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Alchemy Academy archive
July 2001

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Subject: ACADEMY : Rosicrucian Politics
From: Susanna Åkerman
Date: 3 July 2001

I have just read Robert Vanloo's 'l'Utopie des Rose-Croix'
Dervy, 2001. I can comment on the first part, while the second
deals with eighteenth century and modern developments.

Vanloo argues for the Protestant alliance between France,
England, the Protestant German states and Denmark in the
1580s as setting the political tone for the Rosicrucian message
through reading Simon Studion's Naometria for 1604. He also
emphasizes the Jubilee of the arrest of Johan Hus in 1414 and
his burning in 1415 to be signalled and commemorated by the
Rosicrucian manifestoes in 1614 and 1615. I gather this might
be correct, or at least that it was seen as such, since Johan Hus,
the first European reformer, figures prominently in Johannes
Bureus' writings as foreshadowing the Rosicrucians.

Interesting is also the Venice 1589 edition of Joachim di Fiore's
Vaticinia that shows the Angelic Pope with a rose and how in a
second image the Angelic Pope crowns a lion with his own tiara
with its three spiritual crowns. Paracelsus' prophetical image of
an F standing on a rose on a Crown is also discussed in this
connection with reference to Michael Lotich's letter to Charles IX
of Sweden. In Rose Cross Over the Baltic I suggested that the
text speaks of a neologism " per Germaniam Rosynscenti"
which Vanloo at first agreed with after carefully looking at the text.
He now inserts a sheet of errata where the correct reading is
presented as "per Germaniam rescipicenti" or "Germania coming
to its senses." This reading has been reached by Carlos Gilly
and has been discussed with me and Vanloo, at the time for the
editing this spring of an article of mine presented in 1994 at
Wolfenbuttel for the "Rosencreutz als Europäische Phänomen"
conference. However, even if this tones down the direct Rosicrucian
dimension of the letter, the fact remains that "einer aus der Mitternacht"
that will create "ein andere zustand in Norden" was spread by
Lotich to Sweden in 1605 seemingly to inform of the French influence
on Christian of Anhalt and his accomplices and their choice at
that time of Fredrick IV of Wurtemberg , and later Fredrick V of
the Palatinate, as Protestant leader and later King of Bohemia.
Vanloo makes it all very plausible.

The French Protestant dimension to this maneuvering through
Henri IV explains the force of these politics and to Vanloo the
murder of Henri IV by Ravaillac in 1610 is an important moment
in the apocalyptic scenario at the time. Recall that the Fama is
supposed to have been written in manuscript in 1609.

Yesterday, I read Theodor Kükelhaus' 'Der Ursprung des planes
von ewigen Frieden in den memoiren des Herzogs von Sully'. Berlin
1893. p. 78 n. 149. Sully's peaceplan is supposed to have been
formulated by Henri IV and apparently Sully speaks in 1601 of a
prophecy on the birth of a French King and in the note Kukelhaus
suggests that it perhaps is related to a 'Profetie du comte Bombaste:
Chevalier de la Rose-Croix, neveux de Paracelse publiée en
anné 1609 sur la naissance de Louis le Grande etc. par Francois A
lary en Rouen 1712' (Louis XIV was born in 1638). Perhaps Robert
can locate it, the reference is to Lelong's Bibliotheque No. 19904
and Meusel VIII t. 1, p. 221. I could not find nearer titles to these
bibliographic works.

Vanloo's book does much to settle on the Protestant political
situation and thus vindicates Frances Yates' interpretation to some
degree. We will see how this is interpreted by critics such as Carlos
Gilly who prefers to see the movement in its spiritual and local
dimension. We are left with the problem of how Rosicrcuian
political visions were connected to real politics: marginal, central
behind the scenes, or more an expression of the Zeitgeist by small
town theologians.

I just want to correct Vanloo on the point of Famagusta Franco
Allemannica's interesting 'Frauenzimmer der Schwesteren der
Rosinfarbende Creutzes (1620)'. It was not given to Queen
Christina, she was born in 1626. It is reproduced in Richard Scherer,
'Alchymia. Die Blauen Jungfrau in Blauen gewande. Alchemische
texte des 16. und 17 Jahrhunderts'. Mössingen-Talheim, 1988.
It is there however misdated to 1629. This text of a Rosicrucian
female utopia really deserves to be better known. Is it a satire?
It does not seem so.

