Alchemy Electronic
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- ablution
The process of washing a solid with a liquid, usually in water. Spiritually and
psychologically, it is facing one's emotions and letting feelings flow, so that innocence
and purity can be restored.-
- Aion
(see Ouroboros)
- Air
Air is one of the Four Elements of alchemy. Air in the alchemical sense carries the
archetypal properties of spirit into the manifested world. It is associated with the
operation of Separation and represented by the metal Iron.-
- alchemy
The word is derived from the Arabian phrase "al-kimia," which refers to the
preparation of the Stone or Elixir by the Egyptians. The Arabic root "kimia"
comes from the Coptic "khem" that alluded to the fertile black soil of the Nile
delta. Esoterically and hieroglyphically, the word refers to the dark mystery of the
primordial or First Matter (the Khem), the One Thing through which all creation manifests.
Alchemy, then, is the Great Work of nature that perfects this chaotic matter, whether it
be expressed as the metals, the cosmos, or the substance of our souls.
- alembic
The upper part of a still; a still-head. The term is often used to
refer to a complete still. (see cucurbute; Distillation)
- alkahest
The alkahest is the power from Above that makes possible alchemical transformation. The
word is usually translated as "universal solvent," which alludes to the ability
of the alkahest to dissolve or reduce all physical matter to its basic essence. With
metals, this meant transmuting them to their purest form, which was gold. In the
human body, this meant the creation or revealing of a golden body of consciousness, the
Astral Body. -
- aludel
A pear-shaped earthenware bottle, open at both ends. It was used as a condenser in the
sublimation process and thus came to signify the end-stages of transformation. Also called
the Hermetic Vase, the Philosopher's Egg, and the Vase of the Philosophy.-
- amalgam
The amalgam is a solid metal formed by the combination of mercury
with gold, silver, lead, or other metals.
- angel
An angel in alchemical treatises symbolizes sublimation or the
ascension of the volatile principle.
Ankh
The Ankh is a hieroglyphic character used by Egyptian alchemists to
denote the ascendancy of the life force or spirit (the circle) over the material world
(the cross). In other words, through crucifixion, the soul rises and is reborn on a higher
level. Its use dates back over 3,000 years and is a symbolic rendition of the principles
expressed in the Emerald Tablet. In its design, the circular One Mind projects downward
into the One Thing, while the lateral manifested world on which we are crucified is
indicated by the horizontal bar.
animals
Animals are often used to symbolize the basic components and
processes of alchemy. They may be used to symbolize the four Elements such as the lion or
ox (Earth), fish or whales (Water), eagles (Air), or salamanders or dragons (Fire). Aerial
animals generally indicate volatile principles, while terrestrial animals indicate fixed
principles. Whenever two animals are found, they signify Sulfur and Mercury or some
relationship between the fixed and the volatile.
antimony
The metal antimony symbolizes the animal nature or wild spirit of
man and nature, and it was often symbolized by the wolf. Alchemist Basil Valentine named
the metal, after feeding it to some monks in a Benedictine monastery. The monks got
violently ill and some even died, hence the Latin name that means "anti-monk."
Spiritually too, monks feel most threatened by their own animal nature. Oddly enough, the
Tincture of Antimony cures venereal diseases.
Apollo
References to the Greek god Apollo signify the Sun as spirit or
solar consciousness.
- aqua fortis
Aqua fortis is Latin for "strong water" and
refers to nitric acid. Various grades of aqua fortis were prepared depending on
the length of Distillation, which concentrated the acid.
- aqua regia
A mixture of aqua fortis ("strong water," i.e.,
nitric acid) and spiritus salis ("spirit of salt," i.e.,
hydrochloric acid) produces aqua regia ("royal water" -- so named
because it can dissolve gold). It was first prepared by distilling common salt with aqua
fortis.
- aqua vitae
The "living water" or water "with spirit." An
aqueous alcohol concentrated by one or more Distillations.
