E G Y P T

For our present purposes, however, it is necessary to again consider origins and the links between Ancient
Greece, Mesopotamia and Egypt. The source in this case is "Alchemy in Islamic Times" by Prof. Hamed
Abdel-reheem Ead (University of Cairo Giza-Egypt and director of Science Heritage Center). A partial listing
from this source is given below with emphasis on those of the Greek school already discussed; additional
emphasis on the Egyptian contribution appears necessary to put the matter in its proper historical
perspective before proceeding further.
"Pythagoras (Fithaghurus)
Pythagoras is often mentioned in Arabic philosophy and in gnomic literature. Jaldaki calls him
al-muallim al-awwal because he acuired the science from hermetic te!ts. Jabir refers to him
as an alchemic author and speaks of "a#ifat Fthaghurus$ the school of Pythagoras$ and of his
book Kitab almusahhahat (%ook of Ad&ustments). 'ther uotations refer to Pythagoras#s
theory of numbers. "ughra#i mentions him se(eral times and refers to his treatise about
#natural numbers#. "he fragments of te!ts which are attributed to him could ha(e come either
from Turba philosophorum$ where he is among the participants$ or from other te!ts.
Socrates
)ocrates is considered not only as a wise man but also as an alchemist. Jabir calls him #the
father and mother of all philosophers# and considers him as the prototype of the real chemist.
From )ocrates to Jabir$ there is a continuous tradition which attributes entire treatises to him.
Jabir a*rms that )ocrates was opposed to the writing down of alchemic knowledge to a(oid
its e!position to the ignorance of the masses. +ost references to )ocrates refer to his
arithmetical speculations (theory of the balance) and also to arti,cial generation.
Plato (A-atun)
'lympiodorus already (at the end of the si!th century) considered Plato as an alchemist and
.bn al-/adlm mentions him in the list of alchemists. %utrus al-.lmlml mentions an alchemic
de(ice called$ hammam A-atun (Plato#s bath). Among the books attributed to him by the
Arabs we can mention the Summa Platonis of which we only ha(e the 0atin (ersion. "here is a
commentary to this book - the Kitab al-Rawabi' - whose Arabic te!t was edited by %adawi and
whose 0atin translation is known by the name Liber quartorum. "he contents of this work are
mainly alchemic but it contains also information on geometry$ physiology and astrology. "he
ancient authors cited are Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Hipparchus, Proclus, the Sophists, Ostanes,
Hermes, Asclepius and 1ippocrates....
Aristotle (Aristu)
Aristotle is considered as an alchemist author not so much because of his fourth book
eteorolo!ica but because of his reputation as an all-round scholar. 1e wrote a book on
alchemy for his disciple Ale!ander. .n 234$ by order of 1eraclius$ the book was translated into
)yriac by the monk Jean$ and the %ishop of /isibis$ 5liyya bar )hinaya$ made sure of its
orthodo!y. Finally Abdishu# bar %rika$ %ishop of )in&ar$ and later of /isibis$ made a
commentary on it in )yriac of which there still e!ists an Arabic translation. "he te!t contains
an introduction in which Abdlshu reports the legendary history of the te!t followed by a .etter
from Ale!ander to Aristotle where the former poses uestions to which the latter responds.
"his dialogue is called sahi"at #an$ Allah al-a#bar (5pistle of the 6reat "reasure of 6od). it
includes three chapters7 (3) About the great principles of alchemy8 (9) Alchemic operations8
(:) "he eli!ir. Pytha!oras, ;emocritus$ Asclepiades$ Hermes$ Plato$ 'stanes and %almas are
mentioned in the te!t....
