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GERHARD DORN

De Spagirico Artificio IO. Trithemii sententia

Transcription with corrections and translation
of the text from Theatrum Chemicum (1659-1661)
by Paul Ferguson

Source text at:

http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/doccontent?id=11637&dirids=1

Version 3 of 17 October 2014

I have made a few small changes (marked in cyan).
Thank you for the feedback.

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

Version 3 of 17 October 2014: Page 2 of 42

De Spagirico Artificio IO. Trithemii sententia

Unarius (inquit) non est numerus, et ex ipso numerus omnis consurgit.

Antequam enim aqua universalis abyssi, cujus mentio facta est in Genesi, divideretur, una
fuit. Hac divisione tantum unarius binarium efficit numerorum omnium primum, non per
substantiam, sed per accidens. Est numerus & numeratur, & non est numerus, & non numeratur.
Non numeratur quia natura simplex, & numeratur quatenus accidentibus componitur. Eatenus
autem numerari non potest, quia ante ipsum non est numerus. Intelligitur de unitate quam Hermes
alijs verbis, & per similitudinem a Genesi sumtam explicat. Quod (inquit) est superius, & quae
sequuntur. Binarius enim ab Hermete per inferius & superius denotatur, Reiiciatur (ait Trithemius)
binarius, & ternarius ad unitatem convertibilis erit. Idipsum Hermes alijs verbis: Ad perpetranda
(inquit) miracula unius rei. Apprime notandum hoc loco unitatem ab utroque duobus modis intelligi.
Siquidem Hermes unitatem numerat, ut diximus, per inferius, & superius. Trithemius vero per
numeri primi constitutionem ab unario. Longe diversa ratione post uterque metitur unitatem: Unus
reductione superioris & inferioris ad similitudinem in miraculo positam: Alter abjectione binarij,
conversioneque ternarij in unarium. Ambo sane mira ratione conveniunt in eandem sententiam. Est
igitur ipsa, naturalis tamen, unitas divisibilis, sed potius numerabilis in binarium, & ternarius in
alteram unitatem revertibilis, quae secunda dicitur unitas, ultra quam progredi non licet. Omnis

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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itaque naturae consistens limitibus operatio mirandorum, ab unitate per binarium in ternarium
descendit, non prius tamen quam a quaternario per ordinem graduum in simplicitate consurgat. Nam
si quatuor numerare velis, non aliter quam uno scis inchoandum, at dicis unum, duo, tria, quatuor,
quae simul sumta faciunt decem. Haec omnis numeri perfecta consummatio est, quia tunc fit
regressus ad unum,
& ultra denarium non est numerus simplex. Mirantur hujus connexionis profunda nescientes, quibus
principijs in operatione mirandorum utamur, falso nos vel daemonum adjutorio, vel qualibet contra
fidem nostram Christianam superstitione inniti opinantes. Nos autem haec de nobis judicantes
propter eorum quae praemisimus ignorantiam, non miramur.
Quoniam sicut sacratissima testatur scriptura de interna cognitione Dei, quam nemo intelligit alter,
quam qui accipit: ita his vel imbui, vel uti nemo potest, nisi divino munere lumen singulare acceperit
intelligendi ex natura in naturam, fueritque in eo cum lumine ignis, cum igne ventus, cum vento
potestas, cum potestate scientia sanae mentis integritas. Profundorum igitur haec est radix &
fundamentum creaturarum omnium. Prima divisio naturalis radicem scientiae consummatae
producit, cujus annotatio ista est: Quatuor sunt matres eorum quae in ordine novissimo, & quatuor
sunt patres eorum qui in principio: horum omnium nexus, & primum connexum, & ultimum simplex,
purum, unicum, solum omnia tingit. Terra simplex elementum purum, & primum ab uno procedens,
non componitur, non mutatur, non patitur connexionem, sed manet quod est incorruptibile, & in uno
consistit unum, & non unum, non est numerus, & est numerus, non numeratur, & numeratur, inter

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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ipsum & unum non est numerus. In unitate manet unum, & per complexum efficit ternarium; quem
octies complectens mirabili natura omnia reducit ad unum: virtus ejus a nullo magistrorum per omnia
explicari potest. Non est ipsum quod colimus Deus; creatura est animi hominis, imago nec viva, nec
mortua, per quam in omni scientia mirabilis effectus fit. Et dico tibi amice in summa veritate Dei,
quoniam quicunque hujus purae simplicitatis simplici notitia sublimatus est, in omni scientia naturali
consummatus erit, perficietque opera miranda, & stupendos inveniet effectus. Bonum simplex
unicum est, & per ipsum non solum similia, sed & dissimilia multa fluunt. Terra composita
elementum natura purum, simplex & unicum: sed quia compositum necessario fit multiplex, varium
& impurum, reducibile tamen per ignem, in aquam: ab hac in ignem, & ab isto in unum simplex, &
est numerus, & numeratur, & non est numerus, & [non] numeratur. Non numeratur, quia natura
simplex est, & accidente compositum. Idcirco non potest numerari, quia non est ante ipsum numerus.
Numeratur ab unitate unum non absolutum, sed inclusum; & dicitur unum exclusum, unum
inclusum, unumque per unum ab uno, scilicet ab anima mundi, fitque ternarius: esse cum uno vult
naturaliter, unum per se potens, in uno impotens, in altero impotens, in sphaera semper volvitur, in
unoquoque manet igne unum, sed non sic imaginatur. Si per ignem purificatum ad simplicitatem
suam congrua lotione reducatur, omnia mysteria scientiae profundae operari potest. Terra de
composito elementum est, & non est elementum, per quod binarius in ternarium reducitur, quatuor
ab uno gradibus distantem. Mira continet, varium est, & multiplex, corruptibile, & tamen extra
unitatis circulum non vagatur: hujus cum ternario per binarium in uno secretorum omnium

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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magisterium est. Et quaecunque humanitus adinventa mirabiliter constant, ejus sunt potestati
subjecta, & fieri possunt operatione perfecta. Observat numerum, gradum, & ordinem, quibus omnis
mirabilium naturae operatio constat. Miranda sunt quae potens est facere, & plus quam creditur
plura, quae nec Deo injuriam, nec animae maculam inferunt. Per ipsum mirabilia fiunt opera: per
ipsum omnium humanarum adinventionum plena cognitio est, & operatio effectiva in quacunque re
obscura: quia virtus ejus intellectu procedens non errare permittit per tres gradus operantem.
Discernit omnia quae homines dicunt. Seduci in errorem per ipsum inchoata operatio minime potest.
Quicquid Astronomi, quicquid Mathematici, quicquid Magi, quicquid invidentes naturae
persecutores Alchemistae, quicquid daemonibus deteriores Necromantici promittunt, novit
discernere, intelligere, rectificare, invenire, suisque principijs aptata sine malitia perficere; hoc ipsum
est elementum non elementum, per numerum a se remotum, cum sibi conjuncto in unitatem
simpliciter reductum. Sine hujus medij, finis, principijque cognitione per numeros, gradus & ordines,
nec magus imaginibus virtutem daret sine crimine, vel etiam cum scelere dare posset: nec
Alchemista naturam imitari, nec homo spiritus compellere, nec futura praedicere vates naturae, nec
quisquam curiosus experimentorum capere rationem. Omnis itaque naturae consistens limitibus
operatio mirandorum, ab unitate per binarium in ternarium descendit, non prius tamen, quam a
quaternario per ordinem graduum in simplicitate consurgat, &c quod supra. Sapientia naturalis igitur,
quae aliquando naturae principijs innixa constabat in sua simplicitate pura, tot mendacijs &
impuritatibus, totque deceptionibus confusa est, ut nemo nisi in utraque naturali & supernaturali

