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Alchemical symbol



 
 
Alchemic symbols, originally devised as part of the protoscience
Protoscience

Protoscience refers to historical philosophical disciplines which existed prior to the development of scientific method, which allowed them to develop into science proper ....
 of alchemy
Alchemy

Alchemy , a part of the Occult Tradition, is both a philosophy and a practice with an aim of achieving ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties....
, were used to denote some elements and some compounds until the 18th century. Note that while notation like this was mostly standardized, style and symbol varied between alchemists, so this page lists the most common.

Four basic Elements
etary metals were "dominated" or "ruled" by one of the seven planets known by the ancients.






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Alchemic symbols, originally devised as part of the protoscience
Protoscience

Protoscience refers to historical philosophical disciplines which existed prior to the development of scientific method, which allowed them to develop into science proper ....
 of alchemy
Alchemy

Alchemy , a part of the Occult Tradition, is both a philosophy and a practice with an aim of achieving ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties....
, were used to denote some elements and some compounds until the 18th century. Note that while notation like this was mostly standardized, style and symbol varied between alchemists, so this page lists the most common.

Three Primes


According to Paracelsus
Paracelsus

Paracelsus was a Medieval physician, botanist, alchemy, astrologer, and general occultist. Born Phillip von Hohenheim, he later took up the name Philippus Theophrastus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim, and still later took the title Paracelsus, meaning "equal to or greater than Celsus", a Roman encyclopedist, Aulus Cornelius Celsus fro...
, the Three Primes or Tria Prima are:

  • Sulfur
    Sulfur

    Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element that has the atomic number 16. It is denoted with the symbol S. It is an abundant Valence non-metal....
     (omnipresent spirit of life) * Mercury
    Mercury (element)

    Mercury , also called quicksilver or hydrargyrum , is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. A heavy, silvery d-block metal, mercury is one of six elements that are liquid at or near room temperature and pressure....
     (fluid connection between the High and the Low)
    Mercury Symbol
    * Salt
    Salt

    A salt, in chemistry, is defined as the product formed from the neutralisation reaction of acids and base . Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically electric charge ....
     (base matter)


Four basic Elements

  • Fire
    Fire (classical element)

    Fire has been an important part of many cultures and religions, from pre-history to modern day, and was vital to the development of civilization....
     *Water
    Water (classical element)

    Water has been important to all peoples of the earth, and it is rich in spiritual tradition....
     *Earth
    Earth (classical element)

    Earth, home and origin of humanity, has often been worshipped in its own right with its own unique spiritual tradition....
     *Air
    Air (classical element)

    In traditional cultures, air is often seen as a universal power or pure substance. Its fundamental importance to life can be seen in words such as aspire, conspire, inspire, perspire, and spirit, all derived from the Latin spirare ....
     

Seven Planetary Metals


Astrological Glyphs
Planetary metals were "dominated" or "ruled" by one of the seven planets known by the ancients. Although they occasionally have a symbol of their own (denoted by also:), they were usually symbolized by the planet's symbol.

  • Gold
    Gold

    Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
     dominated by Sol
    Sun (astrology)

    The sun is considered a very important part of astrology. It, as well as the Moon , are the most important of the Planets in astrology. In Roman mythology the sun was represented by Apollo, the god of light and Helios the god of the sun....
     ? ¤ ( 
    Sun Symbol
     )
  • Silver
    Silver

    Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
     dominated by Luna
    Moon (astrology)

    The Moon is the earth's companion satellite, though some astronomers believe that it approaches being a planet in its own right. The Moon is large enough for its gravity to affect the Earth, stabilising its orbit and producing the regular ebb and flow of the tides....
     ? ( 
    Crescent
     )
  • Copper
    Copper

    Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
     dominated by Venus ? (also:
    Copper Symbol
     )
  • Iron
    Iron

    Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
     dominated by Mars ? ( 
    Mars Symbol
     )
  • Tin
    Tin

    Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. Tin is obtained chiefly from the mineral cassiterite, where it occurs as an oxide, SnO2....
     dominated by Jupiter ? ( 
    Jupiter Symbol
     )
  • Mercury
    Mercury (element)

    Mercury , also called quicksilver or hydrargyrum , is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. A heavy, silvery d-block metal, mercury is one of six elements that are liquid at or near room temperature and pressure....
     (quicksilver) dominated by Mercury ? ( 
    Mercury Symbol
     )
  • Lead
    Lead

    Lead is a main-group Chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metal ....
     dominated by Saturn ? ( 
    Saturn Symbol
     )


The planets Uranus
Uranus

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and the third-largest and fourth most massive planet in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus the father of Kronos and grandfather of Zeus ....
 and Neptune
NEPTUNE

=Overview=The project, along with sister project, VENUS, offers a unique approach to ocean science. Traditionally, ocean scientists have relied on infrequent ship cruises or space-based satellites to carry out their research....
 and the dwarf planet
Dwarf planet

A dwarf planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity but has not Clearing the neighbourhood of planetesimals and is not a natural satellite....
 Pluto
Pluto

Pluto , Minor planet names Pluto, is the second-largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-largest body observed directly orbiting the Sun....
 were discovered after the time alchemy
Alchemy

