2024-03-03 21:05 Archarion & the Opus Magnum Scheme

LABYRINTHDESIGNERS & THE ART OF FIRE

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Archarion & the Opus

Magnum Scheme
This picture, taken from Archarion’s Italian edition of Von Wahrer
Alchemie, is the most comprehensive Great Work or Opus Magnum
scheme, as far as I know.
Great Work is Alchemist as well as Secret Fire Work. It is a co-operation.
This necessary scheme doesn’t need too much exegesis: it renders the
main three different stages or works and is indispensable to
understanding the “why” in ancient treatises.

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Archarion Opus Magnum Scheme (it starts from the bottom)

Nevertheless, don’t worry ( or don’t be too happy): it is not comprehensive
of all operations involved. We have to come through gaps, indeed. By the
way, it provides a very useful tool for mind mapping to create visual
representations of relationships between phases, which are otherwise
treated as untied in most traditional hermetic pictures. The diagram
presented here can be implemented through the frequently asked
questions.

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Archarion Opus Magnum Analysis/Preparatory Works

The first is Lavoro Preparatorio, preparatory work, the Labors of Hercules,
or the Alchemist’s work. Subjectum Crudum is Materia Tertia or raw
matter reduced to chemical salts, and it can be whatever you can think of.
Provide the required amount of Mercurius Universalis/Secret Fire inside.
That is to say, it is recommended a raw matter with a certain amount of
Secret Fire inside or that has been previously exposed to Secret Fire. We
are not interested in molecules; we are trying to gather this ineffable and
ubiquitous substance. Generally speaking, some mineral ores are already
naturally rich in Secret Fire. Nevertheless, there can be the case in which
we have to enrich raw matter with further Secret Fire coming from the sky
(3), or we have decided to take raw matter from the sky. Aurum Astrale (
Astral Gold) on the left is just the astronomical sun, and Argentum Vivum (
Quicksilver) on the right is our orbiting satellite moon. The rule of three (
every allegory or symbol may stand for at least three different concepts)
provides other meanings for Sun and Moon symbolism (4). Still, in
Analisi, or analysis, stands for the process of separating something into its
constituent elements. Pay attention here: do not jump to the easy
conclusion of destroying the matter tout court. The analysis is
magnetization. And destruction in Alchemy leads to magnetization.
Indeed, Subjectum Crudum is the only substance in Alchemy that can
directly receive destructive daytime influences.
Note that “Solve et Coagula” is not used by Archarion in Labors of
Hercules. Mind that a universal hermetic lexicon has always been
nonexistent among alchemists, and some authors don’t use these words
when referring to the mere chemical separation of principles.

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Nevertheless, Mercurius, Sulfur, and Salt are featured above Caput

Mortuum. And we know they are Solve et Coagula movements, no way (5).
Caput Mortuum is our first putrefaction, our first blackness, and our first
gap. A huge gap. Here blackness and irrational repetitions make the
difference between this preparatory work and spagyric. Achieving Caput
mortuum has always been as difficult as achieving Colomba Dianae, first
whiteness, or Mercurius. Mercurius crudus must become totally and
perfectly black to aspire to Primitive Mercurius heights. We must go
further than a simple Materia Tertia resolved in a chemical salt. And very
few things are more difficult than getting a chemical salt to turn perfectly
black through the labors of Hercules. We often come up against
decomposing and disintegrating bodies in the natural world. If you go into
a wood and look up where new plantings are likely to germinate from,
most of the time, it will happen over a rotten dead bole. Examine and
learn. We are to encounter this concept over and over along this blog.
The canonical end of the labors of Hercules is the achievement of first
whiteness, Mercurius, Universal Solvent, Alkahest, Principle of Life, or
Spiritus Vitae. Its achievement is hard human work. Then we have to fix it.
Sometimes we don’t need to, but some others, during second work, we
better need a hermaphrodite than a too fluid (and volatile) woman. Many
can stop here. Mercurius and Mercurius Philosophorum are already
powerful magnets (in the sense of awakener). For another
Mercurius/Secret Fire from the sky to come and accord the main register.
That’s what Fulcanelli called External Influences (6). The first time we
encounter the Resonance/Mirror concept. And another Mercurius can be
introduced: Mercurius Sideribus.
Boundaries between preparatory work and Main Work are not so clean, as
seen in this Hollandus “recipe”.

