This library is built in the open.
If you spot an error, have a suggestion, or just want to say hello — we’d love to hear from you.

A
A circular emblem features a green border inscribed with the title Hermetic Philosophy. The central image, set against a blue background, contains several layers of symbolic imagery. At the top, an Ouroboros (a serpent consuming its own tail) forms a circle around a golden sun that emits rays of light downward. In the center, a white Pelican in her piety is depicted pecking its own breast to feed three chicks in a nest with its blood. The nest sits upon a white square shield or pedestal. This shield is decorated with a red saltire (an X shaped cross) and four red roses, one positioned in each of the quadrants formed by the cross.
Hermetic Philosophy: The study of alchemy and the hidden laws of nature. Ouroboros: A Greek symbol of a serpent eating its own tail, representing the eternal cycle of life, death, and renewal. Pelican in her piety: A traditional symbol of self-sacrifice. In alchemy, it represents the stage of multiplication and the revitalization of the "dead" matter. Alchemy: The medieval forerunner of chemistry, focused on the transformation of matter and the soul. Rosy Cross: A symbol of the union between the divine and the earthly, or the spirit and the body. Saltire: A heraldic symbol in the shape of an X.