© Alchemist in lab, Istanbul ... Ref 1

One early seventeenth-century engraving depicts an alchemist kneeling within an alcove that is set apart from the rest of his laboratory.

His kneeling position and outstretched, supplicating arms give mute testimony to the interrelatedness of the concepts and experience of "spiritual" and "material."  This is implicit in the word "laboratory," which is derived the Latin "laborare," "to work," and "orare," to pray.  For the alchemist, doing the former without the latter would have been unthinkable.

   © Ouroboros, Ref. 2

The world snake (ouroboros) in the form of an amulet in a Greek magical papyrus of the 3rd century A.D.  The amulet, which is the name and seal "of the might of the great god," protects its owner "against demons, against spirits, against all illness and suffering."  The inscription consists of magical words and signs (inter alia Yaeo) and the formula: "Protect me, NN, body and soul from all injury".

...Some Gnostic sects honored the snake. They did not view the snake as a seducer who led the first couple into sinful behavior. Rather, they saw him as a liberator who brought knowledge to Adam and Eve by convincing them to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and thus to become fully human....

Gnosticism is a philosophical and religious movement which started in pre-Christian times. The term is derived from the Greek word gnosis which means "knowledge". It is pronounced with a silent "G" (NO-sis). Gnostics claimed to have secret knowledge about God, humanity and the rest of the universe of which the general population was unaware. It became one of the three main belief systems within 1st century Christianity, and was noted for its:

• novel beliefs about Gods, the Bible and the world which differed from those of other Christian groups
• tolerance of different religious beliefs within and outside of Gnosticism
• lack of discrimination against women

Amulets -- protective devices worn around the body, or placed next to other objects, to protect them from various evils -- were common in all societies and all periods of antiquity, and their use was accepted as normal by secular, religious, and "scientific" authorities (i.e., the physicians). Almost anything could serve as an amulet -- a red string wound around the wrist, a stone carried in a small pouch around the neck, or a piece of iron tied to one's bed. Such amulets could be prepared at home, and called for no special knowledge or technical skills. Given their mundane nature, such amulets often are hard to identify -- for when we come across a decorated ring, for example, how can we tell whether it was an amulet or merely a piece of jewelry?

   © Lapis Lazuli - 26052, Ref. 5

As on many other gems, the image is encircled by an ouroboros -- a snake devouring its own tail -- an Egyptian symbol of regeneration and eternity. The signs engraved on this gem were known in antiquity as characteres, and were considered very powerful. Their origin and meaning remain obscure, and seem to have been obscure to the ancient practitioners themselves. ...