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Archarion Opus Magnum Mercurius Duplicatus/Main Work

But now that we have Spirit, we may try to go ahead and extract Soul. As a
matter of fact, what is Alchemy for? Second Work or “Lavoro Principale” or
Main work. We will need a Mercurius Duplicatus (7). Traditionally, the
duplication of Mercurius is the most secret and fascinating alchemical
item. The second time we encounter the Mirror concept. Where
Alchemical Marriage takes its origin, in this phase, the alchemist can
stand by and watch, at least like a mother watching and feeding her child.
Kamala Jnana and Arthephius Secret Book (8) start their descriptions just
before Caput Corvi, Crow Head, or second putrefaction. Second Blackness.
Secret Fire is now free from his grave/body and can solve et coagulate. It
can free itself on its own. And so the separation of principles is here
Philosophical and not chemical.
This new Alchemical Child needs to be breastfed with mother’s milk, our
Alkahest previously set aside for the purpose. This will be how the “Rota”
or color rotations will go (9). But it isn’t enough, for we need Perfect
Sulphur. Operations have to be multiplicated (10). The alchemical child or
soul needs a grown-up meal: his blood (11).
Sulfur Philosophorum. Lapis Medicinalis, medical stone. Once again, we
could stop here. I don’t mean to say anything about projection powder or
trasmutation powder. But other authors will do that, and I will present
them in the coming posts. As well as analyzing the different graphic
symbols.

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Archarion Opus Magnum Lapis Medicinalis/Third Work

Third phase. Having reached perfect redness, we might now go for Lapis
Medicinalis. In his scheme, Archarion has not mentioned all the
repetitions we need to get to substance immobility. Every repetition is an
enhancement or exaltation. To get to the point that the very substance will
not be so keen to begin anew, the black-white-red rotation. Understand
me. After the last blackness, Iris is a ring-shaped membrane and means “
all colors”.
Lapis Universalis or Aurum Philosophorum. As mentioned before, the
hermetic lexicon has never been homogenized. Some authors intend
Mercurius Philosophorum for Aurum Philosophorum or Philosophers
Gold. At the same time, Lapis Universalis seems a less controversial term.

Now, all we have to do is a Vase-Egg. A vessel out of the vessel. And for the
third time, we can encounter the Resonance/Mirror concept. The Egg
should emit a series of eight musical notes, as whistles (12). Then a split in
the Egg will put the Stone in display (13). But, before, we have to make the
egg-last oven. Exclusively handcrafted operation (14).

1. “ la Via della Vera Alchimia” E. Mediterranee, Roma 1994, is the

Italian translation of the German original edited in Freiburg 1983.
2. Kriegsmann/ Sun, Moon, Wind and Earth in Tabula Smaragdina ;
3. Thesaurus Hermeticum & Dry Pythagorean River , Nuisement and
the Sun Resisting Capture , Voynich Manuscript and the Unknown
Part of the Rhythm , Perugino and the lady of the Wind ;
4. Sun & Moon at the Turn of the First Millennium , Philosophia
Reformata, Father Sun & Mother Moon ;

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5. Wenceslaw Lavinius and the Sky and Earth Properties , Stoll, the
Lacinius Translator on Male and Female Elements , Basilius
Valentinus & Solve et Coagula Tree ;
6. Fulcanelli & External Influences , Introitus Apertus vs Waite’s Open
Entrance. Chap 4 ;
7. Atalanta Fugiens & Mercurius Duplicatus ;
8. Kamala Jnana, Introduction to a Live Secret , Arthepius, Secret
Book and Secret Fire ;
9. Kamala Jnana, from Black to White ;
10. Splendor Solis & Children Multiplication ;
11. Ripley Scroll: the Soul drinks only Blood ;
12. Canseliet, the Art of Music & Weight , Atorène: Fire and Weights in
Canseliet’s Last Cooking , Brouaut’s Frontispiece, the Organ
Pythagorean Proportions ;
13. Hieronymus Bosch and the Concert in the Egg ;
14. Canseliet & the Details of the Last Cooking , Piero della Francesca &
the Pendent Egg;

Posted in Alchemic Pictures

by Iulia Millesima

Tags:
Archarion

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