The Primordial

Bonus! Here's some information for whomever wants to learn more of why I arranged this picture the way I did.

  The first thing to note is that everything is aligned with the main focus, the Vitruvian Man in the background, sketched (thats right in PEN...er quill and ink rather) by Leonardo Davinci during the Renaissance as an attempt to illustrate the proportions of the perfect man according to the Greek mathematician Vitruvius (whom the diagram is named after). Upon the diagram are a myriad of various symbols including the Flower of Life, the Sephirot, the Chakra system, and the Ba Gua. And upon his appendages are the four Greek classical elements with corresponding traditional characters in Chinese. 

  The Flower of Life is from multiple cultures throughout history, being found in Egyptian, Assyrian, Indian and more popularly in Celtic, Gnostic and Jewish/Qabbalist cultures. It can be the basis of the Celtic Trinity Knot, a great focus for Sacred Geometry for its mathematical and calculated layout and for especially New Age believers a connection to the Tree of Life and a map of the universe and the self. It too was also sketched by Davinci in one of his famous journals.

  Upon the Flower of Life is the Sephirot aka the Tree of Life. Originating from the Qabbalah, commonly referred to as "Jewish Mysticism", it is a symbol that, among other things, elaborates the process by which God limited the infinite light emanating from him in order to allow creation to take place. Each sphere is a basin or ray of light by which God shows to each of the faithful that are willing to witness it. It descends from the top, Kether or Keter (Crown), down to the bottom, Malkuth (Kingdom). For each of the sephirah names and translations I have another submission here on dA stating such schneerf.deviantart.com/art/Ch…. The Sephirot also was used as a depiction of the 'primordial man', known in Hebrew as the "Adam Kadmon" (technically man-primordial). A divine being and to some God himself in a physical form, to others the real first human or the perfect human that we must try to emulate. The Sephirot is also a focus point for Sacred Geometry and even cosmologists. According to some interpretations, the three 'columns' have different meanings themselves. The right column (pictured on the viewer's left) is the 'Pillar of Mercy', associated with fire and masculinity, the central column is the 'Pillar of Mildness' (though this translation has some variations as well, basically Neutrality), and the left column (pictured on the viewer's right) is the 'Pillar of Severity', associated with water and femininity. The reason for the switching of right/left pillars visually is to have it correlate to the right and left sides of the Vitruvian man rather than the viewer to better display correct arrangement, otherwise the man would be facing away and be much harder to make a pleasing and informative work of art.

  The next symbol is the Chakra System. This originates from Hindu practices and studies into the operations of both mankind and the universe and how they are connected or influenced upon one another. The belief began as pools or "wheels", the literal translation of the word Chakra, of energy within specific points in the bodies of mortals and various entities. In time this belief was taken into Buddhism, Taoism, and many other Eastern cultures. During the 1960's, among other 'mystical beliefs', the West and counter-culturists grew increasingly fascinated with the Chakras and began associated each chakra with specific colors, stones, foods/flowers, and much more than the already established set of certain mantras/symbols. The link for the Sephirah names/translations also shares the correspondence with each Chakra's name and meaning as well. Note: Due to spatial constraints of the Sephirot, the Chakra system is not as accurately depicted upon the man's body as they should be. The last three chakras would be lower upon the body as the Solar Plexus (aka Celiac Plexus), is half way between the heart and the navel, the Sacral chakra would be between the navel and groin/bladder region and the final Root chakra would be the genitals directly, close to the tip of the coccyx or 'tail bone'. For more information on the Chakra System refer to the the previously stated link in the Sephirot paragraph.

