Dearly beloved companions:
I am sending you this engraving that belongs to a series of engravings that deal with the seven virtues and that, in this case, is entitled…
…PRUDENCE.
This plate was the work of a Dutch engraver and draughtsman named Jacob Mathan, who made it between 1571 and 1631 reproducing drawings made by Hendrick Goltzius, a Dutch draughtsman, engraver and painter (1558-1617).
Let us start by adding a text in Latin for you, let us see:
“Arcanas rerum scrutor prudentia causas, preterita ancipiti vultu, video que futura.”
Translation: ‘Prudence investigates the secret causes of things, its double face looks into the past and sees the future.’
Some art historians comment:
“Although the attributes related to Prudence are quite varied, during the 16th century the mirror and the serpent will define its iconography more frequently. […]
The mirror constitutes a traditional attribute of this virtue, signifying in its hands an instrument for self-knowledge, the objectual materialization of Nosce te ipsum [‘Know thyself’]. […]
The serpent, as an attribute of Prudence, finds its counterpart in the Gospel sentence of Matthew 10:16: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be wise [prudent] as serpents, and harmless as doves”, and since the 13th century, a serpent emblazons the coat of arms of this virtue in the cathedrals of Paris and Chartres.”
In his work The Dwellings of the Philosophers, in the chapter “The Escort Guards of Francis III, Duke of Brittany,” Master Fulcanelli explains the symbolism of Prudence in one of the sculptures on the tomb of Duke Francis II and his wife Marguerite de Foix, and associates the attributes of this virtue ─the concave mirror, the compass and the serpent─ with alchemical art:
“Before begin raised to the dignity of a cardinal virtue, Prudence was for a long time an allegorical divinity to which the Ancients gave a two-faced head, a formula exactly reproduced by our statue and in the most successful fashion. Her front face offers the features of a young woman with very pure lines, and the back face is that of an old man, whose features full of nobility and gravity, continue into the silky waves of a river-like beard. Replica of Janus, the son of Apollo and of the nymph Creusa, this admirable figure is in no way inferior to the three others in majesty or interest.”
Friends, this can clearly be considered the fundamental virtue that we must attain in our inner work. Let us remember that the Avatar Samael Aun Weor himself constantly reminds us of the need to look at ourselves in the mirror of Alchemy. What does this mean? Answer: It means that, by means of analytical introspection, we must observe how far the metamorphoses that the Ars Magna ─namely: Alchemy─ has succeeded in bringing about in our animic structure have taken us. This will constantly tell us if there have been changes in our psychic nature or if it has all been in vain due to the bad manipulation of the Arcanum A.Z.F. and the lack of refinement during the use of that magna key.
Unquestionably, the compass that the statue of Prudence holds in one of her hands is the allegory of good lines when measuring the reach of our steps. It should not be forgotten that, if the Masonic square represents the right way of feeling, the right way of thinking and the right way of acting, the compass symbolizes the perfect lines that we must imprint on our inner work, which implies a permanent profound self-observation when traveling along the Secret Path.
On the other hand, the serpent has two aspects of interpretation. It is enough to remember that serpent which Apollo, irritated, wounded with his arrows, the tempting serpent of Eden, to differentiate it from the Sacred Serpent with which Moses healed the Israelites in the desert. One represents the infernal serpent, our hidden abominations, and the other points to our dear Mother Kundalini who always watches over us throughout our existence. We need, as the Gospels so well say, to be wise [prudent] as the serpent and meek as the sheep. We need to be prudent in the face of evil so as not to fall into its clutches, and simple when we are faced with souls who, being “innocent”, beg us for help to be able to advance toward God.
Let us see this remark by Venerable Fulcanelli in The Dwellings of the Philosophers:
“[…] the snake, deprived of wings, remains the hieroglyph for the common, pure and cleansed mercury, extracted from the body of Magnesia, or first matter. This is the reason why certain allegorical statues of Prudence have as an attribute the snake fixed on a mirror. And this mirror, signature of the dross mineral provided by nature, becomes luminous while reflecting the light, that is while manifesting its vitality in the snake, or in mercury, which it held hidden under its coarse envelope.”
The double face of Prudence speaks to us of the need to be wise and simple at the same time. Every Master will always be wise in his or her animic profundities and simple when appearing before the multitudes. Behold Prudence in all of its aspects. This will lead us to have a Philosopher’s Stone rich in physical and metaphysical experiences, and at the same time continue in this valley of tears, understanding all souls who need guidance.
Prudence is also sometimes depicted in painting and sculpture as a female or male character with three heads, symbolizing the past, present, and future. It should not be forgotten that from the word prudence another word is derived: cautious [precavido]. This is telling us that all those who want to avoid dangers, fatal mistakes, need to be cautious and not reckless………
She holds a mirror in her right hand and three closed books in her left.
The three closed books that the above sculptures show us represent, as Fulcanelli so well defines it, the Mercury that has not been worked upon. To work upon it correctly we need to be extremely prudent, respecting the eight virtues necessary to awaken the Sacred Fire, namely: that there be love, comprehension, will, right way of earning a living, right way of thinking, right way of feeling, that there be peace, fidelity to one’s spouse and to the Guru…….
Behold Prudence represented here, esteemed reader, allegorized by three female heads and each of them carrying three books ─allegory of the Mercury of the sages─.
In the work by Tiziano Vecello, three human heads are shown, each looking in a different direction, and below them three animal heads: from left to right a wolf, a lion and a dog.
Over the triple portrait, Tiziano explains the meaning of the allegory in an inscription: EX PRAETERITO / PRAESENS PRUDENTER AGIT / NE FUTURA ACTIONẼ DETURPET, ‘From the experience of the past, prudence in the acts of the present, so as not to spoil the acts of the future’.
Let us now meditate on the following very welcome sentences at the end of our topic, let us see:
“Prudence is the eye of all virtues.”
Pythagoras
“The prudent should fear the judgment of a few wise people more than that of many ignorant ones.”
Plato
“Prudence is knowing how to distinguish the things that can be desired from those that should be avoided.”
Cicero
“Prudence is, strictly, the virtue of princes.”
Aristotle
“It takes as much prudence to govern a house as an empire.”
Emerson
BARBAM ET PALLIUM, PHILOSOPHUM NONDUM VIDEO.
─‘I see a beard and a cloak, but I don’t see a philosopher yet’─.
KWEN KHAN KHU
