Indus Unicorn - a symbol of alchemy, wholeness, and health
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The unicorn is the most abundant motif in the Indus corpus. It is proposed here
that it represents health, wholeness, and alchemy. The mysterious object in front of the unicorn is
interpreted to be a combination of a water trough, 6 dangling salt or mineral licks, and an entheogenic mushroom.
The hybrid nature of the unicorn illustrates the blended approach of alchemy in materials, equipment, and chemical
procedures. The elephant nose might represent sense of smell and the gas phase, the coil around the neck, a condenser,
and the unicorn horn, purified crystal growth. The story of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk illustrates that in order
to obtain the Elixir of Life, opposing forces must collaborate to churn the depths of potential. To obtain the elixir,
the toxic by-product must be dealt with. In the story, the god Shiva was the only one with the strength to swallow it
and remove the danger so that the gods could obtain the elixir. This is an allegory for a chemical procedure which
often has fumes or by-products which must be removed in the purification process.
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DRAFT. celeste.horner@gmail.com 2024-8-5
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