It takes us through the process of purifying the mind and the body, in order to allow “ the viscous flame of oneness” to dissolve the boundaries between spirit and matter, between male and female, between good and evil. The video for Schism, in particular, brings out this theme in a way that the song by itself cannot. the body), the heavens above, and the Earth below.Ī Mandala is a visual representation of the concept of ‘squaring the circle’, most notably pointed out by Jung in his works. the spirit), the outer portion of the Self (i.e. It is, as Jung and Haas point out, a symbol of wholeness and balance between the inner portion of the Self (i.e. Squaring the circle is also referred to as “ quaternity” or “ quadratura circuli“, and is represented in countless artistic works going back to ~1000 AD (and probably before then). In order to attain wholeness, it is said, one must square the circle… To square the circle is to see equally in the four directions, and so to be whole… To find a new equilibrium where inner, outer, above, and below are balanced and in harmony, is to be One… The viscous flame of oneness comes burning away all division of spirit and flesh, and the diamond body becomes the eternal fuel of this emancipative, destructive union.” “The intent behind alchemy and the alchemical work is personal individuation, which is wholeness. Indeed, it could even be called the archetype of wholeness.” But it is distinguished by the fact that it is one of the most important of them from the functional point of view. “The ‘squaring of the circle’ is one of the many archetypal motifs which form the basic patterns of our dreams and fantasies. Squaring the circle is a subject that can’t easily be summed up in a small article, but I’ll provide some quotes to start with: The poetry that comes from the squaring off betweenĪnd the circling is worth it, finding beauty in the dissonance The primary, identifiable theme going on in Schism appears to be the alchemical concept most commonly known as “ squaring the circle“.

Quadratura circuli alchemy