Three letters to the bishop of Bangor

M

The emblem depicted here is a classic symbol of Hermetic and alchemical thought. It shows a "pelican in its piety," an image of a mother bird wounding her own breast to feed her chicks with her blood. In this context, it represents the self-sacrificing nature of the "philosopher" or the divine, and the process of spiritual nourishment. The bird sits upon a cube, a symbol of the material world or stability, which is decorated with three roses, likely representing the three stages of the alchemical Great Work or the virtues of the soul.

Hermetic Philosophy: A spiritual and philosophical tradition based on the writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, focusing on the pursuit of divine knowledge and the transformation of the self.
Pelican in its piety: A symbolic representation of a pelican feeding its young with its own blood, used to signify sacrifice and the life-giving power of spiritual devotion.
Roses: Flowers often used in mystical traditions to represent the unfolding of divine wisdom or the purified soul.
Alchemy: A medieval and early modern practice aimed at the transmutation of base metals into gold and the attainment of spiritual perfection.
Hermeticism: The study and practice of the philosophical and magical traditions originating from late antiquity.