The Mystagogue, or the Origin of Ancient Mysteries and Hieroglyphs (1789) - Page 3

A blank rectangular slip of paper is pasted to the upper left corner of the page. R. C. original: "Rv"; likely an abbreviation for Rosae Crucis, or the Rose Cross, referring to the Rosicrucian order.

A small white card is pasted in the center of the page. It features a circular emblem showing a pelican in her piety. In this heraldic image, a white pelican feeds its young with blood from its own breast. The pelican stands on a white square pedestal. This pedestal is decorated with a blue cross and four red roses, which is a symbol of the Rosicrucian order. The background shows a blue field under a golden sun with radiating light. The circular border contains the printed title.

HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY

original: "PHILOSOPHIA HERMETICA"; a tradition of esoteric wisdom and alchemy attributed to the figure Hermes Trismegistus.

[ Hermann ]

Hermetic Philosophy: A philosophical system based on ancient writings that explores the relationship between the divine, the universe, and humanity.
Rosicrucian: A secret society that emerged in the early 17th century. It claimed to possess hidden knowledge about nature and spirituality, often using the rose and the cross as symbols.
Pelican in her piety: A symbolic image of self-sacrifice. It represents a mother bird wounding her own breast to feed her chicks with her blood.
Hermann: Refers to Johann Gottlieb Herrmann, the author of the work, who also used the names Pallini and Mortezini.