Conjunction

## Conjunction Conjunction

**Conjunction** is the operation of combining separated principles, uniting purified components, or joining opposites to create a new unity. In alchemical practice, conjunction followed separation: after the principles had been isolated and purified, they were recombined in proper proportion to create the perfected substance. Conjunction was depicted as the chemical marriage, the union of king and queen, the joining of sun and moon, or the marriage of sulfur and mercury. The operation represented the creative synthesis that follows analytical separation, the reunification of principles in a higher, perfected form.

Conjunction could be performed in various ways depending on the materials: mixing purified substances together, dissolving multiple components in a common solvent, fusing materials together through heat, or combining substances through chemical reaction. The key principle was that the components being joined had to be properly prepared and purified: crude conjunction of impure materials would not produce the desired result, while conjunction of purified principles would create a perfected unity. The proportions in which principles were combined was crucial, and alchemical texts often describe the proper ratios (though usually in symbolic or obscure terms).

In alchemical symbolism, conjunction was one of the most important and frequently depicted operations. The chemical marriage of king and queen, sulfur and mercury, sun and moon, represented the union of opposites: masculine and feminine, active and passive, fixed and volatile, hot and cold. This union was necessary to generate the Philosopher's Stone, just as the union of male and female is necessary for biological generation. Alchemical emblems show the married couple in bed, the hermaphrodite (combining male and female), or the rebis (the double-thing, showing both solar and lunar aspects). Conjunction was associated with the element of air (mediating between fire and water), with the color green or peacock's tail (showing the initial stage of successful conjunction), and with themes of love, marriage, and generation. Conjunction thus represents both the practical operation of combining purified components and the symbolic operation of uniting opposites to create new life.

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