“Concordia Oppositorum” (Harmony of the Opposites)

Oil on panel

11”x14"x2"

Signed

"Concordia Oppositorum means “harmony of opposites,” here depicted as a swan and crocodile held in perfect balance. However, unlike the coniunctio oppositorum, the alchemical conjunction of opposites, the swan and crocodile have not yet fully merged. They are each in their own individual ouroboros of completion, interlocked, but still capable of separating at any moment. For the time being, the conflict of opposing energies is at peace, and the work of conjunction remains the ultimate goal. 

The duality of love and fear, Above and Below, are embodied by the swan and crocodile. The swan inhabits the liminal space between water and air, floating along the glassy surface, head bowed in silent deference to the spirit of the deep stillness of the lake. Love is soft, graceful, and oriented toward the higher realms, just as the swan is considered a solar bird of consciousness. It alights on resplendent wings and takes to the heavens, drawing the chariot of Aphrodite through the vast open skies. 

The crocodile swims below the surface in unconscious depths. Like the alchemical dragon, the crocodile epitomizes the dark, primordial fears that lurk beneath our conscious awareness, ready to pull us under into turbid waters. It is the prima materia, the first matter, a confused mass of undifferentiated consciousness that must be broken open at the beginning of the alchemical Great Work. Often symbolized as the beheading of the dragon and the separation of its parts, the work is to separate the elements from their undifferentiated state and bring them to order and harmony. There is a great danger in opening this dark reservoir, and much fear in the process. But this is the work of coming to know the Self. 

We cannot live solely as the white-feathered superficial bird of the Above, nor solely as the scaly, cold-blooded reptile of the Below. Ideally, we learn to inhabit both worlds, Above and Below, honoring both the conscious and unconscious sides of our being. Only through understanding both sides can we hope to bring them to the ultimate union of the coniunctio. Part of this process is bringing these two opposing sides of our nature into harmony—a truce that allows us to objectively assess who and what we are Above and Below, and deepen our understanding of Self." - Marlene Seven Bremner

Marlene Seven Bremner is a self-taught oil painter, working in a surrealist and allegorical style. Her work explores esoteric themes arising from her study and practice of Hermeticism, alchemy, magic, astrology, and mythology. She is the author of Hermetic Philosophy and Creative Alchemy: The Emerald Tablet, the Corpus Hermeticum, and the Journey Through the Seven Spheres (Inner Traditions, 2022), and The Hermetic Marriage of Art and Alchemy: Imagination, Creativity, and the Great Work (Inner Traditions, 2023).