 Poison Path work captured me early on. And, I praise the fact that it did, because some of my greatest alchemical achievements were revelations granted to me by these 'sacred' plants. Datura, by far, has been one of those highly influential plants for me. Especially for the past 5 years. Most fear this plant because it has the capacity to kill (quite easily) if ingested. It works by paralyzing the peripheral nervous system so that you slowly lose the power to control your diaphragm, take in air, and breath. You lay there in a state of delirium, unable to tell the difference between fantasy and reality (because it makes you trip HARD), and slowly you suffocate - dreaming yourself back into the unknown. But, whats funny, is that the same plant that can take the breath of life from you can also give it right back. See, Poison Path work is possible through knowledge of HOW to utilize a plant. Application and dosage are key. And, with Datura, there is an easy little trick to get at its medicinal properties, render it harmless, and make it beneficial for the body. The trick is to give it what it wants most.... Fire. If you don't give Datura fire, and ask for it to heal you in spirit, it will take from you the fire you possess - your fire of life. To be healed in spirit by Datura, you must commune in spirit with it. This is best done by smoking it.  Breath has been associated with spirit and prana -the life-giving force- for thousands of years. In Alchemy, the spirit is most often the condensed vapor of a substance captured via distillation. But, to transfer a spirit -a vapor- directly from the Datura plant into your spirit, breathe, or prana, you have to ignite it, inhale it, smoke it, and commune in spirit - in breath. Only under the high heat of a flame can Datura's poisonous alkaloids be destroyed. It's as if the plants asking for this because, when smoked, Datura is a known remedy for stopping asthma attacks (instantly) and opening up air passageways. Interestingly enough, using datura leaf as a smoke to heal asthma has been a well known herbal remedy for thousands of years and across almost every culture that's had access to it. The people of India actually roll Datura cigarettes and sell them freely in the markets. A ruthless killer made harmless by knowledge of plant correspondence and alchemical principle. Smoking datura for recreation is also a very pleasant experience. It can give you a mild High -similar to cannabis- but with a characteristic lucidity that helps relax you and focus your presence to the moment. Deeper and more conscious breaths are inspired, and a cessation of mental chatter can be experienced. With more active breathing comes higher blood oxygen levels. More oxygen in the blood means the brain can produce more acetylcholine, the very neurotransmitter that is blocked, causing dementia, and nervous system paralysis when the plant is ingested as opposed to smoked.  Acetylcholine is the most widespread neurotransmitter in the body. It plays a major role in the control of muscle contractions, memory, behavior, general cognition, and motor control.
That means that smoking Datura like a tonic herb a few times a week can actually help make you smarter, more focused, present, and physically controlled. Ideal for an athlete or academic. Smoking is not normally deemed a healthy habit, but in the world of a well trained natural or alchemical physician, smoke medicine is quite common, and sometimes 'just what the doctor ordered.' Getting to know Datura intimately can dispell two outdated myths. 1. That this plant should be avoided & 2. That smoking can't be good for you. Walking a Poison Path will assuredly teach you a myriad of new things. Here is just one of the many marvelous bridges that safely steps you towards engaging with poisonous plants and starting your journey. 
You've discovered alchemy....
but now you want to know more. Getting to know alchemy intimately can be a daunting task. And, with being a topic that is subject to much dogmatic, new age, or mystic thinking, how can you be certain that the information you are acquiring is even authentic? Listed below are 5 books for the beginning alchemical enthusiast that deliver clear and applicable knowledge. Although no one book can provide you with a complete understanding of alchemy, the resources listed here are a great place to begin securing knowledge of this vast and ancient science. #1 Weiser Concise Guide to Alchemy by Brian Cotnoir "The Purpose of this book is to provide an entryway into the world of alchemy, its fundamental principles, and practices." The Weiser Concise Guide to Alchemy by Brian Cotnoir is an awesome place to start if you have never engaged with alchemical wisdom and practices before. This book features a great overview of the alchemical art and historical perspectives found there in it. The Author takes the time to explore the principles and elements of alchemy -both internal and external- and the way these principles have been viewed throughout time. The three foundational principles of alchemy -Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt- are each given their own chapter and help guide the alchemical novice towards the understanding of complex and profound natural laws. Brief descriptions of alchemical cosmology are also explored. These explorations show how alchemists have been relating stars and planets to both the physical and spiritual anatomy of man for thousands of years. After gaining this perspective of 'as above, so below - as within, so without,' the author then takes you into a few of the laboratory operations used by traditional alchemical practitioners of the past. These laboratory processes were designed to extract the 3 principles of nature and utilize such extractions to open up the potentials of the body and mind so that the individual can access the divine existence that is stationed within.
#2
Real Alchemy by Robert Bartlett This is an amazing book for those interested in engaging with the physical practice of alchemy. The first half of the text focuses on providing great insight into the general history and philosophy of alchemy. After securing a detailed overview of these philosophies, the author then explores how to apply this theory with step by step instruction that can help guide the beginning practitioner through their own alchemical lab work. Robert Bartlett helps the starting alchemist create a laboratory set up from simple and cheap materials that anyone can acquire. His improvised laboratory methods are referred to as "guerilla alchemy," but he also provides great insight into what kind of modern equipment to purchase if the individual chooses to invest in their practice. For those starting their laboratory practices, this book should be considered an essential guide.
#3
Spagyrics: the alchemical preparation of medicinal essences, tinctures, and elixirs. by Manfred Junius 'Spagyric' is a word thrown around by those who have interest or experience in working with physical elements to better understand the alchemical art. Like most alchemical books, this one too begins with an exploration into the basic principles and philosophies of alchemy. Understanding these alchemical foundations is necessary for those that wish to apply its associated theories to the physical world. Spagyrics is also a book with much focus on laboratory extraction methods, specifically for the herbal kingdom. The author looks at many of the famed techniques and preparations of ancient and traditional alchemy. This text also provides clear imagery for the devices and equipment used to perform the experiments listed. Spagyrics can also be considered a crucial guide to alchemical practices for the beginning artist.
#4
The Kybalion by Three initiates The alchemical practice is related directly to Hermetic thought. Most of the hermetic philosophies have found their origins in the Corpus Hermeticum or ancient Egyptian wisdom. The Kybalion focuses directly on the pillars and key points of this wisdom by exploring hermetic philosophy. These foundational principles, described in this book, go into detail about the archetypes that make up our reality and experience. These foundational archetypes are dissected for their function and expression. A path of alchemy is designed to lead the alchemist back towards the divine as to be the Self-awakened. Without knowledge of how the world and the mind function, this path of awakening is much harder to navigate. The Kybalion features very clear and easy to understand information that deals with rather large and profound topics which are needed to understand the inner work of alchemy more fully.
#5
REX Research: Alchemy Index The last book is actually a forum for alchemical manuscripts. If you really want to dive in head first, then you will start reading the traditional texts of ancient alchemists. This forum features a huge variety of traditional texts that range from alchemical theory to direct creation of the philosophers stone. Because alchemical texts are often mystified and coded, reading such works may be rather confusing, but with the books listed above, and the resources they provide, you may be able to make some sense of what is being expressed. The reading list provided in this index can keep you busy for months if not years. I consider these traditional works to be of great value when engaging fully in an alchemical practice. The ancients had great insight into the nature of reality and the transmutation of materials, information that modern texts touch little on. http://www.rexresearch.com/alchindx.htm
Another great place to look for alchemical knowledge is here on this site. I have several articles featured here in this blog that go into detail about alchemical philosophy and a few of its practices
If you are totally new to alchemical knowledge, then you can start your studies here:
I do my best to provide guidance and insight to those interested in this art. You can always forward your questions to me via the contact form on this site or you can begin to study and gain mentorship through my apprenticeship programs.
