Polaris, The North Star

Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Republic

Silver mirror, Roman, 4th century AD

from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Maria Sibylla Merian - Musaeum hermeticum reformatum et amplificatum - 1678 - via Beinecke Library

The ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon consuming its own tail, forming a circular shape. This powerful image has been present across various cultures and historical periods, representing concepts such as infinity, rebirth, and the cyclical nature of existence. In alchemy, the ouroboros symbolises the unity of all things, the fusion of opposites, and the continuous process of transformation and renewal. Beyond its cultural and mystical significance, the ouroboros has captured the human imagination with its evocative imagery, serving as an enduring reminder of the mysteries and complexities of life, death, and the universe.

An abracadabrangle (1726).

The famous abracadabra typographic triangle makes an appearance in Pierre Guarin’s Grammaticae Hebraicae et Chaldaicae, ex optimis quae hactenus prodierunt, nova facilique methodo concinnatae, tomus II (Paris: Typis Jacobi Collombat, 1726-1728).

james edward keeler (1900)

Chapelle de l'abbaye de Beaulieu located in Haute-Marne, in France

Andreas Feininger