HOME | DD
Lizzy23 β Alchemy Symbols
Published: 2006-02-24 15:29:08 +0000 UTC; Views: 23497; Favourites: 79; Downloads: 16795
Redirect to original
Description
This is a sketch I did from a real Alchemy image I found on the internet one day. It dates back to the 1500's or so I believe. I've forgotten a lot of the meanings behind the symbols in the image...but I think the serpents and the alive/dead plant represent life and death. I also think it resembles the medical symbol we use today! the words "IN SOLE" means "in the sun" I think, because the sun ment gold...and that's what the alchemists back then were after! the moon and sun I think just represent the sun and moon. Or I could be wrong. anyone wanna guess the meaning? ^_^Related content
Comments: 41
Nice! I like some of your other work as well. If you might be interested in doing some drawings for us, please drop me a note atΒ karltom(at)lycos.com
π: 0 β©: 0
not that you are wrong, you just don't know how to see the deeper meaning of symbolism:
Snakes represent the life force within(and some references state also represents knowledge and consciousness). the Branches have seven leaves each representing the seven steps to spiritual transformation. The star on the staff means the purified light within and the purified spirit of yourself. The sun in alchemy always means the masculine self (not to be confused the physical sexes), and spirit. Often called the King. The moon always means the feminine self and the soul. Often called the queen. The S means Spiritual salt or soul and the circle with the dot means gold, the sun, and spirit-symbols of pure spirt. On the original you would see 9 not 8 fury flowers....or whatever they are. I believe it represents the three phases (that the seven steps are part of) and the alchemical idea that the inner work of spiritual transformation should always be done simultaneously in the body, mind and spirit. The "insole" bit i haven't figured out yet.....but your idea is intriguing. the water behind is the first matter- the island and thus staff rising and combining out of it.
So you'll notice, in all of its representations it shows spirit and soul raising and alternating and the snakes entwining and looking at each other.
I believe the leason of this symbolism is: " by self contemplation and the combining of the soul and spirit into one through the process of the three spiritual phases [7 steps of purification] you create the higher vibrating self of spiritual purity and transcend the physical self you think is the real " The seven steps are in this order, called: [The black phase] Calcination, dissolution, [The white phase] separation, conjunction, The [Red phase]fermentation, distillation, and finally coagulation.
I have explained a great deal, but the reason for the secrecy of the 7 hemetic principles and alchemy, is because knowledge cannot be given, it can only be sort after. You must have the will and drive to search and logically decipher truth. You can only learn the truth about yourself and your race when you are ready and willing to find and process it. Two books to purchase: The Kybalion, by three initiates. Penguin books (Hemetic philosophy) Be warned, the more you learn, the more you will realize you have been lied to! Good luck. Ps- The staff of hermes is a legend involving an event with two snakes and a found healing knowledge......the symbol is used today to signify medicine and healing.
π: 0 β©: 1
oops sorry for my spelling
π: 0 β©: 1
damn and forgot one more thing. On the original, there were seven leaves on each branch. You will also notice that the moon has a trail. It represents that the soul combines and rises to meet the spirit. The island in the "first matter", the mental projection of the great artitect, is "matter" the material we think is real. Quantum physicals is catching up and has conceded that matter, infact, is not real but energy vibrating at a slower level. your conscious spirit is a vastly higher vibrating energy than any energy out there, except the artitect which is infinite. everything has gender, everything has vibrates. Above as below, so below as above. These three philosophical ideas alone carry a great deal of knowledge to be pryed. its an amazing world and universe and we are taught to just believe that we are weak and helpless, need government, and the material world is the reality. Incorrect. Read the hemetic principles and the basic theory of quantum phyiscs
π: 0 β©: 0
I'm designing a label for my homemade mead, which I'm calling Southern Alchemy. I love your drawing. Do you mind if I use elements of it on my label? This is not a product that will be marketed to the public, just given as gifts to friends. Thanks, Kelle
π: 0 β©: 1
oh that sounds really awesome! you have some lucky friends. 
π: 0 β©: 1
Do you mind if I use this as a reference for a tattoo?
π: 0 β©: 1
not at all!
π: 0 β©: 1
I'm actually not able to get the tattoo, but I want you
to know that your amazing work inspired someone so much
that they would put it on their body. You did an incredible
job my friend.
π: 0 β©: 1
oh goodness thank you so much! I'm flattered!
