The Golden Fleece

A

original: "PHILOSOPHIA HERMETICA"

A circular hermetic emblem is centered on a white rectangular card. The emblem depicts a pelican in its piety, standing with its wings outspread upon a cubic altar or base. In this traditional pose, the bird is shown feeding its young with blood from its own breast, a symbol in alchemy for the "rubedo" or reddening stage of the Great Work. On the front of this cube are four red roses arranged in a square pattern. The central scene is set against a blue background with golden rays descending from a golden sun at the top. Above the sun, an Ouroboros, a serpent consuming its own tail, forms the upper arc of the inner oval to represent the eternal cycle of nature. The entire emblem is enclosed within a green oval frame.