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″
Mixed media: oil, paper, ink, varnish, gold pigment on canvas.
Tagged as:
Alchemical,
Animal,
Illumination,
Lion,
Mixed Media,
Sun
And there the lion’s ruddy eyes
Shall flow with tears of gold:
And pitying the tender cries,
And walking round the fold:
Saying: “Wrath by His meekness,
And, by His health, sickness,
Are driven away
From our immortal day.
“And now beside thee, bleating lamb,
I can lie down and sleep,
Or think on Him who bore thy name,
Graze after thee, and weep.
For, washed in life’s river,
My bright mane for ever
Shall shine like the gold,
As I guard o’er the fold.”
- William Blake, from “Night”
Size: 2.5″ x 3.75″
Mixed media: oil, paper, ink, and varnish on canvas.
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Tagged as:
Alchemical,
Animal,
Crown,
Elementals,
Feminine Divine,
Lion,
Sun
Hard is the stone, but harder still
The delicate preforming will
That guided by a dream alone,
Subdues and moulds the hardest stone,
Making the stubborn jade release
The emblem of eternal peace.
If but the will be firmly bent,
No stuff resists the mind’s intent;
The adamant abets his skill
And sternly aids the artist’s will
To clothe in perdurable pride
Beauty his transient eyes descried.
-Oliver St. John Gogarty, “The Image-maker”
Size: 2.5″ x 3.5″
Mixed media: oil, paper, ink, varnish, and gold pigment on canvas.
Tagged as:
Alchemical,
Equinox,
Illumination,
Mixed Media,
Sun