Why does the Oil of Gold have alcohol in it? The Oil of Gold is comprised mainly of nitrogen-containing compounds. One of those compounds is known as a pyrrole. This particular compound is shaped like a pentagon, each corner containing a carbon atom, except for one of those corners which holds a nitrogen instead of a carbon. It is these nitrogen compounds that make the Oil of Gold red and give it one of its unique flavors and aromas.  Pyrroles are extremely important in the functions of all organic life. For example, the compound that makes up our blood -Heme- is comprised of a ring of these pyrroles with an iron ion at the center. Heme is used to make human blood, hence why we call the study of blood Hematology. But pyrroles are also the main building block for chlorophyll. Just in the same way that Heme is made of a ring of pyrroles with an iron at the center, so too is chlorophyll made of a ring of pyrroles. But, instead of an Iron atom, chlorophyll contains a Magnesium ion at its center. This Magnesium ion resonates at the same frequency as ultraviolet light and is essentially what allows the plant to harness the energy radiated from the sun.
Now, seeing that the Oil of Gold contains a large percentage of pyrroles within it, it should come as no surprise to the chemically inclined that if these pyrroles can come together in nature to form complex structures like blood or chlorophyll, then why wouldn't they be able to do the same in a flask? Well.... they can, and they do. It is for this reason that the Oil of Gold when extracted comes out as a thick blood-red substance that sticks to the glass and stains anything it touches. If you leave the Oil of Gold out and exposed to the air, it will coagulate.  Coagulated oil of gold stuck to the inside of a flask. There are also large amounts of other compounds within the Oil of Gold -full read out here- but, when this cocktail of compounds all come out together during the extraction process, they bond and make complex heme like substances. This Oil is almost impossible to work with, so it has to be diluted into some sort of solvent that can keep all of these compounds in solution and separated so they don't fuse, coagulate, and turn into one large mass that is nearly impossible to use practically.
Since the Oil of Gold works best as an internal supplement, it means that any solvent used to keep the Oil in solution must be food grade and safe for ingestion. Water, unfortunately, does not dissolve the Oil of Gold. Alcohol, on the other hand, does, if it is of a strong purity. Spirits extracted and distilled from honey are the choice alcohol to use here. It is organic and made of a substance that also shares the frequency of the sun. So, they pair exceptionally well. The alcohol in each vial also helps to infuse the oil into any beverage you choose to dilute it in. Since it is recommended that the Oil of Gold be diluted into a drink, it means that to be able to use the oil effectively, you need it to dissolve into your drink.Most drinks are made with water, and we know this oil wont dissolve in a water based solution. The small amount of alcohol used to keep the Oil of Gold's compounds liquid and in solution also help infuse the oil into any drink, water based or not, so that you can more easily work with it and utilize its benefits. The traditional way of making the Oil of Gold and working with it for health or mental advancement was to dilute this complex compound into a strong liquor. Wine, Brandy, or any pure spirit was used to dissolve the Oil of Gold and make it drinkable. This has been the standard for centuries. But now, through my research on the Oil of Gold and the nature of its chemical constiuents, I have pioneered new methods by which the oil can be extracted and 'softened' so that it flows as a true oil with no need to dilute or dissolve into a solvent. In the next few weeks I will be releasing more articles and informational pieces that show how the Oil of Gold in alcohol as a standard is being changed. These new advancements will concentrate the fragrance and therapeutic value of the Oil of Gold we have all known and loved and render it more active and bioavailable to the body. All while making no additions to the essence outside of the golds own being. Ill go into it more soon.... For now, know that these are the reasons and traditions behind why the Oil of Gold is always tinctured into alcohol.  Alchemists understood that everything above and in the heavens corresponds with that which is here, in the below, and in the physical reality we all experience. Alchemy could essentially be viewed as the art and science of understanding this correspondence. Like the ultimate translation device to everything you will ever think, feel, hear, touch, or witness; the “laws of correspondence” that the philosophers of the past helped illuminate and make known to us still today guide any alchemist or spiritual seeker forward on their journey of self-awakening and expressed divinity. Without healthy knowledge of correspondences, the messages that your true-self crafts for the capture of your observation go unread and unused. Without self-reflection, there is little or no self-promoted health, evolution, and appreciation. To remain unaware of your own habits and preferences is to truly be lost in the darkness of an infinite Soul.
"As above, so below" is the ultimate self-reflective tool. To know that what is out there is truly in here: projected out only through the functions of your Mind. To know this and use this knowledge is the Hermetic Art. To an alchemist, these truths are a given. And, beyond just being a philosophy, they are the experiences of the awakened. If this is to be so, then we must know the significance and the message that is reflected back to us from all events. Especially the astral ones! The biggest one on our horizon right now is the Solar Eclipse on August 21st, 2017. It is known now that the heavens are reflected in the Earth. That the stars and planets have their correspondence with metals, plants, organs, mental archetypes, and so on. If you are familiar with the work of Kymia Arts or alchemy in general, then you already know that the Sun represents Gold and the Crown and the Moon is Silver and the brow. The correspondences continue down through your Body and Mind. But now, because of the unique events happening in our skies this month, we can talk about how Platinum is the essence that corresponds to an eclipse. Eclipse Oil! That's right! An eclipse is when the Moon is aligned with the Sun. Platinum resonates with this alignment like no other metal. It was birthed from the existence of this event in our experience and is manifest now and throughout time for us to reflect upon and utilize. To those who are scientifically savvy, you know just how profound the characteristics of platinum group metals can be when influenced to exist in their sovereign and monoatomic state. The capacity to bend energy around itself, to influence gravity and time. Platinum and the elements grouped with it on the periodic table are metals that correspond to our divine states as consciousness. The Oil of Gold leads to the knowledge of true Self. This is often understood as enlightenment or awakening. But what happens post-awakening? Ok, I know I am the creator, so what’s next? Platinum helps us integrate this awakening. When you wake up, the only true answer to any question is 'I Am.' That, of course, means that you are the totality of your experience. Nothing else can be validated as Truth beyond your experience of Self. That leaves you - true you (consciousness) - as The Truth! Truth is a synonymous term with 'existence,' which means that everything that exists must be you, the creator. Awakening then means to know that you are All. That you are The Truth, and that no thing exists outside of your existence. If anything exists at all, then it must be an aspect of your Self. The Oil of Platinum is a tool that helps us to visit all the pieces of our perceived realities and integrate them as Self. The only reason we perceive anything at all is because we have the gift of perception, which is an inherent faculty of consciousness (Self). The Perceiver (aka The Self) is embodied in the archetype of the Sun and the Oil of Gold. Our perceptions are embodied by the archetype of the Moon and the Oil of Silver. Platinum is the integration of the perceiver and the perception - the Sun and the Moon - so that all things may be experienced as Self. All is the perceiver. All that exists is you. Understanding these correspondences is integral for translating the messages of perceived and projected self. We stand forever in front of a cosmic mirror, and it just so happens that - with this eclipse - the mirror is reflecting our awakening and integration into these divine potentials we have forever possessed. Let us meet this calling head on! Together and with intention. Communing with the essence of the thing (platinum) that reflects the resonant energy of this event is the most direct way to meet this cosmic message. To match your frequency to its frequency, to invite its existence into your existence and become one with this event - No thing could be more lovely or sacred. The Eye of HorusHorus is a God conceived by a Golden phallus, made whole in the womb of a divine feminine, and birthed to be the heir of the throne of all. The story of Horus is the story of humanity. And, it is the story of you, the individual. If you exist now to validate your experience, then it