Bolos the Democritean of Mendes
%olos the ;emocritean li(ed in the second century before <hrist. "he work of this scholar is
(aried7 alchemy$ astrology$ medicine.... the school o" %olos brin!s to the &!yptian technique a
philosophical reasonin! which will open the way to the science o" the 'reat (or#. #'nce
again#$ says Festugiere$ #we see the union of the 6reek spirit and the 'riental art.# "he art
e!ists$ from ancient times8 the goldsmiths of 5gypt work metals$ stones and purple... About
the same time alchemy was practiced in most 5gyptian towns. "his ,rst alchemy is a mi!ture
of hermetic or 6nostic elements and old 6reek philosophy7 1eraclitus$ 5mpedocles and their
speculations about the four elements$ Parmeni)es with his theory on the unity of the whole$
the Platonic cosmo!ony o" Timaeus* =emphasis supplied>
Zosimus
"he most famous character of this time is ?osimus of Panopolis (Akhmim$ in @pper 5gypt). 1e
probably li(ed at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth century...?osimus can be
placed at the end of an e(olution in alchemy. Aith %olos$ it became philosophical8 with
?osimus it becomes a mystical religion where the idea of sal(ation is predominant. .n fact$ the
period which separates %olos the ;emocritean from ?osimus saw intense alchemic acti(ity.
Bastly diCerent elements - 5gyptian magic$ 6reek philosophy$ neo-Platonism$ %abylonian
astrology$ <hristian theology$ pagan mythology - can be found in ?osimus# te!ts. 1e is full of
gnostic and hermetic books$ he knows the Jewish speculations about the 'ld "estament. 1e
gi(es to alchemy a religious character which will remain fore(er$ at least in its traditional
course$ since with the Arab alchemists it will retain its concrete technical character before
meeting the .smaeli gnostic speculations.
+osimus an) his contemporaries who collecte) their pre)ecessors' tra)itions insist on their
connection with the &!ypt o" the Pharaohs or with the Persia o" +oroastra an) Ostanes* (e
can ,n) te-ts un)er the name o" A!atho)aimon compare) with Hermes*...
"his 6reek-5gyptian alchemy sur(i(ed in Ale!andria for se(eral centuries. From here it will go
to <onstantinople$ where se(eral recensions of the #collection of 6reek alchemists# were
compiled$ and to the Arabs when they conuered 5gypt in the se(enth century.
Hermes and Hermetic literature
According to .bn al-/adlm (:D3$ 3E) Arab alchemists consi)ere) the %abylonian Hermes as
the ,rst one to ha.e mentione) the art o" alchemy. 5!iled by his countrymen$ he came to
5gypt where he became king. 1e wrote a certain number of books on alchemy and was
eually interested in the study of the hidden forces of nature." =emphases and italics supplied>
Further information concerning the roles played by Bolos, Zosimos and especially Hermes may be found in
Jack Lindsay's The Origins of Alchemy in Graeco-Roman Egypt [1970], who informs the reader, among
other things, that:
12

?osimos looked to 1ermes as the originator of the notion of the alchemic process as triadic.
#"he present =chemical> composition$ once set in mo(ement$ lea(es the state of monad in
order to constitute itself as a triad by dri(ing out the mercury. <onstituted as a monad that
o(er-ows as a triad$ it is a continuum8 but in return$ constituted as a triad with three
separated elements$ it constitutes the world by the pro(idence of the First Author$ <ause and
;emiurge of <reation$ who henceforth is called "rismegistos in the sense that he has
en(isaged what he produced$ and what produces it$ under a triadic mode.# "his important
statement deepens the triadic concept by applying it directly to the moment of change$ in
which simultaneously there occur an act of union and an act of e!pulsion$ of negation. "his
pattern is not a chance product$ it is something that has only a limited application8 it is the
creati(e or formati(e pattern of all process. "he alchemist is re-enacting the role of the
demiurge.
At which point we arrive back at the Triad and to some extent the Oracles to take up the occurrence of the
universal constant phi, this time its underlying importance in the construction of major monuments in
Ancient Egypt - a topic treated at length by R.A.Schwaller de Lubicz [1891-1962] with respect to the
construction the Temple of Luxor (Le Temple de l'Homme).