- arcana
The arcana ("magical secrets") are archetypal influences that transcend space
and time. According to the ancient text Archidoxies, the arcana are pre-existing
powers that "have the power of transmuting, altering, and restoring us." In this
view, the arcana are the secret workings of the mind of God, the logos of
the Greeks or what the alchemists referred to as the thoughts of the One Mind. In the
Tarot, the arcana are represented by symbolic drawings that the reader tries to work with
through meditation. In the Cabala, the arcana are represented by the esoteric properties
of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, energies that the cabalist tries to work with in
the Tree of Life. In the in the ancient Chinese system of divination, the I
Ching, the arcana are represented by the sixty-four trigrams, each with its own
properties and influences. The alchemists believed the arcana were expressed on all levels
of reality -- from chemical compounds to our innermost moods and desires.
- Arcanum Experiment
-
- The early alchemists divided their chemicals into major and
minor arcana. The major arcana consisted of the four compounds: Vitriol, Natron, Liquor
Hepatis, and Pulvis Solaris. Three out of the four consisted of dual ingredients that were
easily separable. Vitriol could be broken down into sulfuric acid and iron. Natron
appeared as sodium carbonate and sodium nitrate. Pulvis Solaris was made up of the red and
black varieties. Thus, the seven chemicals comprising the minor arcana were: Sulfuric
Acid, Iron, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Nitrate, Liquor Hepatis, Red Pulvis Solaris, and
Black Pulvis Solaris. The alchemists believed that these secret chemicals could be
combined in the Arcanum Experiment, the single laboratory experiment that would
demonstrate the archetypal forces and evolution of the universe. Ideally, such an
experiment should succeed on many levels, not only corroborating the deepest philosophical
and psychological principles, but also providing concrete evidence of their veracity. The
Arcanum Experiment exposed the hidden principles connecting heaven and earth, offering a
framework in which to explain both microcosmic and macrocosmic events.
-
- athanor
From the Arabic word "al-tannur" (oven), the athanor is the furnace used by the
alchemists to perfect matter. Built of brick or clay, the athanor usually was shaped like
a tower with a domed roof and was designed to keep an even heat over long periods of time.
The alchemists considered it an incubator and sometimes referred to it as the "House
of the Chick." Symbolically, the athanor is also the human body and the fire of
bodily metabolism that fuels our transformation and the ultimate creation of a Second Body
of light. The mountain is a symbol for the athanor, since the perfection of the metals
takes place under the guise of Nature within mountains. Sometimes a hollow oak tree is
used to symbolize the atanor.-
- Azoth
The term "Azoth" is formed from the first and last letters of the English
alphabet ("a" and "z"), which stand for the beginning and end of all
creation -- the alpha and omega of the Greek philosophers, the aleph and tau of the Hebrew
cabalists. Therefore the Azoth is the ultimate arcanum, the universal spirit of God in all
created things. The alchemists believed that the liquid metal mercury carried the
signature of this omnipotent archetypal spirit.
Bain Marie
- The Bain Marie is a warm alchemical bath. Chemically, it is a
double-boiler in which a container of water is suspended in a simmering cauldron.
Psychologically, it is the gentle warmth of emotionally centered meditation used in the
Dissolution process. The Bain Marie was named after Maria Prophetissa, a Jewish alchemist
who wrote much about the methods and equipment of the Water operations of Dissolution and
Distillation.
- balsam
-
- A balsam is a resinous or waxy semi-solid compound that captures the
essence of a liquid medicine or perfume. To Paracelsus, the balsam was the
"interior salt" that protected the body from decomposition, and earlier
alchemists considered the Balsam of the Elements to be the Quintessence, the result of the
Conjunction of alchemical principles. Because of it amalgamating ability, mercury was
considered the balsam agent of the metals. In the chemical arcana, Liquor Hepatis mixed
with fat or wax was known as the Balsam of the Soul.
- Basilisk
The Basilisk is a symbolic alchemical creature said to have the head of a bird and the
body of a dragon. The wingless serpentine animal was hatched from a hermaphroditic cock's
egg and nursed by a serpent. Psychologically, the Basilisk represents the melding of our
higher and lower natures in Conjunction, a process that must be continued in the next
three operations of alchemy for this "Child of the Philosophers" to become the
Living Stone of the fully integrated Self. Biologically, the Basilisk represents the
mammalian embryology, the genetic replaying of the stages of evolution within the egg or
womb. The Basilisk also has chemical connotations, which probably have to do with a
metallurgical process involving cinnabar. -
- baths
Baths in alchemy symbolize the Dissolution process in which the
metals are cleansed and purified.