must be so that you hold an interpretation of the history for how you got to this moment. We all tell our selves stories of when and where and how we were born, that’s the start of our personal story. Others help us tell this story too of course, which aids in the validation we feel for the story, its authenticity and factual nature. Then of course we have all of the memories that shape and direct our individuality and the events that have either accumulated to make us who we are today, or at the very least, have aided in the shaping of particular characteristics and preferences that make us uniquely ourselves. I am sure we can all look back and see the importance that these stories and moments hold for our individual natures. Especially when we take those still moments to reflect and look back. But, to the ancient Egyptians the Self was more than just the coagulated structures or memories of matter than gave us these experiences, which we hold as our own. The Self was also something grander, infinite, divine, and partially invisible to our sensory perceptions. If we have stories of ourselves, as we know ourselves, then we must also have a story for the divine, invisible, and infinite, aspects of Self that the Egyptians recognized. Thankfully myth has recorded these memories for our conscious selves to look back at and then feel nostalgic over; beautiful beginnings that explain our current state. The origins of our true selves don’t take place in the dramas of divine humans. Our true selves and our true story rise from plains of consciousness. Invisible and internal landscapes left mostly unexplored by the many. There, it is not physical structures we know of as in this reality. It is not peopled with characters and animals, deserts or skies that we can look at and be familiar with. Instead of physicality we see this landscape to be full of the patterns of consciousness – mental archetypes - that commingle, push and pull, and give birth to states of awareness that we call our own – the dark matter of the soul. Myths work to simplify these stories and relate them to our current state and experience. They embody great and infinite powers into personified characters of internal archetypes that we can understand as the Gods and the stars of the stories of myth. In the invisible plain of consciousness, there are many players. But, two of the main stars are what all myths embody as the Feminine and Masculine principles. The Feminine is the receptive nature, the part that receives the other. The Masculine is the giving principle, that action taker, and doer of the show. Then there is the energetic principle that acts to repel, attract, cut, or make new bonds between different Feminine and Masculine principles that are not our main stars of this story. The doer is the conscious mind, the receiver is the subconscious mind, and the third principle is the darkness of the unknown that these two principles dance around. In regards to the stories we will tell here, Isis is our feminine. Osiris is our masculine. And Set is the principle that pushes and pulls this connection, ultimately helping it to become more solid, to evolve, and give rise to the state of consciousness which is us in the story.  Horus, Osiris, and Isis So, as the story goes, and according to the Egyptians, Isis and Osiris are brother and sister, but they were wedded to each other to rule the throne of their parents. Set is the Brother of Osiris and regularly quarreled with Osiris for the rights to the throne. Set, deciding that he wants to finely put an end to these brotherly battles, devises a plan to get rid of the trouble once and for all. He sneaks in to Osiris’s sleeping chambers at night and gets specific measurements of Osiris’ body while he is asleep. He then takes these measurements to the best sarcophagus builder and asks him to make a beautiful and ornate sarcophagus based upon these measurements. Once the box is done, Set holds a feast in honor of his brother and invites everyone they know to come and honor Osiris with him. During this feast and party, Set gets up to honor and toast his brother. He also reveals the ornately built sarcophagus, and proclaims that this is a treasure to who ever fit in it. Every one gets up to admire the beauty of this creation, and some even try to fit inside it to see if it is them that will take it home. Osiris then lies down in the box and finds that he is a perfect fit. In his excitement he exclaims that this is his treasure! Just at this moment, Set seals the coffin on Osiris and nails it shut. He then pushes it into the Nile and lets the waters take Osiris to his death. Set wipes his hands of the deeds feeling relieved that he will no longer have to quarrel for the throne. Isis, Osiris’s wife and sister, mourns her husband’s death and decides to set out to find his body so that she can properly send Osiris off into the underworld. After much travel she eventually finds his coffin tangled in the roots of a tree on the coast of Byblos. She shuttles the sarcophagus home, and hides it in a swamp in the middle of the night so that Set wont find it and get angry at her. However, Set was out the next day hunting in the swamps and sees the coffin of Osiris carefully tucked away in the reeds as if intentionally hidden. He knows clearly in that moment what Isis had done, and in his anger he opens the sarcophagus and dismembers Osiris’ body into 14 pieces, which he spreads far and wide. Isis returning later finds the box open and her husband’s body dismantled. She hunts down all the pieces one by one assembling them, yet still finds that she is missing one piece – the phallus – which seems to have been eaten by the swamp creatures. Thoth comes to the aid of Isis to help her restore Osiris’ body so that she can send him off to the underworld properly. Thoth fashions a golden phallus to the body, which once again makes Osiris whole. Before she says her final goodbyes, Isis uses this golden phallus to impregnate herself, and 9 months later gives birth to Horus.  Thoth giving Osiris Life During Horus’ youth, Set rules the throne. But with Horus an adult, he begins to battle with Set for the throne, which was taken from him, the rightful heir. In one heated fight Set gouges out the left eye of Horus, and smashes it into 6 pieces. Isis uses her power to restore Horus’ eye and heal his wounds. However, it was Thoth that stumbles upon the broken pieces of Horus’ original eye. He brings the pieces back together and fashions the eye to be almost perfect and whole again. He delivers this eye back to Horus, but Horus does not know what to do with this third eye. He eventually decides to place the eye upon the forehead of his deceased father Osiris in gratitude for his life. In this way he hopes that Osiris might be able to see more clearly in the underworld and help restore Horus’ position as King. The Eye of Horus, the one that was plucked out, smashed, and reconstructed, later became a symbol of protection, restoration, resurrection, mercy, and was used by many as an amulet to protect against the darkness of unconscious action and to imbue mercy upon those that wished to harm the wearer. Horus’ decision to sacrifice his new power and insight - embodied in this third eye - to his father is one of exceptional interest to anyone looking to understand the relevance of this story in relation to their own life. Osiris is the consciousness and King of creation. In his death though he becomes the king of the underworld; a world not seen by the eyes of the mortals. The underworld is a plain that any initiated soul must traverse if it is to reach its immortal existence and gain the throne of all. Horus’ sacrifice of his vision to his father, gifted to him by Thoth (the intellect) means that Horus consciously chooses to relinquish his desires to determine his fate and direction, and asks of his father – consciousness – to see through the darkness and help him to his rightful position. In this way Horus becomes whole, and unifies the realms of Upper and Lower Egypt. Essentially harmonizing his internal and external experiences as to be a divine and balanced ruler.  