The Peacock's Tail
The display of colors during transformation.
During the work, a sequence of colors appears called the peacock's tail (cauda pavonis). This display indicates that the work is proceeding correctly, the matter being transmuted through various states toward perfection.
When the peacock's tail appears, know that you are on the right path.
The colors indicate the stages of transformation in the work.
Alchemical Literature
Written about in
- What Hermeticism says about failure
Midway through the work a chaotic sequence of colours appears — cauda pavonis — and the teaching is that the display indicates the work is proceeding correctly. The most unstable stretch is taken as evidence of transmutation, not breakdown. The test is narrow, though: the colours arrive at a particular point and in sequence, so not every mess qualifies.