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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scientia doctissimus sit, qui alteram ex altera discernere possit, intelligere eam possit. Quantos
(inquit) errantes in philosophia naturali solus ego novi viros, alioquin doctissimos, quorum nonnulli
tempus & substantiam Alchemiae impendentes perdiderunt, nonnulli vitam cum rebus amittunt: alij
medicinam ex ipsa cupientes elicere, post longos labores nihil efficiunt: alij mirandorum effectuum
secreta perscrutantes, ad nullam experientiam pervenire potuerunt: alij futura dicere gestientes, pro
veris falsa loquuntur: hi dum opiniones sui capitis ventosas ingerunt, ab expertis dudum conscriptis
quae non intelligunt: bona veraque, mala & falsa imperite efficiunt. Proinde notanda sunt atque
discenda primum in ista philosophia naturali, spagirica, occulta, tria haec principia, sine quorum
perfecta notitia, nullus operantem sequitur effectus. Primum principium in uno consistit, non a quo,
sed per quod omnis mirandorum naturalium virtus producitur in effectum, de quo diximus: quia
purum ab uno procedens non componitur, neque mutatur. Ad ipsum a ternario & quaternario fit ad
monadem progressus: ut compleatur denarius: per ipsum enim est numeri regressus ad unum, simul
descensus in quatuor, & ascensus in monadem. Impossibile est compleri denarium nisi per ipsum:
monas in triade laeta convertitur. Omnes hoc principium post principium monadis ignorantes, nil in
ternario perficiunt, nec ad sacrum quaternarium pertingunt. Nam etsi philosophorum libros omnes
habeant, syderum cursus, virtutes, potestates, operationes, & proprietates perfecte cognoscant,
ipsorumque imagines, annulos, sigilla & secretissima quaeque ad plenum intelligant: nullum tamen
mirandorum consequi possunt in suis operationibus effectum, sine hujus principij a principio
cognitione in principium. Unde omnes quotquot vidi in philosophia naturali operantes, aut nihil

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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consequuti sunt, aut ad vana, frivola & superstitiosa, post longas & inutiles operationes, desperatione
prolapsi sunt. Principium vero secundum, ordine, non dignitate quidem, a primo separatum, quod
unum existens facit ternarium, est quod operatur miranda per binarium. In uno est enim unum & non
est unum, est simplex, & quaternario componitur: quo purificato per ignem in sole, aqua pura
egreditur, & ipsum ad suam simplicitatem reversum, complementum operanti monstrabit
occultorum. Hic centrum est sapientiae naturalis, cujus circumferentia sibi unita, circulum
repraesentat immensus ordo in infinitum: virtus ejus super omnia purificata, & simplex minor
omnibus quaternario super gradu composita. Quaternarius autem Pythagoricus numerus ternario
suffultus, si ordinem gradumque observat, purificatus purusque in uno, ad binarium in ternario,
miranda & occulta naturae potest operari. Hic est quaternarius in cujus mensura ternarius binario
conjunctus in uno cuncta facit, quae mirabiliter facit. Ternarius enim numerus ad unitatem reductus
per aspectum, omnia in se continet, & quae vult potest. Principium tertium per se non est principium,
sed inter ipsum & binarium est finis omnis scientiae & artis mysticae, ac infallibile medij centrum: in
alio quam in ipso facilius non erratur, quoniam paucissimi vivunt in terris, qui profunda ejus
intelligant. Varium est, compositum, & per septenarium in ternarium octies multiplicatum
consurgens & manens fixum. In ipso est consummatio numeri, graduum & ordinis, per hoc omnes
philosophi occultorum naturae veri inquisitores, mirabiles effectus consequuti sunt, per ipsum ad
simplex elementum in ternario reductum, subito fiunt infirmitatum curae miraculosae, & naturaliter
omnium aegritudinum: opusque in sapientia naturali, & praeternaturali operantis, consequitur

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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effectum. Fugiunt daemones secundum dispositionem quaternarij. Praedictio futurorum per ipsum
verificatur, occultorumque insinuatio non aliunde, quam per ipsum a natura percipitur. Hoc unico
medio secretum naturae aperitur Alchemistis, sine quo nec intellectus artis acquiritur, nec operantis
effectus invenitur. Errant crede mihi (inquit) errant omnes qui sine istis tribus principijs quicquam
operari in occultis naturae scientiis se posse confidunt: major autem causa erroris est, quod sapientes
olim secretis naturae imbuti, his de vel penitus tacuerunt, vel nimia obscuritate involverunt, ut non
nisi a sibi similibus vere intelligi queant. Secreta est hujus institutionis philosophia caelestisque, in
qua si quis scire & intelligere vere cupit aliquid, hominum tumultus fugiat necessum est, mundum
deserat, caelum non oculis tantum, sed mente etiam contempletur, Spiritus Dei ubi vult spirat, quem
vult illuminat, quem suo numine obumbraverit, in omnem veritatis cognitionem inducit: quod qui
acceperit, Deo gratias agat, studeatque fructibus operum bonorum correspondere pro viribus
acceptis, accepisseque se recognoscat, & ita non inveniet unde superbiat. Ille autem cui scire ista
sublimia donatum non fuerit, aut socordiam suam intelligat, quia non laboravit ut sciret, aut
misericordiam creatoris laudet qua in ejus utilitatem impedimenta esse voluit ut nesciret: aut si non
acquisiverit, Deum sibi non extitisse debitorem tantae donationis fateatur, & non murmuret. Amicus
es (inquit) amicum tibi consulentem audi, & factum intelliges. Propinquorum victor ignem invidiae,
non aerem calca mortalium Dei immortalis odio: periculum minatur levitas. Fuge synodum hominum
mundana curantium, associare vero coelestia meditantibus. In nidulo hirundinum salus tua,
periculum in stercore gallinarum. Velum raptum a vento persequeris, fatigaberis in septenario, sed

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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per ternarium in unitate consurges iterum, & felicem te reperies. Si operationes tuas aggredi coeperis
a sole, quem tibi natura videtur abscondere, ut a cunctis ad verum solem qui Deus est, per studium
cognitionis, purificata ab inferioribus mente, in desiderio animae, fervore sanctissimi amoris
converteris, & alium ostendet. Quia divini amoris ars longa, tempus vero breve est, praestatque
creatorem quam creaturam in veritate semper diligere. Caeterum apertius ut videatur Trithemius
Hermetis arti subscribere, haec sunt ejus verba. Verum (ut Hermes inquit) sine mendacio certum, &
unitatis cognitione certissimum. Quod est inferius, est sicut id quod est superius, & econtra: quia
solis unitatibus constat omnis numerus, ad perpetranda miracula unius rei multa. Nonne res omnes
ab una re fluunt bonitate unius, & quicquid unitati conjungitur, non potest esse diversum, sed
fructificat simplicitate, & aptatione unius? Quid ex unitate nascitur, nonne ternarius? Accipe,
Unarius est simplex, binarius compositus, ternarius vero ad unitatis reducitur simplicitatem. Non
sum Trithemius mentis triplicis, sed in una mente numero gaudens ternario, qui vere parit mirabilem
foetum. Pater ejus est sol, mater verd luna. Portavit semen in utero ventus, terra nutrivit. Pater
omnis perfectionis totius mundi est hic. Virtus ejus integra & immensa: si versum fuerit in terram.
Separabis terram ab igne, subtile a spisso, & ternarius jam sibi redditus cum ingenio & suavitate
magna, a terra conscendet in coelum, iterumque virtute & pulcritudine decoratus revertetur ad
terram, & recipit vim superiorem & inferiorem, eritque jam potens & gloriosus in claritate unitatis,
omnem aptus producere numerum, &fugiet omnis obscuritas. Ad unitatem igitur reducendus est
omnino ternarius, si mens harum rerum velit perfectum intellectum consequi. Unarius enim non est