13
The latter's "symbolist" interpretations were
subsequently championed by John Anthony West and made generally available by West's 1978 publication
Serpent in the Sky. Because of the signifcance of Phi in both these works West gave considerable space to
the topic, and in addition suggested that:
14

Perhaps the greatest single achie(ement within )chwaller de 0ubricF#s reinterpretation is the
solution of the ultimate meaning of the 6olden )ection - a problem that has occupied many of
the greatest thinkers and artists of history. Ahen this signi,cance is di(ulged$ the reader may
well be puFFled as to why so apparently elementary an e!planation should ha(e remained a
mystery so long. Get the fact is that the solution eluded the genius of 0eonardo and of Hepler$
of a number of brilliant modern biologists$ and a host of astute artists and researchers in
aesthetics. "he answer to the mystery#s amaFing persistence can only lie in the fact that the
cause of number$ the Primordal )cission$ was ne(er grasped. Get it is known that phi controls
the proportions of innumerable li(ing organisms$ that the spiral of the #spiral gala!y" is a phi
spiral$ that the orbits o" the planets o" our solar system are in comple- phi relationships to
each other$ and that the proportions of 6othic cathedrals and 6reek temples are commanded
by phi. "hough long before )waller de 0ubicF#s work a number of scholars had noted phi
proportions in the pyramids and other 5gyptian remains$ only in the past few years has this
been acknowledged by 5gyptologists. 5(en now$ attempts are made to show how the
5gyptians might ha(e used the 6olden )ection without actually realiFing they were doing so.
%ut the fact is that the 5gyptians knew and used phi from the earliest dynasties - as well as
the so-called Fibonacci numbers that de(ol(e from phi. 5(idently the 5gyptians - and builders
of the 6reek temples and 6othic cathedrals and to a certain e!tent the painters and
/eoplatonists of the Ienaissance - also knew the signi,cance of phi and the manner in which
to employ it eCecti(ely8 knowledge which they either deliberately kept secrect or which was
later inad(ertently lost. 5(en those modern artists who ha(e been intrigued by phi and
attempted to use it (+ondrian and le <orbusier$ for e!ample) did not understand its meaning
and met with but partial success. =emphasis added>
Le Corbusier in fact made use of the phi-series itself in his blue and red series as Kappraf [1991] has
explained in some detail.
15
Moreover, from what has been discussed so far, it would appear that a case can
indeed be made for the statement that: "the orbits of the planets of our solar system are in complex phi
relationships to each other," although this does not seem to be a current or universal understanding, to say
the least.
In the fnal analysis, the present work - unavoidably condensed - cannot in fact claim to be a
distinct discovery per se, nor can it constitute restoration of lost wisdom if the latter was never truly
lost. What is supplied here is a beginning and a partial integration of a complex corpus of
information that may have ramifcations yet to be recognized. The same may also be said
regarding the background part played throughout the ages by those who elected to preserve and
pass the information on. Only they know their true roles in all of this; perhaps the rest of us never
will.
As for the role of Ancient Egypt, consider again (or refer to Part B of the previous Section) Kepler's
"frank confession" in the Harmonies of the World published in the year 1618:
16

The very nature of things, in order to reveal herself to mankind, was at work in the different interpreters of different
ages, and the finger of God-to use the Hebrew expression; and here, in the minds of two men, who had wholly given
themselves up to the contemplation of nature, there was the same conception as to the configuration of the world,
although neither had been the others guide in taking this route. ut now since the first light eight months ago, since
broad day three months ago, and since the sun of my wonderful speculation has shone fully a very few days ago!
nothing holds me back. " am free to give myself up to the sacred madness, " am free to taunt mortals with the frank
confession that " am stealing the golden vessels of the #gyptians, in order to build a temple for my God, far from the
territory of #gypt. "f you pardon me, " shall re$oice; if you are enraged, " shall bear up. The die is cast, and " am
writing the book-whether to be read by my contemporaries or by posterity matters not. %et it await its reader for a
hundred years, if God Himself has been ready for His contemplator for six thousand years.
Lux e Tenebris
Almost four centuries have elapsed since Kepler wrote his frank confession and moving epilogue.
