Thoughts on the Axiom of Maria

In my recent class on the alchemist Maria Prophetissa, we discussed the “axiom of Maria” at length: “One becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the third comes the one as the fourth.” Maria is said to have uttered these words in an ecstatic shriek; probably it was in the category of a divine revelation. This kind of experience and the often acknowledged divine source of her knowledge appear to be hallmarks of Maria’s wisdom, so much so that she earned the epithet “Prophetissa.”

Maria speaks of the alchemical procedures which unite and separate, procedures that are to be performed again and again to the same substance (using the sun, using divine water, using sulphur or mercury) — each time the procedure is followed brings us closer to the state of perfection that all alchemists seek. She speaks of some alchemists having “obtained the object of their search” sooner than others, and she speaks without blame but clearly with a sense that her search does not end where these are satisfied to rest. The axiom takes us in a spiraling movement through the experience of one, two, three, four/one, two, three, four/one…..and on.

As I see it, the axiom, or more specifically its meaning, seems to run through Maria’s teachings like an exquisite copper/gold thread. The Axiom of Maria actually goes from one to four, and back again to one. It certainly may be interpreted as an alchemical analogy of the process of individuation (as Jung saw it) – a journey from the state of undifferentiated wholeness (participation mystique) to a consciously realized and experienced state of differentiation and unity, all within the same being. This final state is, of course, a paradoxical experience…the ultimate paradox upon which the individuation process is based.  It can also be seen as the conscious experience of the Self.

You may wonder what I am talking about…or you may be right with me. Either way, please allow me to stop and explain the psychological experience of this numerical journey, as I see it. What is the original “one?” Well, as an adult who is, let’s say, in need of a psychological perspective (we are all in need of this perspective, by the way), the “one” is me, my ego awareness, the “I” to whom I refer when I say, “I need, I want, I think, I feel…” I may see myself as a “known quantity,” as a reality that [I hope] is unshakeable! Well, at least I may want to have this kind of clarity about my own identity. But I am destined to encounter the “inner other” at some point in this adult life. As Jung loved to say, I am bound to find out that “I am not the master in my own home” at some point. This is when I come face to face with my shadow. The “I” develops a distinct shudder. I am aware that I can actually be at odds with myself. We have these expressions that we do not particularly stop to analyze: “I was beside myself,” “I was not myself that day,” “What got into me?” These expressions and questions belie the strong desire for a “unified I.”

It is a powerful experience when, as an adult, I recognize that I have another side, and this is the early experience of one becoming two. For some time, that experience of duality makes for a very unstable individual. However, with time and psychological work, the experience becomes welcome. We are less comfortable with strong, unflinching “opinion,” and this is actually a good thing — a sign of developing psychological maturity. We are moving towards “wholeness.” The experience of shadow sides of one’s personality is a powerful beginning to the journey of individuation. However, as Maria pointed out with her reference to alchemists who may find what they seek after a very short process, some individuals will learn a little about the shadow, or about a particular dominant complex, and that will be enough. At least “for now.” Individuation is not a one-way, fast moving track, but a sometimes meandering and always unpredictable experience of movement. It can also be quite frightening, and some will not want to devote so much time and attention to such an unpredictable (and not always objectively rewarding) pursuit.

The axiom begins with the “one” as it becomes two. This experience of duality, if it is to keep developing on psychological lines, requires that we begin to withdraw projections. We have seen the “shadow” in other people, those who are “not like me,” or who are despicable and even unworthy. We see others as driven by anger, greed, lust, hatred, but that’s “not me.” And when we recognize that we have a shadow, we have to begin to withdraw the projections that allow us to see all that negativity in others but not in ourselves.

When we begin to learn to “hold the tension” (of the opposites within) between what I thought I was and the other side, the me that is opposed to that conscious self, then we are moving towards two becoming three! This is a process that can take a long time, and it is a process that we undergo over and over again, just as the alchemists subjected the substances (and themselves) to repeated procedures. I hold the tension, for example, between my peacemaker identity and my antagonistic shadow, and I gradually come to recognize a third possibility. The third possibility is not predictable, but it will necessarily contain some aspects of the two opposing energies…and it will also be totally unique! There may be a way in which I realize that true peace only comes through the acknowledgement of harshly opposing forces, not through ignoring them, that peace is only possible when the two forces are willing to submit themselves to the fire (using alchemical language), and to join in the forging of a completely new way of being. For the psychological experience, two becoming three is dramatic. On the outside, it may not look like a complete make-over, but inside the individual it really does feel that way! The philosophically inclined alchemists frequently used imagery of male and female coming together in a “sacred marriage” and creating a third thing, a divine child. In another proclamation, Maria said, “join the male and the female, and you will find what you seek.” The divine child is the image of two becoming three.

The next step, “out of the third comes the one as the fourth,” is an experience that can hardly be captured in words. It is the experience we have when, as we say, “everything becomes clear,” “it all comes together,” “suddenly I feel one with the world.” The “coming together” can be shocking, or it can be pure bliss. As with the other steps in the process, this is an experience that can occur unexpectedly, with seemingly no effort at all. However, if we are committed to individuation, we are holding ourselves to the fire. That means that we are working to recognize, relate to, and come to terms with (integrate or otherwise become fully aware of) the unconscious. For us, these experiences are not just random…they are what we seek. The experience of three developing into four, which is simultaneously one, is the culmination of a long journey. We come home and “know it for the first time.” The awareness is both startling and expected. We have prepared for this experience of wholeness, and we are totally thrown off guard by it. We cry and laugh at the same time.

And, we begin again.

© Lara Newton