- birds
Ascending birds indicate the volatilization of compounds or their
sublimation. Descending birds indicate the fixation of compounds or their condensation and
precipitation. Birds shown both ascending and descending indicate the process of
Distillation.
- bezoar
Some chemical compounds, such as sulfur auretum when mixed with either red
mercuric oxide or black antimony, clump together inseparably as soon as they are mixed
together. The alchemists considered such compounds to be chemical bezoars, which are hard
clumps of undigested food or solid balls of hair sometimes found in the intestines. In the
Middle Ages, physicians thought the strange mass protected people from poisons and
actually prescribed it to their patients. Egyptian priests discovered bezoars during the
preparation of mummies and believed the hard balls were magical pills formed by the large
serpent in man (the intestines). Some evidence suggests that the Egyptians also looked for
a similar pill in the small serpent in man (the brain) and found it there in the form of
the pineal gland. This pine-shaped gland is imbedded with tiny crystals of dark melanin,
and could explain the Egyptian pinecone emblems and the origin of the caduceus itself.
And, in the same way that bezoars were formed in the serpentine contours of the
intestines, so was gold formed in the bowels of the earth: gold was considered a mineral
bezoar.-
- Black Phase
The Black Phase (or Melanosis) is the first stage in alchemy. It
phase begins with the operation of Calcination and lasts through the Putrefaction stage of
Fermentation.
- brimstone
(see Sulfur)
- caduceus
The caduceus is the magical staff of Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods and revealer of
alchemy. The staff is entwined by two serpents representing the solar and lunar forces.
Their union is the Conjunction of alchemical principles and their offspring, if it lives,
is the Stone. This Stone is represented as a golden ball with wings at the top of the
caduceus.-
- Calcination
The first operation in alchemical transformation. It is denoted by the symbol for the
first sign of the zodiac, Aries.-
- Ceration
A part of the Fermentation process during which a waxy substance flows from the putrefied
matter. This is the Ferment, the precursor of the Stone. Ceration is the softening or
mollification of a hard material to change it into a more waxy state; covering with wax or
salve.-
- child
A naked child symbolizes the innocent soul. In alchemy, the child is
the offspring of the King and Queen, the result of their marriage or union. A child
crowned or clothed in purple robes signifies Salt or the Philosopher's Stone.
- cibation
Cibation is the addition of new material to the contents of the
crucible. During Dissolution, it requires adding liquid to the desiccated matter at
precisely the right moment.
- cinnabar
Cinnabar is the bright red ore of mercury sulfide. Known as "Dragon's Blood,"
the roasted rocks emit a thick reddish smoke, as pure glistening mercury oozes from
cracks. Psychologically, cinnabar represents the hardened habits and terrestrial marriages
of soul and spirit that must be broken asunder in Calcination to free the essences with
which the alchemist intends to work. -
- circle
The circle or sphere is symbolic of unity, the One Mind of god. It is mathematically and
psychologically an "irrational" experience beyond the duality of reason.-
- Coagulation
The seventh and last operation in alchemical transformation is Coagulation.-
- Cohobation
A kind of Distillation in which the distillate is poured back into
its residue; a method of redistillation.
- Conjunction
Conjunction is the fourth operation in alchemical transformation. It is the
coming together of the opposing archetypal forces of the Sun and Moon or the
King and Queen.-
- Congelation
A loose or temporary Conjunction of opposites; a mixture in which a
liquid is gelled or made semi-solid; intercourse. The process is represented by the sign
for the constellation of Taurus.
- copper
Copper is one of the seven metals of alchemy. Copper (and sometimes bronze and brass) is
associated with the operation of Conjunction and the element Earth.
croslet
(see crucible)
crown
The crown symbolizes the successful completion of an alchemical
operation or the achievement of a magisterium. It also signifies chemical royalty or the
perfection of a metal.
crows
Crows are the symbols of the black phases of Calcination and
Putrefaction.
- crucible
The crucible is the melting vessel of the alchemists. It is made of
inert material such as porcelain and can withstand great heat. Used to liquefy the metals.