Although much work remains, perhaps the time has now come for the "Golden Vessels of the
Egyptians" to be repatriated and their place in the scheme of things acknowledged, along with the
sacrifces of all those who laboured to preserve them through the intervening centuries of
darkness.
REFERENCES
1. %indsay, &ack. The origins of Alchemy in Graeco-Roman Egypt, #bene'er aylis ( )on, Trinity *ress %ondon
+,-..
2. Taylor, Thomas, Commentaries of Proclus on the Timus of Plato, ook ". /essinger ooks, /ila. p.01.
3. Taylor, Thomas, T. PLATO: The Timus an The Critias, ollingen )eries, *antheon ooks, 2ashington
+,33!++4.
4. 2agner, &effrey /. !ntrouction to the "olar "ystem, Holt, 5inehart and 2inston, 6rlando +,,+.
5. Taylor, Thomas, Commentaries of Proclus on the Timus of Plato, 7ol "", ook """. pp. 4,-,..
6. The Commentaries of Proclus on the Timeus of Plato, transl. Thomas Taylor, /essinger ooks, /ila, pp.++8-
++4.
7. 9obbs, etty &o Teeter.The founations of #e$ton%s Alchemy, :ambridge ;niversity *ress, :ambridge,
+,-8!+18.
8. %indsay, &ack, The Origins of Alchemy in Grco-Roman Egypt, #bene'er aylis ( )on, Trinity *ress,
%ondon, +,-.!<8,.
9. i&i., pp.+33-+38.
10. i&i., p.<18.
11. The 'ermetic Arcanum
12. %indsay, &ack, The Origins of Alchemy in Grco-Roman Egypt, #bene'er aylis ( )on, Trinity *ress %ondon
+,-.!+--.
13. de %ubic', )chwaller, Le Temple e l%'omme, Translated by 5obert and 9eborah %awlor, =utumn ooks
<....
14. 2est, &. =., "erpent in the "(y, >uest ooks, Theosophical *ublishing House, 2heaton. +,,0!1+-1<.
15. /appraff, &. CO##ECT!O#": The Geometric )rige &et$een Art an "cience, ?cGraw-Hill, @ew Aork
+,,+!<+-<8.
16. /epler, &ohannes. 'armonies of the *orl, Great ooks of the ?odern 2orld +1, 5obert ?aynard Hutchins,
#ditor in :hief. 2illiam enton, :hicago +,8<.
Copyright 1997. John N. Harris, M.A.(CMNS). Last Updated on e!r"ary ##, #$$%.
&'&(&'&S ) *he Logo

The original B6uroborosB is from! =braham #lea'ar, +-1.! ;raltes chymisches 2erk. <nd ed., %eip'ig

The dragon forming a cycle, feeding on its own tail - in alchemy, the 6roboros is an emblem of the eternal,
cyclic nature of the universe, combining idea and action, efficiency and power. The 6roboros is grasping the
whole by the conception of the opposite, the divine process of creation and the evil backlash of destruction.
"n thermodynamics, the alchemistCs search for the eternal ;nity has been continued in the many efforts to
construct a machine operating at +..D efficiency, the *erpetuum ?obile. +..D efficiency is the
prereEuisite for a truly cyclic nature of energy flux through the biosphere. The notion of the arrow of time,
introduced by the )econd %aw of thermodynamics, replaces the Euest for +..D efficiency by the pursuit of a
balanced management of the resources of energy and time. )uch optimi'ation of efficient material recycling
and balanced resource utili'ation is a vital responsibility of modern society for the protection of local and
global ecological systems.

The 6roboros is one of the rare universal examples where feeding on external negative entropy, d
e
"Fdt, is not
true, as shown by the feedback loop and the system boundaries. "n terms of ergodynamics, at any rate,
6roboros is the fine state of non-thermodynamic eEuilibrium.

5eference! Gnaiger #, Gellerich G@, 2yss ?, eds H+,,3I *hat is Controlling Life+ ,- .ears after Er$in
"chr/inger%s *hat is Life+ 0oern Trens in )ioThermo1inetics +. "nnsbruck ;niv. *ress, "nnsbruck! p.
