Circles featured symbolically in alchemy, for both the processes and the vessels involved.
Circle: the symbol of perfection. The circle signifies the perfect, eternal spiritual realm in contrast to the square, which signifies the earth, the corruptible world of illusion, the four elements, the four arms of the earthly cross. The circle with the dot in the centre symbolizes, at the macrocosmic level, gold. The completed opus alchymicum is also symbolized by the circle.
Circulatory: an alembic [a vessel used for distilling] with a neck bent back, re-entering its lower part, used for the purpose of continuous distillation.
Lyndy Abraham, Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001) pp. 41; 42
Jayne Archer A “Perfect Circle”? Alchemy in the Poetry of Hester Pulter
On one level, the “Circle” of [Pulter’s] title refers to the ouroboros, the self-birthing snake (sometimes dragon) that devours its own tail. This is the ancient symbol of eternity, the perfection of art and of the completion of the alchemical opus (the opus circulatorium). Superficially, it is a positive image of unity. It represents life as an ongoing cycle of birth and death, and the alchemical opus as a continuing series of acts of creation and recreation, progress and refinement. In alchemical texts, the ouroboros is mapped on to two other spaces, the womb and the alembic (the vessel or retort, within which alchemical processes take place). Both spaces are associated with the creation of new life and both are enclosed (‘hermetically sealed’) …
Jayne Archer, “A “Perfect Circle”? Alchemy in the Poetry of Hester Pulter”, Literature Compass, 1 (2005): 1-14, quoted p. 2.
In the field of Alchemy, Alchemical Circles are an aid to magic that alchemists
alchemists
Alchemists attempted to purify, mature, and perfect certain materials. Common aims were chrysopoeia, the transmutation of "base metals" (e.g., lead) into "noble metals" (particularly gold); the creation of an elixir of immortality; and the creation of panaceas able to cure any disease.
have discovered. It uses the memetic properties of magic in general in order to make it easier to perform certain feats of magic, make them more powerful, or even possible at all.
Circle: the symbol of perfection. The circle signifies the perfect, eternal spiritual realm in contrast to the square, which signifies the earth, the corruptible world of illusion, the four elements, the four arms of the earthly cross. The circle with the dot in the centre symbolizes, at the macrocosmic level, gold.
Transmutation circles are related to the Law of Equivalent Exchange and represent the eternal cycle of reshaping matter and energy in FMAB. Some Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood characters can bypass or disrupt transmutation circles, showcasing their weaknesses.
There are three taboos for Alchemists; Do not transmute gold, do not act against the government, and do not attempt human transmutation. Two of these rules come from the government itself, either to protect itself or to protect the economy, but the third is almost a natural law.
Sulfur or soul, the principle of combustibility: 🜍 ( ) Mercury or spirit, the principle of fusibility and volatility: ☿ ( ) Salt or body, the principle of non-combustibility and non-volatility: 🜔 ( )
It is often symbolic of unity, infinity, and perfection due to its symmetrical and continuous nature. In various ancient cultures, the circle held sacred significance. The ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang for example embodies the duality within the circle.
In mythology, a circle is a universal symbol that depicts integrity, infinity, and eternity. The circularity is a negation of time and space, but it also means a return movement. In Buddhism, the circle of Zen means emptiness and the universe.
Alphonse Elric : Human kind can not gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange. In those days we really believed that to be the world's one and only truth.
It can also be something not allowed by a religion or a government. In Fullmetal Alchemist, the main taboos are made by the government of Amestris for both safety and to stop people from having an immortal army (in the case of human transmutation).
What is transmutation in alchemy? Transmutation is the action of taking an element and transforming it into another element. Transmutation is possible through particle accelerators and radioactive decay.
On January 13, 1404, King Henry IV of England signed a law making it a felony to create gold and silver out of thin air. The Act Against Multiplication, as it was formally titled, outlawed something called “multiplication,” which in alchemy meant taking some of a material, like gold, and somehow creating more of it.
From an average person's viewpoint, Alchemy is a very handy skill that can make anything, without any limit. But the truth is there is a rule to this. The Law of conservation and the Law of Providence. It's taking an object with one element, and changing it into an object containing the same element.
That said, the core principle of alchemy revolves around the Law of Equivalent Exchange. While it may seem complicated, the simple concept is absolute: something cannot be made from nothing.In order to create something, another thing of equal value must be exchanged and is then lost.
The number 7 was the fundamental number of the Rosicrucians, who used it as an organizational basis for their text Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Rosenkreutz (1459; Alchemical Wedding of Christian Rosycross).
The pioneering medieval Arab alchemist, Jābir ibn Hayyān or Geber maintained the four classical elements of air, earth, fire, and water but added to them two new philosophical elements: sulphur and mercury.
The classical elements in alchemy are that of the planet: aer (air), terra (earth), ignis (fire), and aqua (water), with some scholars including a fifth element aether and quintessentia, known in some ancient Tibetan, Indian, and Greek cultures as “void”, representing the balance and unity of all that is.
Perhaps you think of a ring, the sun or the moon. Perhaps you think of bicycles or cycles such as plant cycles or life cycles. The circle of life is a symbolic representation of birth, survival and death. Life is represented as a circle because it's a constant loop.
“The 'squared circle' or 'squaring the circle' is a 17th century alchemical glyph or symbol for the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. The Philosopher's Stone was supposed to be able to transmute base metals into gold and perhaps be an elixir of life.”
The pioneering medieval Arab alchemist, Jābir ibn Hayyān or Geber maintained the four classical elements of air, earth, fire, and water but added to them two new philosophical elements: sulphur and mercury.
Introduction: My name is Tish Haag, I am a excited, delightful, curious, beautiful, agreeable, enchanting, fancy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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