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- It's a metaphor for the cyclical nature of alchemical work—transmutation and unification of opposites.
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Dec 4, 2017 · Known as the oldest allegorical symbol in alchemy, the ouroboros represented the concept of eternity and endless return. Like the sun, the ouroboros underwent a journey of its own. From...
The alchemists, who in their own way knew more about the nature of the individuation process than we moderns do, expressed this paradox through the symbol of the Ouroboros, the snake that eats its own tail. The Ouroboros has been said to have a meaning of infinity or wholeness.
Oct 25, 2024 · What does Ouroboros symbolize? Ouroboros is a gnostic and alchemical symbol that expresses the unity of all things, material and spiritual, which never disappear but perpetually change form in an eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Ouroboros is an emblematic serpent of ancient Egypt and Greece represented with its tail in its mouth, continually devouring itself and being rebor...
- While the word Ouroboros has its origins in the Greek language, representations of the symbol itself have been documented as far back as the 13th a...
- The Ouroboros serpent is meant to be a positive symbol that represents unity and the natural eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation. It is un...
Q: What does the Ouroboros symbol represent in alchemy and modern interpretations? A: In alchemy, the Ouroboros symbol represents the union of opposites and the search for spiritual and material perfection.
- Ouroboros Symbol Key Takeaways
- What Does An Ouroboros symbolize?
- Nature Symbolism and Geomythology
- China
- Egyptian Ouroboros
- Africa
- Ouroboros Symbol in Greece
- Ouroboros in Alchemy
- Ancient Rome
- Ouroboros in Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism
Here are some high-level insights for what the ouroboros symbol is about: 1. Archaeologists discovered the oldest known example of an ouroboros on a jar that is possibly 7,000 years old. It belonged to the neolithic Yangshao People, who lived along the Yellow River in what is now eastern China. 2. The ouroboros is a cross-cultural symbol, appearing...
RebirthImmortalityEternity and InfinityProtectionGeomythology is the study of how pre-scientific cultures explained astronomical events and other natural phenomena through creation stories and legends. Today, we don’t know the exact origins of the ouroboros symbol. However, historians believe it was inspired by real snakes, lizards (like the armadillo girdled lizard), or even pangolins, all of wh...
As mentioned earlier, archaeologists discovered the earliest known ouroboros symbol in China. Some historians believe the Chinese ouroboros could have been inspired by dragons, which represented strength, great power, and good luck. In addition, the Chinese ouroboros symbolizes the idea of unity, as it does in other cultures. It is sometimes compar...
The ouroboros figured prominently in Egyptian culture. It symbolized the ancient Egyptians’ views on immortality and the cycles of nature. In 1922, the archaeologist Howard Carter and his team found an ouroboros in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Engraved on a gilded shrine in honor of the young King Tut were two ouroboroi along with obscure text (not nor...
The Fon People of Benin also told tales of a giant serpent that encircled the Earth holding his tail in his mouth. According to Fon creation stories, when the creation of the world was complete, the Creator realized that it was too heavy with animals, mountains, rivers, and trees. In fact, he feared the world would fall apart and into the sea. So, ...
Eventually, the ouroboros symbol made its way across the Mediterranean Sea to Greece. In fact, the name ouroboros is derived from Greek words oura, which means tail, and boros, which means eating. So ouroboros loosely translates to the “tail devourer.” For the philosopher Plato, the ouroboros symbolized self-reliance – a perfect being that needed n...
An early form of chemistry, the study of alchemy focused on how matter changed. People from a number of diverse cultures, including Egyptian, Greek, Arabic, Indian, and even Taoist monks in China, began experimenting with alchemy hundreds of years ago. Alchemists also sought to understand how the cosmos affected all matter, including in the human b...
For the Romans, the ouroboros symbolized infinity. In addition, they associated the symbol with the god Saturn, who ruled time and the cycles of the year. According to Roman philosophy, Saturn connected one year to the next. In fact, the planet Saturn rules the astrological sign of Capricorn, which connects December, the last month of the year, wit...
The Hebrew Bible references a sea serpent called the Leviathan a number of times. Some historians believe he is based on Apep, the Egyptian snake deity who battled the sun god Ra. Indeed, while the Leviathanis sometimes described as created by God, at other times he is portrayed as God’s arch enemy. The Zohar, which is a foundational piece of Kabba...
Feb 17, 2023 · The ouroboros snake first appeared as an alchemic symbol in the 3rd-century texts Leyden Papyrus and The Chrysopoeia of Cleopatra. To alchemists, the ouroboros symbolized eternity and the...
Jul 26, 2024 · The ouroboros is an ancient symbol of a serpent consuming its own tail, seen across multiple cultures and time periods. Its circularity represents eternity and the cycle of birth, life, and...