0+1. Jpf <41 kK
"ee also: Gnaiger # H+,,3I @egative entropy for living systems! :ontroversy between @obel laureates )chrLdinger,
*auling and *erut'. "n *hat is Controlling Life+ HGnaiger #, Gellerich G@, 2yss ?, edsI 0oern Trens in
)ioThermo1inetics 0. "nnsbruck ;niv. *ress! 1<--.. Jpdf <44 kK.
MiPArt 3 - Oroboros HGermanI
6roboros - )ymbol
6roboros %inks
The &"ro!oros HGreek MJNOPQNOR or OJNSPQNOR, from OJNOPQNOR KTUR Btail-devouring snakeB, also
spelled 2ro&oros in #nglish pronounced LMNOPbQOQsL or LR&MOoMNbPOsLI, is an ancient symbol depicting
a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail and forming a circle.
The 6uroboros often represents self-reflexivity or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly
re-creating itself, the eternal return, and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as soon as they end
H)ee *hoenixI. "t can also represent the idea of primordial unity related to something existing in or persisting
from the beginning with such force or Eualities it cannot be extinguished. The ouroboros has been important
in religious and mythological symbolism, but has also been freEuently used in alchemical illustrations,
where it symboli'es the circular nature of the alchemistCs opus. "t is also often associated with Gnosticism,
and Hermeticism.
:arl &ung interpreted the 6uroboros as having an archetypical significance to the human psyche. The
&ungian psychologist #rich @eumann writes of it as a representation of the pre-ego Bdawn stateB, depicting
the undifferentiated infancy experience of both mankind and the individual child.
J+K
Anti,"ity
*lato described a self-eating, circular being as the first living thing in the universeVan immortal, perfectly
constructed animal.
The living being had no need of eyes when there was nothing remaining outside him to be seen; nor of ears
when there was nothing to be heard; and there was no surrounding atmosphere to be breathed; nor would there
have been any use of organs by the help of which he might receive his food or get rid of what he had already
digested, since there was nothing which went from him or came into him! for there was nothing beside him.
6f design he was created thus, his own waste providing his own food, and all that he did or suffered taking
place in and by himself. Gor the :reator conceived that a being which was self-sufficient would be far more
excellent than one which lacked anything; and, as he had no need to take anything or defend himself against
any one, the :reator did not think it necessary to bestow upon him hands! nor had he any need of feet, nor of
the whole apparatus of walking; but the movement suited to his spherical form was assigned to him, being of
all the seven that which is most appropriate to mind and intelligence; and he was made to move in the same
manner and on the same spot, within his own limits revolving in a circle. =ll the other six motions were taken
away from him, and he was made not to partake of their deviations. =nd as this circular movement reEuired no
feet, the universe was created without legs and without feet.
J<K

B:oiled dragonB forms have been attributed to the Hongshan culture H3-.. : to <,.. :I. 6ne in
particular, in the shape of a complete circle, was found on the chest of the deceased.
J0K
The notion of a serpent or dragon eating its own tail can be traced back to =ncient #gypt, circa +1.. :.
Grom ancient #gypt it passed to *hoenicia and then to the Greek philosophers, who gave it the name
6uroboros HBtail-devourerBI.
Jcitation neeeK
Aet, "n the *yramid of ;nas dated between <0-8 : and <038 :, in
the )arcophagus chamber, on the west wall gable hieroglyphs it states B= serpent is entwined by a serpentB
and Bthe male serpent is bitten by the female serpent, the female serpent is bitten by the male serpent,
Heaven is enchanted, earth is enchanted, the male behind mankind is enchantedB
J3K
"n Gnosticism, this serpent symboli'ed eternity and the soul of the world.
:hristianity adopted the 6uroboros as symbols of the limited confines of the material world Hthat there is an
BoutsideB being implied by the demarcation of an insideI, and the self-consuming transitory nature of a mere
Bworldly existenceB of this world, following in the footsteps of the preacher in #cclesiastes 0!,-+3. G. /.