- curcurbite
The lower part of a still, containing the original liquid. It is
made of glass or earthenware and was also known as a "gourd" on account of its
shape; a receiver. (see alembic; Distillation)
cupel
A small cup or dish made of bone-ash or other porous and infusible
material. Cupellation is the process of heating a substance in a cupel in a current of
air, such as done in the refining of silver and gold.
- dew
Dew is symbolic of divine incarnation or manifestation from Above.
Alchemists believed natural dew contained the divine Salt (thoughts of the One Mind) that
could transform the Sulfur and Mercury of the First Matter. In many ways, dew represented
the Elixir or contents of the cup of God, the Holy Grail.
- Diana
Appearances of the Greek goddess Diana in alchemical drawings and
treatises signify the Moon and Lunar consciousness.
- Digestion
A kind of Putrefaction in which the the nutrients or essences are
reabsorbed.
-
- Distillation
Distillation is the sixth operation in alchemical transformation. Denoted by the symbol
for the constellation Virgo. It is essentially a process of concentration, no matter on
what level (physical, mental, or spiritual) it occurs.-
- Dissolution
The second operation in alchemical transformation is Dissolution. The process of
dissolving a solid in a liquid; the reduction of a dry thing in water. Represented by the
sign for the constellation of Cancer.-
- dogs
Dogs signify primitive matter, natural sulfur, or material gold. A dog being devoured by a
wolf symbolizes the process of purifying gold using antimony.-
- dove
The dove is a symbol of renewed spirit or infusion of energy from Above. Chemically, it
signifies the change from the Black Stage to the White Phase of transformation.-
- dragon
The dragon in flames is a symbol of fire and Calcination. Several dragons fighting is
symbolic of Putrefaction. Dragons with wings represent the volatile principle; dragons
without wings represent the fixed principle. A dragons biting its own tale is the
Ouroboros and signifies the fundamental unity of all things.
- eagle
The eagle is always a symbol of volatilization. For instance, an
eagle devouring a lion indicates the volatilization of a fixed component by a volatile
component.
- Earth
Earth is one of the Four Elements of alchemy. Earth in the alchemical sense carries the
archetypal properties of manifestation, birth, and material creation. It is associated
with the operation of Conjunction and represented by the green ore of copper. -
- Elixir
The Elixir of the alchemists is essentially a liquid version of the Philosopher's Stone
and has the same ability to perfect any substance. When applied to the human body, the
Elixir cures diseases and restores youth. -
- egg
The egg is symbolic of the hermetically sealed vessel of creation. Stoppered retorts,
coffins, and sepulchres represent eggs in many alchemical drawings.
- Fermentation
The fifth operation in alchemical transformation is Fermentation. It is represented by the
sign for the constellation of Capricorn.-
- Filtration
A kind of Separation, in which material is passed through a sieve or
screen designed to allow only pieces of a certain size to pass through. The operation is
represented by the sign for the constellation of Sagittarius, the Archer.
- Fire
Fire is one of the Four Elements of alchemy. Fire in the alchemical sense carries the
archetypal properties of activity and transformation. It is associated with the operation
of Calcination and represented by the metal lead.-
- Fixation
The process of stabilizing and incarnating a substance; depriving a substance of its
volatility or mobility to congeal or combine it. The process is represented by the sign
for the constellation of Gemini.-
- fountain
The alchemical Fountain of Fountains is a symbol of the Ouroboros. Three fountains
represent the three principles of Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt. The King and Queen sitting in
a fountain signifies a bath or the Water operations of Dissolution and Distillation.
- Geber
The Latin name of Jabir ibn Hayyan (721 - 815 A.D.). He is the
father of both Islamic and European alchemy. He knew of the existence of the Emerald
Tablet and spread the doctrines of the Four Elements and the Mercury-Sulfur theory of the
generation of the metals.
- gold
Gold is the most perfect of the metals. For the alchemist, it represented the perfection
of all matter on any level, including that of the mind, spirit, and soul. It is associated
with the operation of Coagulation.-
- grain
Grain, seeds, or grapes symbolize the matter of the Stone.
-
- Griffin's Egg
The griffin is a half-lion and half-eagle creature that symbolizes the Conjunction of the
fixed and volatile principles. An allusion to the Vessel of Hermes.