Eye of Horus & its physical correspondence The Hermetic ArtsIf you followed the story closely, then you will notice that Thoth plays a vital role twice in the becoming of Horus. To the ancient Egyptians, their deities were referred to as Neters, which means Spirits. Spirit can be easily defined as the Mind, so we can understand the many Gods of the Egyptian myths to be the archetypes of mind that are structured and give form to the reality that we experience. Thoth was the embodiment of the intellect. He was said to be the deity that gave science, math, music, and alchemy to humanity. With this in mind to our story, we can see how first the intellect aided the subconscious mind (isis) to fashion a Golden phallus, which fathered Horus. It was the intellect again that restored Horus’ eye and gave him a third eye, an inner vision, so that he and his father (consciousness) could traverse the invisible plains and unify the upper and lower kingdoms of the self. It is the intellect that helps us to restore the understandings of just how far our consciousness permeates our experience – fully. The Egyptians held the intellect and mind in high esteem and found it to be the connecting factor between the external physical experience and the innate divinity of the invisible Self, housed within the temple of matter. This understanding was fashioned into a philosophy and science that later became known as the hermetic arts and alchemy. Thoth was said to be the father of alchemy. He showed to man the secrets of matter and its connection to source. Egypt traded much with Greece in the past, including ideologies and philosophies. The Greeks interpreted Thoth to be the same as Hermes, the messenger of the Gods. Hermes, like Thoth, brought from the divine realm the sciences and arts, bridging the gap between mortal man and immortal deity. In their teachings (Thoth/Hermes), we find a foundational text attributed to these authors known as the Emerald Tablet. This text was said to possess the entirety of the philosophies and practice of the alchemical arts, and was also considered to be a key to unlocking nature or transmuting matter. It is this foundational text that gives us one of the most defining alchemical axioms: As above, so Below. “Truly, and without deceit, that which is above corresponds to that which is below, and that which is below corresponds to that which is above, in the accomplishment of the miracle of the one thing.” In ancient times the Above was referred to as the Heavens, the cosmos, or more importantly the invisible realm of eternity and Gods. The Above was also considered to be the internal experience as opposed to the external experience. In contrast, the Below was the Earth and the external experience of matter and form. The Below was also considered to be a direct reflection and product of the Above. Alchemical philosophy teaches us that these two things correspond. They are united, and in their union the miracle of the one thing is created – consciousness. Alchemy, before it was ever a science of transmutation, was known to be the understanding of the relationship that consciousness has to matter. These two things – consciousness & matter – relate via the mind. The mind was understood to be Thoth or Hermes, and so the art of alchemy became the hermetic arts, which taught of the mind and how to bridge the gap between the internal and the external as to restore consciousness and express full and immortal potential. The as above, so below philosophy also shows us how all that is above and in the heavens, is representative of internal spheres of consciousness. The planets of the traditional astrological system were known to be representative of archetypes of the mind and to also correspond to their associated organs and endocrine system glands in the physical body. Everything has a relationship to everything else in alchemy, unified by consciousness, and made known by the mind. With the planets of the solar system in mind, it is easy to see how the Sun is the central focus of this system. It was known to be the life giving principle and provider for the entire experience we call life. The Suns relationship in the Below as a material correspondence was with Gold. Gold was believed to be of the same frequency and resonance of the sun by ancient alchemists. It was also the pineal gland and crown chakra center of man that was known to resonate with the frequencies of the Sun. It is interesting to hold the Suns relationship in mind to Gold when we consider the origins of Horus. He was the product of a Golden phallus with the divine feminine. He is a child of the Sun. The Sun being of central focus and the life giving principle to all was why we see it associated with consciousness, the Father, and the One. Beyond the Above and the Below, ancient alchemists also had intricately crafted philosophies that helped the mind understand the nature of existence and the Self. The philosophies of the 3 principles, 4 elements, 7 planets, and 12 alchemical processes were necessary knowledge for any student to become an efficient practicing alchemist. Along side the Above and Below, The 3 principles is one of the most necessary philosophies to understand if a study in alchemy is to take place. The philosophy is quiet simple. It states that everything in life is made of the one thing, called the Prima Materia. But, this one thing expressed itself in 3 principles, namely the Soul, Spirit, and Body. Alchemists claimed that all things in life were made of the one, so in effect all things held these 3 principles as their foundation for existence. That meant that every rock, plant, animal, or person had as their being a Soul, a Spirit, and a Body. Since alchemists related everything that was invisible and above to everything that was visible and below, we find that the Soul, Spirit, and Body too had physical manifestations when separated or extracted from a host material. This is where practical laboratory alchemy comes into play.  The Soul, Spirit, and Body of Gold. Alchemists could take any material and separate it into its 3 base principles in the Lab. When these extractions were performed, alchemists found that they would get the same 3 products every time, regardless of the matter of its origin. When separated from its Body, the Soul was always found to express its self as an Oil. The Spirit was seen to always express itself as a Liquor – hence why we call alcohol spirits. And the Body was always found to be expressed as an alkaline salt.
The Oil of a subject, being representative of the Soul of that thing, was seen to be one and the same as the actuating and essential source of that object in question. This is why we call them Essential Oils. The essential oil of any object was the thing that made the material so. To alchemists, this meant that if you could find things of this world that were immortal and perfect, and retrieve that things Soul and oil for use, that you could commune with that consciousness and weave its nature into your own. You could restore fractured mortal consciousness by placing immortal consciousness within it. The thing that was immortal and gave life to all was seen to be synonymous of the Sun. On Earth the Sun was expressed as Gold, and Gold too was seen to be immortal. To be Immortal one has to express that being from the inside out, through the true self, the Soul. Gold was often seen found just as its Self, needing only its self to radiate its own existence. It didn’t like to bond with other materials and form relationships, they could not touch Gold; it was a sovereign metal. Gold also never seemed to tarnish or corrode it always shined brilliantly. It was flexible yet strong. It expressed all of the traits of the divine. This meant that Gold held a perfected consciousness and was one with the all. So, its essence must be woven to our own for us to shine this same reflection of divinity. At least that’s how the Egyptians saw it. Because alchemical philosophy states that all is made of a Soul, Spirit, and Body then it must be that there is an Oil in all things. If it was Gold’s essence that was needed to make mans fractured soul whole, then capturing the Oil of Gold was what needed to be done. According to the alchemical philosophy, metals must be made of a Body, Soul, and Spirit. And, if alchemical theory is to be at all true then we must be able to show that there is an Oil, a Soul, and Consciousness hidden within Gold. It is through the practice of laboratory alchemy that one can show that truly there is an oil in metal. The Oil of Gold when extracted and tinctured into white wine, tinges that wine a deep red. In the Egyptian initiatory rites to becoming a Pharaoh, a drink made of tinctured gold, referred to as Red Ale, was fed to the becoming pharaoh so that he could be in communion with the Father, the source, the Sun, and rule as God on Earth from the Crown. The drinker of this essence was said to have opened the Eye of Horus, which allowed the Self to see through the eternal underworld of the unknown to the finite world of Man and conscious experience. In this way the Unconscious man become a fully conscious Pharaoh. Pharaoh means ‘Great House’ or ‘Temple.’ Its like saying “My body is my Temple.” A Pharaoh is an awakened individual who becomes the house of God. Through him divinity and infinity can exist amongst and within Man. He is Horus, uniting the upper and the lower kingdoms, the Above and the Below, the Inside and the Outside. The essence that makes Gold, the Sun, and the Self was seen as essential to a Pharaoh for that Pharaoh to actually exist. If that essence was found in Gold, then it was Gold’s essence that could be imbibed, taken within, and stitched to our forms as in communion. The Oil of Gold There really is an Oil in Gold. It is an essence that comes from the metal. It isn’t necessarily that Gold has an Oil inside of it, but that it can create an Oil from itself. We would understand the process of how the Oil of Gold is extracted today in scientific terms as understanding the mechanics of catalytic conversion reactions. This is basically when you use a metal to pass elements along and create new compounds in the process. Gold can be used to create a highly complex, organic, hydrophobic oil that has stimulating effects on the Pineal Gland leading to healing effects in the body and mind. The Oil of Gold contains no Gold metal in it, but is instead an organic essence coming from the metal. It was this essence which was tinctured into alcohol to form the ‘Red Ale’ of the Egyptian initiatory rites for becoming a Pharaoh, linking your soul - the actuating cause - to the source of all, becoming one and eternal. It is from the Egyptians that alchemy was handed down, and it is through alchemy that we can know how the Oil of Gold is made. It is with the essence of Gold that we can stimulate our pineal gland, the third eye, and