Black Pearl: Alchemy

I have been researching black and pearl for two days now, and I feel like I am just beginning to scratch the surface.  Certainly my search has directed me back to alchemy, and the stages of the process of individuation which include black, white, and red.  Since black and white are included in the image of the black pearl, I am looking into the first two stages of the individuation process.  The first stage, as I mentioned the other day, involves the very beginning of our development, when we are one with the whole of all.  We are one with our mothers, etc.  Then the next stage happens when we begin to separate into "I" and face the multitude of opposites:  good/bad; hot/cold; etc.  The final stage would bring the opposites together, and this stage is red because the blood of life, the reality of living in the world and expressing ourselves as individuals involves action and vitality to our understanding.  

I am fascinated by all this, and want to continue to explore the meaning of the "black pearl" image as it translates into my individual life.

More to come.