No Treasures of the Roman Leo

No Treasures of the Roman Leo

“Rectify until you find the true, clear Green Lion, which you will recognise by its great weight. You will see that it is heavy and large. This is the Tincture, transparent gold. You will see marvellous signs of this Green Lion, such as could be bought by no treasures of the Roman Leo. Happy he who has learnt how to find it and use it for a tincture!” - Paracelsus

Ancient sunlight swallowed by the green lion
And the spiralling connected descendants of the same
A gold secreted, occulted in chthonic spaces
Airborne carbon sequestered, compounded

By actions of man, now released
Brought out of the earth and exploded
Broken seals release it under pressure
Burnt, refined, plasticised

Coin of the world replacing gold
Currency of nations
Curse of the geopolitic
Could it be magick?

Desired across the lands of men
Dependency fixed on its supply
Demand untrammelled by sense
Deception performed to achieve its possession

Everyman painted in its colours
Ease dictated by its overuse
Exploitation of whatever it takes
Empty tanks ache for sustenance

Forgotten ways are to be remembered
For by such process may some survive
From these actions shall proceed the future
Fucked or not, these signs will tell

Given to us by God
Gold higher than Gold
Gilded with Glory
Gobbled by Greed

His name no longer invoked
Hiatus hernia of the mantle
Hiccups in the earth
Hurtling heavenwards

I know what’s going on
In the mouths of these liars
Infecting all ears with nonsense
Incinerating all bequests

Joules form their crowns
Jealousy in their hearts
Jettatura burning in their foreheads
Jiving to a fade-out jazz

Kill them all
Kings and peasants
Kainotophobia
Kalishinokovs in Kabul raised to the sky

Love – where are you now?
Lost in the marketplace
Lacerated by the blows of hate
Laid low and discarded

Mother – where are you now?
Mysteries who can solve?
Made of what stuff?
Mirrored in what liquid?

NO
Neither will I agree
Nor compromise to this
NEVER

Or will I anyway?
Obvious truths now seem false
Observation no longer enough
Opportunity knocks…

Please help me
Pacify my senses
Pander to my desires
Perform for me

Quite unlikely -
Quarter is rarely given
Queerness never rewarded
Quieten down

Reveal your true self
Roll away the stone
Rescind your former ways
Renege on previous deals

Seek a higher truth
Sell your cleverness
Sever the ties that bind
Stray from the path

To another place
There are other destinations
Take me there
Too

Unleash the power within you
Use it as a force for good
Utilise the hidden forces
Uplift my spirits

Vent your anger
Vocalise your pain
Vary the terms and conditions
Validate my belief in you

Why hesitate now?
When the time to act is now
Worry not about consequences
Wield your weapon

Xerox everything good in you
X-ray the lies of authority
Xenogenous thoughts must be dispelled
Xerophthalmia after your tears

Yearning for something more
Yet to be satisfied with something less
Yellow stripe a mile wide – is it gold
Yawning in the face of cowardice?

Zoetrope vision turns the past into incidents
Zany to exterior eyes
Zones of darkness interrupt the light
Zero sum game played out to the finish.

James Piers Taylor

IMAGE: Engraving from J.D. Mylius Philosophia reformata, Frankfurt, 1622. (Coloured emblem copyright Adam McLean 1997-2004). This image is taken from the alchemy web site.