  The Ba Gua (literally 'eight symbols in Chinese) is placed at the 'crown' of the man, overlapping the Keter Sephirah/Sahasrara Chakra. It was a Taoist evolution of the concept of primary elements that govern the universe in a constant flux as well as complementary, rather than opposing, forces that because of the other's existence, all else may exist. The 'Tao' (or Dao), literally means the 'Way', in which all of life operates and connects to one another. It is commonly known by its symbol of a circle divided into black and white portions, the Taiji, or more commonly known as Yin and Yang, dark and light (Yes Yin=dark, Yang=light, I thought it was the other way around, apparently not.) The elements are represented in the Ba Gua by a trigram of solid or broken lines, solid meaning yang and broken meaning yin. Each trigram also represent familial relations, specific meanings, cardinal directions, season and personality. To find them all go to this link here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_gua. The arrangement in this picture is the "Earlier" or "Primordial" arrangement. 

  The four arrows surrounding the man are the four classical elements according to most cultures, more famously the Greeks, depicted using the alchemical symbols for each element. Clockwise they are Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Upon each of these triangles are their respective characters in Chinese (Han if I'm correct). However in traditional Chinese cosmology, air is not an element, their elements are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Because this does not perfectly align with either the Greek classical elements nor the Ba Gua, wood and metal were dropped and the character for heaven/sky was used to fit with the rest of the picture. This issue was addressed by daoists by associated wood and metal with different parts of the Ba Gua. The arrows also denote gender with upwards meaning male and downwards meaning female, being visual depictions of a 'spear & chalice' metaphor.

  Next are the Alchemical Symbols displayed in various parts of the entire work. At the top in opposing corners are the symbols of the sun and the moon, which according to the 'Magnum Opus' or "Great Work", a process of self refinement through spiritual exercises and practices that uses Alchemy, Philosophy, Chemical processes and some Religious connotations as a means to illustrate itself and to communicate other initiates, the Sun and Moon represented a number of aspects as did many other chemicals and metals. The Sun was a symbol for the pure and final result or highest aim of the Great Work, Gold, however in this sense it did not necessarily mean literally gold or monetary success. It meant a refined and purified state within the spirit, mind and body. The Moon represented Silver, a step to'ards the ultimate goal, only reflecting the greatness and glimmer of the Great Works fruition. In Alchemy they also took on gender qualities, the Male aspect was assigned to the Sun and the Female was to the Moon. 

  At the bottom of the man are what in the Great Work calls the "Three Primes". Historically they were the main components used by many alchemists in an attempt to transmute (alter the very composition of) lesser metals such as tin, copper, and even lead, into that of gold, the belief being that all metals were similar enough to change through a series of chemical processes like graphite can become diamonds and vice versa. The viewers left sphere is the Prime Sulfur, it represented according to some the Spirit or the very essence of one's self. It's color is generally red, is represented by a figure called the "Red King" which is a symbol of the rubedo or 'reddening' and final step of the Great Work in attaining refinement. It's symbol derives from the symbol for fire (an upwards triangle as can be seen also in this work) imposed upon a cross which to some signified material matter. The viewers right sphere is known as the Prime Quicksilver, or more commonly known as Mercury today. It was known as a means of attaining silver by ridding the lesser metals that were found in silver veins and because of its fluid nature and similar tincture was dubbed watery silver (From Greek hydrargyrum, hydra-water and argyrum-silver, the latter which gave the Romans the Latin name argentum). Because of its 'quickness' and mobility it was named after the messenger god of the same name which is the origin of Mercury's symbol. It is a stylized and rather simplified version of Hermes/Mercury's staff or the Caduceus, a winged rod with two serpents entwined around it (not to be confused with the Rod of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, which had ONE snake and no wings). With the symbolism of quickness and connection it was later used as a symbol of union of opposites or at least a connection to such. Which is why when depicted as the White Queen, she is seen as the connection between the inferior state and the pure state, and with the Red King produces, according to some authors, a Golden Child, a self aware Philosopher Alchemist, or a hermaphrodite (which was originally the spawn of Hermes and Aphrodite, loaning their names as portmanteaux to the mix gendered being and reinforcing the deep symbolism of the caduceus). Because of its usage in purifying silver and other metals it was seen as something that connected the lower to the higher and vice versa. This gave it the means to be associated with the 'soul', or the energy or lifeforce that bound all things and most importantly the body to the spirit. The last sphere in the center is the first (and last in mentioning) Prime; Salt. Salt is seen as a source of life, a basis for existence, and in a number of alchemical processes the coarse state can become refined and pure, namely using mercury and sulfur according to traditional alchemy. It is associated with the first state of the Great Work because of the state of before purification and spiritual cleansing is enacted thus attains the color black for putrefaction. Whereas white is calcination or calcification and red is distillation/refinement. Though in some interpretations salt is actually representing the second stage the 'whitening' or albedo instead of nigredo ('blackening'). And in other interpretations there is another step between nigredo and albedo called citrinitas or yellowing. Needless to say the "Great Work" can be a rather relative experience and or process depending on source material. 

