The Four Bodies, Four Stages, & Three Weddings
Nigredo
Blackening. Dissolution. The fall into matter.
The beginning of the Work. The shadow phase.
Dark night. Chaos. Crumbling of false structures.
The breaking down of the ego. Saturn phase.
The first death. The first fire.
Albedo
Whitening. Purification. Moonlight illumination.
The rising of the soul after descent.
Cleansing of the body, psyche, and energy field.
Awakening of the lunar body — inner sensitivity and clarity.
The phase of reflection, devotion, and spiritual discipline.
Citrinitas
Yellowing. Illumination. The solar consciousness dawns.
The intellect and intuition fuse.
Wisdom takes root. Joy begins to shine.
This is the moment between spiritual adolescence and maturity.
Mercurial phase of synthesis.
Spiritual discernment and mastery of subtle forces.
Rubedo
Reddening. Completion. The divine marriage.
The Philosopher’s Stone. The inner sun revealed.
Wholeness. Sovereignty. Love made manifest.
The fusion of opposites into one radiant flame.
The birth of the Solar Body.
The resurrected being. Immortal, golden, and free.
The Four Bodies & Their Consciousness
Lead Body
Terrestrial Body — physical consciousness.
The realm of heaviness, instinct, and density.
Requires refinement through pain and experience.
Lunar Body
Subtle Body — lunar consciousness.
Awakened through meditation, ritual, and inner work.
Acts as a mirror — sensitive to the divine and the emotional.
Sometimes called the “Silver Body.”
Mercurial Body
Angelic or Alchemical Body — consciousness of integration.
Associated with the winged messenger, Mercury.
The phase of transmutation, communication, and synthesis.
The magician’s vehicle of operation.
Solar Body
Glorified Body — solar consciousness.
The true body of resurrection.
Golden. Radiant. A vehicle of divine will and eternal light.
What some call the Body of Light, the Merkabah, or the Immortal Diamond Body.
- Lead Body - Terrestrial Consciousness - Nigredo
- White Wedding
- Lunar Body - Lunar Consciousness - Albedo
- Yellow Wedding
- Mercury Body - Mercury Consciousness - Citrinitas
- Red Wedding
- Solar Body - Solar Consciousness - Rubedo
“When he described the steps a person had to complete, he said there were three “bodies” - the lead body, the lunar body, and the solar body. The lead body is the physical, and represents the consciousness of the average person. The lunar body has to be awakened and developed through a series of rituals and meditations, but lies dormant within us. The final stage was the building of the solar body....a vehicle constructed to house the consciousness after physical death, and which had abilities and attributes so far beyond the comprehension of the average man that someone who has completed the process may as well be a god.”
- Damien Echols
Nigredo, a blackening or melanosis
Albedo, a whitening or leucosis
Citrinitas, a yellowing or xanthosis
Rubedo, a reddening, purpling, or iosis
Nigrdo - Terrestrial Consciousness Albedo - Lunar Consciousness Citrinitas - Solar Consciousness Rubedo - Celestial Consciousness
4 Stages of the Work:
The Work of Nigredo The Work of Albedo The Work of Citrinitas The Work of Rubedo
(Greek Alchemical Terminology)
Nigredo — melanosis Albedo — leucosis Citrinitas — xanthosis Rubedo — iosis
Initiatory Interpretation
This entire path can be read as:
- The descent into darkness and unconsciousness (Nigredo)
- The purification of one’s being (Albedo)
- The illumination of one’s higher mind (Citrinitas)
- The transfiguration into divine embodiment (Rubedo)