- Hermaphrodite
The Hermaphrodite represents Sulfur and Mercury after their Conjunction. Rebis
(something double in characteristics) is another designation for this point in the alchemy
of transformation.
- Iosis
(see Purple Phase)
-
- iron
Iron is one of the seven metals of alchemy. It is associated with the operation of
Separation.
- Jabir
(see Geber)-
- Jungian Alchemy
Psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung rediscovered the images and principles of alchemy surfacing
in the dreams and compulsions of his patients and began a lifelong study of the subject.
He concluded that alchemical images explain the archetypal roots of the modern mind and
underscores a process of transformation leading to the integration of the personality.
- King
The King in alchemy represents man, solar consciousness, or Sulfur. The King is naked in
the early operations of alchemy and regains his royal robes at the end of his
transformation. The King united with the Queen symbolizes Conjunction.
- lead
Lead is the first and oldest of the seven metals of alchemy. It is associated with the
operation of Calcination.
Leukosis
(see White Phase)
Liquor Hepatis
Liquor Hepatis was the name given to a sulfurous liquid
used by the alchemists. Considered the arcanum of the soul, Liquor Hepatis was prepared by
distilling a solution of sulfur, lime, and sal ammoniac. The early alchemists secured lime
(calcium oxide) by heating limestone and made sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride) by gently
heating camel dung in sealed containers. The distillation for Liquor Hepatis produced a
combination of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia gases. Since no solids precipitated,
alchemists considered this an ascending reaction only. That was a significant fact to the
Egyptians, who associated the Liquor with the soul. They believed the soul resided in the
liver, and the reddish-brown color of Liquor Hepatis convinced them they had isolated the
soul's essence. The name comes from "hepar," the Greek word for liver. The
Liquor exuded an unnatural, pungent odor that the alchemists found quite mysterious. They
assumed it was due to an ethereal presence concealed in the sulfur and activated by the
fertile principle in ammonia. To the Egyptians, the odor symbolized a soul or a spiritized
presence hidden within the liquid. They solidified that presence by adding wax and fat to
Liquor Hepatis and turning it into a thick paste. The emulsion became known as the Balsam
of the Alchemists or Balsam of the Soul. The possibility of coagulating an invisible
potential into a second body, like a balsam, became a basic tenet of alchemy.
litharge
The litharge (or letharge) is the left-over scum, spume, or ashes of
a metallic operation.
- Magnesia
Magnesia was a mystical term to the alchemists that denoted the primordial transforming
substance in the universe. It was one of many symbols used to describe the central mystery
of alchemy that was never to be spoken of in common wording.-
- matrass
A round-bottomed flask with a very long neck. Also called a "bolt-head."-
- Melanosis
(see Black Phase)
- menstruum
An alchemical term meaning a solvent or alkahest having both the
power to dissolve and coagulate at the same time. Based on the belief that the ovum takes
its life and form from the menses, the menstruum was also referred to the as the Mercury
of the Philosophers.
- Mercury
Mercury, called quicksilver by the ancients, is a liquid metal that could
be found weeping through cracks in certain rocks or accumulating in small puddles in
mountain grottos. It was also obtained by roasting cinnabar (mercury sulfide). The shiny
metal would seep from the rocks and drip down into the ashes, from which it was later
collected. The early alchemists made red mercuric oxide by heating quicksilver in a
solution of nitric acid. The acid, which later alchemists called "aqua fortis,"
was made by pouring sulfuric acid over saltpeter. The reaction of quicksilver in nitric
acid is impressive. A thick red vapor hovers over the surface and bright red crystals
precipitate to the bottom. This striking chemical reaction demonstrated the simultaneous
separation of mercury into the Above and the Below. Mercury's all-encompassing properties
were exhibited in other compounds too. If mercury was heated in a long-necked flask, it
oxidized into a highly poisonous white powder (white mercuric oxide) and therapeutic red
crystals (red mercuric oxide). Calomel (mercury chloride) was a powerful medicine, unless
it was directly exposed to light, in which case it became a deadly poison. When mixed with
other metals, liquid mercury tended to unite with them and form hardened amalgams. These
and other properties convinced alchemists that mercury transcended both the solid and
liquid states, both earth and heaven, both life and death. It symbolized Hermes himself,
the guide to the Above and Below.-
- Multiplication
A process of Distillation in which the power of transmutation is concentrated; an increase
in the amount of the Stone as obtained from its pristine form. It is represented by the
sign for the constellation of Aquarius.
