#rosary of the philosophers

“I am the true grene and goulden Lyon, without cares.
In me all the Secretts of the philosophers are hidden.”

Green Lion Devouring the Sun, from ‘The Rosary of the Philosophers’, 1588. “Hunting the green lion” was the code Isaac Newton used to describe his alchemical experiments. The green lion devouring the sun represents the moment when a base metal turned into gold; it was believed by some that the colour green would be seen at the moment of alchemical transformation.