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Alchemy is, pace Jung, nothing but a metaphor for the psychological process of individuation;
The texts of Alchemy are really only metaphors for Spiritual processes, however much they appear to describe
physical occurrences.
Far from being a pseudo-science, historical alchemy was a real science which was misunderstood by later
practitioners of Chemistry. Alchemy was a sort of “Esoteric Chemistry” – almost in the same sense that the
Qabalah can be said to be “Esoteric Psychology”. Where Alchemy claimed to produce results which Chemistry
said was impossible, this was because – said the Alchemists – that there was far more to the true nature of
matter than was, and is to this day, realised by the Chemists.
Many of the texts of Alchemy, far from being metaphors, actually described real alchemical experiments. The
obscure language that they employ is not so much a system of obscure metaphor, but a language whose
vocabulary can be precisely translated to reveal the explicit details of practical operations.
Practical Alchemy is both a physical pursuit and a spiritual one at the same time. That is to say, when the
proper physical processes are carried out in the right manner, they produce both physical and spiritual results
which are quite tangible.
The Philosophers’ Stone (it is asserted by modern Alchemists), is an actual physical substance, which has
some very remarkable properties. Alchemists also claim that the transmutation of base-metals into higher
metals is a real occurrence – and has been done in modern times.
Your humble author did not personally prove to his own satisfaction that all of these assertions are in fact true. This is
because I soon realised that there is one major obstacle to the practice of Alchemy becoming more popular, to wit:
one must really have the equivalent of a fully fledged Chemistry lab at ones disposal, in order to carry out Alchemy
safely, or indeed at all. A distillation train, fume-cupboard, a small kiln, an incubator, infinite glassware, a wide
assortment of chemicals such as Absolute Alcohol,1) Potassium Carbonate, Acetic Acid, Citric Acid, Nitric and
Hydrochloric acids, Sodium Hydroxide, and more must all be to hand and this does not include the raw materials
which would be used to form the basis of a given Alchemical operation.
There is a traditional saying in Alchemy: “One must have Gold in order to create Gold.” Whilst some might be
inclined to think that by “Gold” is meant some Solar / Tiphereth / etc concept, I would say it actually refers to the
amount of money required to successfully finance a career in Alchemy!
However there is a small portion of the vast subject of Alchemy which is just about accessible to a practitioner with a
small amount or even no equipment: it is commonly known as the Prima Opus (“First Work”), and is concerned with
the vegetable kingdom (mainly Herbs). It is the form of Alchemy taught to beginners, as it introduces them to many
concepts which they will be able to apply later to the Animal and Mineral kingdoms – the subjects of
the Secunda and Tertia Opera respectively. It was in this area which I myself began my explorations in the field of
Alchemy, and which forms the basis of this article.
A Spagyric Tincture2)
There is no laboratory Alchemical instruction in the original order of the Golden Dawn: however, some of its offshoots
investigated at least some aspects of the work. As far as I can tell, this is a development within the past 30 years,
and is mainly due to the influence of “Frater Albertus”, the 20th Century Alchemist.3) On the one hand, Israel
Regardie wrote a forward to one of Albertus' books,4) and operated his own Alchemical laboratory in the last decade
of his life. Regardie himself went as far as to attempt the Work in Metals: from what I can gather he attempted the
Dry Path – i.e. making the Stone from Regulus of Antimony.5) However he was prevented in this incarnation from
achieving it when an accident in his lab severely damaged his lungs.
On the other hand, it appears that the Whare Ra temple of the Stella Matutina taught the Prima at least: I have not
discovered whether they went further or not. I have in my possession a contemporary document created by a
member of the Golden Dawn in which they recommend that beginners to Alchemy attempt the Prima by creating, in a
rather simplified way, at least seven “Planetary Tinctures” i.e. by selecting one herb for each of the seven planets of
classical Astrology.6) Inspired by this, I myself attempted to create my own set of seven Planetary Tinctures.
I will not be able to go farther without employing Alchemical vocabulary. A substance is truly Alchemical when it
becomes what is known as a “Quintessence”. If one were to ask an Alchemist what a Quintessence is, he would say
it is a substance in which the “Volatile” forms of a thing’s “Mercury”, “Sulphur” and “Salt” have been combined
together, and after a period of “Cohobation” they have formed into a new state which is literally greater than the sum
of the parts. Thus, when we are talking about the Prima, it is possible to translate these terms as follows:
“Mercury” is the transcendent spirit or Neshamah of a thing. In Practical Alchemy it a Gaseous substance –
which is another way of saying it is a liquid with a low boiling point. Thus in Plant Alchemy the Mercury will be
a liquid solvent, most commonly Ethanol.
