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Description

The Asclepius Cross

by Nathan Benedict

In alchemy, the serpent is a symbol of the prima materia or mercury, the basic material that the alchemist starts with. The cross is composed of four lines which unite at a central point. Usually representing the four elements in alchemy, which join in the center to form the coveted fifth element.

Nailing the serpent to the cross ymbolizes the fixation of the volatile, which is the “coagula” part of the process that is endlessly repeated in the Great Work. Fixing the volatile generally means stabilizing the active principle, separating harmful and beneficial elements from each other, or even transforming the harmful into the beneficial.

Description

The Asclepius Cross

by Nathan Benedict

In alchemy, the serpent is a symbol of the prima materia or mercury, the basic material that the alchemist starts with. The cross is composed of four lines which unite at a central point. Usually representing the four elements in alchemy, which join in the center to form the coveted fifth element.

Nailing the serpent to the cross ymbolizes the fixation of the volatile, which is the “coagula” part of the process that is endlessly repeated in the Great Work. Fixing the volatile generally means stabilizing the active principle, separating harmful and beneficial elements from each other, or even transforming the harmful into the beneficial.