assist our stories to the awakening of the Horus within; the ruler, pharaoh, and Self that unites the internal and external landscapes of the soul. Born of the source, restored by our intellects, and guided by our consciousness – to have the Sun inside you is to drink of the essence of Gold. What are Metallic Oils? Metallic oils are essences extracted from a metal. They are not colloidal suspensions, nor are they simply energetic tinctures. They are not related to Monoatomic or ORMES state elements. Truly, these are essential oils, derived from a metal. These oils are the essential oil of the metal. An essential oil is a highly complex concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing organic volatile aromatic compounds, and we find that the characteristics of metallic oils, matches the definition of an essential oil. With metallic oils being so similar to plant essential oils, we find that their chemical composition is also very similar. All essential oils have a unique chemical profile that makes them who they are. This chemical profile is what gives the essential oil its unique fragrance, taste, and medicinal qualities. The compounds comprised in an essential oil – alcohols, aldehydes, terpens, ethers, ketone, and so on – are what make the essential oil beneficial for our bodies. How are they made? Intuitively, extracting an essential oil from a metal doesn’t make much sense. There isn’t any moisture found within it. You can press, steam, and distill them all day and never recover a drop. It isn’t in the traditional ways that we can find oil within a metal, but more so in the methods that alchemy has made known to us. To understand their methods, we must understand their beliefs. Alchemists believed that everything in life has a Soul, including metals. This Soul is equated with the universal consciousness that pervades all. Through their laboratory experiments on nature, alchemists came to understand that the Soul of an object is always expressed as an oil. Since metals too were believed to have a Soul, then it came as no surprise to the alchemist that you could produce an oil from a metal. In the past, alchemists spoke of their laboratory works in a spiritual manner, passing on their processes by relating them to religious texts or mythologies. But today the process by which a metallic oil can be extracted would be understood as a catalytic conversion reaction. This is essentially using a metal to grab on to other elements suspended in solution, and passing them along to create new compounds. This passing along by the metal causes these natural elements of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon to arrange themselves into structured geometries, creating organic compounds – the same compounds found in plant essences. In the extraction of metallic oils, the metal is only used as a catalyst, and is left out of the end product. The metallic essence is considered to be organic in nature, consisting of only oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen. This classifies metallic essences as therapeutic grade oils that are safe for internal or external use. How do they work? There are three main ways by which metallic oils work on the individual. 1) the Phenols found within the essence circulate through the system and cleanse the receptor sites of each cell. Cell receptors are made to receive stimuli from extracellular molecules, which stimulate the cell to function in particular ways and generate the overall health, equilibrium, or distress of the body. Cell receptor sites will stay clogged unless cleansed by particular compounds, in this case phenols. With receptor sites cleared, the body’s cells can now receive new information that will introduce fresh functions for how the cells should respond to the environment that your intelligence and consciousness set for them. 2) Sesquiterpenes enter the nucleus and remove faulty or mutated genetic sequences that may be causing the body stress. On their way to the nucleus, these compounds also oxygenate the blood and create an alkaline system at PH 7.35. Oxygen boosts metabolism and regeneration, while the alkaline state reduces inflammation and kills healthy habitat for disease. 3) Monoterpenes restore cellular memory to its most optimum state. In this way, the natural rhythms of the body harmonize. Hormone production is balanced reducing physical and mental stress, sleep cycles are moderated which help set the stage for increased mental faculties to flourish and evolve, and dissonance is gently released so that the mind, body, and personal experience find balance with one another. The most important aspect to the chemistry of an essential oil is that it exists only as a packet of probability. Each body has its own unique internal chemical environment that determines how other substance will react when in their presence. It is the mind that creates this setting and determines how essential oils will function in the body. This means that oils will have different results depending on the frame of mind you hold yourself in when using them. To get the best results with a metallic oil, it is recommended that the user read the content associated with the oil in use. This will move the mind to contemplate the thoughts that best set the stage for the organic essence to heal your body on a cellular level and gently transform your experience.
What results can be expected? Because metallic oils are working on the cellular level, it should not be expected to experience physical sensations when working with an essence. Metallic essences attune the entire system – body and mind – in a gentle manner, from the inside out, so that transitions, healing, and growth come silently into your experience. Each body is unique, which makes each oils expression unique to the individual. This means that it can be possible to feel the oil, in whatever way that might be for you. It is of value to pay close attention to your thoughts, moods, dreams, appetite, social interactions, conversations, and media consumption while working with an essence. If you are consciously tracking your reality, you may begin to notice how your moods are shifting to be more positive or less stressed. Increased energy or dream activity may also result. Finding yourself in new opportunities or experiences can also be witnessed. Reading the material associated with the oil in use will help to pinpoint in what areas you might expect to see changes occur – physically, mentally, or emotionally. In some scenarios there is what is referred to as the initial detox phase when incorporating spiritual medicines. If toxins are present in the body, the oils presence will want to push them out. Sometimes this detox is noticeable as increased sweating or a change in stool, but usually this passes without any major notice to change. Mental and emotional detox can also begin to occur. This may look like unhealthy relationships or attachments drifting away from your experience. Whether it is attachment to a person, a feeling, an object, or any other perceived experience, using a metallic oil will influence your moods and mentality to change, so that you begin to let go of the things that may hold down your fullest potentials from being expressed. These shifts occur due to the balancing of the body’s hormones, influenced by the presence of these organic compounds. Balanced hormonal function also means harmonized mental and emotional outputs. These actions help sustain a state of awareness in the individual which some might consider as the awakened state. If there are attachments, views, or biases keeping the individual from experiencing this state, then the mental-emotional detox will gentle remove these veils of perception. And, It only takes a little to solicit these transitions in your experience. For example, within every drop there are enough of the medicinal constituents to coat every single cell 5,000x with the cleansing, beneficial agents of the oil. This translates as only small amounts needed to gain the benefits that these oils have to share. Metallic oils work best when 1-10 drops are diluted into a drink of your choice and then ingested. Any fluid works, tea, wine, coffee, juice, etc. Your main interest when working with an essence is to get the oil in to you so that it can begin to work its magic. Meditating on the content and correspondences associated to each particular essence can help to deepen the transitions of body and spirit that the oil can encourage. Contemplating the lessons contained in every vial will bring great insight, guidance, and support to your unique path.  4ml dram vial with dropper (± 200 drops) - $75. Each vial lasts between 1-3 months depending on daily usage. Suggested dose is 1-5 drops daily. Traditionally taken in a shot of wine or in a solution of your choice (tea, juice, coffee, water, etc.). It is absolutely necessary that this oil is diluted. For serious physical ailments 10-20 drops daily is recommended. Due to the artistically crafted nature of our products, no order can be promised to ship within 7 days. If expedited shipping is needed, please contact us to negotiate the arrangements. We do our best to get our oils to you as quickly as possible. Thank you for understanding. It goes against all the voices of reason found in our logical mind. ¿Oil from metal? How is that possible? Few modern practitioners talk about the production of metallic oils freely and openly, and a study into simple and safe methods of production can prove to take years of research and experimentation if explored alone. Below is a simple break down for how I produce my metallic oils for Kymia Arts. Metals to Minerals The first step in creating a metallic oil is obviously to have the metal of your choice at hand. For this example we will be using Gold, but these techniques work for any of the metals you might wish to extract. Once you have your metal you will need to convert your metal into a mineral. From a metaphorical stand point, we can consider this like undressing a metal. We want to make our once armor-plated element vulnerable so that we may kill it and relieve it of its soul. According to alchemical philosophy, the Soul of any given subject is expressed as its oil. Being after the metallic oil means that we are after the soul of that substance. When you remove the soul of anything, you remove the aspect that once gave that material life. The work of alchemy is often one of an undertaker. It isn't until you master the art that we find a practitioner able to give and create life as opposed to take it - but this is a conversation for another time.... To convert a metal to a mineral, you need to start with a purified metal. 