In the practice and mythology of alchemy, a mermaid is said to guide an initiate into the physical abyss of the ocean as well as the psychological abyss of the inner mind. Her seductive powers can also lead us deeper into the depths of our emotional illusions where insanity lies if we do not take due care. Ultimately she represents a mid-point in transformation between the conscious and the unconscious, (the sea being a metaphor for the unconscious mind).