Christina was however courted by Bureus and amazingly Bureus
sent the Boehme-scholar Abraham van Franckenberg his 'Fama
e Scanzia redux' 1616, who in 1646 sent it to Athanasius Kircheri
and kept up the correspondence on Bureus with Kircher till 1652
(a final letter in 1657). Kircher corresponded with Christina in 1649-1651
at the time for the arrival of the Jesuits who were to carry on the
secret conversion talks and she mentions one of them, Macedo,
as carrying a letter to him. In 1651 Kircher even adresses her
"Regina serenissima, potentissima, sapientissima, vere trismegisii"!
So Christina was called out of Sweden because of Hermes
Trismegistus and seemingly Bureus' Fama had opened the way...
(By the way, could she not see herself as the lioness spiritually
crowned by the angelic Pope? She owned Joachim's prophecies
and said at one point to cardinal Azzolino that she had seen Pope
Alexander VII's wheelchair in Joachim's predictions). In any case,
I am presently writing on this previously unknown Kircherian
dimension to her conversion.

Susanna

Subject: ACADEMY : Kelly's Theatre of Terrestrial Astronomy
From: Adam McLean
Date: 4 July 2001

Does anyone have any information on this work ascribed to
Edward Kelly? This was first published in 1676 :-

Tractatus duo egregii, de Lapide Philosophorum, una cum
Theatro astronomiæ terrestri, cum Figuris, in gratiam filiorum
Hermetis nunc primum in lucem editi, curante J. L.M.C.
[Johanne Lange Medicin Candidato].
Hamburgi. apud Gothofredum Schultzen, prostat &
Amsterdam apud Jansonio-Waesbergios
1676

This has a series of 16 circular woodcuts.

Are there any manuscripts predating this edition ?

Is it correct to assign this to Kelly ? Are there any mentions
of this work in his or Dee's papers ?

Are the woodcut images unique to this manuscript, or
were they taken from some earlier source ?

Any information on this work gratefully received.

Adam McLean

Subject: ACADEMY : Kelly's Theatre of Terrestrial Astronomy
From: Jackson Wiley
Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2001

The only info I have (beside the article Adam did in issue #22 page 31
of The Hermetic Journal) is the booklet put out by Holmes Publishing
Group entitled "Edward Kelly's Theatre Of Terrestrial Astronomy".
Though not colored, all 16 emblems are clearly reproduced. The
booklet also contains 13 chapters descrbing the emblems and
colors for them are listed in this text. This set of emblems has
puzzled me for such a long time because they are so different
than any set of emblems I have seen and also because they
were allegedly made prior to any of the Rosicrucian manifestos.
One reason I find these emblems so appealing is that they
"anthropomorphise" some of the alchemical (albeit in a crude
fashion) concepts. They are fun and easy to memorize (for me)
because of this. I really wish their real story could be found.

Were they made in the vicinity of Emporor Rudolph II?

Jackson Wiley

Subject: ACADEMY : Books on David Teniers the Younger
From: Adam McLean
Date: 8 July 2001

I am trying to find a book with good colour illustrations of
many of the alchemical laboratory paintings by David
Teniers the Younger.

I have access to the main (only?) work in English by
Jane P. Davidson 'David Teniers the Younger '
and this only has a few plates of the alchemical
laboratories, so I have not been able to see a
significant number of this series of paintings.

There appear to be two main items which I have not
been able to see.

Klinge, Margret
Adrian Brouwer [&] David Teniers the Younger, a Loan Exhibition
of Paintings.
Catalogue well illustrated with many color plates and
b&w illustrations. Large 4to, wrps. 1982

Adolf Rossenberg.
Teniers der Jungere (circa 1900)

Does anyone have access to these ? Does the
Klinge contain good quality photos of these
alchemical paintings ? I assume the Rossenberg
book, being early 20th century, may only have black
and white illustrations.

Are there any other sources I should consult ?

Thanks,

Adam McLean

Subject: ACADEMY : Books on David Teniers the Younger
From: Eve Sinaiko
Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2001

> Klinge, Margret
> Adrian Brouwer [&] David Teniers the Younger, a Loan Exhibition
> of Paintings.
> Catalogue well illustrated with many color plates and
> b&w illustrations. Large 4to, wrps. 1982

This is listed as available through www.bookfinder.com.