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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numerus, at ex ipso numerus omnis consurgit. Binarius ab unitate recedens, primus est numerus
compositus. Rejiciatur itaque binarius, & ternarius ad unitatis simplicitatem convertibilis erit. Solis
unitatibus constat omnis numerus. Nonne res omnes ab unitate fluunt bonitate unius, ut supra, &
quicquid unitati conjungitur, non potest esse diversum, sed fructum edit simplicitate & aptatione
unius? Quid ex unitate nascitur, nonne ternarius ? Unarius igitur est simplex, binarius compositus,
ternarius vero ad unitatis reducitur simplicitatem. Unum est enim principium purum. Binarius ab
unitate recedens componitur, quia impossibile est esse duo principia. Solus ergo ternarius sacratus &
virtute potens, binario superato suum in principium, non natura, sed similitudinis participatione
revertitur, in quo sine contradictione mysteria omnia arcani pulcerrime ordinati, mens intelligit. Haec
est fortitudinis totius pulcerrima virtus, quae vincit omnia mundana. Verum enimvero homini cuivis
in hac arte per naturalem sapientiam operari volenti cum utilitate, subjecta necessaria. In primis
necessarium est, ut a natura sit ad istam artem non solum inclinatus, sed etiam dispositus, aut saltem
praeceptoris magisterio disponibilis, per rectificationem a ternario in unitatem per binarium divisum.
Secundo oportet linguae sufficientem habere notitiam, ut vulgaris non capiat tantam scientiae ipsius
naturalis sapientiae majestatem. Astronomicae fundamentum etiam institutionis scire necessum est,
aut saltem alium ad votum habere qui sciat. Tertio necessaria copia librorum in hac scientia, solum
eorum qui sunt emendatissimi, quales hodie paucissimi reperiuntur, vel ut prae manibus, vel in
promptu sit aliquis, qui veraciter eorundem emendare vitia, non augere possit. Quarto praeceptor
doctissimus & expertissimus in hac arte necessarius, est, quod haec scientia tantis involuta sit

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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mysterijs, ut sine doctore peritissimo non queat apprehendi: nisi Deus omnipotens mentem singulari
dono velit illuminare: quod rarissime fieri consuevit. Quinto requiritur universi totius superiorum &
inferiorum divisionis cognitio ab uno usque in quaternarium in ternario quiescentem. Item oportet
ordinem ascensus & descensus, gradum, numerum, inflexum & reflexum, esse & non esse in unum
& tria: hoc vero scire difficilimum est, quia omnis mirandorum effectuum radix, quocunque modo
fiant in sapientia tam naturali quam supernaturali, hujus principij fundamento innititur: quocirca
omnis qui hunc ordinem apprehendit, ipsumque modum intellexerit, consummatus erit in omni
scientia, sapientiae profunda, mirandosque in operatione consequetur effectus. At quia haec scire
difficilimum, paucissimi cum utilitate, multi vero sine fructu laborant in spagirica sapientia. Sexto
convenientem vivendi modum ut cognoscat oportet, ordinemque laborandi, temporis horam, opus,
operisque dominum, id est, planetam, locum aptum, formam, materiam, & materiae commixtionem,
purum & impurum, simplex & compositum, simile ac diversum, conjunctorumque nexum: & post
haec omnia suaemet ipsius mensuram animae, virtutem, & bonitatem ineundi potentia. Septimo ut
sciat sub cujus planetae dominio, spiritus horae diei, temporisque sit quaelibet res mundi secundum
substantiam, accidens, & effectum, maxime per quem operantur. Inferiora namque superioribus
subjecta sunt, & sola similitudine, quae substantia, accidente, potentia, virtute, numero, gradu, ac
proprietate constat per applicationem unius ad aliud, modo in arte firmato, mirandorum in sapientia
naturali fit utilis operatio. Octavo necesse est scire in sapientia hac, & operantem intelligere,
proprietatem intelligentiarum omnem, gradus, loca, sive locationes, nomina, verbave, & officia seu

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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opera, quemadmodum se habent ad extrema in ordine, quomodoque per eas operandum sit in
qualibet intentione universali: aut primum necessaria est scientia, per quam certe perficiuntur,
quemadmodum caro ne putrescat sale conservatur. Nono in his quae solus perficere non potest,
socios oportet eum habere, vel natura dignos, vel institutione dignificatos: quia sociorum indignitas
operationis effectum impedit in omnibus operationibus sapientiae, tam naturalis quam supernaturalis.
Decimo oportet in arte hac operantem firmum esse confidentia, & de consequutione effectus
nullatenus dubitare vel haesitare: non ob id quod credulitas aliquid conducat in his, sed quod
haesitatio firmitatem operantis animae per medium in extremum frangit debilemque facit, sine cujus
virtute stabili, non fit a superioribus influxus optatus. Undecimo oportet volentem in sapientia
naturali cum fructu operari, secretissime conservare omnia, nullique hominum profectum, vel
defectum operationis, nec operationem ipsam, neque voluntatem, nec artem, neque tempus revelare,
nisi praeceptori vel discipulo. Quia haec scientia publicum fugit, divulgataque raro perfectos fructus
edit.
Haec nostra philosophia coelestis est, non terrena, ut summum illud principium quod Deum
nuncupamus, intuitu mentis per fidem & cognitionem fideliter aspiciamus patrem, & filium, &
spiritum sanctum, unum principium, unum Deum, unumque summum bonum in trinitate personarum
sempiternum existentem vere credentes, pure cognoscentes & cum ferventissimi amoris & servitutis
cultu semper adorantes, a quo sunt omnia quae uspiam esse possunt. Ad hanc nisi mens animata
consurgat, nihil eorum quae pulcra sunt intelligat, sed in sua tabescet ignorantia. Non est vulgaris hic

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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ascensus, neque horum est ad eum imitatio sufficiens, qui una duntaxat ala sursum feruntur, sed
omnino paucissimis familiaris, illis videlicet qui semet in unitatem non temere nec perperam
reduxerunt. Multi quidem conantur, sed non omnium est in mente ternarius. Nonne suspecturi
coelum necessario primum caput elevamus, reducimusque postea quam suspeximus? Solis licet
oculis intueri solem, aures non vident.
Ut igitur conscendat animus, non auris fiat, sed oculus & cor, fiatque ex ternario unitas participatione
bonitatis ad principium, quia unum est bonum omnipotens, non duo neque plura. Nisi enim fiat
unitas, non fiet similitudinis in mente conjunctio, neque boni participatio, & sine his nulla
transcensio: nisi enim haec praecedant, superiorum intelligentiam, neque inferiorum propriam
consequi poterit quis operationem. Res autem tam universales quam singulares necessario, ac rerum
conditiones, quaedam sunt manifestae, quaedam manifestiores, & quaedam manifestissimae. Et aliae
sunt occultae, aliae occultiores, & aliae occultissimae tam sensui quam rationi: quam diversitatem
operatur rerum natura. Hinc fit quod quidam homines evadunt caeteris sapientiores. Magis autem
sapiens dicitur, qui minus perceptibilia percipit. Ad istorum intelligentiam est quod aperiamus
aditum. Proinde quicunque ad adeptam philosophiam cum naturalem tum supernaturalem anhelat, ad
alterutramque per alteram aditum sibi parare potest, tutius tamen progredietur, si seipsum a binario in
ternarium reducat per quaternij gradus, priusquam in rebus naturalibus idipsum efficere tentet aut
praesumat. Quamvis etiam e converso per medium spagiricae medicinae, ad supernaturalem
pervenire possit, haec via tamen altera magis erronea, nec in ulla magis quam in ista contingit errare:

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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quare per aliam gradiendum esse potius suaserim omnibus. Ad hanc congredere lector optime, &
animum attentum non secus ac aures erige.