π: 0 β©: 1
You're welcome dear
π: 0 β©: 0
As far as i know the Sun and Moon represent the opposite sides and energies of the world, the sun being the material world and the moon being the spiritual world OR the sun being a male and the moon being a female. They are very common in medieval and classical alchemical symbols. AS for the snakes they could just be the symbols of Asclepius the god of health and medicine OR possibly a split representation or Ourobouros, the dragon of cycles (creation, destruction, and recreation). In any case the symbol is full of awe good job drawing it
π: 0 β©: 0
Try looking up Hermetic Alchemy... It is a symbol that represents something from out of the old age "classical" side in the 15th century.. I will not say more then that. You must find your own answers to what it means.
π: 0 β©: 0
The sun and moon can be taken to mean lots of different things in alchemy. Both "opposites" and "gold and silver" have been mentioned already, but I figured I'd throw my two cents in.
-alchemy rant for. the. win!-
The sun and moon are considered to mean different things depending on the context of who was speaking about them. "Two opposites that merge as one" could be said by one person, and another could take it to mean that for everything there has to be another balance.
And -cough- you seem to know about FMA, so you could always think of that like "Equivalent Exchange." It crops up a lot not just in alchemy, but science and math today.
But alchemy being a quest for enlightenment is completely right. Along those lines, the sun and moon could also be taken as man's mortality. Just like the day, everything has a beginning... and an end. The sun would symbolize the beginning, and the moon the end there.
Like I said, it can be taken to mean plenty of different things. It just depends on how you look at it. But I'm going to stop there because I don't feel like doing a REALLY huge rant.
π: 0 β©: 0
Sun=Good side of Alchemy
Moon=Bad side of Alchemy
JUST A GUESS! That could be it.
π: 0 β©: 1
I wonder what bad alchemy looks like? 
π: 0 β©: 1
No, like the sacrificial part for it they portray in Full Metal Alchemist.
π: 0 β©: 1
lol. yeah I wouldn't want to be the one to mop THAT mess up.
π: 0 β©: 1
Sun is Gold, Moon is Silver. The pair of serpents is related to the medical staff and possibly the Rebis, the connected opposites of the Mercury and Sulfur.
In Sole is probably a reference to Gold, because the o in Sole has a dot in the center- the symbol of Gold.
π: 0 β©: 0
great work. if you want a lot of well organized info on Alchemy, the works of Adam MacLean are where you should go.
There are lots of documents (and images) at [link]
good luck in your studies, it's a fascinating subject.
π: 0 β©: 1
cool! thanks for the info, I'll have to check him out.
π: 0 β©: 0
I've been reading a lot of books about alchemy and saw this symbol more than once, this is a very good job BRAVO !!
π: 0 β©: 1
Alchemy, my dear friend, was not at all about gold. The ones who were after gold and material possessions were surely in the wrong path. Alchemy was a philosophy after enlightment, like many more. Alchemists made very good similes and metaphors through the use of materials and "chemistry" to show the path to freedom to someone.
As for this picture. Sol, Luna, the sun and the moon represent the two opposites that merge as one.
the serpents are a hermetic symbol (of Hermes, the greek messenger god), and they symbolize the twist of one's life, only to merge again and again in the same point (the heads that look at each other, and the combination of the tails).
All that.
Good sketch anyway.
π: 0 β©: 1
thank you for shedding some light on the meaning of this picture! I wasn't sure what everything meant...I drew this picture four years ago when I was bored at work. At the time I was interested in Alchemy and I found this picture on google. it was fun to draw!
π: 0 β©: 0
Alchemy is so complicated, I've been studying it for a while, but it seems the more you learn about it, the more confusing it becomes.
Anyways, great job on the sketch!! 
π: 0 β©: 1
yeah I agree, Alchemy is very complicated! I'm not an expert on it but I certainly think it is an interesting thing to research. Unfortunately, most of the theories I've read about don't seem to make much sense. (again i don't know much about science..)But I still respect the theories non the less. and alchemy is so old!! I think people knew more about science thousands of years ago than we give them credit for. ^_^
anyway thanks for liking the drawing! I might add color to it...we'll see. ^_^
π: 0 β©: 1
Exactly, so much of those texts have been lost, and the one's that still remain are very cryptic. So, who knows what information we could of already had.
Have you read any of Carl Jung's work? It's very interesting, but hard to read. He found alot of similarities between dreams, alchemy, the unconscious and psychology.
π: 0 β©: 1
I remember hearing a bit about Carl Jung in my pyschology class but I don't remember much about the lecture. His book Memories, Dreams and Reflections looks really good though!
but you're right about how so much information has been lost over history. Can you imagine if the library at Alexandria had survived? I bet we would be so much more advanced if that knowledge had been saved. I bet we're just learning everything all over again and we don't even know it!
π: 0 β©: 0
I don't dare venture a guess as the the meaning, but great job on all of the details in it. I especially like the serpents! ^_^
π: 0 β©: 1