Cracking The Cosmic Egg - Part II
An inner Alchemical Process toward the Golden Frequency (Christic Energy)
The Cosmic Egg, a Universal Symbol
Across numerous creation myths, a powerful motif emerges: the birth of the Universe from an egg that contains the essence of creation, awaiting only the gentle warmth of incubation.
In Greek mythology, the Orphic Egg is the cosmic egg from which the primordial hermaphroditic deity Phanes emerges, bringing forth the creation of the gods and the universe.
Norse tradition speaks of the Ginnungagap, the great void from which all life sprang. While not an egg per se, this void is similar to the concept of the cosmic egg as a source of life and creation.
Hindu scriptures describe the universe as a cosmic egg, Brahmanda, with Brahma, the creator god, emerging from it, illustrating the idea of cyclical creation and destruction.
In Finnish mythology, the world is created from the fragments of a duck’s egg, laid on the knee of Ilmatar, the goddess of the air, further emphasizing the theme of creation from an egg.
In almost all cases, this embryonic motif emerges out of darkness, floating upon the waters of chaos. Within this egg typically resides a divine being who literally creates himself from nothing (AKA The ex nihilo). This creator then goes on to form the material universe.
This ‘ex nihilo’ creator either uses the material within the cosmic egg shell, or the substance of chaos to bring shape and order to the world. The tricky question is however, what came first, the god or the egg. In some myths, this egg has a maker, often a woman, who brings the creator god into existence.
The Cosmic Egg, in Alchemy
In Alchemy, the symbolism of the egg relates to the vessel, the container in which transmutation takes place. The athanor, the alchemists’ furnace, was customarily compared to the cosmic egg due to its shape and above all, to its role as matrix and vessel of all transmutation. C. G. Jung (Jung, 1968, p. 202) provides an excellent summary of the symbolic links between the Egg and the Alchemical Opus:
“In alchemy the egg stands for the chaos apprehended by the artifex, the prima materia containing the captive world-soul. Out of the egg – symbolised by the round cooking vessel – will rise the eagle or phoenix, the liberated soul (…).” Jung, 1968 (p. 202)
In all cosmogonies, the egg is an image and model of wholeness. In eastern philosophies (Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism), the theme of the primordial egg is closely linked to the idea of the Great One, the principle of non-duality in which life’s intrinsic opposition between becoming and non-becoming, is simultaneously synthesised.
If, on the one hand, the egg symbolises the One beyond the dichotomy of being/non-being, on the other hand, it also represents genesis and revelation (Amariu, 1988, p. 8). In symbolic language, it is linked to the idea of fertile chaos. The cosmic egg is One, and at the same time, it contains Heaven and Earth, the lower and higher waters, yin and yang: the whole range of existential possibilities and multiplicity of beings.
An Inner Alchemical Process
An adapted version written by Cherry’s Cache from: ‘Cracking the Egg’, Chapter One, Everyday Alchemy - Author Cherry Gilchrist, inspires a profound sense of transformation, courage, and the challenge of committing to change. It serves as a metaphor for moments in life where decisive action is necessary to break free from the comfort of the familiar and venture into the unknown, even if it means facing fear or uncertainty.
This is the moment. You hold the sword in your hand, ready to pierce the egg that stands before you. It is the perfect egg, and the perfect moment to do the deed. Now is your chance to strike.
But it is terrifying to commit yourself to this moment. It is much easier to linger in the past or dream of the future. And the egg is beautiful as it is. If the sword doesn’t strike cleanly, you might shatter the shell and damage the precious embryo of life inside it. Wouldn’t it be better to leave it be?
It is your choice, of course. The sword carries your intention, and you must decide whether you will use it to break open the alchemical egg and initiate the process of transformation. The egg may look perfect, but it is as yet undeveloped. From the moment of opening the egg, you must begin the work of developing the raw material it contains through every stage of change until it becomes alchemical gold. The egg will certainly perish if its potential is not released, so the choice cannot be postponed indefinitely. The gold you aspire to, on the other hand, is incorruptible. It is a symbol for enlightenment, the Elixir of Life, the realisation of Life beyond life, the Sun behind the sun. It is a place of safety for the human spirit, and an entry point into the divine world.
The moment of impending change is frightening. The act of splitting the egg open will catapult the alchemist into an unknown world; from this moment on, he will be changed. He will have to leave his old life behind. On his face we can read apprehension, and even a hint of terror. But he knows that even though he trembles on the brink, he has to go forward. This chance may only come once in a lifetime.
Adapted version from: ‘Cracking the Egg’, Chapter One, Everyday Alchemy by Cherry Gilchrist.
In Psychosynthesis, symbols are considered as superior vessels for knowledge, bridging imagination, thought and intuition. Roberto Assgioli created the egg diagram to illustrate the multidimensional nature of the human psyche and how the various parts of one’s consciousness relate to each other. Like all diagrams it has its limitations – mainly because it’s a static representation of something that is a dynamic and ever-changing process.
From the Illuminated copy of an image in Hildegard von Bingen's Scivias (ca. 1151), depicting a "cosmic egg" from one of her spiritual visions presented in the vision of the Cosmic Egg - part 1, you also will intuitively recognize some similarities.
Both diagrams emphasize concentric development, moving from the dense physical/instinctual layers (outer) to the divine/spiritual realms (inner or upper).
The Egg Diagram comprises of seven parts which include with their respective numbers from 1 to 7:
Lower Unconscious: Basic instincts and drives (experiences of fear, shame, pain, despair and even rage).
Middle Unconscious: Memories and experiences (ability to form patterns of “skills, behaviours, feelings and attitudes).
Higher Unconscious: Spiritual and higher aspirations (aesthetic experience, creative inspiration, and higher states of consciousness).
Field of Consciousness: Current awareness. Directly aware of ‘stream of thoughts’, ‘images’, ‘sensations and feelings’, ‘desires’ and ‘impulses’.
Conscious I: Personal self-awareness. “I” is the direct “reflection” of self and “the essential being of a person”, distinct, but not separate from all other components of experiences. The “I” consists of (2) two functions, the consciousness (awareness) and will (personal will).
Transpersonal Self: Connection to higher self. “Peak experiences” and characterized by such qualities as, ecstasy, union, compassion, wholeness, joy, and beauty”.
Collective Unconscious: Shared human experiences and knowledge through period of time.
While the self is said to endure the challenges of the lower unconscious and the everyday awareness of the middle unconscious, it is encouraged to rise above the "flat lands" of life and strive to ascend toward higher realms.
In the third part of the Cosmic Egg, I will be speaking on the important correlations between the Great Pyramid, the transcended line of length 7.4 determined from the Egyptian Triangle 3-4-5 (see previous article to grasp the context) and the Cosmic Egg of Earth, not to mention its chakras and how this mirrors an individual and the collective consciousness. Although this part will bring some interesting metaphysical and philosophical concepts, part III will be also quite mathematical.
Stay in tuned!
Read previous linked articles: