The previous four postings have discussed personal transmutation of mercury, lead, tin and iron into gold. Each metal represents a particular mindset that must be transformed in order for the individual to attain their full freedom potential. This posting will discuss the transmutation of copper.

Copper is a reddish metal that is similar to tin in that it is often combined with other materials for strength, but in its pure form it is fairly soft and ductile and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. In the ancient world, it was combined with tin to make bronze for the first weapons.

Copper reacts readily with acids to form a greenish, noxious substance called verdigris. Copper paint is used to stop the growth of barnacles on ships. It can stunt growth and kill as easily as it can be useful and benevolent.

The symbol of copper represents a mirror and it is associated with the planet Venus. This symbol was selected because mirrors used to be made of polished bronze. In contrast to Mars, copper represents the feminine aspect and is aligned with the Greek goddess Aphrodite.

What are the characteristics of the copper dominated individual? Firstly, they are soft and ductile – that means that they are easily molded by the dictates of the herd and stretched into whatever shape is required. The copper person lacks inner strength and resolve. Unlike iron, they need to be combined with other types in order to be useful for serious work.

Secondly, the copper individual is an excellent conductor of energy. A conductor does not absorb energy, it moves it from one place to another. Robert Bly describes how some children learn to conduct the angry energy from a parent to the ground, and how this stunts the emotional freedom of the child. The child is forced into the role of providing balance and peace without having the skills to resolve a situation. The effect is the same for children of alcoholics – disempowerment of the individual and surrender to the whims of others.

Today I read something that spoke to me – what you surrender is what you lose. The copper individual is often too ready to surrender and compromise, to become the diplomat and politician rather than the peace maker and to easily give away what is precious. Being a good conductor does not allow the copper person to retain their own energy.

For example, the copper individual will not negotiate and will always back down when challenged. He does not distinguish between his private and public life, and places no value on his inner world so shares the most personal matters and dreams with strangers.

Thirdly, in the same way that copper readily corrodes to form a toxic substance, the copper person’s nature may easily change to become poisonous when confronted with adversity. The overly pleasant, always agreeable person becomes vindictive and obnoxious. The transition is sudden and unpredictable.

You can see that the copper individual needs to change radically to become gold. Their core value is to not value or understand who they are. This means that they do not appreciate their own identity and compromise their own interests in order to maintain peace, or conduct away the angry energy of another person, or fit in with the herd. Since their inner world is believed to be of low value, it is readily given away. Their fragile ego is easily bruised by the unwitting, and they will react suddenly and violently.

The gold person has a strong sense of self, and understands who they are. They have an objective and honest understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses. This is not self esteem based on either an exaggerated idea of value, it is self awareness which acknowledges the good and bad parts of a person. It reflects truth. The gold person is resilient and values their own inner world and privacy.

By challenging this absence of inner value and replacing it with a realistic sense of self, and nurturing the inner person, the copper person can begin their spiritual transmutation to gold.

Tags: Personal alchemy, Transformation

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 16th, 2007 at 1:35 pm and is filed under Personal alchemy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.