing can bespeak health issues or moving ahead too quickly.




feeling tired, moody and blah


Citrinitas follows the alchemy color phase albedo, or whitening. The color phases are:


  • nigredo - blackening, putrefaction, melanosis - abnormal darkness

  • albedo - whitening, purification, leucosis - dark side: death (spiritual)

  • citrinitas - yellowing, solar day, xanthosis - dark side: decay

  • rubedo - reddening, Magnum Opus, iosis - dark side: clotting, rust, poison


Yellow can be jaundice, deterioration, disenchantment, depression. This can happen if the practitioner moves ahead too quickly in the work. In this case the harmful elements or bad influences have not all been dealt with.



still issues to fix


Hidden factors can cause the spiritual crisis of xanthosis. It can appear in a couple of ways:


  1. On moving into the citrinitas stage the solar aspect manifests in a sickly way. One should feel bright and optimistic going into this phase.

  2. During the citrinitas phase, outside issues can arise and trouble the mind. This can cause the golden rays to filter away as if through smog. Sometimes they come back.



This spiritual jaundice is not a disaster. The practitioner simply returns to the albedo phase, even the nigredo if necessary, to seek further and purge any psychic toxins, memories, traits or elements hindering a productive and prosperous life flow.



a shadow buddha
Return to a harmonious place

In terms of human health, yellow skin and eye whites are a sign of jaundice, a condition which can have many underlying aspects. A small number of red blood cells die every day, replaced by new cells.


The liver cleans out the old cells, creating bilirubin, a yellowish pigment. It helps break down bilirubin. Jaundice happens when too much bilirubin builds up in the body.



Xanthosis can be seen in decay
Xanthosis (yellowing) can be seen in decay

Spiritually, it tells the practitioner there's still clutter to remove. During nigredo one purges to purify but other elements can enter the psyche at any time. It's difficult to describe the feeling of xanthosis.


Symptoms might include:


  • weakness or fatigue

  • itching under the skin / surface

  • defecation problems or feeling "plugged up"

  • irritability



not a happy yellow person


In spiritual healing one doesn't turn yellow. It's a physical illness which should be immediately treated by a physician. However one has sympathetic symptoms or feelings: fatigue, blockage of energy flow, moodiness etc.


Since the color phase therapy process is different for everyone, it's hard to tell when to move forward into the next phase. As intuition and familiarity develop, it becomes easier. Even the most expert practitioner sometimes has to bail and go back a step or two.



three women hippies in sunlight
Solar rays shine again

Non-Fiction Books:


Fiction Books:

READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure

READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series

READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries






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