- Natron
-
- Natron means salt. To the early alchemists, however, the
word Natron stood for the basic principle in all salt formation and the creation of bodies
in general. The Egyptians accumulated the white salts formed from the evaporation of lakes
and used them to preserve mummies. Known as soda ash (sodium carbonate), the oldest
deposits are in the Sinai desert. Another naturally-occurring sodium compound mined by the
Egyptians was cubic-saltpeter (sodium nitrate). The alchemists referred to both these
salts as Natron (from the Arabic word for soda ash), because they suspected that both had
a common signature or archetypal basis.
- Ouroboros
The Ouroboros (or Uroboros) is the symbolic rendition of the eternal principles presented
in the Emerald Tablet. The great serpent devouring itself represents the idea that
"All Is One," even though the universe undergoes periodic cycles of destruction
and creation (or resurrection). In Orphic and Mithraic symbology, the Ouroboros was called
the Agathos Daimon or "Good Spirit" and was a symbol for the
"Operation of the Sun." In Greek terminology, the Ouroboros was the Aion,
which Herakleitos likened to a child at play. To the Greeks, the Aion (from
which our word "eon" is derived) defined the cosmic period between the creation
and destruction of the universe.
- Pelican
A circulatory vessel with two side-arms feeding condensed vapors back into the body. It
has a fancied resemblance in shape to a pelican pecking at its breast.-
-
- Philosopher's Stone
(see Stone)
- Precipitation
A process of Coagulation in which solid matter is created during a
chemical reaction and falls out of solution.
- Projection
The final stage of Coagulation in which the power of transformation is directed toward a
body; the final process in making gold, in which the Stone or powder Stone (the powder of
projection) is tossed upon the molten base metal to transmute it. It is represented by the
sign for the constellation of Pisces.-
- Pulvis Solaris
Pulvis Solaris was the chemical arcanum that represented spirit. The
"Powder of the Sun" was a mixture of two powders, Black Solaris and Red Solaris.
Combining black antimony with sulfur auretum made Black Pulvis Solaris. Black antimony was
a common sulfide of antimony, now known as stibnite. The mineral was smelted and ground
fine. Pure sulfur auretum, or "golden sulfur," was made by adding sulfuric acid
to a dried mixture of sodium carbonate, sulfur, lime, and antimony. The reaction gave off
hydrogen sulfide gas, while the sulfur auretum precipitated to the bottom of the
container. Red Pulvis Solaris was made by combining sulfur auretum with a compound of
mercury known as red mercuric oxide. Egyptian alchemists associated the serpent with the
red mercuric oxide and referred to Red Pulvis Solaris as Pulvis Serpentum. Later
alchemists became convinced that Red Pulvis Solaris was indeed the powder of projection
that would enable them to transform virtually anything into pure gold. -
- Purple Phase
The Purple Phase (or Iosis) of the Great Work is the third and final
stage of transformation. It is marked by the purpling or reddening of the material and
occurs during the Coagulation operation.
-
- Putrefaction
The first stage of the Fermentation operation; a digestion in which decomposing essences
are reabsorbed. The process was represented by the symbol for the constellation of Leo.
- Queen
The Queen symbolizes woman, lunar consciousness, and Mercury. The Queen is naked during
the early stages but regains her royal robes at the end of her transformation. The Queen
united with the King is the operation of Conjunction.-
- quicklime
Quicklime is unslacked lime or calcium oxide. Calcium oxide is
obtained by heating limestone, egg shells, or any material containing Calcium Carbonate,
which is one of the seven arcana of alchemy.
- quicksilver
(see Mercury)-
- Quintessence
The Quintessence is the fifth element with which the alchemists could work. It was the
essential presence of something or someone, the living thing itself that animated or gave
something its deepest characteristics. The Quintessence partakes of both the Above and the
Below, the mental as well as the material. It can be thought of as the ethereal embodiment
of the life force that we encounter in dreams and altered states of consciousness. It is
the purest individual essence of something that we must unveil and understand in order to
transform it.
