Encyclopedia

Maecenas

A Roman diplomat and counselor to Augustus, renowned as the quintessential patron of the arts whose name became synonymous with literary and scientific sponsorship.

10 books · 165 mentions

Mark

Traditionally identified as the author of the Gospel of Mark and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, often symbolized by the winged lion.

10 books · 150 mentions

Moon (Silver)

In alchemical symbolism, the Moon represents the metal silver, the feminine principle, and the volatile or receptive aspect of nature.

10 books · 148 mentions

Mediterranean Sea

The central sea of the classical and early modern world, acting as the primary route for the exchange of alchemical, philosophical, and scientific ideas.

10 books · 144 mentions

Moscow

The capital of Russia, which became a significant center for Eastern Orthodox theology and the preservation of Greek manuscripts in the early modern period.

10 books · 135 mentions

Marcus Tullius (Cicero)

A Roman statesman, lawyer, and philosopher whose writings on rhetoric, politics, and ethics were foundational to Western education. He was a primary authority for Renaissance humanists seeking to revive classical eloquence.

10 books · 127 mentions

Midas

A mythological king of Phrygia remembered for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold. In alchemical literature, his story is often interpreted as an allegory for the dangers of greed or the transmutation of metals.

10 books · 127 mentions

Moab

An ancient kingdom located in modern-day Jordan, often appearing in biblical and esoteric texts as a land of symbolic spiritual opposition or ancient mysteries.

9 books · 251 mentions

Maceration

A process of softening or breaking down a substance by soaking it in a liquid, widely used in early modern pharmacy, botany, and the preparation of alchemical tinctures.

9 books · 236 mentions

Mauritania

A region in Northwest Africa known in antiquity and the early modern period as a land of astronomical knowledge and the mythical home of Atlas.

9 books · 235 mentions

Mumbai

9 books · 221 mentions

Mount Tai

The most sacred of the Five Great Mountains of China, associated with sunrise, renewal, and imperial authority throughout Chinese history.

9 books · 207 mentions

Maimonides

A preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and physician whose 'Guide for the Perplexed' sought to harmonize Aristotelian philosophy with Torah. His work deeply influenced Christian Scholasticism and Renaissance Kabbalah.

9 books · 204 mentions

Mount Moriah

The site in Jerusalem where, according to tradition, Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac and where the Temple was later built. In esoteric and Boehmian thought, it serves as a powerful symbol of spiritual sacrifice and divine revelation.

9 books · 192 mentions

Magic

The art and science of influencing the natural world through hidden or supernatural means, categorized in the Renaissance into natural magic and goetia.

9 books · 164 mentions

Muhurta

9 books · 163 mentions

Mercury of the Sages

The essential, spiritualized mercury of the alchemists, considered the 'living' principle of metals and the primary ingredient for the creation of the Philosopher's Stone.

9 books · 153 mentions

Mind (Nous)

A philosophical term denoting the faculty of intellectual apprehension and intuitive reason, distinct from discursive thought.

9 books · 148 mentions

Medusa

9 books · 146 mentions

Mechelen

A city in the Low Countries that was a political and cultural center under the Habsburgs, often mentioned in early modern medical and botanical texts.

9 books · 140 mentions

Marcus Aurelius

The Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher whose 'Meditations' remain a cornerstone of Western ethical and philosophical thought.

9 books · 136 mentions

Muhurta (Auspicious timing)

9 books · 136 mentions

Middle region of the air

9 books · 117 mentions

Musaeus

A legendary polymath and poet of pre-classical Greece, often cited by Renaissance Neoplatonists as a source of ancient wisdom.

9 books · 108 mentions

Marsyas

A satyr in Greek mythology who challenged Apollo to a musical contest and was flayed alive after losing. This myth was frequently interpreted by Renaissance Neoplatonists as an allegory for the painful shedding of the physical self to reveal the divine soul.

9 books · 105 mentions

Modena

9 books · 96 mentions

Micah

A prophet of the Old Testament known for his social critiques and the prophecy of a ruler coming from Bethlehem, frequently cited in early modern theology.