Alchemy , a part of the Occult Tradition, is both a philosophy and a practice with an aim of achieving ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties....
 had been largely replaced by chemistry
Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
, and are not part of traditional Alchemical symbols. Some modern alchemists consider the symbols for these planets to represent the radioactive metals uranium
Uranium

Uranium is a silvery-gray metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the chemical symbol U and atomic number 92....
, neptunium
Neptunium

Neptunium is a chemical element with the symbol Np and atomic number 93. A radioactivity metallic element, neptunium is the first transuranic element and belongs to the actinide series....
 and plutonium
Plutonium

Plutonium is a rare transuranic radioactive chemical element. It is an actinide metal of silvery-white appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when plutonium oxide....
, respectively. Also, the Monas Hieroglyphica
Monas Hieroglyphica

The Monas Hieroglyphica is an Esotericism symbol invented and designed by John Dee , the Elizabethan Magus and Court Astrologer of Elizabeth I of England....
 is an alchemical symbol devised by John Dee
John Dee (mathematician)

John Dee was a noted England mathematics, astronomy, astrology, geography, Occultism, and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I of England. He also devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination, and Hermeticism....
 as a combination of the plantery metal glyphs.

Mundane Elements

  • Antimony
    Antimony

    Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb and atomic number 51. A metalloid, antimony has four allotropy forms. The stable form of antimony is a blue-white metalloid....
     ? *Arsenic
    Arsenic

    Arsenic is a well-known chemical element that has the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250....
     *Bismuth
    Bismuth

    Bismuth is a chemical element that has the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. This heavy, brittle, white crystalline trivalent poor metal has a pink tinge and chemically resembles arsenic and antimony....
     
    Bismuth Symbol
    *Boron
    Boron

    Boron is a chemical element with atomic number 5 and the chemical symbol B. Boron is a trivalent metalloid element which occurs abundantly in the evaporite ores borax and ulexite....
     
  • Magnesium
    Magnesium

    Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, atomic weight 24.3050 and common oxidation number +2.Magnesium, an alkaline earth metal, is the ninth most abundance of the chemical elements in the universe by mass....
     ?
  • Phosphorus
    Phosphorus

    Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. The name comes from the and . A Valency nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus is commonly found in inorganic phosphate minerals....
     
  • Platinum
    Platinum

    Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is in Group 10 of the periodic table of elements....
     ? ?
  • Potassium
    Potassium

    Potassium is a chemical element. It has the symbol K , atomic number 19, and atomic mass 39.0983. Potassium was first isolated from potash, hence the name....
     
  • Stone
    Rock (geology)

    In geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock....
     *Sulfur
    Sulfur

    Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element that has the atomic number 16. It is denoted with the symbol S. It is an abundant Valence non-metal....
      *Zinc
    Zinc

    Zinc is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a first-row transition metal of the group 12 element of the periodic table....
     


Alchemical Compounds

  • Sal ammoniac
    Sal ammoniac

    Sal ammoniac is a rare mineral composed of ammonium chloride, NH4Cl. It forms colorless to white to yellow-brown crystals in the Cubic class....
     *
  • Aqua Fortis
    Aqua fortis

    Aqua fortis, or "strong water," in alchemy, is a corrosive solution of nitric acid in water. It is made from Potassium nitrate. It was used in alchemy as a solvent for dissolving silver and most other metals with notable exceptions of gold and platinum that can be dissolved using aqua regia....
     A.F.
  • Aqua Regia
    Aqua regia

    Aqua regia is a highly corrosive, fuming yellow or red solution. The mixture is formed by freshly mixing concentrated nitric acid and concentrated hydrochloric acid, usually in a volumetric ratio of 1:3 respectively....
     A.R.
  • Spirit of Wine S.V.
  • Amalgam
    Amalgam

    Amalgam may refer to:* Amalgam , mercury alloy* Amalgam , material of "silver" tooth fillings* Amalgam Comics, publisher* Amalgam, Gauteng, South Africa...
    a
  • Cinnabar
    Cinnabar

    Cinnabar, sometimes written cinnabarite, is a name applied to red mercury sulfide , or native vermilion, the common ore of mercury . The name comes from the Greek language - "kinnabari" - used by Theophrastus, and was probably applied to several distinct substances....
     (Mercury sulfide
    Mercury sulfide

    Mercury sulfide, mercuric sulfide, or mercury sulfide is a chemical compound composed of the chemical elements mercury and sulfur. It is represented by the chemical formula HgS....
    ) *Vitriol


12 Core Alchemical processes

The 12 Alchemical processes are considered to be the basis of modern chemical processes. Each of these processes is "dominated" or "ruled" by one of the 12 Zodiac
Zodiac

Zodiac denotes an annual cycle of twelve stations along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the heavens through the constellations that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude....
 signs.

  • Decomposition
    Chemical decomposition

    Chemical decomposition or analysis is the separation of a chemical compound into chemical element or smaller compounds. It is sometimes defined as the opposite of a chemical synthesis....
     through Calcination
    Calcination

    Calcination is a thermal treatment process applied to ores and other solid materials in order to bring about a thermal decomposition, phase transition, or removal of a volatile fraction....
     (Aries
    Aries (astrology)

    Aries, the domestic sheep, is the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Aries . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....
     