Elucidatio clarior interpretis.

Homo naturaliter unus est & non numeratur, ac supernaturaliter in duo numeratur, ut in
spiritum & corpus, qui binarium in ipso constituunt. Verum ob primaevam corruptionem istud
superat alterum, quo fit ut nihil admirandum producere spiritus valet. Quod ut efficiat in hac vita,
superandus erit per ternarium binarius, id est, corpus ad spiritus naturam conformandum, & spiritus
ita corpori conjungendus, ut in eo deinceps pacem habeat. Quo facto jam ternarius ortus in unitate
secunda perfecte jubilat. Nam ex duobus dictis, & prioribus per unionem factum est unum tertium.
Haec tamen conjunctio fieri debet per gradus quaternarij, hoc est, per elementorum, ex quibus
constat corpus, transmutationem in unicum & purissimum elementum, ad hunc modum. Primo
quidem ex terra tui corporis aqua fiat, hoc est: Lapideum, terreum segneque tuum cor molle reddatur,
ac vigilans ad cognitionem Dei sui, nec non sui ipsius adipiscendam, quo quidem spiritus imagines,
& contemplationes in illud, non aliter quam in ceram sigilli characteres, imprimi queant. Postmodum
ex ista aqua fiat aer, hoc est, attolle sursum in coelum ad eum qui creavit contritum cor tuum &
humiliatum, aeris instar ad suprema semper tendentis, & orando pulsa ut aperiatur tibi ingenium ad
intelligendum ea quae Dei sunt. Postremo ex aere hoc fiat ignis, id est, tui cordis jam sublimati omne
desiderium convertatur in amorem (cui comparatur ignis ob ardorem) Dei & proximi tui hic in terris,

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.

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ut flamma haec non extinguatur unquam. Hoc ipso fiet ut per similitudinem tuus binarius, spiritus &
corpus videlicet, in unum ternarium perfecte jungatur, per quaternarij tres gradus ut audisti. Jam
habes amice lector meditativae philosophiae clavem, quae viam aperit ascensus ad superos, & nemo
contra claudit. Alteram vero descensus, quae claudit quod nemo postmodum aperire potest, audies in
sequentibus. Quum de coelo, in quod jam a terra sursum ascendisti: rursum ab eo in terram
descendere te oportet, ad superiorum vim, & inferiorum accipiendam. Ecce quam paucis ea quae tot
ac tam varijs aenigmatum involucris antiqui recentesque spagiri velare conati sunt, liberali quidem
animo tibi, studiosis quoque rerum abditarum omnibus elucidare volui meis lucubratiunculis. Nec
fatigatus plura tibi quae ad hanc philosophiam maxime conducunt, aperire gravabor, modo vigil &
attentus animadvertas; e re tua nimirum fuerit. Numerorum ordinem, & gradus audi latius.
Numerus ordine constat, & mensura. Ordo quoque sine numero, & mensura esse non potest.
Mensura autem & numero constat, & ordine. Unitas hic & ternarius numerum non admittunt, sed
omnem exuti multitudinem, innata sibi puritate simplicissima in ordine primo consistunt. Haec est ad
superos via, per quam antiqui sapientes intelligibiliter profecti rationis ductu, plurima perceperunt,
quae ultra humanam comprehensionem a nostris nunc reputantur sapientibus. Vis audire plenius:
Studium generat cognitionem, cognitio amorem parit, amor similitudinem, similitudo
communionem, communio virtutem, virtus dignitatem, dignitas potentiam, & potentia facit
miraculum. Hoc iter unicum ad finem adeptae philosophiae perfectionum, tam divinarum, quam
naturalium, a quibus arcetur, & confunditur procul omne superstitiosum, praestigiosum, atque

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diabolicum. Cum ergo finis meditativae scientiae, vel adeptae scientiae sit veritas, & spagiricae
practicae finis, opus, tantum scimus, quantum de cognitione Dei omnipotentis apprehendimus, qui
solus est veritas: tantum vero cognoscimus quantum diligimus. Scientia enim vera & salutaris, Dei
parit cognitionem, cognitio amorem, amor frequentiam, frequentia familiaritatem, familiaritas
fiduciam, fiducia omnium quae postulaveris impetrationem. Scientia quippe virtutis cultum
praecedit, quia nemo potest fideliter appetere quod ignorat. Cognitio veri & amor recti certissimum
ad felicitatem parant introitum. Praecedit autem sicut diximus amorem cognitio, quod nemo possit
ignotum vere amare. Propterea dixit patri Dominus noster Jesus Christus in Evangelio: Haec est vita
aeterna, ut cognoscant te solum Deum, & quem misisti Jesum Christum. Quidnam aliud est illa
supercoelestis beatorum spirituum amoenitatis fruitio, quam divinae majestatis, cognitio & amor?
Salutaris enim scientiae cognitio annexum sibi habet amorem, nec potest mens intellectualis
sempiternae fruitionis habere consortium, si aut cognitio fuerit sine amore, aut amor sine cognitione.
Daemones quidem mali cognoscunt, sed quia non habent amorem, ad fruitionem, quae ex utroque &
non altero solo nascitur, minime pertingunt. Amorem unius summae veritatis Gentiles quidam, &
extra Christianismum positi hodie, forsitan multi habere videntur, sed quia non cognoscunt patrem
universitatis solum verum Deum, & quem ille misit dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, in suis
cogitationibus evanuerunt, & ad fruitionem summae bonitatis nequaquam perveniunt. Dicit autem
ipse salvator noster Dominus Jesus Christus, de illis qui ipsum in mundum venisse non cognoscunt
per fidem in sancto Evangelio: Qui non credit, jam judicatus est. Vera enim cognitio ex fide est, &

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amor ex cognitione. Homo ergo fide carens nullam habet cognitionem. Qui autem non habet
cognitionem, amore caret, & qui non habet amorem, fruitione frustratus est. Hoc enim est quod ipse
dominus Jesus in coelum ascensurus suis discipulis revelavit dicens: Euntes in mundum universum
praedicate Evangelium omni creaturae. Qui crediderit & baptizatus fuerit, salvus erit: qui vero non
crediderit, condemnabitur. Prima itaque ad Deum via est scientia sive cognitio per fidem, sine qua
nemo salvabitur. Ad hanc scientiam veram, omnes aliae scientiae studiaque referri debent: quod nisi
fiat, inani stultoque labore consumentur isti sapientes, qui sua studia distinguunt ab illis quae
diximus. Scientia sapientiaque vera quam proposuimus, scientem suum compunctione plurimum
afficit, non extollit, superbire non finit, ac gementem efficit, juxta viri sapientis dictum: Qui addit
scientiam, addit & dolorem, eo quod in multa scientia multa sit indignatio. Provideamus igitur, ut
studia nostra vera sint, dum tempus habemus: Hactenus ille. Ut per haec ea quae supra vobis exposui
de ascensu ternarij a binario per quaternarium, luculentius patefaciam, notate: Primus gradus
ascensus ad superos est studium fidei, hoc enim disponitur cor hominis ad solutionem in aquam.
Secundus gradus est cognitio Dei per fidem, qua disponitur contritum cor ad ascensum in aerem
elevatum, & ad spem melioris vitae. Tertius gradus est amor ex cognitione Dei per fidem & spem, ad
amorem & charitatem disponens aereum nostrum cor, & ad igneam flagrationem desiderij per
similitudinem conjunctionis cum Deo. Quartus est frequentia, qua conceptus amor continuo cultu,
per crebras contemplationes orationibus conjunctas, fovetur in augmentum fidei, spei, & amoris jam
conceptorum, in supernis versante corde his propemodum unito. Quintus gradus est familiaritas,