“Sulphur” is the indwelling soul or Ruach. In practical work it is an oil or oil-like liquid. In the Prima, the Sulphur
is identical to the Essential oil of a given plant.
“Salt” is the subtle body or Nephesh. It is a crystalline substance (i.e. like a salt in the chemical sense) that is
obtained by extracting the subtle essence from the physical matter which is left after the Sulphur has been
extracted. Owing to the nature of the method used to derive the Salt in Plant Alchemy, it has been said that it
is generally nothing more than Potassium Carbonate i.e. Potash.
Does this mean that a vegetable Quintessence can be formed simply by buying pure Alcohol, essential Oil and
Potash from a shop and just mixing them together? The purist would have to answer a resounding “No” for a variety
of reasons to do with the fact that a real Alchemist would view his Art in a completely different way to that of the
ordinary Chemist.
Firstly, the Alchemical process is vital part of the overall effect. Whereas a Chemist would simply view the chemicals
and the experiment as something separate or other than himself, the Alchemist views the Work as an interaction
between his being and the materials he is using. Thus, for an Alchemist, the act of carrying out an operation in the
proper Alchemical manner inevitably improves him Spiritually at the same time as achieving the desired physical
result.
Secondly, the Alchemist believes that there are properties of Matter that are very real, but are outside the bounds of
what is recognised by conventional chemistry. These are more than just “subtle” properties as might be championed
by clairvoyants. Alchemists believe that certain physical results can occur when materials are subjected to unusual
processes: however, if one were to describe these processes to a Chemist, he would fail to see how any kind of
chemical reaction would take place at all. For example: I know of one Alchemist who alleges that it is possible to
extract a subtle essence from Potash, using pure Alcohol. This subtle essence is therefore the “Salt” which makes up
the third quintessential item in the famous “Prima Ens Melissa” or Elixir Vitae formula described by Paracelsus. This
incidentally is why it would be dangerous to say that the Salt in the Prima is only Potash, whereas it would appear
that in fact it is the subtle essence of Potash which is more important.
Thirdly, there is still a great deal of Magia in Alchemy. For example, vegetable Mercury which has been prepared by
infusing the Herb in water, adding yeast and fructose, fermenting it and distilling the end product Seven times7) would
have what is known as the Signature of that Herb on it. Buying pure alcohol from a shop (or mail order) does not
have this advantage, although it might have at least some signature of the vegatable kingdom on it. This, in addition,
is the reason why sea-salt cannot be used in the Prima work, as it comes from the Mineral kingdom, and cannot
really be said to have any kind of vegetable signature upon it.
So what then is a tincture? It is an Alchemical preparation in liquid form, such that one may for example take a few
drops diluted in a glass of water and ingest it. An alchemical tincture is “Quintessential” because it contains the three
principles of a herb – it’s Mercury, Sulphur and Salt – combined and cohobated together. It is also possible to have a
metallic tincture, in which an ingestible medicine is created from a metal. Note that most metals, if they were to be
ingested, would actually be very poisonous. This then is one of the meanings of Transmutation: through Alchemy it is
possible to transmute a poisonous metal, into a beneficial substance.
I chose seven herbs to work on: one for each planet.8) These were
Saturn Comfrey
Mars Basil
Venus Mint
Mercury Parsley
Moon Pennyroyal
I obtained these in their dried forms, except Parsley, which I bought fresh. Frater Albertus however recommends that
if one does pick the fresh herb, one should first dry it before using it: otherwise one would have to use about four
times as much fresh herb as one would normally use dry.
Basil, Parsley and Mint are obtainable easily enough from any supermarket: the others by mail order.
Now the Golden Dawn prescribes a ceremonial form for conducting Alchemical experiments: unfortunately I did not
follow it. Instead, I first started out in each case by consecrating the herb to be used as a Talisman of the Planetary
force to which it was assigned. The act of consecrating the herb in this way thus tied my consciousness in to the
spiritual forces behind the alchemical operation from the outset. The form of the ceremony in each case followed the
usual Z2 outline of the Golden Dawn: I was also able to incorporate a number of traditional Graeco-Egyptian (and
other) invocations. So for example:
I am picking you, [name of Herb], with my Five-fingered Hand, I, [your name], and I am bringing you home so that
you may work for me for [purpose – e.g. “creating a Spagyric Tincture of …”]
I adjure you by [∴ my Augœides, and by] the Undefiled Names of [the] God: [vibrate the appropriate Divine
Name(s)], if you pay no Heed to me, the Earth which produced you will no longer be watered as far as you are
concerned – ever in Life again, if I fail in this Operation.
