The lion is called the king of the beast, and the eagle was equally regarded as king of all the birds. As the griffin embodies characteristics of both lion and eagle, he is the monarch of both the heavens and the earth. Although most often seen and associated with mediaeval heraldry, representations of griffins date back thousands of years, as early as ancient Sumeria.
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Size: 2.75″ x 2.75″
Mixed media: oil, paper, ink, varnish, resin on canvas.
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In alchemy, the mercurial red dragon personifies the chaotic nature of the Prima Materia, which transforms in the Philosopher’s Stone of the Great Work. This dragon sits astride a globe which may symbolize the electromagnetic energies of the planet. Invisible, fluid, yet potent, they are sometimes known as ley lines or dragon lines. These energies show themselves as auroras.
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Size: 3.5″ x 2.5″
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In addition to the well-known “ouroboros” of the alchemist (a single serpent devouring its own tail), another important symbol is that of two serpents devouring each other. A crowned and winged serpent, representing the universal or cosmic spirit holds a common snake by the tail. This latter snake, representing base matter or the virgin earth, is eating the tail of the crowned serpent. They signify the volatile and the fixed, the sulfur and the salt, the elements of fire and earth, and distillation and condensation. They negate each other and become one (an ouroboros) and in doing so complete the work.
Size: 3.5″ x 2.5″
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The image of a serpent entwined around an egg is found in the symbolism of such widely-flung ancient belief systems as India, Egypt, European Druids, and Gnostics of the Near and Middle East. It is also known as the Orphic Egg.
“The ancient symbol of the Orphic Mysteries was the serpent-entwined egg, which signified Cosmos as encircled by the fiery Creative Spirit. The egg also represents the soul of the philosopher; the serpent, the Mysteries. At the time of initiation the shell is broke. and man emerges from the embryonic state of physical existence wherein he had remained through the fetal period of philosophic regeneration.” (Manly P. Hall)
Size: 3.5″ x 2.5″
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Snake
Dragonflies in flight are a wonderful sight to behold. Large, iridescent bi-winged creatures zooming and weaving as if playfully. They begin their lives as nymphs, aggressive aquatic predators that can remain in that stage as long as five years. By contrast, the adult stage we all know as the dragonfly proper is only the briefest part of its lifespan, at most a few months.
In much European folklore the dragonfly usually has sinister significance, associating them with devils or fairy mischief, an example of which is the English nickname of “the Devil’s darning needle.” By contrast they are held to be auspicious by many Native American tribes, symbolizing swiftness, renewal, purity. In some other parts of the world it is held to be a sign of good luck if a dragonfly lands on you. The japanese hold the dragonfly as a symbol of courage and happiness and often feature then in haikus.
Size: 2.25″ x 2.5:
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The ouroboros, self-devouring serpent, is both the Prima Materia of Alchemy and the Soul of the World. Perfect, self-creating, self-destroying, it is a symbol of the human quest for self-realization as well as the universe itself, wherein creation and destruction, alpha and omega, are inseparable, locked in a cycle of transformation eternally. Used symbolically in esoteric practices, it is a kind of mandala to contemplate, toward realization of the nature of Nature itself.
Size: 2″ x 2″
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A symbol that appears frequently in the emblematic illustrations of alchemy is the Green Lion. Typically he is shown grasping and devouring the sun. In metallurgic alchemy, the meaning of this is the power of sulphuric acid to dissolve all metals such as iron, copper, and even gold, the king of the metals (represented by the sun).
In organic alchemy, the alchemy of potions, the green lion stands for chlorophyll, made by plants “eating” sunlight. Modern interpretations of the “inner path” of alchemy see the green lion as a symbol of the way consciousness can be overwhelmed when bottled-up, intense emotions (the passions) are finally released. Have you ever loved something or somebody so much you wanted (perhaps irrationally) to simply devour them?
Size: 3.5″ x 2.5″
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Sun
The phoenix is an eagle-like bird that is said to be nearly immortal. Some variant of the phoenix appears in the mythologies of many of the world’s ancient cultures. In classical Greek myth the phoenix undergoes a death-and-rebirth cycle approximately every 1,000 years, by building itself a pyre of myrrh branches in which it is burned to ashes. From the ashes a new phoenix is born.
In modern times the phoenix is a symbol of the Lebanese people, who are descended from the Phoenicians, and of Beirut in particular, a city eternally reborn from its own ashes. In alchemy the phoenix represents the element of fire and the fiery aspect of sulphur. It also symbolizes the perfection of unified opposites, in that it reproduces from itself without need of an “other.”
Size: 3.5″ x 2.5″
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phoenix
Taurus, the bull, is an earth sign associated with Venus. Tauruses are earthy, pragmatic, seekers of comfort. They have a sensual side, and a powerful desire for both security and appreciation from others. Tauruses also have a strong sense of fairness and a love of animals. The constellation of Taurus is in the Northern hemisphere between Aries and Gemini.
Size: 2″ x 2″
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In 79 AD, the Roman city of Pompeii was completely buried in ash by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, then forgotten until it was rediscovered in the mid-18th Century. Many of its citizens attempted to flee but few made it.
This image is a fanciful telling of a fugitive from Pompeii who dove into the sea and was changed by Neptune into an octopus. He now drifts in the depths, dreaming of his former life.
Size: 2.5″ x 3.5″
Mixed media: oil, paper, and varnish on canvas.
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Octopi,
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Tentacles