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quae per frequentiam ejuscemodi conversationum cum divinis acquiritur. Sextus est fiducia, qua nos
intrepide jam per fidem, spem & charitatem frequenter excultas, audemus offerre nostras petitiones
coram Deo, freti certitudine multa ac indubia nos obtenturos, quod a patre nostro cupimus.
Septimus est impetratio desideratae petitionis in nomine Jesu Christi factae, qua fruimur ad ejus
gloriam & salutem nostri. Jam demum apti sumus ad intelligentiam arcanorum omnium, tam
naturalium quam supernaturalium, & adepti philosophi a Deo creati replemur omni sapientia.
Notandum utique, sicuti primo, secundo, & tertio gradibus, cor nostrum a vili & sordida
corruptibilique terra recedens sursum ascendit, haud secus per quartum, quintum, sextum, &
septimum, in renovatam terram incorruptibilem, solidam, constantem, atque potentem quibusvis
insultibus inimici resistere, & non amplius separabilem ab unitate cui conjuncta est, descendit. Paulo
immutatis verbis Trithemius ante scalam hanc in novem gradus distribuit, quos ut supra, vel ad
adeptam philosophiam, vel ad spagiricam interpretari licet: quod sane haud aliter se habeant ambae
unius & ejusdem sapientiae partes, quam Theorica superioris scientiae aut supernaturalis, & Practica
inferioris sapientiae naturalis. Verum quia ex supernaturalium cognitione pendet omnis cognitio
naturalium arcanorum, dictos gradus fusius ac dilucidius interpretabimur ex meditativa philosophia,
ad hunc modum.

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On the Propositions of Johannes Trithemius

concerning the Spagyric Art

'The unary is not itself a number, but it is from the unary that every number arises'- Johannes
Trithemius.

Before the waters of the universal abyss described in the Book of Genesis were divided, they
were one. It is only by a similar division that the unary can ever bring into existence the binary,
which is the first of all the numbers.
This is not however accomplished in the essence of the unary {per substantiam}, but by a
contingency {per accidens}. For as Trithemius says, [The One] is a number and it is counted, and
yet it is not a number and it is not counted. It is not counted because it is simple by nature, and
yet it is counted to the extent that it is composed of contingencies {accidentia}. Until those
contingencies become manifest however it cannot be counted, because before that point is
reached it is not truly a number.
By 'unity' {unitas} we should understand what Hermes Trismegistus explains in different
words using an analogy from Genesis: 'What is below is like that which is above, and vice versa,
because all numbers consist only of unities, performing the miracles of the one thing'. Here

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Hermes denotes the binary through the terms 'above' and 'below'. As for Trithemius, he says that 'the
binary is rejected, and the ternary will be convertible to unity'. Hermes expresses this same idea
in different words when he says that the purpose of unity is to 'perform the miracles of the one
thing'.
We should note that the concept of unity is here being interpreted in two different ways:
Hermes enumerates unity, as we have said, in terms of 'above' and 'below', while Trithemius sees
unity in terms of its role in constituting the first number from the unary.
Each of them then uses very different lines of argument to measure unity: Hermes reduces
that which is above and that which is below to a similitude posited within the framework of a
miracle, while Trithemius argues that the binary is rejected and the ternary then converted back into
the unary.
Despite their different approaches however, they both use admirable reasoning to reach the
same conclusion: unity is natural and yet divisible, and contains the seeds of the binary, while the
ternary is revertible into another unity (known as the 'second unity') beyond which one cannot go.
Every operation of the miracles of nature that is in some way subject to limits has therefore
descended from unity, by way of the binary, to the ternary, but not before it has risen in simplicity
from the quaternary through a series of steps. For if you want to count to 4 you do not know any
other way of starting than with 1, but you then say '1, 2, 3, 4', which when added together make 10.
This is the perfect consummation of every number, because then the numbering returns to one, since

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beyond the denary no single-digit {simplex} number is to be found.

Ignorant fellows marvel at the profundities of this connection, the principles of which we use
to perform miracles, because they mistakenly think that we must be assisted in our task either by
demons or by some superstition that runs contrary to our Christian faith. We ourselves are not at all
surprised by the reaction of the people who make these judgements, as this is entirely due to their
ignorance. Since Holy Scripture attests that no one can acquire an internal awareness of God unless
he specifically receives it, in the same way no one can either be given initial instruction in these
matters or make any use of them unless he has received, by divine gift, that singular light of
understanding that passes from nature into nature, and unless also that light within him is
accompanied by fire, that fire by wind, that wind by power, and that power by the integrity of a mind
healthy in its knowledge.
This therefore is the root of all profundities and the basis of all creatures. The first natural
division produces the root of consummate knowledge, which is glossed as follows: 'Four are their
mothers which are in the latest sequence, and four are their fathers which are in the beginning, and
the nexus of all these things - both the connected first and the simple, pure, unique and solitary last imbues everything.'
The simple and pure element earth, the first to proceed from the One, is not composite, is not
changed, and does not suffer connection, but remains as it is because it is incorruptible, and because
in the One there exists the One, and not the One, for it is not a number and yet it is a number, and

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though it is not counted yet it is counted, for between itself and the One no number is to be found. In
unity the One remains, and through inclusion it brings about the ternary, and by including the ternary
eight times with its miraculous nature, it reduces everything to one.
None of the Masters can wholly explain its power. It is not the God that we worship; it is a
creation of the mind of man, an image neither living nor dead, through which something marvellous
is achieved in every branch of knowledge. And I say to you, my friend - and this is God's supreme
truth - that whoever has a mind that has been elevated through mere acquaintance with this pure
simplicity will be consummate in every natural science, will perform miracles, and will achieve the
most stupendous results, for it is a simple and unique good, and from it there flow not only many
similar things but also many dissimilar things.
Composite earth is by nature a pure, simple and unique element, but because it is composite
it necessarily becomes multiplex, varied and impure. It is however still reducible by fire to water,
and from water to fire, and then from fire to the one simple thing. It is a number and it is counted,
and yet it is not a number and it is [not] counted. It is not counted because it is simple by nature and
yet it is composite in its contingencies, and so it cannot be counted because it was not a number
before those features became manifest.
The number One is counted from unity not as an absolute but as an inclusion. As they say,
there is the One excluded, there is the One included, and there is the One through the One from the
One, that is to say from the soul of the world. And in this way the ternary comes into existence.

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By nature the ternary wants to be with the One, for the One per se is powerful, in One it is
powerless, in another number also it is powerless, it always rotates in a sphere, and in any kind of
fire it remains the One, but it is not imagined thus. If it is purified by fire and then reduced to its
simplicity with a suitable washing then all the most profound mysteries of the science can be
performed.
Earth extracted from a composite is an element, and yet it is not an element, but something
through which the binary is reduced to the ternary, standing apart from the One by four degrees. It
contains remarkable things, and is varied, multiplex and corruptible, yet it does not stray beyond the
circle of unity. It is of this, along with the passing of the ternary through the binary in the One, that
the Magisterium of all secrets consists. For any discoveries that might miraculously be made within
the limitations of the human condition are all subject to its power, and thanks to that power they can
be made with absolute perfection. It conforms to number, degree and sequence, in which the entire
operation of the miracles of nature consists.
Wonderful to behold are the things that it is able to do, and indeed it is believed that it can do
many more things that neither cause offence to God nor pollute the soul. Through it miracles occur,
and through it too there is complete understanding of all human discoveries, as well as effective
operation in whatever is obscure, because its power, proceeding as it does from comprehension, does
not allow the operator to err throughout the three degrees. It understands everything that men say,
and it will never cause an operation, once begun, to go astray. Whatever the astronomers,