MOUTHABAR NACH BARNACHO’CHA BRAEO’MENDA LAUBRAASSE PHASPHA BENDEO –
Fulfill for me the perfect charm!
This I was able to use as a general invocation in all herbal workings. It is from the Greek Magical Papyri, and is thus
cognate with such rituals as the famous “Bornless Invocation”.9)
At this point, if one were a proper Alchemist, one’s next step would be to take the consecrated herb and convert into
its “Chaos” form. A “Chaos” is one in which all the elements are mixed together in their unrefined form – e.g. the
fermented Herbal mixture as mentioned above. From this Chaos are separated the four elements: “Fire”, “Water”,
“Air” and “Earth”. These are actually names for actual substances to be found within the Chaos. The four Elements
are then purified, so that their volatile parts (which make up the Principles) are separated from the fixed parts (which
are either poisonous or redundant). These Principles are then combined and cohobated to form the Quintessence
(see below).
There is however a supposedly simpler method that is used by those with basic or no lab equipment: the herb is
macerated for a time with a quantity of vegetable Mercury (i.e. ethanol). This can be done with a soxhlet extractor in
a lab – in which case it takes a relatively short time – or it can more simply be done by placing the herb + Mercury in
a sealed mason jar, and leaving it in a warm place away from direct sunlight. If the latter path is followed, this will
take some two weeks. I used 4 fl. oz of Mercury to 1 oz. of dried herb. When I did this, every day I would shake up
the said jars whilst vibrating the divine name associated with the “talisman” in question – so that all the while I was
concentrating on the original consecration ceremony.
Sulphur to the Circle
Salt to the Cross
One can tell how much of each principle one can expect from the order in which these three components appear in
the appropriate sign relating to it. For example:
Saturn - Lead The Cross surmounting the Crescent suggests that there will be much
Salt, some Mercury, but minuscule amounts of Sulphur
Mars - Iron The old symbol – Cross upon a Circle – indicates mostly Salt, some
Sulphur, and very little or no Mercury.
Sun - Gold Predominantly Sulphur; minuscule amounts of the other two principles.
Moon - Silver Predominantly Mercury; minuscule amounts of the other two principles.
Take for example, Lemon Balm, Melissa Officinalis. This is herb is traditionally assigned to the planet Jupiter. One
can derive Mercury and Salt from it: one can even derive a lot of Fixed Sulphur; but the Volatile Sulphur thereof is
extremely difficult to come by.15) It thus fits the pattern suggested above of a material which is Jovial in nature.
The Prima Ens Melissa, previously mentioned, made from Lemon Balm as its name suggests. Perhaps that is the
real reason the Elixir Vitae is so hard to come by – because it is so hard to extract the Volatile Sulphur from the
Lemon Balm plant.
I will now append a table summarising the results of my own experiments:
Comfrey This appeared to be successful, although I did not note any Spiritual results
which struck me as specifically “Saturnine”.
Lemon This tincture was a murky brown, instead of the greenish-yellow which I would
Balm have expected from successfully isolating the Volatile Sulphur. Thus it
confirmed what I had heard about Lemon Balm from other Alchemists.
Basil Like the Comfrey, this appeared to be successful, but I did not note any
results which seemed specifically “Martial”.
St. John’s The Sulphur of St. John’s Wort is a very definite golden yellow, coincidentally.
Wort I found it difficult to calcine a pure Salt, free from fixed sulphur.
Mint The preparation of the Salt and Sulphur were generally successful. The
resulting tincture is green-ish in colour. I noticed some subtle effects that
indicated it had some of the envisaged Spiritual qualities.
Parsley This was an early experiment of mine: the Salt proved hard to isolate, as I
was attempting to work from the fresh Herb.
I found that the invocation which I used to invoke the forces of Luna at the
outset was very powerful – it had a strong psychic effect on me at the time.16)
Pennyroyal I was especially pleased with preparing the Salt for this one. The tincture
proved to be very potent indeed. I made the mistake of taking a single
drop undiluted and found myself having vivid lucid dreams all night (nb:
Dream divination is the power associated with the path of Luna).
