After a discussion of essentials I decided it would be best to clear everything up in a thread of it's own. To start, I'm going to explain exactly what Alchemy is and it's basic processes. First let's clear up a couple issues:
Alchemy is not chemistry.
Every branch of science or scientific process today comes from a base of Alchemy.
Alchemy's earliest known history is from Ancient Egypt.
"The Black Art" or Khemia as named by the Greeks, comes from ancient Egyptian secret sciences. After the Romans came into control around 30 B.C.E most of the information was destroyed in the destruction of the Great Library. The remains who practiced Hermetic Philosophy migrated to Arab lands, where the Arabic Prefix Al was added to the Greek Khemia, giving us Al-khemia later to become Alchemy. Now we have an understanding of were the name comes, let's discuss the definition and principles of the Great Art.
Alchemy has many definitions, being called the Sacred Science or Celestial Agriculture. By definition to the non-occult world, Alchemy is a protoscience that lead to chemistry and medicine. To us who have a greater understanding that our world is more than that, Alchemy is the Great Work, the inner and outer perfection of ones self and relationship with the divines. It is a broad spectrum to cover, from mineral to vegetation and animal, also known as the Three Kingdoms. Every Alchemist or anyone who studies it has their own definition based on how they interpret it.
The Basics- As we know there are four basic elements, Fire-Earth-Air-Water. Next is the Tria Prima -or the three prime's. In alchemical principles they are the three essentials, the sulfur, the mercury, and the salt. The alchemical salt, or the body provides the matrix where the sulfur and mercury can act. A passive medium, subject to the fixed energies of Water and Earth. The alchemical sulfur, or the soul of a thing, conducts the volatile principles of Fire and Air expressing the "true will" or personal fire. The alchemical mercury, or the spirit of a thing, is the vital force or life force and predominates the elements of Air and Water. It forms a bridge for the higher forces of sulfur and the lower body of salt.
The three basic Alchemical Transformations are as follows:
Nigredo-"blacking"
Albedo-"whitening"
Rubedo-"reddening"
*Solve et Coagula* meaning to "dissolve and coagulate"
Fundamental Principles- SOL and LUNA. Hopefully I shouldn't have to explain to much with these, just as in any form of magick the Sun and the Moon play direct part in when and how something should be done when working with any alchemical process.
Astrology and Alchemy, *As Above So Below*
Being one of the three hermetic pillars, astrology and alchemy are intimately linked. Sol and Luna have direct effects on everything you do, as do planetary energies of the other five main planets noticed in alchemy.
Seven Planetary Metals-
Gold- dominated by Sol
Silver- dominated by Luna
Copper- dominated by Venus
Iron- dominated by Mars
Tin- dominated by Jupiter
Quicksilver( mercury)- dominated by Mercury
Lead- dominated by Saturn
In the next post I will go more in depth with Planetary Energies and explain Spagyrics in a full extent, as well as go over the twelve main alchemical operations and the importance of the zodiac, and possibly the four degrees of fire if I can find all my notes on that subject.
Alchemy is not chemistry.
Every branch of science or scientific process today comes from a base of Alchemy.
Alchemy's earliest known history is from Ancient Egypt.
"The Black Art" or Khemia as named by the Greeks, comes from ancient Egyptian secret sciences. After the Romans came into control around 30 B.C.E most of the information was destroyed in the destruction of the Great Library. The remains who practiced Hermetic Philosophy migrated to Arab lands, where the Arabic Prefix Al was added to the Greek Khemia, giving us Al-khemia later to become Alchemy. Now we have an understanding of were the name comes, let's discuss the definition and principles of the Great Art.
Alchemy has many definitions, being called the Sacred Science or Celestial Agriculture. By definition to the non-occult world, Alchemy is a protoscience that lead to chemistry and medicine. To us who have a greater understanding that our world is more than that, Alchemy is the Great Work, the inner and outer perfection of ones self and relationship with the divines. It is a broad spectrum to cover, from mineral to vegetation and animal, also known as the Three Kingdoms. Every Alchemist or anyone who studies it has their own definition based on how they interpret it.
The Basics- As we know there are four basic elements, Fire-Earth-Air-Water. Next is the Tria Prima -or the three prime's. In alchemical principles they are the three essentials, the sulfur, the mercury, and the salt. The alchemical salt, or the body provides the matrix where the sulfur and mercury can act. A passive medium, subject to the fixed energies of Water and Earth. The alchemical sulfur, or the soul of a thing, conducts the volatile principles of Fire and Air expressing the "true will" or personal fire. The alchemical mercury, or the spirit of a thing, is the vital force or life force and predominates the elements of Air and Water. It forms a bridge for the higher forces of sulfur and the lower body of salt.
The three basic Alchemical Transformations are as follows:
Nigredo-"blacking"
Albedo-"whitening"
Rubedo-"reddening"
*Solve et Coagula* meaning to "dissolve and coagulate"
Fundamental Principles- SOL and LUNA. Hopefully I shouldn't have to explain to much with these, just as in any form of magick the Sun and the Moon play direct part in when and how something should be done when working with any alchemical process.
Astrology and Alchemy, *As Above So Below*
Being one of the three hermetic pillars, astrology and alchemy are intimately linked. Sol and Luna have direct effects on everything you do, as do planetary energies of the other five main planets noticed in alchemy.
Seven Planetary Metals-
Gold- dominated by Sol
Silver- dominated by Luna
Copper- dominated by Venus
Iron- dominated by Mars
Tin- dominated by Jupiter
Quicksilver( mercury)- dominated by Mercury
Lead- dominated by Saturn
In the next post I will go more in depth with Planetary Energies and explain Spagyrics in a full extent, as well as go over the twelve main alchemical operations and the importance of the zodiac, and possibly the four degrees of fire if I can find all my notes on that subject.
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