Initially, there has been a need to visually promote the prototype before it is more developed, in order to offer the news in celebration of Jared Leto and Marilyn Manson's birthdays (Jared on Dec 26, 2025 and Manson on Jan 5 or "15", 2026). For visual interest, I've started by creating a handmade series of 7 cards. Let's take a close look at each one, and learn about what they mean and how they will work in the system, after which I will explain more about this handmade approach and visual communication design :
These are the 7 card faces that will appear throughout both sets, the COAGULA ◊ 27(54) and the SOLVE ◊ 18(36). Each image corresponds to one of the seven stages of laboratory alchemy and a major institutional sector of society. Alchemy is an Enlightenment-era philosophy and practical art that uses the transformation of metals into gold as a symbolic and experimental model for refining matter, mind, and consciousness toward clearer understanding.
This system is based on the 7 stage laboratory (or operative) alchemical process, rather than the simpler three or four stage models. Each stage is represented here by a philosophically defining alchemical symbol.
While alchemical stages are often associated with specific elements, the symbols used in this system are not meant to indicate the literal material elements of each stage. Instead, an elemental symbol is assigned because it expresses the underlying philosophical character of that stage. This approach has historical precedent within alchemical symbolism and is used here for clarity and coherence.
Below are the SOLVE ◊ COAGULA card faces.
Each stage of alchemy is described alongside its corresponding institutional sector, along with my design notes :
The Calcination Stage ◊ This stage represents the breaking down of rigid beliefs, ego structures, and false certainties so that something more essential can emerge.
The Financial Sector ◊ The World Bank & IMF, extending to all local banks.
Design Notes ◊ This card has been flipped upsidown. The right side up version is technically how the card will be presented in the system, but the card can be flexibly placed up or down. Regardless, the actual symbol of alchemy appears flipped as you see it here.
The Dissolution Stage ◊ This stage corresponds to surrender, emotional fluidity, and allowing previously fixed ideas to loosen and move.
The Militia / Arms Sector ◊ From politically oriented militia and beyond to private arms dealers and arms development.
Design Notes ◊ As you can see, the process of lower metal turning to gold has begun, with a sense of filling with gold from the bottom up, and a stippling technique with the paint pen from above to show a trickle down from the top.
The Separation Stage ◊ This stage reflects discernment and clarity, learning to distinguish what is valuable from what is no longer needed within one’s thoughts and habits.
The Medical Sector ◊ Doctors, hospitals, care and the "Big Pharma" pharmaceutical industry and laboratories.
Design Notes ◊ This card has been flipped upsidown. The right side up version is technically how the card will be presented in the system, but the card can be flexibly placed up or down. Regardless, the actual symbol of alchemy appears flipped as you see it here.
The Conjunction Stage ◊ This stage represents integration : the conscious joining of previously opposing or fragmented parts into a coherent whole.
The Relgious Sector ◊ "The Church" as I often call it, or any major or smaller world religions. This includes the institution of the family and its related morals.
Design Notes ◊ All these cards have a black outline around them done with a sharpie to perfect the edges and make it pop out.
The Fermentation Stage ◊ This stage reflects a crisis or breakdown that paradoxically gives rise to new insight, creativity, or meaning.
The Political Sector ◊ World Governments, Monarchy and UN
Design Notes ◊ This is a stylistic variation on one philosophical symbol for the fermentation stage which resembles this : ⊖ ... It communicates containment, suspension, and internal transformation without relying on literal imagery. The closed triangle functions as a sealed vessel, the central void conveys the death of the previous form, and the horizontal bar captures the pause and negation that define fermentation. Rather than depicting decay, the symbol enacts the state of gestational stillness where transformation occurs unseen, which is exactly the philosophical and alchemical essence of this stage.
Distillation ◊ This stage corresponds to refinement of awareness through repetition, reflection, and practice, extracting clarity from experience.
The Corporate Sector ◊ Brands, services and business, local, national and transnational.