- Rebis
(see Hermaphrodite)-
- retort
The retort is a spherical container (usually glass) with a long neck or spout. It is used
to distill or decompose solutions by the action of heat or acids.
- Salt
Salt is the third heavenly substance in alchemy and represents the final manifestation of
the perfected Stone. The Emerald Tablet calls it "the Glory of the Whole
Universe." For Paracelsus, Salt was like a balsam the body produced to shield itself
from decay. It has also been associated with the Ouroboros, the Stone, and the Astral
Body. In general, Salt represents the action of thought on matter, be it the One Mind
acting on the One Thing of the universe or the alchemist meditating in his inner
laboratory.-
- Separation
The third operation in the alchemy of transformation. Symbols of Separation include
swords, scythes, arrows, knives, and hatchets. The operation is symbolized by the sign for
the constellation of Scorpio.-
- serpents
Two serpents represent the opposing masculine and feminine energies
of the Work. Three serpents stand for the three higher principles of Sulfur, Mercury, and
Salt. Wingd serpents represent volatile substances; wingless serpents represent fixed
substances. A crucified serpent represents the fixation of the volatile.
- silver
Silver is one of the seven metals of alchemy. It is associated with
the operation of Distillation.
- skeletons
Skeletons signify the process of Putrefaction, on all the levels in which it occurs.
Soul
Soul in alchemy is the passive presence in all of us that survives
through all eternity and is therefore part of the original substance (First Matter) of the
universe. Ultimately, it is the One Thing of the universe. Soul was considered beyond the
four material elements and thus conceptualized as a fifth element (or Quintessence).
Spirit
Spirit in alchemy is the active presence in all of us that strives
toward perfection. Spirit seeks material manifestation for expression. Ultimately, it is
the One Mind of the universe.
square
The square or cube is symbolic of matter and the Four Elements of
creation.
- Stone
The Stone is the goal of the Great Work. It was viewed as a
magical touchstone that could immediately perfect any substance or situation. The
Philosopher's Stone has been associated with the Salt of the World, the Astral Body, the
Elixir, and even Jesus Christ.
- Sublimation
The first stage of Coagulation, in which the vapors solidify; represented by the sign for
the constellation of Libra. The vaporization of a solid without fusion or melting,
followed by the condensation of its vapor in the resolidified form on a cool surface. The
elevation of a dry thing by fire, with adherency to its vessel. The
astrological symbol association with Sublimation is the sign of Libra, the
scales. -
- Sulfur
Sulfur (Sulphur) is one of the three heavenly substances. It represents passion and will
and is associated with the operation of Fermentation.
- tin
Tin is one of the seven metals of the alchemists. It is associated with the operation of
Dissolution and the element Water. Pewter (a mixture of lead and tin) represents a
metallic state between the operations of Calcination and Dissolution.-
three levels
The key to understanding alchemy is to realize that alchemical
thought is extremely dynamic and takes places on three levels at once: the physical, the
psychological, and the spiritual. Thus turning lead into gold meant not only physically
changing the base metal into the noble metal, but also transforming base habits and
emotions into golden thoughts and feelings, as well as transmuting our dark and ignoble
souls into the golden light of spirit. By developing this ability to think and work on all
three levels of reality at once (becoming "thrice-greatest"), the alchemists
created a spiritual technology that applied not only to their laboratories but also to
their own personalities and to their relationships with other people -- and with God.
- tree
Trees symbolize the processes of transformation. A tree of moons signifies the Lesser or
Lunar Work; a tree of suns signifies the Greater or Solar Work.-
- triangle
The triangle represents the three heavenly principles or substances of Sulfur, Mercury,
and Salt.
- trituration
Grind a solid into a powder. Pulverize with a mortar and pestle.
Crush. A process just after Calcination, when the ashes are ground into a fine powder for
Dissolution.