:hesterton, in The E3erlasting 0an, uses it as a symbol of the circular and self-defeating nature of
pantheistic mysticism and of most modern philosophy.
Midd-e Ages
"n @orse mythology, it appears as the serpent &Lrmungandr, one of the three children of %oki and =ngrboda,
who grew so large that it could encircle the world and grasp its tail in its teeth. "n the legends of 5agnar
%odbrok, such as Ragnarssona 45ttr, the Geatish king Herraud gives a small lindworm as a gift to his
daughter WXra Town-Hart after which it grows into a large serpent which encircles the girlCs bower and bites
itself in the tail. The serpent is slain by 5agnar %odbrok who marries WXra. 5agnar later has a son with
another woman named /rYka and this son is born with the image of a white snake in one eye. This snake
encircled the iris and bit itself in the tail, and the son was named )igurd )nake-in-the-#ye.
A-.he/y
"n alchemy, the 6uroboros is a purifying sigil. )wiss psychologist :arl &ung saw the 6uroboros as an
archetype and the basic mandala of alchemy. &ung also defined the relationship of the 6uroboros to
alchemy!
J8K
The alchemists, who in their own way knew more about the nature of the individuation process than we moderns do,
expressed this paradox through the symbol of the 6uroboros, the snake that eats its own tail. The 6uroboros has been
said to have a meaning of infinity or wholeness. "n the age-old image of the 6uroboros lies the thought of devouring
oneself and turning oneself into a circulatory process, for it was clear to the more astute alchemists that the prima
materia of the art was man himself. The 6uroboros is a dramatic symbol for the integration and assimilation of the
opposite, i.e. of the shadow. This Cfeed-backC process is at the same time a symbol of immortality, since it is said of the
6uroboros that he slays himself and brings himself to life, fertili'es himself and gives birth to himself. He symboli'es
the 6ne, who proceeds from the clash of opposites, and he therefore constitutes the secret of the prima materia which
J...K unEuestionably stems from manCs unconscious.
The famous 6uroboros drawing from the early alchemical text The Chrysopoeia of Cleopatra dating to <nd
century =lexandria encloses the words hen to pan, Bone is the allB. "ts black and white halves represent the
Gnostic duality of existence.
=s a symbol of the eternal unity of all things, the cycle of birth and death from which the alchemist sought
release and liberation, it was familiar to the alchemistFphysician )ir Thomas rowne. "n his A letter to a
frien, a medical treatise full of case-histories and witty speculations upon the human condition, he wrote of
it!
J...K that the first day should make the last, that the Tail of the )nake should return into its ?outh precisely at that time,
and they should wind up upon the day of their @ativity, is indeed a remarkable :oincidence,
"t is also alluded to at the conclusion of rowneCs The Garen of Cyrus H+184I as a symbol of the circular
nature and ;nity of the two 9iscourses!
=ll things began in order so shall they end, so shall they begin again according to the 6rdainer of 6rder and the
mystical mathematicks of the :ity of Heaven.
ree/asonry
The ouroboros is displayed on numerous ?asonic seals, frontispieces and other imagery, especially during
the +4th century.
*heosophy
The ouroboros is featured in the seal of Theosophy, along with other traditional symbols.
Non)0estern traditions
"t is also present in some Hindu folk-myths,
Jcitation neeeK
as a snake H=diseshaI circling the tortoise ?aha
kurma that supports the eight elephants which support the world on their backs.
Jcitation neeeK
However, the
snake does not bite its own tail, but instead is calling itself into being through what some literary theorists
have called a performative speech act.
Jcitation neeeK
)nakes are sacred animals in many 2est =frican religions. The demi-god =idophedo uses the image of a
serpent biting its own tail. The 6uroboros is also seen in fon or dahomean iconography as well as in yoruba
imagery as 6shunmare.
The god >uet'alcoatl is sometimes portrayed as an 6uroboros on ='tec and Toltec ruins.