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mathematicians, magi, alchemists (the envious investigators of nature) or degenerate necromancers

more wicked than demons themselves might profess, it has known how to discern, understand,
rectify, discover and make flawless anything that is in harmony with its principles.
It is an element that is not an element, which has been removed from
itself through a number, since, having been conjoined to itself, it is simply reduced to unity. A magus
who did not understand its middle, its end and its beginning in terms of numbers, degrees and
sequences would be unable to impart any power to his images without committing a sin, nor even be
able to impart such power using necromancy, nor without it could the Alchemist imitate nature, a
man compel spirits, a prophet predict the future of nature, or any inquisitive person grasp the
rationale of the experiments that he performs.
And so, as we said above, every operation of the miracles of nature that is in some way
subject to limits has therefore descended from unity, by way of the binary, to the ternary, but not
before it has risen in simplicity from the quaternary through a series of steps.
Natural wisdom, which formerly existed in a state of pure simplicity supported by the
principles of nature, has been polluted by so many lies, impurities and deceptions that no one except
someone who is very learned in both the natural and the supernatural sciences and who is able to
distinguish the former from the latter can understand it. 'I myself, says Trithemius, 'have known so
many otherwise very learned men who have erred in their studies of natural philosophy, some of
them wasting time and money on alchemy, some even losing their lives as well as all their

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possessions, while others have tried to use that philosophy to discover the Medicine and, after long
labours, achieved nothing at all'. Others who have investigated the secrets of miracles have not been
able to complete a single experiment, while others eager to foretell the future have spouted
falsehoods as if they were the truth, expressing vapid opinions off the top of their heads that are
based on experiences written down long ago which they simply do not understand. In their ignorance
they engage in both good and true actions but also evil and false ones.
We should therefore first note and learn the following three principles, without a mastery of
which no operator can achieve anything in that natural, spagyric or occult philosophy.
The first principle consists of the One, not the One from which but the One through which
every power of natural miracles comes into effect, as we discussed above, for something pure
proceeding from the One is not composed, nor is it changed. Accordingly it progresses from the
ternary and the quaternary towards the monad so that the denary may be completed, for it is through
that process that the number returns to the One at the same time as descending into four and
ascending into the monad. It is impossible for the denary to be completed except through that
process in which the monad is converted into a fortunate triad. No one who is unfamiliar with this
principle after the start of the monad can accomplish anything in the ternary nor ever reach the
sacred quaternary. Even if a person had all the books of the Philosophers, and even if he had a
perfect knowledge of the stars in their courses together with their virtues, powers, operations and
properties, and fully understood all the images, rings, sigils and all the most secret things concerning

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them, he could not perform any miracle in his operations without, at the outset, understanding how
this principle operates from the beginning. That is why I have seen so many people working in the
field of natural philosophy who have either achieved nothing at all or, in desperation, have sunk into
vanity, frivolity and superstition after a long period of fruitless activity.
The second principle is separated from the first only in order and not in any way in dignity,
because it is the emerging One which forms the ternary, and it is this which performs miracles
through the binary. For in the One is the One, and yet it is not the One, and it is simple, and yet it is
composed of the quaternary. After it has been purified with fire in the Sun it gives forth pure water
which, after reverting to its simplicity, will reveal to the operator the complement of hidden things.
This is the centre of natural wisdom, the circumference of which, united with itself, describes a
circle, an immeasurable series that stretches into infinity. Its virtue has been purified beyond the
virtue of all other things, and it is simple through being less composite than anything beyond the
quaternary degree.
The quaternary however is a Pythagorean number supported by the ternary. If it conforms to
sequence and degree and is purified and pure in the One then it is able to perform miracles and
control the secret forces of nature to {ad} the binary in {in} the ternary. This is the quaternary, in the
measure of which the ternary, conjoined in one with the binary, does all things, and can do them
most miraculously. For the ternary number, reduced to unity in appearance, contains everything
within itself, and can do anything it wants to.

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The third principle is not a principle per se, but between it and the binary lies the goal of
every mystical art and science and the infallible centre of the middle. One does not err more readily
in one than in the other, for few there are on this Earth who understand its profundities. It is varied, it
is composite, and through the septenary it rises, when multiplied eight times, into the ternary, where
it remains fixed. In it is the consummation of number, degree and sequence, and through it all the
Philosophers, the true investigators of the secrets of nature, have achieved the most marvellous
effects. Through it also, reduced to a simple element in the ternary, they have achieved wonderful
and instantaneous cures of diseases and a natural healing of all afflictions, and in every case it was
the work of the operator in the natural and preternatural wisdom that achieved the effect. Demons
flee depending on how the quaternary is arranged, the correct prediction of future events is
guaranteed by it, and occult secrets can only be divined if it first perceives them in nature. By this
means alone is the secret of nature revealed to the Alchemists, and without it no understanding of the
Art can be acquired, nor can any alchemical operator ever achieve anything. As Trithemius says,
'Believe me, all those who think they can achieve anything in the occult sciences of nature without
understanding these three principles are mistaken'.
The major source of error is that those ancient Sages who knew the secrets of nature have
either remained completely silent about them or have veiled them in such obscurities that they really
cannot be understood by anyone except by people like themselves. Secret and celestial is the
philosophy of this way of ordering things, and anyone who really wants to know and understand it

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must shun the crowds, forsake the world, and contemplate heaven not only with his eyes but also
with his mind, for the Spirit of God breathes where it wishes, and illuminates what it wishes, and it
introduces what it has overshadowed with its divine will into every understanding of the truth,
therefore he who shall have received it should give thanks to God, and should strive to give
something back in the form of the fruits of his good works, so as to give thanks for the strength that
he has received, and should acknowledge that he has received it and not found it by his own efforts,
for that might cause him to puff himself up with vanity.
That man to whom a knowledge of those sublimities has not been granted should however
either admit to his inertia, since he simply did not work hard enough to acquire it, or else should
praise the mercy of the
Creator whereby He sought to place obstacles in the way of its application so that he might not know
of it or, if he has not acquired it, should admit that God has not accepted that he owes him such a
great gift and that therefore he should not grumble.
'You are a friend, says Trithemius, and I have heard a friend asking you for advice, and you
appear to understand the matter. A vanquisher of your neighbours, do not trample underfoot the fire
of envy or the air of mortals with the hatred of immortal God, for a frivolous attitude carries risks.
Flee the crowds who care only for the mundane, and associate only with those who meditate upon
the celestial, for it is in the swallow's nest that your salvation lies, whereas in the filth of the hencoop lies your undoing. You will chase the sail that has been torn away by the wind, you will

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become tired in the septenary, but through the ternary you shall rise again in unity and be happy once
more if only you start to progress your operations from the Sun, which Nature seems to conceal from
you, so that you turn away from all these things towards the true Sun that is God, by applying
yourself to an understanding of these matters, with your mind purified of everything inferior, in the
desire of the soul, and with the fervour of the most sacred love, and may thus show another side of
yourself. For the art of divine love takes a long time to master while life is short indeed, and in truth
it is always better to love the creator rather then the creature'.
In this passage it seems that Trithemius is subscribing more openly to the Hermetic
philosophy. This is what Hermes himself has to say: 'It is a truth most certain, acquired by an
understanding of unity, that what is below is like that which is above, and vice versa, because all
numbers consist only of unities, performing the miracles of the one thing' For surely everything
from that one thing flows from the goodness of the One, and whatever is conjoined to unity cannot
be diverse, but must bear fruit in simplicity and with full accommodation of the One? For what is
born from unity if not the ternary?
You should just accept the fact that the unary is simple, that the binary is composite, and that
the ternary is reduced to the simplicity of unity. 'I am not, says Trithemius, 'triple in mind, but I
rejoice in one mind with the ternary number, which truly gives birth to a most wonderful child, for
his father is the Sun and his mother is the Moon, the wind has carried the seed in its womb,
and the earth has nurtured it. He is the father of every perfection of the whole world. His