- Uroboros
(see Ouroboros)
- Vitriol
Vitriol was the most important liquid in alchemy. It was the one in which
all other reactions took place. Vitriol was distilled from an oily, green substance that
formed naturally from the weathering of sulfur-bearing gravel. This Green Vitriol is
symbolized by the Green Lion in drawings. After the Green Vitriol (copper sulfate) was
collected, it was heated and broken down into iron compounds and sulfuric acid. The acid
was separated out by distillation. The first distillation produced a brown liquid that
stunk like rotten eggs, but further distillation yielded a nearly odorless, yellow oil
called simply Vitriol. The acid readily dissolves human tissue and is severely corrosive
to most metals, although it has no effect on gold. White Vitriol is zinc sulfate; Blue
Vitriol is copper sulfate.
- Water
Water is one of the Four Elements of alchemy. Water in the alchemical sense carries the
archetypal properties of cleansing and purification. It is associated with the operation
of Dissolution and represented by the metal tin. -
- White Phase
The White Phase (Leukosis) is the second stage of the Great Work and
takes place during Distillation.
-
- wine
Wine is symbolic of the process of Fermentation and the
spiritization of matter.
- wolf
(see antimony)
- Xanthosis
(see Yellow Phase)
- Yellow Phase
The Yellow Phase (or Xanthosis) of alchemy is an intermediate stage that takes place
between the Black and White phases of the Great Work. The term was used by Alexandrian
alchemists to describe changes that took place during the Fermentation operation.
- Zodiac
According to the Doctrine of Correspondences in the Emerald Tablet ("As Above, so
Below"), the stars must find expression on earth and in mankind. In alchemy, it was
essential to consult the zodiac before commencing any of the major operations.
Help
Topics
How
to navigate the Alchemy Lab. The alchemists
believed there were basically just two ways of knowing reality and that is how this
website has been organized. The first way of knowing is the rational, deductive,
argumentative, intellectual thinking that is the hallmark of science and our patriarchal
Western culture. The alchemists called this Solar Consciousness and assigned it many code
words, such as the King, the Sun, Sulfur, Spirit, the Father, and ultimately, the One
Mind. Throughout this website, whenever the material involves left-brain solar activity
like lists, linear thought, schematics, formulae, arguments and logic, the icon used
will be the Solar button. The alchemists called the other way of knowing Lunar
Consciousness. This non-rational, image-driven, intuitive way of thinking is an accepted
part of mysticism and religion. Among its many symbols are the Queen, the Moon, the metal
Mercury, the Soul, the Holy Ghost, and ultimately, the One Thing. Throughout this website,
whenever the material involves lunar, nonlinear right-brain activity like drawings,
paintings, mandalas, symbols, meditations, and music, the icon will be the Lunar button.
Try to use both ways of knowing when trying to understand alchemical topics. The alchemists
believed there were basically just two ways of knowing reality and that is how this
website has been organized. The first way of knowing is the rational, deductive,
argumentative, intellectual thinking that is the hallmark of science and our patriarchal
Western culture. The alchemists called this Solar Consciousness and assigned it many code
words, such as the King, the Sun, Sulfur, Spirit, the Father, and ultimately, the One
Mind. Throughout this website, whenever the material involves left-brain solar activity
like lists, linear thought, schematics, formulae, arguments and logic, the icon used
will be the Solar button. The alchemists called the other way of knowing Lunar
Consciousness. This non-rational, image-driven, intuitive way of thinking is an accepted
part of mysticism and religion. Among its many symbols are the Queen, the Moon, the metal
Mercury, the Soul, the Holy Ghost, and ultimately, the One Thing. Throughout this website,
whenever the material involves lunar, nonlinear right-brain activity like drawings,
paintings, mandalas, symbols, meditations, and music, the icon will be the Lunar button.
Try to use both ways of knowing when trying to understand alchemical topics.
How to work with fractal diagrams.
Fractal
diagrams are computer images that are generated through the formulae of the mathematics of
chaos. As such, they represent the "irrational" components of alchemy or its
First Matter. To work with fractal diagrams, it is necessary to allow the mind to become
drawn in by them and make use of one's intuitive feelings rather than thought processes.
Printing
Problems. If only part of a page from the Alchemy Lab prints for
you, go to your browser File menu and choose Print. In the "Print
Frames" box, make sure that the option "As Laid Out on the
Screen" is selected. If this does not work, select the Page Setup
option and change the printout style. Choose "Landscape" for wider
printouts and "Portrait" for higher printouts.
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