Jcitation neeeK
Modern
The organic chemist =ugust /ekulZ claimed that a ring in the shape of 6uroboros that he saw in a dream
inspired him in his discovery of the structure of ben'ene. =s noted by :arl &ung, this might be an instance of
cryptomnesia.
Jclarification neeeK
The flag of the short-lived "talian 5egency of :arnaro featured the 6uroboros on it. The 6uroboros has been
incorporated into the crests of the Hungarian and 5omanian ;nitarian churches.
Literature
The satirical play =ndroboros is named after it.
"n the novel The #e3erening "tory Hand film adaptationsI, a variation with two snakes is featured as the
talisman B=;5A@B.
"n )ir =rthur :onan 9oyleCs The Lost *orl, in an episode entitled BThe )ecretB, it is revealed that ?arguerite
/rux came to the plateau in search of the other half of a medallion, the 6uroboros, which she needed to trade
with a criminal called )hanghai [an, who in return was to give her her birth certificate so she could learn her
true identity.
"n "an GlemingCs novel %ive =nd %et 9ie, the 6urobouros is the name of ?r. "GCs worm-and-bait factory in
)t. *etersburg which &ames ond deduces as the entry point for smuggled gold in Bchapter [""" - 9eath of a
pelicanB
"n 2illiam GaddisCs first novel, The Recognitions H+,88I, there is an 6uroboros depicted on the title page of
the hardcover and paperback editions.
=ppears as the C2orld-2ormC, a dormant world-circling snake god, whose body has turned to stone from lack
of magic to sustain it, in %arry @ivenCs BThe ?agic Goes =wayB.
;sed in /urt 7onnegutCs book, reakfast of :hampions. The reference is located on page <.8, and it goes!
B2hat is time\ "t is a serpent which eats its tail...B.
Other
y scientists the 6uroboros may be viewed as a symbol for the flow of energy and entropy in living beings.
J4K

"n this context it is used as logo and namesake by 6roboros "nstruments.
"n computers the 6uroboros may represent a circular dependency. "n particular a routing misconfiguration,
where a tunnel traffic is trying to route over the tunnel itself.
References
1. 1 @eumann, #rich. H+,,8I. The Origins an 'istory of Consciousness6 ollington series [%""! *rinceton
;niversity *ress. 6riginally published in German in +,3,.
2. 1 *lato, Timaeus, 00; translated by en$amin &owett J+K; Horiginal text at *erseusI
3. 1 The Golden =ge of :hinese =rchaeology - @G=
4. 1 The *yramid Text 6nline http!FFwww.pyramidtextsonline.comFsarcwestgable.html
5. 1 :arl &ung, Collecte *or(s, 7ol. +3 para. 8+0
6. 1 , )eptember +<, <..-, BCthe Jtitle of showK showC - #pisode 0B
7. 1 , Gebruary +3, <..4, BCthe Jtitle of showK showC - #xtraB
8. 1 Gnaiger #, Gellerich G@, 2yss ?, eds H+,,3I ]2hat is :ontrolling %ife\ 8. Aears after #rwin
)chrLdingerCs 2hat is %ife\^ ?odern Trends in ioThermo/inetics 0. "nnsbruck ;niv. *ress, "nnsbruck,
")@ 0-,.+<3,-+--1! p. 0+1.
)olar #Euinox
See also
=pep
=rmadillo %i'ard
=uryn
orromean rings
:aduceus
#ternal return
Hoop snake
&Lrmungandr
%eviathan
%ist of cycles
?Lbius strip
5ainbow )erpent
)elf-reference
)erpent HsymbolismI
)isyphus
)hesha
Tsuchinoko
7rtra
_ahhak or ='hi 9ahaka
9rawing by Theodoros *elecanos, in alchemical tract titled "ynosius H+3-4I.
#ngraving by %ucas &ennis, in alchemical tract titled 7e Lapie Philisophico.
9ragon ( *hoenix ` )piral 6uroboros
#scher ` ?oebius strip
#scher