    Aries
    )
  • Decomposition through Digestion
    Digestion (alchemy)

    In alchemy, Digestion is a process in which gentle heat is applied to a substance over a period of several weeks.This was traditionally performed by sealing a sample of the substance in a flask, and keeping the flask in fresh horse dung or sometimes in direct sunlight....
     (Leo
    Leo (astrology)

    Leo is the fifth astrological sign of the Zodiac, originating from the Leo . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....
     
    Leo
    )
  • Decomposition through Fermentation
    Fermentation (biochemistry)

    Fermentation is the process of deriving energy from the Redox of organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, using an Endogeny electron acceptor, which is usually an organic compound....
    /Putrefaction
    Putrefaction

    Putrefaction is the decomposition of animal proteins, especially by Anaerobic organism, described as putrefying bacteria. Decomposition is a more general process....
     (Capricorn
    Capricorn (astrology)

    Capricorn is the tenth astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Capricornus. In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....
    Capricorn
    )
  • Modification through Congelation
    Congelation

    Congelation is the process by which something congeals, or thickens. This increase in viscosity can be achieved through a reduction in temperature or through chemical reactions....
    /Coagulation
    Coagulation

    Coagulation is a complex process by which blood forms clots. It is an important part of hemostasis , wherein a damaged blood vessel wall is covered by a platelet and fibrin-containing clot to stop hemorrhage and begin repair of the damaged vessel....
     (Taurus
    Taurus (astrology)

    Taurus is the second astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Taurus . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....
     
    Taurus
    )
  • Modification through Fixation
    Fixation (alchemy)

    Fixation in alchemy refers to a process by which a previously Volatility substance is "transformed" into a form that is not affected by fire....
     (Gemini
    Gemini (astrology)

    Gemini is the third astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Gemini . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....
     
    Gemini
    )
  • Modification through Ceration
    Ceration

    Ceration is a chemical reaction, a common practice in alchemy. It is one of the commonly accepted 12 vital alchemical processes.Ceration is performed by continuously adding a liquid to the substance while it is heated ....
     (Sagittarius
    Sagittarius (astrology)

    Sagittarius is the ninth astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Sagittarius . In western astrology, the sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....
     
    Sagittarius
    )
  • Separation through Distillation
    Distillation

    Distillation is a method of separation process mixtures based on differences in their Volatility in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
     (Virgo
    Virgo (astrology)

    Virgo is the sixth astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Virgo . In western astrology, the sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....
     
    Virgo
    )
  • Separation through Sublimation (Libra
    Libra (astrology)

    Libra is the seventh astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Libra . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....
     
    Libra
    )
  • Separation through Filtration
    Filtration

    Filtration is a mechanical or physical operation which is used for the separation of solids from fluids by interposing a medium to fluid flow through which the fluid can pass, but the solids in the fluid are retained....
     (Scorpio
    Scorpio (astrology)

    Scorpio is the eighth astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Scorpius. In western astrology, the sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....
     
    Scorpio
    )
  • Union through Solution
    Solution

    In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent....
     (Cancer
    Cancer (astrology)

    Cancer is the fourth astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the Cancer . In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the Precession ....
     
    Cancer
    )
  • Union through Multiplication
    Multiplication (alchemy)

    In alchemy, Multiplication refers to the Magnum Opus, the creation of a Philosopher's stone. This is achieved by a complex process by which a fermentation or putrefaction substance combines with and transforms another substance....
     (Aquarius
    Aquarius (astrology)

    name= Aquarius| image= Aquarius.svg| Symbol= Water Bearer| Tropical Start Date= January 20| Tropical Finish Date= February 19| Sidereal Start Date= February 15...
     
    Aquarius
    )
  • Union through Projection
    Projection (alchemy)

    Projection was the ultimate goal of Western alchemy. Once a Philosopher's stone had been created, one would use the process of Projection to transmute a "lesser" substance into a "higher" form, often Lead into Gold....
     (Pisces
    Pisces (astrology)

    Pisces is the twelfth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which originates from the Pisces . In western astrology this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation because of the Precession ....
     
    Pisces
    )


Meaning of the Alchemist Roses

  • Red Roses: passion, love; vitality, feeling of being alive; masculine or active energy; creative projects; workshops
  • White Roses: purity, innocence; acceptance; unconditional love; feminine or passive energy; initiation of new members, construction projects
  • Black (or Withered) Roses: love is gone or over; disaster; depression; death; problem discussions; emergency meetings
  • Pink Roses: gentleness; softness; thankfulness; loving and supportive friendship; awards and honors
  • Yellow Roses: compassion; camaraderie; free-flowing conversations; joy and security; social affairs; dinners; intellectual lectures
  • Orange Roses: enthusiasm; fascination; optimism; planning meetings
  • Blue Roses: spiritual longing; promise of a perfect world; group meditations
  • Golden (or Gilded) Roses: completion of important project; perfection of oneself; invocation of cosmic energy; invocation of past masters.


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