I ask this because I searched my name for shits and giggles [Reid] only to find this symbol, but I realized I recognized it from this artwork from Pinterest. Does anyone know what this symbolizes?

Thoughts on this and the Wheel of Fortune card?

I have translated 60 old alchemical texts from Latin, German and French into modern English. They are available as printed books on Amazon. See my page https://www.alchemywebsite.com/bookshop/alchemical_translations.html

So what's actually meant by transmutation?

To approach Alchemy from a merely material point of view only paints a miniscule part of the picture, and could be likened to "missing the forest for the trees". It's easy to rest on the notion that the Realm of Matter is the penultimate one, because it's all that most of us ever get to experience.

The Kabbalists, however, have a "Map of the Universe" called the [Tree of Life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_life_(Kabbalah), which shows something else entirely. All the circles (Sephiroth) are subdivisions of reality, and varying states of consciousness. The Sephirah situated at the lowest point in this diagram is Malkuth, or "Kingdom".

What Malkuth is referring to is the Material Plane, the Realm of Matter, which exists as the lowest point in Creation -- that which is furthest away from God. Everything you see around you with your eyes is, as cited in the Sepher Yetzirah (here's a very good commentary on the text by Aryeh Kaplan) exists on the Axis of Spirituality (Kether to Malkuth) on the furthest side of Evil.

Now, this doesn't mean that matter is bad per se, it just means it's what's the furthest away from holiness as anything can possibly get; matter is essentially turned away from God.

Why are we bringing Jewish mysticism into a discussion about Alchemy? Well, for two reasons:

(1) All true traditions/systems will have the notion of Alchemy in them, but veiled in different forms of symbolism and allegories.

(2) Alchemy, as we work with it in Western Esotericism, originates from Egypt (thus the term Al-Khem, which literally means "Egypt"). Judaism is, at its core, an amalgamation between the Babylonian and Egyptian traditions, which is shown by the Biblical stories of them as captives by these nations (they're pointing out their origins).

So Malkuth, being the plane of Matter, shows us by its very nature that the physical, material Alchemy so many of us think of when it comes to the subject (think Spagyrics, Metallurgy, chemistry labs, etc.) is only part of what Alchemy actually entails - in fact, it is the lowest aspect of Alchemy, based off of the Tree of Life.

But here comes an important point: the Sephirah of Malkuth is also called The Gate. Nothing from the higher realms can come into manifestation, unless it is through Matter. This means that laboratory Alchemy is neither the key or method of Alchemy, but a way of confirming transmutation through manifestation in matter. The simple view of this would be: if you have managed a spiritual, alchemical transmutation, it will show in matter, too. And here is where tests and experiments are required, not necessarily with laboratory equipment, but through some form of physical experiment.

(An interesting fact: the word Laboratory originates in the Latin "Labora et Ora", which means "work and prayer", thus pointing to the fact that work alone is not enough, but there needs to be a spiritual counterpart to the labour, too.)

So, now that we've established this, we can examine our original question: what're we actually supposed to be working on in life? What are we supposed to transmute? What is Spiritual Alchemy?

Well, the simple answer is that it's everything you are. Your thoughts, emotions, will, dreams, and of course, your physical body.

You are the matter which is worked upon. Everything you are, up until this very point in life, is your Prima Materia, the substance which can eventually be transmuted into Gold.

Who are you?

What is really you? What's the product of upbringing, of society, of friends, of -isms, etc. that has formed the idea of who you believe you are? That has formed the idea of who others believe you are? What of all this is You?

Some of us were beat up as children, and that has caused us to have issues with authority. Some were bullied, and that has caused us fear and anxiety towards others. Some of us explode into hate and rage over the tiniest things that goes against our notions.

Are you your haircut? The clothes you wear? The name your parents gave you? Who. Are. YOU?

All of these things are reactions. Reactions to our surroundings, to society, to families, friends, expectations from others, and even limitations we've placed on ourselves. The true you cannot react to anything, for the I is driven merely by the highest of powers -- Will. The True you can only act and never react, for the true you is fully driven by Will.

And herein lies the material of our Spiritual Alchemical transmutations. It's you. Do you have trouble eating onions? Eat so many that they eventually mean nothing to you, and disregard them then if they don't conform to your True Will. Does something scare you? Expose yourself so much to it that you no longer react to it, at all. Malkuth is the gateway to all of this. Bring into manifestation/Matter the things you want to transmute. Expose yourself to them. Beat yourself up with them. Work, work, work!

Once we've transmuted everything that we think is ourselves (and I really mean everything) then the person who began the Alchemical Process is dead, which in alchemical symbolism is symbolized by the color Black. As black as the fertile soil of the Nile, from whence this Art finds (one of) its origins.

At this point, we've achieved the Alchemical phase of Nigredo and have taken the "first step in the pathway to the Philosopher's Stone".

I figured out some of those but I couldn't find (reliable) sources on a few. Would love any suggestions to what the following symbols might mean: the slightly tilted mercury symbol, the circle with a quarter symbol, the twin drops(?) symbol, the tilted (or straightend) iron symbol, the symbol between the lead and the iron, the empty circle, the six pointed star.

Specifically what is the symbol below Metatron's cube, and what are the symbols around the top of the staff?

Apparently the Greek says 'a lie'.

Thank you!

I'm interested in the intersection of medicine and Healthcare and was wondering if there were any symbols or art that anyone is aware of that show this. More specifically I'm interested in designing a tattoo that incorporates both the Healthcare side of things and alchemy side of things and was looking for ideas or etc.

Hey everyone, first time poster here. I looking for some help with an old family crest of mine (Tompa). The crest is from the late 1500s- early 1600s and most likely from the south of nowadays Hungary. The symbols I do know of are (top left) and (bottom right) they are Pelicans or ('The Pelican in her Peity) which are often used as symbols of Christ. The (top right) is a "Patriarchal Cross" another Christian Symbol, and also the symbol used by the first kings of Hungary and is now Hungary's national flag. The symbol I need help with is the (bottom left) which is a left facing crescent moon and a six-sided star. It almost looks like an Islamic symbol with the moon and star except that it is facing left, not right, and the star is six-sided like the Star of David, a Jewish symbol. There are old Hungarian legends of a time when Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived together in harmony in disconnected city's. There of course is little to sparce evidence of this, but I find it extremely interesting that it looks like all three symbols may be under one crest. Anyways could anybody help me with this left facing crescent moon and star?

https://preview.redd.it/6n2qbja7qm981.jpg?width=133&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=10fd25c72df6bab31d21520afe8c3c2065e6238f

link will be either in post or in comments to the picture im referring to. it is the skeleton under the “sol niger” subsection.

link to picture

link to article

this drawing/symbol is called the (sol niger)black sun. it originates in alchemy and i think its a really cool image so i would like to get it tattooed on me. problem is it unfortunately shares a name with the nazi/runic image also called the black sun. this concerns me greatly as a jew (non observant thats why im getting a tattoo) as i obviously dont want anything remotely similar to nazi imagery on my skin. i tried to do some research to determine if the symbols are connected in any way, but turned up nothing. however before i get it tattooed i want to be 100% certain so i figured id ask here. if the symbols are related in any way besides their names i would NOT want it on me. does anyone have any insight on this? help is greatly appreciated!

As far as i know the dragon symbolizes chaos or the mother/ father complex. Is there a symbol which has the same symbolic meaning as the dragon? Maybe the snake or basilisk? But I have heard that snake symbolizes the shadow.