8 books · 222 mentions

Martha

A biblical figure from the New Testament, sister of Mary and Lazarus, traditionally representing the active life in contrast to Mary's contemplative life. This dichotomy was a central theme in medieval and Renaissance mystical theology.

8 books · 219 mentions

Mars (Iron)

In alchemy, the planet Mars corresponds to the metal iron and the masculine principle of strength and heat. It is one of the seven metals of antiquity, symbolizing the transformative power of fire and force in the laboratory.

8 books · 212 mentions

Meletus

An ancient Athenian known primarily as the principal accuser of Socrates during his trial in 399 BCE. He is depicted in Platonic dialogues as a representative of the religious and political establishment that opposed Socratic inquiry.

8 books · 175 mentions

Mandavya

A legendary sage in Hindu tradition known for his extreme asceticism and for being the authority behind certain astrological and moral precepts.

8 books · 169 mentions

Mamre

An ancient site near Hebron associated with Abraham, where he built an altar and received divine visitors under the Oaks of Mamre. In mystical traditions, it serves as a locus for divine revelation and the hospitality of the patriarch.

8 books · 168 mentions

Mount Helicon

A mountain in Boeotia, Greece, celebrated in classical mythology as the home of the Muses and the site of the Hippocrene spring, frequently invoked in Renaissance literature as a symbol of poetic inspiration.

8 books · 164 mentions

Mathura

8 books · 160 mentions

Mount Caucasus

8 books · 152 mentions

Middle Country (Madhyadesha)

The central region of the Indian subcontinent, historically regarded as the heartland of Vedic culture and traditional learning.

8 books · 137 mentions

Mirandola

An Italian city and former duchy in Emilia-Romagna, famous as the birthplace and seat of the Pico family, notably the philosopher Giovanni Pico della Mirandola.

8 books · 136 mentions

Montanus

8 books · 127 mentions

Mount Hua

8 books · 127 mentions

Mount Lebanon

8 books · 125 mentions

Malabar

A region on the southwestern coast of India historically significant for the spice trade and as a point of contact for early modern botanical and astronomical exchange.

8 books · 124 mentions

Mary the Prophetess

An early alchemist, often identified as the sister of Moses, credited with inventing laboratory apparatus like the bain-marie and foundational alchemical axioms.

8 books · 120 mentions

Mordecai

A central figure in the biblical Book of Esther, known for his role in saving the Jewish people from Haman's plot in the Persian Empire. He is often discussed in theological commentaries and Kabbalistic interpretations regarding divine providence.

8 books · 117 mentions

Mechanics

8 books · 117 mentions

Midian

A biblical geographical region and people associated with Moses, frequently discussed in Kabbalistic and exegetical texts regarding its symbolic role in the wilderness wanderings.

8 books · 111 mentions

Milky Way

8 books · 106 mentions

Macer

8 books · 105 mentions

Magnesia

A region in Greece associated with the discovery of the lodestone and magnesia alba. In alchemical literature, Magnesia is a cryptic term for a primary substance or the materia prima required for the Great Work.

8 books · 103 mentions

Magnitude

A measure of the size, brightness, or quantity of a physical or mathematical object. In early modern astronomy, it specifically referred to the brightness of stars or the dimensions of celestial spheres.

8 books · 101 mentions

Music of the Spheres

An ancient philosophical concept regarding the mathematical and harmonic proportions in the movements of celestial bodies, central to Pythagorean and Platonic thought.

8 books · 82 mentions

Melbourne

8 books · 80 mentions

Memory

8 books · 63 mentions

Mental Prayer

7 books · 408 mentions

Michelangelo

7 books · 311 mentions

Mersenne

A French polymath and theologian known as the 'center of the world of science' for his extensive correspondence and foundational work in acoustics and music theory.

7 books · 259 mentions

Mean proportionals

A mathematical concept involving values placed between two extremes such that the ratios are equal, used in geometry and music to solve problems of proportion.

7 books · 200 mentions

Machiavelli

7 books · 195 mentions

Mattioli

7 books · 166 mentions