The Mercurial Bird

Emblem 9 (of 12) from the 1752 Hermaphrodite Child of the Sun and Moon by unknown alchemist L.C.S., reproduced by Adam McLean (p42). Translates Mike Brenner in McLean’s edition: “A soaring eagle with heart aflame, with the Sun and Moon at the threshold of its wings, bears tokens of dominion: the crown of influence, the sceptre of the king, and the globe of the empress. “Its buoyancy in flight and its flaming heart show the ethereal nature of this eagle: wet outside, fire inside. It is our Liquid Mercury. “The Sun and Moon seek solace under the shadow of these wings, basking in the pleasing radiation from the flaming heart. “To win the Crown of the Earth, fuse the power of the sceptre and the globe…” (p42). Comments Fabricius: In plate 7 “the deluge [cf. the biblical Flood] leaves only a small patch of land, on which the Hermes bird descends [beneath the symbol of Mercury]. The chaotic situation is emphasized by the emergence of the seven planets on the horizon, a symbol of universal disorder. As indicated by the sign of sulphur, the sinking island is set on fire by sulphurous flames from the hellish interior of the earth. Yet the alchemist’s sinking island is ‘supported’ by a sealed chest of drawers emerging from the sea and containing immense riches of silver and gold. Although the adept’s world has become a sinking island, it has been simultaneously transformed into a treasure island” (p18).

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

William Wynn Westcott - The Sepher Yetzirah
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Hermit
Solomonic Grimoires - The Emerald Tablets Of Hermes
Starhwak - The Spiral Dance
Jacob Behmen - The Super Sensual Life