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power is whole and immense once he has been changed into earth. You shall separate earth
from flre, the subtle from the dense, and the ternary, which has now been returned to you
endowed with great natural qualities and attractiveness, will ascend from earth to heaven and,
adorned with strength and beauty, will return to earth again, will receive both a superior and
an inferior force, will now be powerful and glorious in the brilliance of unity, will be capable of
producing any number, and will put any obscurities to flight'.
If the intellect wishes to acquire perfect cognition of these matters then the ternary must be
reduced entirely to unity. For the unary is not itself a number, yet it is from that that every number
arises. The binary withdrawing from unity is the first composite number. The binary should therefore
be rejected, while the ternary will be convertible to the simplicity of unity, for every number is
composed of solitary unities. For does not everything flow from unity, from the goodness of the One,
as we said above, and surely whatever is conjoined to unity cannot possibly be diverse, but must bear
fruit in the simplicity and suitability of the One? For what exactly is born of unity? Is it not the
ternary? Therefore the unary is simple, the binary is composite, and the ternary is reduced to the
simplicity of unity, for the One is the pure beginning. The binary, withdrawing from unity, is
composite, because it is impossible for there to be two beginnings. The ternary alone returns,
hallowed and potent with virtue, while the binary has been overcome at the beginning, not by nature
but by the sharing of a similarity, in which the mind understands without contradiction all the
mysteries of this most beautifully-ordered secret. This is the most wonderful virtue of the integral

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strength that conquers all worldly things.

Anyone who wishes to function effectively in this Art using this natural wisdom must
definitely master certain subjects.
First, he must not only be naturally inclined to that art, he must also be suitably endowed for
it or, at least, be available for instruction by another person who can guide him through the
rectification from the ternary into unity via the divided binary.
Second, he should be sufficiently acquainted with the relevant terminology, for an
uneducated person would never grasp the great majesty of this natural science of wisdom. He must
also know the basics of astronomy or, at least, have someone at his disposal who does.
Third, he will need to study many books about this science. Only those that are most free of
error are however of any use, and unfortunately very few books of that kind are available today.
Alternatively he should either have someone directly to hand or someone whom he can summon
easily who can correct any mistakes that the books contain, and without increasing the number of
errors.
Fourth, he must have a teacher who is most learned and experienced in this art, because it is
wrapped up in such great mysteries that it cannot be understood without the assistance of a very
experienced and learned man unless, that is, Almighty God wishes to illuminate his mind with a
special gift, and that is most rare.
Fifth, he must understand the universe of the entire division of superior and inferior things

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from the One as far as the quaternary that lies quiescent in the ternary. He must also understand the
sequence of ascent and descent, degree, number, inflection and reflection, and the nature of being
and non-being in both the One and the Three.
This is indeed a very difficult subject to master, because every root of miraculous effects, in
whatever manner they may occur, in natural wisdom just as much as in the supernatural, is based on
this principle. As a result, anyone who grasps this arrangement and understands that method will be
consummate in every science and profound in wisdom, and will achieve miracles in his operations.
But because it is very difficult to master these things there are very few who work at all usefully in
the Spagyric wisdom, and there are many indeed who work entirely fruitlessly.
Sixth, he should adopt an appropriate way of life, so that he becomes familiar with the
sequence of work, the appropriate hours of the day, the individual tasks, the lord of those tasks, i.e.
the ruling planet, the most suitable place, form, material and mixture of materials, the pure and the
impure, the simple and the composite, the similar and the diverse, and the various combinations, and,
finally the measure of his own soul, and his ability to enter upon and follow a path of virtue and
goodness.
Seventh, he must know the planet and spirit of the hour of the day and of the season under
the rulership of which any of these tasks might be most effectively performed according to their
substance, accident and effect, for the inferior is subject to the superior, and single things to their
likeness, which likeness consists of substance, accident, power, virtue, number, degree and property

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correctly applied one to the other. It is only in the manner described that any useful operation in the
natural wisdom of miracles can be performed.
Eighth, the operator must know and understand every property of the intelligences in this
branch of wisdom, as well their degrees, places or locations, names or words of power, and functions
or tasks, how they act at the extremes of the arrangement, and how he may operate through these
intelligences in any universal intention. Alternatively he must first acquire the necessary knowledge
to ensure that they are properly mastered, just as meat is preserved in salt lest it putrefy.
Ninth, for those tasks that cannot be performed alone he should have companions who are
either naturally worthy or who have become so by education and training, because the unworthiness
of one's companions can interfere with the success of all operations of wisdom both natural and
supernatural.
Tenth, in this art the operator should be self-confident and in no way doubtful or hesitant
about the outcome of his operations, not because credulity is of any use in these matters but because
hesitation finally shatters the firmness of the operator's soul and makes it weak, and without its stable
strength the desired influx by higher things cannot occur.
Eleventh, he should have the necessary will-power to operate fruitfully in the natural
wisdom, to keep everything most secret, and never to reveal to anyone either the success or failure of
the operation, as well as details of the operation itself, its aim, and the procedure followed or the
time taken, except of course to a teacher or pupil, for this science should be kept away from the

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public gaze, and once it is divulged it rarely bears perfect fruit.

This philosophy of ours is celestial not terrestrial, so that through that supreme principle that
we call God, with the gaze of the mind and through faith and cognition, we may devotedly
contemplate the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, truly believing, purely understanding, and
cultivating the most fervent love and servitude in constant adoration of the one principle, the one
God and the one supreme good, Who exists eternally in the Trinity of persons, from which stem all
things that can anywhere exist. Unless the intellect, endowed with spirit, ascends to this philosophy it
will understand nothing of those things which are beautiful, but will simply wither away in its
ignorance. Such an ascent is not common, and nor is it enough for the operator to imitate those
things that are borne aloft on only one wing. It is entirely familiar only to very few, namely those
who have reduced themselves to unity neither rashly nor incorrectly. Many there are who try, but the
ternary is not to be found in the minds of everyone. When we want to gaze heavenwards do we not
have to raise our head, and then lower it again afterwards? We can look at the sun with the eyes
alone, for the ears do not see, so when the rational soul ascends it is not the hearing that matters but
the eye and the heart and, from the ternary, unity may arise with the participation of goodness at
source, because the One is the omnipotent good, not two or more. Unless unity is achieved, neither a
conjunction of similitude or a participation of goodness may occur in the mind, and without these
things there is no transition, for unless these things precede, no one will acquire an understanding of
higher things nor of his own operation which is concerned with lesser things. But with regard to both

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universals and particulars, as well as the conditions of things, we can say that some are manifest,
some are more manifest, and some are the most manifest of all, while others are hidden, others even
more hidden, and others most hidden, as much to the senses as to the mind, for such diversity is
inherent in nature. Hence it comes about that some people turn out to be wiser than others, but a
wiser man is said to be he who can readily perceive the less perceptible things in nature.
It is to the intellects of such people that we can open the way. Consequently, whoever thirsts
for the Philosophia Adepta both natural and supernatural can find a way of entering either of these
philosophies by way of the other, but he will proceed more safely if he can reduce himself from the
binary to the ternary through the degrees of the quaternary before he tries or even contemplates
making that entrance into natural things. Although, conversely, he can also reach the supernatural
through Spagyric Medicine, this way is more error-inviting than the other, and indeed there is no
path on which he is more likely to go astray, which is why I suggest to everyone that they should
follow the other path outlined above.
You should try to acquire a sound mastery of all this material, dear
reader, so make sure your mind is alert and that your ears are fully pricked up!
Below I provide a clearer explanation of this complex material.
Man considered naturally is one and is not counted but, considered supernaturally, he is
counted, namely in twos, i.e. body and spirit, which constitute the binary within him. However,
because of primaeval corruption the former prevails over the latter, which means that the spirit is not

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strong enough to produce anything admirable.