  Within the Sol and Luna symbols are actually two more symbols that compliment them in some fashion. Within the sun is the Nordic Rune Sowilo (and to some the 'Sig' though is not etymologically correct). It comes from the Elder Futhark of the Germano-Scandinavians, representing the 's' sound, the sun itself, victory, light, fire, the god Thor (and with two overlapping Sowilos makes the symbol for Thor's hammer Mjollnir, which is a Germanic origin of the symbol referred to as the Hakenkreuz, or Swastika as known in English speaking countries, and due to its exact similarity is confused with the swastikas used in Dharmic religions and Oriental cultures, which is not a far fetched source of influence as occultism and various aspects of the East were a point of much interest in post WWI Europe). It can be also associated with the spirit, clarity, and dominance. The opposing Rune is Laguz. It symbolizes water, the ocean, emotions, imagination and a connection to lifeforces. It is the opposite in this sense as it is seen as restless and mysterious and Sowilo is determined and powerful. There was a bit of trouble with finding the correct Runes as there are ones for Man (Mannaz), the sun (Sowilo), and water (Laguz), but not Woman, the moon, or fire itself (there was for torches but it didn't quite fit what I was intending). I avoided using Mannaz as there was a lack of a female counterpart and the fact that Germans/Nords consider the Sun to have an effeminate aspect and the moon masculine (ex. the German words for the Sun and the Moon are Die Sonne (female conjugation), Der Mond (male conjugation) respectively). This association conflicts with most other cultures especially those being displayed in this work.  

  The final symbols are the Hebrew letters resting on the border of the Flower of Life called the Tetragrammaton. Hebrew is read from right to left, whereas in all, if not a vast majority of, Western languages read left to right, however if read in either direction (clockwise West, counter Hebrew) it spells YHWH. This is one of numerous names for God and is especially holy for Judaism and certain sects of Christianity. It is pronounced by most scholars as 'Yahweh' and is the basis for the Latin variation 'Jehovah'. It originates from the story of Moses who when asked God who shall he tell the Israelites has sent him. "God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’" (Exodus 3:14). In Hebrew the phrase 'I am' is translated as 'ehyeh' and is considered by some as the verbal root for the name Yahweh. Though there are other possible origins to the name which can be found here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragra…. It is also worthy to note that if the letters are arranged, as they are read, in a vertical fashion with Yod (small letter on the man's right shoulder) on top, it appears as a rough symbolization of a man. Some, presumably Neo-Gnostics or New Agists, would take this as a direct reference to Adam Kadmon which is the divine soul and embodiment of all human souls that will inhabit creation, which is represented also by the Sephirot. If this is the case then the name YHWH would be inscribed upon the sephirah Keter, or Crown, as it is the endless light which shines beyond all and no mortal may gaze upon for it is said to be the greatest presence of God. This Adam Kadmon is not to be confused with Adam of the Garden of Eden, the 'first man' according to Genesis. His name in Hebrew is actually Adam Ha-Rishon in a Qabbalahist interpreting of the Bible. Kadmon being 'original, primordial, greater or above' and Ha-Rishon being 'lesser, or below'.