Alchemical symbol sun how to#

The circle immediately following it shows a crow sitting on a skull which is the embodiment of Calcination with the Latin word, 'Visita,' which when translated indicates the beginning of a journey. The seven rays which emanate from the Alchemist's face are the, 'Seven Stages of Transformation,' beginning with Calcination, labeled 1, with the symbol for Saturn (lead) and a square above that representing salt. The winged emblem is an ancient symbol believed to have been from Egypt and specifically, the pharaoh, Akhenaten, which found its way to the medical caduceus, representing complementary opposites that produce miracles. If it is the pineal gland it could be interpreted as the, 'seat of consciousness” as in some cases it was believed to serve that function. Where the Alchemist's head should be is an object with wings (it resembles the pineal gland or the hypothalamus gland). A cube bearing the name, 'Corpus,' (Latin for, 'body,' which is below him). These are the four elements with which the Alchemist works (air, fire, water, and earth). His right foot stands on the Earth and his left on the ocean, while his right-hand holds a torch and his left a chrysalis (this correction - concerning the chrysalis, which I originally believed to be a feather, was caught by Carlo Vitale - thank you Carlo for helping me out here!). The Alchemist featured here is one who has undergone the transformation and has acquired the mental, spiritual and physical harmonic union of the masculine and feminine. It's becoming so very clear to me now and each day it becomes more profound as the guiding hand of the Universe reveals more and more to me.Ĭonsidering imagery and symbol here is a very important illustration from the famous Alchemist's book by Basil Valentine entitled, 'L'Azotgh des Philosophes,' published in 1659 and recently colored by Adam McLean ( The center of this image is the Alchemist's face where the initiate focuses before meditating on it (the image itself is a mandala). I now understand why Carl Jung spent the last thirty years of his life studying it when he began to develop his theories and archetypal imagery. I'm not an occultist but I find much of the imagery and ideology interesting. It is interesting to note that the word, occult, means, “hidden” and does not allude to culturally defined negative implications or behavior.Įssentially, every aspect of what I've been exposed to over the past fifty years has laid the groundwork for studying alchemy now. The majority of those books are out of print and would have provided a significant resource for me over the years.

Alchemical symbol sun how to#

I eventually learned the basics on how to divine using the Tarot, joined a book club and purchased many occult books which were burned by some misguided friends of mine. When I was a young boy, I procured a Tarot deck because I was so fascinated by the imagery. I find the unusual imagery spell-binding, like the images emblazoned on Tarot cards, (which, as I understand, are taken from alchemical symbolism). Symbols, metaphor, and imagery are crucial components to alchemy as they were used to hide heretical doctrine from outside agencies that looked unfavorably upon it.