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# Philosophers' stone
- URL: https://www.descentpress.com/index/philosophers-stone/
- Published: 2026-09-05T04:40:52.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-10T01:58:29.000Z
- Description: Philosophers' stone (alchemy) is a metaphor for successful transmutation of base metal into gold; psychologically, an archetypal image of wholeness. Related: lapis; coniunctio.
- Author: Jae Botávn
- Tags: #index, #Import 2026-09-04 23:45

## 1\. Etymology

**Philosophers' stone** (alchemy) is a metaphor for successful transmutation of base metal into gold; psychologically, an **archetypal image of [wholeness](https://www.descentpress.com/index/wholeness/)**. Related: lapis; [coniunctio](https://www.descentpress.com/index/coniunctio/).

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## 2\. Plain summary

Jung quotes the *Rosarium philosophorum*: make a round circle of man and woman, extract a quadrangle and from it a triangle; make the circle round—and you have the Philosophers' Stone.

Samuels (*Lapis* in alchemy glossary): philosopher’s stone as alchemist’s goal; sometimes metaphor for the goal—hence lapis speaks of self-realization and [individuation](https://www.descentpress.com/index/individuation/).

**Examples (exhaustive house list for this Index lemma — common philosophers'-stone motifs named across Jung’s essays and standard Jungian lexica; not a claim that Jung’s CW contains only these):**  
alchemical gold metaphor; archetypal [wholeness](https://www.descentpress.com/index/wholeness/); Rosarium circle–quadrangle–triangle; lapis / self-realization; dual-stamp [self](https://www.descentpress.com/index/self/) / [coniunctio](https://www.descentpress.com/index/coniunctio/) / [individuation](https://www.descentpress.com/index/individuation/).

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## 3\. Academic elucidation

In analytical psychology the philosophers' stone is **alchemical image of psychic wholeness**—CW 11 ¶92\. Descent Press keeps Sharp and Samuels (lapis \~p. **14**) in §4\. Prefer CW 11 ¶92.

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## 4\. Lexicon

**Sharp (1991)**

> Philosophers' stone. In alchemy, a metaphor for the successful transmutation of base metal into gold; psychologically, an archetypal image of wholeness. (See also coniunctio.) … Make a round circle of man and woman, extract therefrom a quadrangle and from it a triangle. Make the circle round, and you will have the Philosophers' Stone.

(Sharp, 1991) — cites CW 11 ¶92 (*Psychology and Religion*) in Sharp’s lemma.

**Samuels, Shorter & Plaut (1986)** — alchemy glossary *Lapis* p. **14**

> Lapis: Philosopher's stone, goal of the alchemist. Sometimes even alchemists regard the stone as a metaphor for the goal. Hence, lapis speaks of self-realisation and INDIVIDUATION.

(Samuels, Shorter, & Plaut, 1986/2013, p. **14**)

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## 5\. CW concordance — sample, not exhaustive

> … the anonymous author of the Rosarium philosophorum says: “Make a round circle of man and woman, extract therefrom a quadrangle and from it a triangle. Make the circle round, and you will have the Philosophers’ Stone.”  
> (Jung, 1938/1969, CW 11, pp. 53–54, ¶92)

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**See also:** [wholeness](https://www.descentpress.com/index/wholeness/); [self](https://www.descentpress.com/index/self/); [coniunctio](https://www.descentpress.com/index/coniunctio/); [individuation](https://www.descentpress.com/index/individuation/); [nigredo](https://www.descentpress.com/index/nigredo/); [archetypal-image](https://www.descentpress.com/index/archetypal-image/).

## References

Jung, C. G. (1969). Psychology and religion. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G. Adler, & W. McGuire (Eds.), *The collected works of C. G. Jung* (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) (2nd ed., Vol. 11, pp. 53–54, ¶92). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1938)

Samuels, A., Shorter, B., & Plaut, F. (1986). *A critical dictionary of Jungian analysis*. Routledge.

Sharp, D. (1991). *Jung lexicon: A primer of terms & concepts*. Inner City Books.

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