Alchemist (Wizard, Magician, Scientist, Inventor--see also Visionary)

These archetypes share the common trait of converting some form of matter into an altered expression of itself. The Wizard and
Magician produce results outside the ordinary rules of life, whether causing people to fall in love or objects to disappear. Whereas
a Wizard is associated with supernatural powers, the Magician tends to be seen more as an entertainer. The Alchemist is
associated with vain attempts to turn base metals into gold, but in its highest manifestation it seeks complete spiritual
transformation. You may identify with this archetype if you are interested in a path of spiritual development that is aligned to the
mystery schools or study of the laws of the universe. From this perspective, Nostradamus and Isaac Newton could both be
classified as Alchemists.

The shadow sides of these archetypes are found in the misuse of the power and knowledge that comes through them. Seduction
and trickery brought about through magic and wizardry play on the desires of many people to transform their lives.

For the Alchemist or Wizard to be one of your circle of twelve, it needs to be associated with your physical life in some significant
way. Perhaps your work or living situation demands that you be especially inventive or interventionist on a regular basis. The
& shadow Wizard manifests either as the use of ingenuity for criminal or unethical purposes or as feelings of superiority based on
& high intellect.

Films: Spencer Tracy in Edison the Man; Greer Garson in Madame Curie; Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates and Noah Wylie as
& Steve Jobs in Pirates of Silicon Valley (HBO video); Fred MacMurray (or Robin Williams) in The Absentminded Professor; Katharine
Hepburn in The African Queen; Jane Powell in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers; Jeff Goldblum in The Fly (shadow); Patrick
Stewart and Ian McKellan (shadow) in X-Men.

Fiction: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho; The Mists of Avalon by Marion Z. Bradley; the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling; Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Drama: The Miracle Worker by William Gibson.

Religion/Myth: Merlin (wizard and prophet involved in every phase of King Arthur's life, from conception to rulership, who also
counseled him as King); Cessair (magician who became the first Queen of Ireland); Tezcatlipoca (Aztec god of night and material
things, whose black magic mirror made of obsidian or hematite reflected the thoughts and actions of humanity and could kill
enemies); Paracelsus (16th-century Swiss alchemist and physician who described humans as the microcosmic reflection of the
macrocosm); Hermes Trismegistus (Greek mythic figure who served as messenger of the gods, but who in later esoteric thought
became a master of reality manipulation able to travel freely between the various realms and dimensions); Simon (Samaritan
magician in the Book of Acts, 8:9-24, condemned by the apostle Peter for offering to buy the power of the Holy Spirit from him);
Suyolak (gypsy wizard said to know all medicinal cures).

Fairy Tales: Rumpelstiltskin (who spun straw into gold).