summa-scientia : Message: Image in "Beadle the Bard".

Dear Friends,

I guess most of you know that JK Rowling has published a little book called Tales of Beadle the Bard. It is mentioned in Harry Potter. In this booklet are a few illustrations that JK herself has drawn. Attached is an illustration of The Fountain of Fair Fortune.

Someone in our other group, Harry Potter for Seekers, asked what members thought of the symbols on the fountain. I'm pasting underneath my reply to this question.

If you're interested in what other members thought of the symbols, here are two links to their thoughts. Audrey Spindler: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/harrypotterforseekers/message/3617

John Granger: http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=550.

My answer:

Here is a question I asked myself: There are five planets on the fountain. Why does Venus have to be the one that's missing? However the bottom bowl has the word 'love' inscribed around the rim. I guess that has taken its place.

The Deathly Hallows symbol [the triangle with the circle and line] is associated with a fountain in The Chymical Wedding. At the beginning of the Fifth Day, Christian Rosycross visits the Sepulchre of Venus. This sepulchre is triangular with a basin of polished copper in the middle. I'm assuming it's a round basin. In the basin is an angel holding a tree in his arms. If we can visualise the tree being symbolised by a straight, vertical line, we can easily see the Deathly Hallows symbol there. So in a way, this symbol rightfully takes the place of the Venus symbol. Also copper is the metal associated with Venus, as iron is with Mars, lead with Saturn, tin with Jupiter and mercury with Mercury. This sepulchre is also a fountain because fruits drop off the tree which fall into the basin and turn into water. There are three smaller bowls into which the excess water flows. So this fountain has the same number of bowls as the F of FF.

The whole thing is supported by three animals: an eagle, an ox and a lion. Together with the angel they symbolise the four elements: air, earth, fire and water respectively.

The eye to me symbolises the New Consciousness which is born when one has completed the Philosopher's Stone.

Certainly the Omega symbolises the words "Consummatum est", i.e. "It is finished".

The sun/moon symbol at the top to me symbolises the wedding, i.e. permanent union, of the Spirit and the Soul. The Fall in effect was the separation of the Soul and the Spirit. The ' Alchemical Wedding' is the reversal of this. The sun and the moon are extremely apt symbols for the Spirit and the Soul, because the Spirit is the Inner God, Who radiates Love and Light, while the Soul is reflects the Love and Light horizontally, on the earth.

The dragon itself is the human being, as I have often stated in my posts, for example when I explained why Hagrid loves dragons. The most basic force in the spine is the Serpent Fire.

And so my conclusion is that the F of FF symbolises the human being who has achieved liberation. He pours forth the Water of Life; his Spirit and Soul are united; he has reached the state of completion; he has the New Consciousness, and in his heart is erected the Temple of Venus.

To conclude I will quote a few words of Jan van Rijckenborgh in his book, The Alchemical Wedding of Christian Rosycross, Vol. 2, Chapter 15, where he explains the symbolism of the fountain.

Love to all from Hans

Jan van Rijckenborgh:

We have been speaking about the royal treasure that lies buried in the heart sanctuary of every human - the divine spark, the rose, Venus, universal love.[...] The story tells of an altar combined with a sepulchral monument, as signature of the living dead. [...] The nature-born human being possesses a body composed of elements. [...] a mighty radiation rises up from the divine spark and from the altar of the heart, like a tree spreading its branches in all directions. The results [of the self sacrifice of the earthly human being] are depicted here as the fruits that fall into the copper basins of the Seraph [angel]. These fruits, which also melt, are collected in three small golden basins: the blood, the nerve-ether and the endocrine system: he who follows the path of Christian Rosycross liberates within him three very positive, new, pure forces. So these three forces literally form the fruits of divine love and of the nature-born human being who has surrendered himself to that love.

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