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中间性
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导言
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历史注脚
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炼金术
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盛行于中世纪的炼金术曾经是一项近代科学产生之前的富于冒险的事业，它是集化学、物理学、冶金技术、医学、秘方和宗教于一炉的秘术。炼金术士们在其经常保密的实验室内做实验，设法找到“贤哲的试金石(冥石)(the philosopher's stone)”，既能够把任何金属转变为银子或金子也能够产生“长生不老药(elixir of life，既永生不朽的药物)”的一块宝石或材料。
许多炼金术士的著述也含有隐喻的特征，也就是说在字里行间常常隐含着神圣的寓意-“精神魔力(spiritual alchemy)”。左边的古老插图就是一个典型的例子。它显示了阴阳人(自希腊语andros:
男人和 gyne:
女人)的形象。勿需深入分析此处所绘插图的每一个神秘细节，您就可以清楚地认出一个双性人，他佩戴着太阳(sun-自拉丁语sol)、黄金的符号，在他的另一边则有月亮(moon自拉丁语luna)和银的符号。这个双性人代表着心灵的精确平衡，他站跨在有翼的巨龙之上，代表着已经升华的人类情欲。这条巨龙依次躺在有翼的地球上，代表着已经开窍的灵魂，等等。整幅图画因而利用炼金术的符号举例说明尽善尽美的精神升华过程。这种尽善尽美之一部分却是男女要素的融合物。
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Intersexuality - Introduction
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Historical Footnotes - Alchemy
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Alchemy, widely practiced in the Middle Ages, was a prescientific enterprise combining chemistry, physics, metallurgy, medicine, astrology, mysticism, and religion. Alchemists experimented in their often secret laboratories trying to find “the philosopher’s stone”, i.e. a stone or material that could turn any metal into silver or gold and could also produce an “elixir of life”, i.e. a drink of immortality.
Many alchemist writings also have a metaphorical character, i.e. behind the literal meaning of the texts (transforming metals, brewing elixirs) there is often a hidden spiritual meaning, a “spiritual alchemy”. The old illustration on the left is a typical example. It shows the figure of an
androgyne (from gr. andros: male and gyne: female). Without going into every mysterious detail depicted here, one clearly recognizes a double-sexed person with the sun (lat. sol), the symbol of gold, on one side and the moon (lat. luna), the symbol of silver, on the other. This person represents the perfect balance between heart and mind. The figure stands astride a winged dragon, representing the human passions having become spiritualized. The dragon, in turn, sits on a winged globe – the soul which has become enlightened, etc.
The whole picture thus uses alchemist symbols to illustrate a spiritual journey to perfection. Part of this perfection is the blending of male and female elements. |
