‘Chrysalis II’ marks the ‘albedo’ (white) stage of alchemy where, after the base matter has been burnt (in the nigredo stage) the process of purification?or separation begins. (Albedo: The Whitening). Here the process is of shedding, similar to metamorphosis. A separation?from the constructs of the self. It marks a liminal stage, where one can no longer identify with one’s past but knows not what form the future will take. The albedo stage sets the ground for the final union of opposites?in the rubedo (red) stage. Alchemists saw the union of opposites in the symbol of the cosmic tree, rooted in this world yet growing high into the heavens. Artwork by Miriam Koshy