24k Gold is 99.999% pure and suitable for this work. The gold (our king) is submerged into his bath - Aqua Regia. Here, the Gold dissolves into a solution with the Aqua Regia. Although this gold seems to have completely disappeared into solution, an experienced practitioner still knows that he can break this once great king down even further to pull every ounce of his soul from his flesh. To do this, the Gold must be precipitated out using the Oil of Tartar per Deliquium. Adding this solution to our kings bath causes finely divided particles to precipitate out and fall to the bottom of our beaker. After precipitation, the regia is decanted off, the gold is collected, and washed with fresh water. The gold precipitate will be of a brownish color and will no longer appear as shiny metallic gold. This gold precipitate is added back into a fresh batch of Aqua Regia and dissolved once again to divide it further. Once dissolved, it is again precipitated, collected, and washed. This process is repeated several times. With each dissolution and precipitation of our gold, the particle size is reduced, and the color of the precipitate changes. Eventually we get to a state where we will have the 'white powder of gold' - or a fine gold calx as some call it. This white gold calx, if added to Aqua regia, will tinge the solution green. This green solution is boiled and refluxed, and then allowed to cool. As it cools slowly, glowing green crystals of mineralized gold emerge in the flask. Some may attribute this as being the famed green lion of alchemy.  Spirit of a Metal Before, during, or after the production of the mineralized gold, it is necessary to procure a supply of a metallic spirit. Just like in the vegetable work where we can take a highly rectified vegetable spirit to attract the soul (oil) of that plant into the spirit (this is known as tincturing) - so too can we attract the essence of a metal out from its vulnerable state using a highly rectified metallic spirit. To obtain the spirit of a metal, acetate path operations need to be pursued. An outline of the acetate path and procuring metallic spirits can be read about HERE Oil Pull Now in possession of both our mineralized gold, and a pure metallic spirit, all that is left is to add the two together. The metallic spirit is poured into a flask full of crystals, sealed, and allowed to digest. Immediately upon contact with the spirit, the crystals dissolve and become effervescent. The solution is tinctured to a deep red immediately if all operations were performed properly. After a few days of digestion you can begin to see Gold dust - shiny and golden in color - precipitating out of solution and falling to the bottom of the flask. After a few weeks all of the Gold will have fallen out and the deep red tincture of the Oil of Gold will be floating above its resurrected body. Washing and Sweetening The red tincture of gold is decanted off from its precipitated body and into a distillation train. The metallic spirit is gently distilled off, collected, and saved for future extraction. Left behind in the heating flask is the pure Oil of Gold. This pure essence is then tinctured again into a rectified spirit of wine as to wash it of any residual metallic spirit or acidity. This process is referred to as sweetening. The vegetable spirit is also gently distilled off and set aside for use as a washing agent for future extractions of the Oil of Gold. Fresh vegetable spirit is then added once again to the purified essence - it is tinctured, and the spirit distilled off for a final sweetening. After these three distillations, the Oil of gold lays thick and resinous at the bottom of our heating flask. It is tinctured one final time into the rectified spirit of honey, bottled and sealed, and set aside for use as a finished essence.  For those of you that follow the work of Kymia Arts, you will have taken notice that we offer and produce animal essences and spagyrics. As with most of our projects and products, the question of: "how do you do this?" almost always surfaces. An animal spagyric is very similar to a plant spagyric. The three principles of the material are separated (sulfur, mercury, and salt), purified, and then recombined. Of course when making an animal spagyric an animal must be used rather than a plant. Listed below are the steps taken at Kymia Arts to produce a full animal spagyric  Step one is securing the animal you wish to work with. Depending on what you wish to create of course determines what must be done to secure the animal. Some animals can be easily caught like scorpions or spiders. But other animals, such as large mammals, usually have to be hunted. This is a huge practice in itself, and much can be said on how to go about this. Each animal has its own unique habitat and qualities. Understanding this life form and thinking on its level becomes a necessary practice when catching and hunting wild animals. Once you have the animal of your choice in your possession, it has to then be processed. For the best results, the animal must be freshly dead. This phase of processing deals with separating all of the pieces of the animal. First the animal is skinned of its hide. The pelt is not used in the production of the spagyric and is instead tanned and saved for other uses or for display. The blood is then collected and set aside. The animal is gutted, the organs collected, and those are set aside. With the interior of the animal empty the muscle is then cut from the bone and set aside. Then the bones are collected and set aside. Now that we have all of our pieces separated we can then begin to process each one for its respected Sulfur (Oil). Each piece of the animal can under go a different operation to render its essence. The blood, bones, muscle, and organs all yield an essence. If you are to make a full spectrum animal spagyric, then you will want all of these individual sulfurs in your end product. Some of the blood collected is filtered into a flask, sealed and set to digest. Another portion of the blood is set to ferment to render the mercury of blood. The blood set to digest will be allowed to circulate and digest for a minimum of one lunar cycle, but I often allow several cycles to pass. After you have digested the blood to your liking, it is then to be filtered into a round bottom flask as to undergo distillation. The digested blood is then gently distilled. A phlegm will come over into the receiving flask. Once the phlegm stops coming over or slows down, and before reaching dryness the distillation is stopped. After the heating flask has been allowed to cool, the phlegm is then poured back over the material left in the heating flask. A gentle distillation is repeated. This process is repeated at least 3x, or until a volatile essence begins to come over with the original phlegm. The distillate is collected, and then funneled into a retort. The phlegm is then separated from the essence via distillation. The separated and collected phlegm is then poured back onto the dregs that remained behind in the heating flask. This wash is filtered and then set to evaporate. Upon evaporation small crystals should emerge, this is the salt of blood. These salts are washed with distilled water, filtered, and evaporated to dryness several times to render the purified body of blood. After all is done you will have the sulfur and salt of blood. The blood that was set aside to ferment is also filtered into a distillation flask and gently heated. A spirit will come over. This spirit is rectified several time with subsequent distillations. Then end product is the Mercury of blood.  