An explanation of the library emblem by Joost Ritman, founder of the library:

The emblem consists of seven components:

The white cubic stone is the cornerstone of Christ, as it is written in the Fama fraternitatis: 'A seed, sown in the heart of Jesus'.

The cross, engraved in the white cubic stone is the roman numeral X, signifying Christ.

The four roses within this cross bear four letters, the Greek letters alpha and omega and the letters R and C, the beginning and end in Rosae Crucis, as it is written in the Fama fraternitatis.

The sun, the spiritual creative principle, the gnosis, casts its seven rays into the waxing moon.

The moon, on which the pelican stands, is a symbol of the Grail, the soul principle.

The pelican, Christ-like, feeds its three young with its own blood, and symbolizes the threefold process, as written in the Fama fraternitatis: 'Ex Deo nascimur - In Jesu morimur - Per Spiritum Sanctum reviviscimus'.

The ourobouros, the green serpent devouring its own tail, encloses all other components and is the eternal spiritual force, the prima materia.

To me, the founder of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, the Brotherhood of the Rosycross remains a lasting inspiration, captured in the symbol which is the emblem of the library.

Joost R. Ritman
Founder Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica