Applying Alchemical symbolism to art, video and written explanation...
Another conceptual explanation:
"The Eternal Formation"
4ft. x 5ft. Oil on Canvas, 2012
This piece represents an Alchemical ritual inspired by early Hermetic philosophy. In this piece can be seen the splitting of matter into four elements and the trifold nature or trinity of the archetypal nature of the cosmos.
The two males figures represent the duality in material nature- on the left is the sun figure whom is seen in front of a setting sun. This figure also represents fire and air, symbolized by the candle as well as red robe; air by the light blue drape.
The figure on the right symbolizes the moon, who is on the side of the sky that is entering twilight as the moon is ascending. The right figure also represents water and earth as symbolized in the jug of dark water and the bag of twigs as well as the green robe he wears.
The central figure represents the cosmic mother goddess and pure spirit before it descends into matter. In medieval belief the band of the milky way was the source from which spirits entered the souls of men. The central figure is shown with a dark blue robe symbolizing the spiritual abyss, band of the milky way and night sky from which material existence has sprung. She also has a small yellow drape representing the sun. These drapes show that duality has originated from her and that the material duality represented in human form below are merely the cloth covering pure spirit (the female figure).
The golden container in front of the left man is a representation of the sun as shown by the golden ball on the top of the lid and it also has eight emeralds on the lid (the eighth is hidden behind the sun)- this references the 8th card of the tarot which has a lion on it and represents the sun.
The green object in the center is a representation of the earth. The lines around the object are a reference to the axial alignment of our earth to the center of the milky way galaxy as well as the solar plane. The figure is shaped as a taurus, a shape that echoes the properties of recycling and rebirth, evidenced by imagining a point starting in the center of the object then following a straight trajectory on the curvature- the point will start from the center and transfer to the outer surface, then make a trip back to the central point again in a cyclical fashion.
Throughout the composition can be seen different colored feathers. These simply go in order from the left to right and represent the five stages of spiritual alchemy which are represented by the crow, swan, peacock, pelican, and phoenix.
Throughout the background, hidden within the shrubs, are 18 hidden symbols.
Thanks for reading!
interesting post upvote
Great analysis :)
I've been extremely fascinated by alchemical art as of late.
I love the symbolic depth that can be encoded in what usually appears to be a mundane scene/painting.
One thing I've been really diving into is applying alchemical principles and symbols to music. It's been enlightening to say the very least :)
Yeah, that would be interesting. I know Pythagoras believed in the music of the spheres and devoted a lot of his time to the esoterics behind music. Not sure how one would go about it though.
I co-founded @audioalchemy with by friend @hedflux as a vehicle to explore the application of alchemy to music. It's actually been surprisingly effective. By studying alchemy and then using the law of correspondences to apply laboratory alchemy principles to music production, it has completely transformed our relationship to music.
If you're interested in learning a bit more about it, here's a post that outlines the basis of our philosophies: https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@audioalchemy/the-alchemical-revival-in-music
Interestingly, the more we learn about alchemy, the more we discover that music played an integral role in the lives of many great philosophers and alchemists.
As for the music of the spheres, I've come to understand that this is likely referring to astrology. In the same way that music has an effect on our energetic and emotional state, the symphony of the spheres (planets, stars) also has an effect on our emotional ebbs and flows.
The moon moves the oceans and the human organism is mostly water.
It all comes down to energy, frequency, harmony and resonance :)