Edward Elric - Full Metal Alchemist

[VITRIOL: acronym used by medieval alchemists to describe the essential processes used to transmute minds and metals. (visita interiora terrae rectificando occultum lapidem - visit the interior of the earth, rectify what you find there and you will discover the hidden stone)]

[At the very center of mandala is the alchemist. This places him at the point of totality, the place where things arise and return to his consciousness. The large, inverted triangle outside the main circle indicates the realms of Body, Soul and Spirit. Body is at the very bottom, represented by the cube of earth surrounded by five planets, Soul (anima) is positioned in the upper left hand corner accompanied by an image of the sun, and spirit is in the right angle above a picture of the moon. The large circle is framed by four elements of water, fire, earth, air and the symbol of ultimate spirit, or quintessence. 7 finds its place in the seven-pointed star of the planets, representing evolution of consciousness, as well as Vitriol, the seven lettered recipe that symbolically describes the operations needed to complete the opus.]

[Taken as a whole, this mandala is an exercise in imagining the critical elements of the work, what they represent and most importantly how they come together in the mind of the alchemist.]


Take it as you will. ^_^

Throughout the research and planning, I kept listening to "Boys, They Won't" by The Wrens. Not because it fits the image, but because it is angsty and I was in a contentedly angsty mood.