The Alchemical Operation assigned to Cancer is Dissolution. Spiritually, Dissolution involves the breaking down of corrupted aspects of the personality, or personality structures which have been erected due to societal or family programming. These aspects live in the subconscious and can be difficult to access. Certain meditations and practices help to access these structures, which must at least be recognized if not totally dissolved, if personal growth is to occur.
Physically, Dissolution involves turning a substance into a liquid, or dissolving a substance in water or other fluid. Alchemists regarded dissolution not just as a substance simply becoming liquid, but as a return of an element into the womb-like state of it’s elementary principals.
Qabalistically, the action of performing the operation of dissolution in the material world of Assiah can connect a person more viscerally to the corresponding psychological work of Yetzirah. In other words, the physical action helps the psyche process the equivalent concept in the subconscious, making the psychological-work more accessible.
This experiment is deceptively simple. Bascially melting sulfer and pouring it into water. However on a symbolic level, it is fairly profound.
In this video, I started with powdered Sulfer, which corresponds to the Soul. It also corresponds to the 31st Path of Judgement, the Hebrew letter Shin, which in turn represents the element of Fire. (See Blog post on Correspondences.) So it is perhaps appropriate that to dive into the breakdown of artificial constructs and emotional blocks in our psyche on a Soul level (using Sulfer), we must dissolute Sulfer with Fire.
The heat basically melts the powder into a liquid. This is Dissolution, which corresponds to the 18th Path of the Chariot, the sign of Cancer and Hebrew letter Cheth. This is the journey the Soul takes. The exposure to fire, which initiates the Dissolution, in this case.
The next step was to pour the dissoluted sulfer into water. This is Congelation, which can mean the combining of several elements into a waxy or jelly state; firm but not necessarily permanent. In the video, I must admit that I think I heated the sulfer too long, because the congealed sulfur was fairly hard and not soft. However, still technically congealed. Congelation corresponds to the 16th Path of the Heirophant, the sign of Taurus and the Hebrew letter Vau.
Image from my dream. Artwork by Linda Ruttan Moldawsky
The night after I performed this experiment I dreamed I was taking a shower in a glass container. Then as I woke and was remembering the dream, I saw a image of a large vase containing a thriving bright green bush. I was surprised I had this dream, and that this image came to me, I was not expecting it!
To me the Tarot interpretation is this: The Judgement card represents hearing the call to dissolve certain emotional fears and blocks. The Chariot provided the journey of breaking them down and washing them away, making room for new growth. And the Heirophant was the message at the end, the whispering words of wisdom in my ear, appropriate for my Soul at this time.