Design Notes ◊ This is a stylistic variaton on a philosophical symbol for distillation : 🜍 ... In distillation, the essential action is repeated refinement through ascent and return, and this glyph communicates that through structure alone. The internal network of straight lines creates multiple triangular chambers, which suggests fractionation : the substance is not purified in one motion, but clarified through stages. The central inverted triangle reads as the volatile essence rising, while the surrounding upright triangles indicate containment and control — ascent that is disciplined, not chaotic. Philosophically, the symbol conveys clarity through iteration : consciousness lifted, condensed, and reintroduced in a more ordered form. Nothing spills outward. Everything circulates inward and upward. This closed, recursive geometry is describes how distillation is less about transformation by force and more about refinement by repetition.
Coagulation ◊ This represents embodiment : insight or understanding becoming stable, lived, and integrated into daily action.
The Mass Media Sector ◊ This is the master set of the system which will have 27(54) cards assigned to it. The 7 specialty features of the mass media that will be noted of are : Broadcast Screen Entertainment ◊ Music and Audio Media ◊ Educational and Informational Media ◊ Interactive and Gaming Media ◊ Live Performance Arts Media ◊ Art and Gallery Media ◊ High Fashion / Haute Couture.
Design Notes ◊ This the re-designed piece followed by an earlier draft. On second thought, I felt it looks a bit imbalanced with the diamond floating like this, and so I instead modelled after the top or bottom half of the card 64 ◊ DESIGN, and others like it in The 64 CARDS, with half a diamond at the bottom, so that it will make a full diamond when paired with a matching card.
It is a stylistic interpretation of the Coagulation stage. It communicates fixation, stability, and embodied completion without excess. The nested triangles create a sealed, final container, while the central diamond subtly introduces the principle of crystallization and fixity at the core. The calm, centred geometry conveys resolution and embodiment rather than drama, which is the philosophical meaning of coagulation.
These are the card backs for the COAGULA ◊ 27(54) and SOLVE ◊ 18(36) sets. The COAGULA, in gold, has three triangles, where 3 different symbols will eventually be placed to indicate forms of gameplay. The SOLVE backs, in silver, have only one quadrant designated for a symbol. For both card backs, likely the top symbol will signify relationships between cards : cooperation, neutrality and non-cooperation.
Design Notes ◊ I'm so happy with the way these backs turned out for now just as quadrants for symbols which will later be designed. Although they are simply marker-painted, I love that simple look which was exactly what I wanted to see. I was worried that the spacing might not come out looking right, but it was perfect. For now, these are painted on separate cards until I have the backs fully designed and decided upon, just to exhibit my plans.
About This Artistic Rendering & Visual Planning
Although this system will ultimately be developed digitally, the initial prototype was created entirely by hand using bristol board, metallic paint markers, pencil, Sharpie, and a ruler. This choice was, of course, intentional. The decision to work by hand was partly intuitive and partly reflective. It echoes the earlier handmade prototype created for The 64 CARDS ◊ Ecological Strategies for All Ages & Abilities, where physical construction was essential to the development process. While 7 of 9 did not require the same practical constraints, returning to a handmade approach allowed this prototype to carry a sense of continuity, presence, and material memory.
This prototype also marks the first time these card systems have employed such minimal and restrained visual language. The simplicity of the symbols is deliberate, aligning closely with the philosophical clarity of the seven stages of laboratory alchemy. Working by hand helped ensure that this restraint remained expressive rather than generic, allowing subtle variations, pressure, and material texture to assert the characteristic and organic living source of these forms.
Looking ahead, there is a clear intention to explore more elaborate visual interpretations of these symbols in future iterations of the system. These developments may move closer to the aesthetic complexity seen in The 16 KEYS SUPPORT TOOL, creating a dynamic contrast between simplicity and intricacy across the broader body of work. This will allow me to flex more as a visual artist, asserting my creative sovereignty from generic or AI generative art tools. For now, this prototype prioritizes clarity, coherence, and embodied process, allowing the system’s conceptual structure to establish itself before further more ornamental expansion.
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