The organs of the animal undergo a slightly different process to extract their sulfur. Some pieces of the organs are separated and set aside to ferment. The other portions are crushed to a paste and then bathed in a dried and rectified Spirit of Wine. This solution is sealed and allowed to digest for a minimum of one lunar cycle. After digestion the solution is filtered into a distillation flask and gently distilled. The spirit will distill over and carry trace amount of the essence trapped in the organs. The distillation will be allowed to progress until the matter in the heating flask is of a dark and resinous quality. Special care is taken to not distill to dryness. The distillate is then added back to the heating flask and the cycle of distillation is repeated. This is done several times, until once again the essence becomes volatile and flies over into our receiving flask. The final distillate, after several iterations of the process is then placed in a retort and gently distilled. The original spirit is separated from the volatilized essence. The essence of the combined organs of the animal is now procured. This sulfur is set aside and saved. While this process was occurring, fresh spirit of wine was added to the original organ paste. It is allowed to digest for a full lunar cycle (minimum). The solution is filtered and the process of distillations just described is undertaken. The organ paste is extracted a minimum of 3x to yield the entirety of its essence. After several extractions have taken place on this paste, it is then removed and burnt to an ash in a strong fire. The ashes of the organ paste are collected, washed with distilled water, filtered, and then set to evaporate. Small crystals will form upon evaporation. This is the purified body of the combined organs of the animal. These salts are then washed, filtered, and evaporated several times to render highly purified salts. The organ material that was set to ferment is then filtered into a distillation flask. This solution is gently distilled, and the operations necessary to render a rectified spirit are followed. The material used for fermentation is also calcined, and its ashes leeched to render salts. Now we have the purified sulfur, mercury, and salt of the associated organs of the animal. Another operation undertaken is working with the bones of the animal. The bones are placed in a large pot and boiled with distilled water. Once a strong tincture has been pulled off, the solution is filtered and then distilled. The distillation will render a hydrosol and a volatized essence. The boiled bones are then crushed and placed in a flask with the radical vinegar procured from the distillation of copper acetate. This menstruum dissolves the majority of the bones. After a digestion cycle has taken place, the solution is filtered into a heating flask and then set to distill. The solvent will distill over. The distillation is stopped once the material in the heating flask is of a think resinous consistency. This resin is removed and placed into an evaporation dish. Distilled water is poured of the gum and allowed to evaporate. This washing cycle is repeated several times to remove all acidity. After our acetate solution has been washed, a dried and rectified wine spirit is poured over the solution. This solution is then filtered into a heating flask. The wine spirit is gently distilled over leaving the essence of bone behind. Fresh dried spirit is added back onto the essence and the distilled off as to wash to essence further. After several cycles of washing with the spirit the essence is filtered out of the heating flask and set aside in a sealed flask. All remaining bone pieces are burned down to an ash in a strong fire. These ashes are washed with distilled water, filtered, and then allowed to evaporate to yield the salts of bone. Once all of these operations are complete we can then recombine all of our separate sulfurs, mercuries, and salts to create a finished spagyric. Animal spagyrics made in this manner contain the entirety of the animal. All of its principles are separated, purified, and recombined as in the tradition of spagyric. As you can see, much time, attention, and care is taken in the creation of these spagyrics. Months, sometimes years are spent in preparing these products. Each animal essence is a treasure. One that you can find no where else. Only some of the animal spagyrics Kymia Arts produces can be viewed under out Animal Alchemy tab in the top tool bar. Others remain in our reserves.... The Quintessence of Honey is produced in a very similar manner to and herbal Spagyric. A Spagyric is when you separate the principles of any given subject - Sulfur, Mercury, & salt - and then recombine them. As many know, the sulfur of any material is its oil, the Mercury is its spirit or a strong water, and the salt is an alkaline salt like substance which is considered the purified body of the material in use. A completed Quintessence of Honey is the Oil of Honey, the Spirit of Honey, and the Body of Honey recombined and cohobated. Oil of Honey When Kymia arts produces its oil of Honey it actually produce two separate oils, in two separate manners. The first oil is created by taking honey and simmering it with a large amount of hand collected spring water. As the water simmers down, a scum will rise to the top. This scum is scrapped off and the water is allowed to simmer down until it all appears to be gone. The honey left in the pot is then placed into a glass vessel and digested at body temperature in an incubation chamber. After a few days, any remaining water in the honey will rise to the top. A few weeks later, with consistent digestion, an Oil will be found to be floating on top of this thin water layer. The oil is collected and set aside. The honey that remains is then used in our second extraction of the Oil of Honey. The second method we employ for the extraction of the Sulfur of Honey (oil) is done through straight distillation of the honey used in the initial extraction. Honey is place in a large flask, so that it only fills 1/4 of the flask. The honey is then gently distilled to remove any associated water. First a sweet water comes over with a gentle heat. The heat is then increased and a strong acidic water begins to distill over (alkahest of honey). After this strong water distills over the honey begins to swell in the flask and releases a white phlegm that distills over. When all 3 of these separate liquids are drawn off, the honey will begin to reach dryness. The heat is increased and a dry-distillation commences. As the honey breaks down with high levels of heat, it smokes and fumes. These fumes are captured and condensed so that a red oil drips down into the receiving flask. This I now our second extraction of the Oil of Honey  Spirit of Honey To produce the Spirit of Honey, raw honey is dissolved into wild harvested spring water, yeast is added, and the honey is allowed to ferment. About 4 weeks later when the fermentation process comes to an end, this crude mead is filtered into a distillation flask and gently distilled - The Spirit of Honey is captured in the receiving flask. the Spirit is rectified several times through subsequent distillations to produce a cleaner and more potent Spirit. This spirit is placed in a bottle, sealed tightly to keep it from evaporating or from absorbing atmospheric moisture, and set aside next to our Oil of Honey. Salt of Honey Using the sweet water that was obtained from our distillation of the Oil of Honey, Both the flask used for the dry-distillation of honey, and the fermentation vessel used to create the Spirit of Honey are washed out to remove any dregs remaining from these two processes. This wash water is filtered into an open, wide mouth glass dish, and then set over a gentle heat for evaporation. Upon evaporating, a white salt like substance remains - this is the salt or body of Honey. This Salt is dissolved in spring water, filtered, and allowed to evaporate again to purify the salts to brilliant whiteness. The final product is the purified body of honey. It is set aside with the other two principles of honey - Oil & Spirit - so that they all may be cohobated and the Quintessence of Honey can be finalized.  Cohobation Now that all three of the principles of honey have been procured, the next step is recombining them. The Oil, Spirit, and Salt are all added to a flask and sealed with a glass stopper. The flask is placed into the incubation chamber and allowed to circulate for one lunar Cycle. During the following month the 3 principles will comingle, blend together, and dissolve into one another so that all that remains is the red tincture of the Quintessence of Honey.  The Quintessence of Honey is a profound medicine that can only be produced through the art of Alchemy. Information on its history and uses can be found in the animal section of Kymia arts (or by clicking on this link - Quintessence of Honey). The Quintessence itself is made available to the public in our store section Ancient alchemists were wise in coding their texts with words that can be so easily mistaken for their elementary counterparts (sulfur, mercury, salt, etc.). Even today many fall short of the authentic alchemical experiments described in these old manuscripts due to this confusion. Of all of the multifaceted words found within alchemy, it seems that none are more commonly misunderstood than Mercury. In the alchemical perspective, Mercury was considered the spirit of any given material. Paracelsus explained it simply as such, saying: "For Mercury is the spirit, sulfur is the soul, and salt is the body." [1] Exploration of the word spirit, featured in the article Truth of the Matter, helped to define spirit as the mind - an inherent power of consciousness. It is the part of any given material that organizes the Logos, which inherently exists within consciousness - our alchemical sulfur. To the Greeks, Logos was considered to be a divine dialogue that God had within himself. This dialogue, in effect, was the beginnings of the creation of matter and our known reality. "In beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word." John 1:1 It is found then that Mercury is intimately tied to Sulfur - Consciousness and the mind acting as one to manifest nature. Frater Albertus pointed to this relationship, noting: "Sulfur, that is, the alchemical sulfur, is usually found in its oily form adhering to the Mercury."