Conclusion
The Luna and Venus Tinctures were the last two I attempted: and given that I saw positive results with these, I feel it
is fair to say there was at least some improvement in my attempts at Alchemy from when I first started. However, I
recognise that for myself there is still far to go, and so much to do. For example: re-creating satisfactory Saturn,
Jupiter, Mars, Solar and Mercury tinctures.
Moreover there is far more to the Prima Opus than simply the creation of Herbal tinctures. For one thing there is the
Prima Ens Melissa, already mentioned. I have attempted this once, but like creating a tincture from Lemon Balm, I
found it very easy to extract fixed Sulphur from the plant, but almost impossible to extract the volatile Sulphur – the
Ens itself.
Then again there is the matter of attempting to create a Vegetable Stone: which if successful, would theoretically
catalyse the extraction of volatile Sulphur from herbs in future alchemical experiments. I intend to attempt all of this
once I have access to a full laboratory set-up.
Index
Bibliography
FRATER ALBERTUS, 1987. The Alchemist's Handbook: Manual for Practical Laboratory Alchemy. York Beach, ME:
Red Wheel / Weiser.
BARDON, F., 2001. Initiation into Hermetics: the Way of the True Adepts. 1st paperback ed. Salt Lake City, UT:
Merkur.
BETZ, H.D. (ed.), 1992. The Greek Magical Papyri in translation. Volume one: texts, 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: University
of Chicago Press.
CONWAY, D., 1976. The Magic of Herbs. Newton Abbot, England: Readers Union.
CROWLEY, A., ed, 1903. The Goetia of the Lesser Key of Solomon. S.L. MacGregor Mathers (trans.) electronic
edn. http://www.hermetic.com/browe-archive/pdf/goetia.pdf: The Hermetic Library.
CROWLEY, A. 1906. 777. electronic edn. http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/liber777.pdf: The Hermetic Library.
UNKNOWN. Golden Dawn Correspondence Course Lesson 45 – Herbal Alchemy, n.d., unpub.
VALENTINE, B.,1678. The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. Kirkringer, Theodore (ed.). electronic
edn. http://levity.com/alchemy/antimony.html: The Alchemy Website.
Index
1) But not “Denatured Alcohol”. A liquid which is 99% Ethanol, and has but 1% Methanol is not good enough for use
in Alchemy. Vide Infra.
2) The term “Spagyric” means “to separate and combine”; “solve et coagula”; and refers to the fact that the Principles
are first separated, purified, and then re-combined together. The term was originally by Paracelsus, and does not
apply solely to herbal work, but to Alchemy generally.
3) Albert Riedel, 1911 – 84. Formerly a member of AMORC, and latterly the founder of the Paracelsus College which
is still in existence.
4) The Alchemist’s Handbook: Manual for Practical Laboratory Alchemy, (Albertus 1987).
5) For a description of “Regulus of Antimony”, see Valentine, 1678. The Dry Path itself is the method supposedly
used by Flamel, and is dealt with in detail by the modern alchemical group the Philosophers of Nature.
6) I know this document as Golden Dawn Correspondence Course Lesson 45. Its authorship is anonymous although
I have reason to believe that it was written by a member of the Whare Ra temple. One of the few definite clues is that
whoever wrote acknowledges he(?) was familiar with the work of Frater Albertus.
7) Or at any rate at least twice: once to separate the “Air” (alcohol) from the “Chaos” (fermented mixture); and a
second time to extract the “Subtle Mercury” (pure Ethanol) from the “Gross” (i.e. impurities such as Methanol, which
are poisonous).
8) For appropriate herbs see: Conway 1976, pp.22-23, and Crowley 1906.
9) Betz 2002, pp.43-44, PGM IV 286-95.
10) Although at 90% ABV, can it ever be really fit for consumption, even if it is free from all denaturants?
11) http://www.beerliquors.com/liquors/grain.htm
12) http://www.irish-poteen.com/range_90%25_gold_extra_strength.htm
13) For example, the Goetia of the Lesser Key of Solomon.
14) Bardon 2001.
15) This is also the reason why commercial suppliers of Lemon Balm Essential Oil charge around £40 ($75 US) for
2.5 ml (i.e. half a teaspoon)!
16) Adapted from a Graeco-Egyptian rite of divination. See Betx op. cit., pp.232-3, PDM XIV 695-700.