To reverse that situation in this lifetime the binary will have to be overcome through the
ternary, i.e. the body will need to conform to the nature of the spirit, and the spirit must be conjoined
to the body so that it might subsequently be at peace within it. After this has been achieved, the
ternary, having arisen in a second unity, will experience perfect joy, for from the two things just
mentioned a third has been created through union. This conjunction should however come about
through the degrees of the quaternary, i.e. through the transmutation of the elements of which the
body is composed into a unique and most pure element.
This is achieved as follows. First water is generated from the earth of your body, i.e. your
stony, earthy and sluggish heart is softened and acquires an understanding of its God and also of the
need to acquire self- cognition by which the images of the spirit and of your contemplations can be
imprinted in your heart, just as the characters of a seal are imprinted in wax.
From this water there then arises air, i.e. you must raise heavenwards your contrite and
humbled heart towards Him Who created you, since the likeness of air always tends to higher things.
You must then knock on the door with your prayers so that there may be opened to you the ability to
understand those things that are of God.
Finally, from this air there comes fire, that is to say, every desire of your now elevated heart
is converted into love, which is likened to fire on account of the heat. That love must be love both of
God and of your neighbour here on Earth, and it must be of such an intensity that its flame can never

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be extinguished.
Through this process it should come about that, through similitude, your binary (that is to
say, your spirit and body) will be perfectly joined in one ternary, through the three degrees of the
quaternary, as you have heard above.
Now, my friend, you have the key to the Meditative Philosophy, which opens up the path of
ascent to higher beings, and which no one closes against you. The other way, the way of descent,
which does close in such a way that no one can open it afterwards, you will hear about below, since
from heaven, into which you have now risen from the earth, you must descend again from there to
the earth in order to receive the power of both higher and lower beings.
Here, expressed as concisely as possible, are those matters that both the ancient and the more
recent Spagyric practitioners have tried to conceal by using a multitude of varied and puzzling
convolutions. I want to generously share the fruits of my humble lucubrations with all students of the
occult, and nor am I too weary to hesitate in opening up to you many things which lead straight to
this philosophy if only you will be alert and attentive to them, as it will obviously be in your own
interests to do. Listen therefore to a more expansive account of the sequence of numbers and
degrees.
Number consists of sequence and measure. Sequence also cannot exist without number and
measure. Measure, however, consists of both number and sequence. This unity and ternary do not
admit number but, having divested themselves of every plurality {multitudo}, they consist primarily

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of a most simple purity that is innate to themselves. This is the way to the higher beings, through
which the ancient Sages, having proceeded in an intelligible fashion and with the guidance of reason,
perceived many things which our own Sages now consider to be beyond human comprehension.
You may wish to have this point explained to you more fully, so let me say that study
generates understanding, understanding gives birth to love, love to imitation, imitation to
communion, communion to virtue, virtue to dignity, and dignity to power - and it is the power that
performs the miracle. This is the unique journey that takes you to the conclusion of the perfections of
the Philosophia Adepta. These perfections are divine every bit as much as they are natural, and it is
through these perfections that everything superstitious, deceitful and devilish is kept at bay and
widely scattered. Since, therefore, the goal of the meditative science or the Philosophia Adepta is
truth, and since the goal of practical Spagyric is the Work, then as much as we know that much do
we also apprehend about the cognition of Almighty God, Who alone is the truth, and as much as we
apprehend that much also do we love. For the true and healthful science gives birth to an
understanding of God, and understanding leads to love, love to frequency, frequency to familiarity,
familiarity to faith, and faith to the obtaining of everything that you shall have ever asked for.
Knowledge of course always precedes the cultivation of virtue, because no one can faithfully
seek what he does not know. An understanding of truth and a love of rectitude provide the most
certain entrance to happiness. However, as we have said, understanding precedes love, because no
one can truly love something that he does not know. That is why Our Lord Jesus Christ said to His

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Father in the Gospel: 'And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent' (John 17:3). For what is that supercelestial fruition of the delight of the
blessed spirits but an understanding and love of divine majesty? An understanding of the salutary
science has love annexed to it, nor can the intellect participate in the eternal fruition if one's
understanding is devoid of love, or if one's love is devoid of understanding. The evil demons do
understand, but because they do not have love they never reach the fruition, which is only ever born
of a combination of love and understanding, and never from the latter alone.
Many of the heathen and those who today stand outside of Christianity do perhaps seem to
have a love of the one supreme truth, but because they do not understand the sole true God of the
universe, and the person Whom He sent, Our Lord Jesus Christ, they have become intellectually
weak and so never reach the fruition of the supreme good.
This is what Our Saviour Jesus Christ says, referring to those who do not understand that He
came into the world through faith in the Holy Gospel: 'He that believeth not is condemned already'
(John 3:18), for true understanding comes from faith, and love from understanding. The man who
lacks faith therefore has no understanding, but he who does not have understanding lacks love, and
he who does not have love is frustrated in the fruition. This is what Lord Jesus Himself revealed to
his disciples as He was about to ascend to Heaven, saying: 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned' (Mark 16:15-16).

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The first way to God therefore is knowledge or understanding through faith, without which
no one shall be saved. To this true science all other sciences and studies should be made subordinate,
because unless it is fulfilled then all those Sages whose studies differ from those we mentioned
earlier are involved in an inane and foolish labour.
The true science and wisdom which we have proposed does not lighten the burden of
remorse of him who is familiar with it, but actually increases that burden, and nor does it end in
feelings of pride but rather causes grief, for as Holy Scripture says: 'For in much wisdom is much
grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow' (Ecclesiastes 1:18). Let us therefore
ensure that our studies are the right ones while we still have the time.
I shall now use this material to explain more clearly those things that I have already
mentioned to you above about the ascent of the ternary from the binary through the quaternary.
You should note that the first degree of the ascent to the higher beings involves the
application of faith, for in this the heart of man is placed for solution in water.
The second degree involves an understanding of God through faith, by which the contrite
heart is placed in elevated air for ascension and the hope of a better life.
The third degree is love developed from an understanding of God through faith and hope,
commending our aerial heart to love and charity and to the fiery conflagration of desire through the
similitude of a conjoining with God.
The fourth is frequency, by which love, created by continuous devotion, is fostered through

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constant contemplation combined with prayer in order to increase an already-conceived faith, hope
and love in a heart that dwells amid these celestial things and is almost united with them.
The fifth degree is familiarity, which is acquired through frequency of conversations of
this kind with the divine.
The sixth is trust, by which we intrepidly offer our prayers to God, already frequently
developed through faith, hope and charity, and supported by a great and indeed undoubted certainty,
in the hope that we might obtain what we desire from Our Father.
Seventh is the fulfilment of our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ,
which we delight in to His glory and to our own salvation.
And now finally we are able to understand all secrets, both natural and supernatural, and we,
as philosophical adepts created by God, are filled with all wisdom. It should certainly be noted that
just as, in the first, second and third degrees, our heart ascends, withdrawing from the vile, sordid
and corruptible earth, so through the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh degrees it descends again into a
renewed earth, incorruptible, solid, constant and powerful enough to withstand any of the enemy's
attacks, and no longer separable from the unity to which it is conjoined.
Using only slightly different language, Trithemius in days gone by arranged this ladder in
nine degrees which, as above, can be interpreted either according to the Philosophia Adepta or the
Spagyric Art, because both are certainly parts of one and the same wisdom, just as the theory of the
superior or supernatural wisdom and the practice of the inferior natural wisdom are essentially one

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and the same. And since it is upon an understanding of the supernatural that any real comprehension
of natural secrets depends, we shall next interpret these degrees more expansively and more clearly
from the point of view of the Meditative Philosophy.

2014 Paul Ferguson. The translator's moral rights are asserted.