[2] Made for one another, alchemists viewed these two aspects - Sulfur and Mercury- as lovers, intimately bound together in union. These principles embodied archetypical patterns of masculinity & femininity, existing in a natural state of union unless separated by art. Manfred M. Junius wrote: "Mercury... Represents the feminine and passive principle. Sulfur is the...masculine or active principle."[3] These general archetypes of masculine and feminine inspired alchemists to use words that were synonymous with these terms, once again further coding the alchemical principles of Mercury & Sulfur. Junius, describing these literary synonyms saying: "Mercury is occasionally called the Moon, the Lunar, or Diana, Sulfur is the Sun, the Solar, Apollo, the original potency, the formative principle, the active, the principle of the "invisible fire" and also of love."[4] These principles, being so closely tied, made it difficult at times for alchemists to distinguish between one or the other, and many times these principles were considered to be two sides of the same coin. The image of two snakes, wrapped in a circle, biting each others tails served as a symbol to describe this and helped paint a picture of the motion going on within the realm of consciousness.  Recognition of the affinity that the principles of Mercury and Sulfur have towards each other, gave rise to another crucial observation: Sulfur coagulates Mercury. When brought together, the union of Sulfur and Mercury has the power to create salt, or a body. Francis Bacon starts out his essay- Experiments Touching Sulfur and Mercury- by saying: "There bee two Great Families of Things; You may terme them by severall Names; Sulphureous and Mercureall, which are the Chymists Words: (as for their Sal, which is their Third Principle, it is a Compound of the other two;) Inflammable, and Not Inflammable; Mature and Crude; Oily and Watry." Sulfur and Mercury - consciousness and Mind - existing together, naturally gave birth to the third principle - Salt. Sulfur is the soul, the consciousness in matter. Consciousness being the actuating cause of an individual life. The Spirit is the mind, an inherent power of consciousness - this is our sulfur and mercury bound together - consciousness and mind. Consciousness, using the power of the mind, organizes and embodies thoughts, giving concrete reality to these thoughts, which have no concrete existence - it births Salt. This in turn makes all forms of matter, a matter of Soul and Spirit. Paracelsus defines this precisely, explaining in his book Concerning the Nature of Things: "It should be known that the life of things is none other than a spiritual thing. On this account there is nothing corporeal but has latent within itself a spirit and life, which as just now said, is none other than a spiritual thing. But not only the lives which move and act, as men, animals, worms in the earth, birds under the sky, fishes in the sea, but also all corporeal and substantial things. For here we should know that God, at the beginning of the creation of all things, created no body whatever without its own spirit, which spirit contains after an occult manner within itself. For what is the body without the spirit? Absolutely nothing. So it is that the spirit holds concealed within itself the virtue and power of the thing, and not the body." Confirmed to us by Paracelsus, all matter, and the alchemical Salt, are a manifestation of Spirit. All things have been made real by and through the Spirit, and the Spirit is made real by the Soul, Our Sulfur. This Spirit is our Mercury, the Mercury of the 3 principles. The mind of matter. Mercury is the bridge or the medium through which invisible and immaterial consciousness can be placed within and reside in matter. Applying the knowledge that Sulfur and mercury in union together gave rise to the third principle, Salt, alchemists employed these philosophical understandings in pursuit and finalization of every alchemists Magum Opus, the confection of the philosophers stone. In Search of the stone, alchemists often referred to Mercury as Argent Vive. Another code word further mystifying the materials they were harnessing in their laboratories. Under this pseudonym -Argent Vive - Mercury was recognized in its metallic form as quicksilver. It's union with the masculine metallic seed/Sulfur, would in time coagulate into a Salt if incubated properly. Copulation between the masculine and feminine gave birth to a new form of metallic matter, a red powder - the famed philosophers stone. At times, alchemists would also refer to quicksilver as Our Mercury, as if to show their own intimate philosophical understanding of the secrets hidden within this amazing and luminous liquid metal - this water which does not wet the hands. Prefacing mercury with the word Our pointed to the relationship the alchemists had with this matter. It showed possession, and a depth of understanding - One of knowing a material, inside and out, for its true nature and not just its surface level appearances. Much like how referring to a specific person as my wife or my husband shows others your intimate connection and understanding with that person, alchemists too had Our Mercury and Our Gold. References to this relationship that Mercury facilitated between the soul and the body are prevalent amongst Greek and roman mythology as well. The name Mercury originally comes to us from the God Mercury that existed within the roman pantheon. Often considered one of the most favorited gods, Mercury was known as the son of Maia and Jupiter (Maia and Zues). It is believed that the name Mercury comes from a Proto-Indo-European root - merĝ- which stands for "boundary or border." In Greek mythology Mercury was known as Hermes and similar to the etymological meaning of Mercury in the roman language, Hermes gets his name from the Greek word Herma which meant a heap of stones, or a boundary marker. In the mythical stories of Ancient Greece and Rome, Mercury/Hermes was known as a messenger between the realm of immortal gods and the realm of mortal man. Mercury bridged this gap between creator and created - God and Man. He resided within the gap between the two and facilitated contact between their borders. He was the boundary marker. Mercury's mother Maia is also of particular interest in these stories, and helps illuminate much of the nature that is attributed to Mercury. Maia was one of the seven Pleiades, all of which were considered sea-nymphs and daughters of the Titan Atlas, who was associated with the Moon. This watery nature of his sea-nymph mother and the lunar nature of her father Atlas seem to have been passed along to Mercury/Hermes. Also of interest, is the linguistic similarity that Mercury's mother Maia has to the Vedic god of Illusion, Maya. Taking into consideration the fact that earthly matter and reality is an embodiment of thoughts - imagination taken as reality - produced by the Spirit/Mind, a thread connecting illusion to Mercury begins to be revealed. Mercury/Hermes was recognized as a trickster god, outwitting other gods for the satisfaction of mankind. This makes the thread between Mercury and illusion become even more apparent. What more is an illusion than a fancy trick? And certainly it can be seen that the Mind can play tricks on us all. Mind, being of course synonymous with Mercury, the connection of illusion thickens. In ancient symbology, water embodies the moon, the feminine and the mercurial nature; alchemical mercury often being called Luna, or the feminine. Alchemy also considered Mercury to be composed of the elements air and water, And when found within any given material (plant, animal, mineral, metal) it was recognized by its watery consistency and Airy volatile nature. Mercury was always any humidity, moisture, or fluid found within different materials. For plants it was their inherent water, and liquor if fermented, in minerals and metals it was their acetones, and in animals it was their blood and semen. Physically, Mercury was always a liquid substance. In many ancient traditions there is a great sea that separates the realm of immortality from the realm of mortality - Men from Gods. The ancient Egyptians spoke of this ocean as the "sea of death", a place that no mortal man could venture past and return from. In Greek/Roman mythology Mercury/Hermes was known to be a conductor of souls between these two abodes, helping to ferry individuals into the afterlife. Mercury himself was seen as this medium, this water/sea, spreading far and deep between the two lands of mortality and immortality. Mercury was, and is, always the water, in all facets of study. The messenger and communicator standing between these two lands. Mercury bridged the gap between what appeared to be two separate worlds. The Presence of Mercury, Mind, or Spirit, unified and made what appears to be separate, whole, placing soul into Body - Mind into matter - immortal into mortal. [1] Concerning the Nature of Things: Book One - Concerning the Generation of natural Things
[2] The Alchemists Handbook [3] Spagyrics [4] Spagyrics |
AuthorAvery is the lead Alchemist at Kymia Arts and routinely shares information on general alchemy topics as well as our methods and products. Archives
January 2018
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