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A short guide to some symbols and terms that you will come across in any exploration of alchemy. |
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Ankh
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Ancient Egyptian symbol representing life. The looped cross, in which the ellipse at the top represents the ascendancy of spirit (the next world) over the cross of matter (this world). The ankh was an early crucifix symbol in the Coptic (primarily Egyptian) church, thus acknowledging the link to previous religions and beliefs of Egypt, in which the symbol represented the hope of future life and resurrection. The ankh was found in Ancient Egyptian tombs and art in a way suggestive of its power as a resurrecting tool…. |
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map depicting the position of the planets at a particular moment in time and space |
| based on the writings of Roger Bacon (1214-94) and the Aristotelian model of the body as a combination of four humours. Choler, phlegm, bile and the sanguine humour were derived from the four elements: fire, water, earth, and air. Each of these was in turn influenced by the planets of Mars the Moon Saturn and Venus. Physical and psychological health depended on the harmony between these humours. |
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Caduceus
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a symbol of the healing power of the crucified Christ (John, Ch 3 V14). For the snake to release its healing power, it had to be transfixed with a golden nail and its poison drawn out. Thus for Jesus to become divine and release his healing power for the sake of Mankind, he was crucified. The serpent has always been a principal player among the noble beasts of mythology, mysticism and religion, Eastern and Western. |
| Recent archeological discoveries show that this symbol dates from the earliest days of Christianity, it is made up from the first letters of Christ in the Greek alphabet but also represents the figure of Christ on the cross. On the Loculus, it is found as part of the cryptograms from the 1st century AD that archeologists now believe may have been used by the underground Christian community to proclaim that part of the true cross survived. |
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Conjunctio
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conjunction, the alchemical marriage of opposites, whether chemical, physical or emotional. Hence the sexual imagery of alchemy, the divine coupling of opposites in which life is formed. Conjunctio plays a vital role in this story… |
| configuration when planets draw close together within a certain orb, or number of degrees |
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The compass and the set square are two Masonic tools dating back to the Ancient Egyptian civilization when the Order was being created. They are crossed together to form the "Seal of Solomon" and symbolize the "unfinished building" of the Temple of Solomon. Used in the initiation ceremony, while the palm is resting on the compass and the set square, the initiate is sworn to "finishing the building of Solomon’s Temple," i.e. to keep the Masonic society alive and growing. |
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Hermaphrodite
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The offspring of Hermes and Aphrodite. In Alchemy, Hermes changes sex in order to become the volatile female Mercury who conjoins with the male Sulphur. Hence the depictions of hermaphrodite sexual beings in the processes of transformation. In the film, this adorning figure on The Loculus (the relic at the heart of this film) propels Mira - with her knowledge of alchemy- to her most vital and daring decision…. |
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Hexagram
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a six-pointed star. Not just a Jewish symbol, but an important and universal mystical sign over the ages. The Sri-Yantra in India stands for the complete interpenetration of the sexes, and in Tantric belief the triangles also represent Shiva (male) and Shakti (female) energies combining with form and matter. In short, the hexagram points at the mystery of creation. |
| The Hospitalllier Knights of St John of Jerusalem was a monastic order of military knights devoted to the care of poor and sick pilgrims to the Holy Land. After the fall of Jerusalem they made their headquarters on the island of Rhodes then Malta. The Knights were inflitrated and heavily influenced by alchemists, as we can see from the beautiful alchemical and occult features on their graves, shown in the film's quest. They were direct beneficiaries of the dissolution of the Templars in 1309 taking charge of their surviving records and receiving many of their estates. |
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The Human Form Divine
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the circle around the human form represents the universe, cosmos, or infinity. Not only Da Vinci but artists, thinkers and mystics for thousands of years before contemplated the relationship of the human body to the universe. The ancients of East and West believed Man to be comprised of four elements or humours (fire, water, air, earth), and can be divided mathematically into two, four or five parts depending on which pose and which geometry is used. |
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Homunculus
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the little man or son of the king artificially made from stone and semen in the furnace. |
| the primordial chaos from which the alchemist creates gold, order and harmony. Echoes the work of God as the prime mover. |
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Palingenesis
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the alchemical art of bringing organic material back to life from its ashes or mummified remains. Derives from the Greek, palin (again) and genesis (birth): literally, "born again". |
| five-pointed star. According to the rebel alchemist and mystic Giordano Bruno (burned by the church in 1600), "five is the number of the soul, because it is composed of even and odd". |
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Serpent Nailed
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a symbol of the healing power of the crucified Christ (John, Ch 3 V14). For the snake to release its healing power, it had to be transfixed with a golden nail and its poison drawn out. Thus for Jesus to become divine and release his healing power for the sake of Mankind, he was crucified. |
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Solar eclipse
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when the sun's light is obscured as the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, an energetic doorway |
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Uroboros
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the snake or dragon that eats its tail, signifying life from death in the cycle of nature, that in the end also lies the beginning. The Uroboros relates to palingenesis in the film’s narrative: the symbol of the cyclical nature of alchemical work, of The End contained within the Beginning. Its circular form encompasses the cosmos and keeps it under control: the cosmic monster who keeps the encircled waters under control… |
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Zodiac
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best known as the band of twelve 'signs' along the ecliptic (the Sun's annual path as seen from Earth) |
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Revelation and the Revelation Logo are trademarks pending of Romulus Films. Selected contents of this website are registered with Library of Congress USA Reg. No. 11324138 April 24 2000. Reproduction and use of trademarks without prior written approval strictly forbidden. A Cyclops Vision Production For Romulus Films. |
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