To me, it works well as a symbol for literary creation –
the process of making story. One of the things I
plan to do with this and future posts, is to present various artifacts that might ignite the imagination.
This Azoth woodcut contains a number of intriguing symbols.
The first is the androgyne, the two-headed being. It represents a divine marriage between solar and lunar, male and female energies, which together, were
seen as the highest form of spiritual attainment. Surrounding the androgyne are
seven symbols for the planets (gods) and their metallic counterparts. From left
to right are Venus (copper), Mars (iron), Sol or the Sun (gold), Mercury or
Hermes (mercury), Luna or the Moon (silver), Jupiter (tin), and Saturn (lead).
The androgyne also holds a compass and the set-square, two tools of
architecture, important in Freemasonry.
Upon the androgyne’s chest is the sign, R.E.B.I.S. I’ve yet
to find what these letters stand for. If any of you know, please enlighten me. As
mysteries go, this is a good metaphor for the sense of mystery Lorina and I hope
to find in the submissions we receive.
The winged dragon can be seen as an alchemical symbol for fire
and volatile elements. The fact that the androgyne is standing upon the dragon,
subduing it, is significant. This may actually point to a specific part in the alchemical
process. The dragon is also associated with the element, sulphur.
Both androgyne and dragon stand precariously upon a Cosmic Egg. The egg is a symbol of both cosmos and creation – of potential.
Lines and numbers intersect its surface. The numbers might stand for the four
elements - air, earth, water, and fire - or have different meanings (ie., 1 to represent the primal force, 2, duality, etc.) There are many interpretations.
Speaking of numbers, I came across this interesting
titbit while looking into the above symbols. In numerology (whatever you make of it), the number 22 is considered the most powerful of numbers. It's known as the Master Number and Master Builder. As Master
Builder, it takes fantastic dreams and turns them into realities. I can’t
think of a better process to describe what Lorina and I plan to do with Tesseracts 22.
One might say it's almost...alchemical.
Until next time - Susan.
Hi, everyone. Since posting this, I received an answer from Ariella Elema regarding what the REBIS sign on the androgyne might mean. She writes: "I think REBIS is "re bis", Latin for "in twofold form". It's referring to the figure of the androgyne." (To me, this fits. Thank you very much, Ariella.)
ReplyDeleteHi, yes rebis is short for "res bina". From Latin: res - thing and bina - two-fold. It's the reconciliation, or union, of the masculine and feminine aspects preset in each person, to create an integrated individual.
DeleteAlso the cross in a circle, in the cosmic egg, is the alchemical symbol for earth. And the numbers 4 and 3 represent the material and spiritual plane respectively. Hope this helps. Cheers.
I agree with what Suzenmy said above. Rebis is the end product of the alchemic cycle. When the alchemist returns to the starting point, the individual elements are still present, but they have been transformed and united, not quite separate any more, but also not so joined that they have lost their individual properties. Hence, the twofold form.
ReplyDeleteThis is is why I love the writing community. If you don't know something in particular, someone else will. Thanks so much for sharing this, Sharon.
ReplyDelete