Regards,

Eve Sinaiko

Subject: ACADEMY : Books on David Teniers the Younger
From: Susanna Åkerman
Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2001

Dear Adam,

In the Stockholm Arthistory library the most recent and thickest
book of Teniers is:

I can perhaps check it out, if you can't get it by interlibarary loan.
I do not know if they focus on the alchemical laboratories.

David Teniers de Jonge : schilderijen, tekeningen : [tentoonstelling],
Antwerpen, Koninklijk Museum voor schone Kunsten, 11 mei-1
september 1991 / [prospectie en selectie]: Margret Klinge
Editor: Gent : Snoeck-Ducaju & Zoon
Year: 1991
335 pp. : ill. (mainly in colour)
ISBN: 90-5349-018-3 (paperback)
90-5349-017-5 (bound)

Susanna

Subject: ACADEMY : Mercury and Sulphur, Matter and Spirit
From: Hereward Tilton
Date: Sun, 08 Jul 2001

I have recently come across an assertion in a German book
on alchemy that (in pre-Paracelsian tradition) Mercury corresponds
to matter (as the female) and Sulphur to spirit (as the male), but
I can't say that I know which texts this assertion is based upon.
In fact most of the non-Paracelsian texts I have seen seem to
imply the opposite - that Mercury (although female) is the
subtle spirit penetrating bodies, and Sulphur (although male)
is the fixed, earthy principle.

Can anyone enlighten me on this point?

Hereward Tilton

Subject: ACADEMY : Rosicrucian Politics
X-Attachments: C:\Pipex\Academy\ATTACH\Corrigendum.doc;
From: Robert Vanloo
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2001

Thank you to Suzanna for her kind comments. I asked my editor
in March to bring the necessary corrections to the text
concerning Lotich's letter, but this was apparently too late.
So I suggested a "corrigendum" to be added to the book, but it
seems that this is considered nowadays as an old-fashioned
practice... It means that unhappily the books sold in the bookstores
will not have this addendum. So here is a copy joined herewith
for our friends who have bought the book or would have the
intention of doing so.

Concerning Suzanna's clue on the "Profetie du comte Bombaste...",
I shall investigate as soon as possible as the date of 1609 is
much interesting if the document is not apocryphal.

Robert Vanloo

L'Utopie Rose-Croix, Dervy, 2001

ERRATA

- page 87, sous la première image, il convient de lire : "La triple couronne papale".

- page 109, § 2, ligne 4, il convient de supprimer : "et dédié à Christine de Suède".

- page 121, § 2, ligne 1, lire : "chiffrées" au lieu de "chiffrElie".

- page 155, § 2 & 3, il convient de lire : « Expositio Sapphyri ab Aquilone illucescentis / orbi pro Germania resipiscenti / contra Bestiam Quartam / Indice (F) Judiceque / Leo Davidiades / Leonibus / Britannorum atq. Batavorum opitulaturus h. e. / Romanae & Constantinopolitanae Tyrannidis Extirpatio: / Verbi & Imperii Sapphyrici fundatio: / Liliorum Aquilae aureae adjuticatorum Expansio: . / Lutheranum & Orthodoxorum compositio: / Lapidis in nova Jerusalem inexpugnabilis stabilatio C / Indice (F) Judiceque. »

Ce texte peut se traduire ainsi : « Présentation du royaume saphirique illuminant comme une aurore le monde à partir du Septentrion pour l’Allemagne repentante contre la Quatrième Bête. Grâce à la Révélation et au Jugement par le F. Le lion de David porte secours aux lions Britannique et Batave c’est-à-dire : extirpation de la tyrannie de Rome et de Constantinople, fondement du Verbe et de l’Empire saphirique, expansion des adjudicataires à l'Aigle d' Or des lys, réconciliation des luthériens et des orthodoxes, stabilité de la pierre inexpugnable dans la nouvelle Jérusalem. Grâce à la Révélation et au Jugement par le F.»

- page 356, ligne 3, lire : "père spirituel" au lieu de "fondateur".

Subject: ACADEMY : Ninian Bres - Le corbeau menteur
From: Claude Gagnon
Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001

Adam McLean wrote:

>I have come across a reference to a book by Ninian Bres
>entitled 'Le corbeau menteur', written in the 19th century
>which deals in part with Nicolas Flamel.

Sorry for answering you so late and for telling you that I have
not a single notice of this book in my documentation.

Claude Gagnon

Subject: ACADEMY : Mercury and Sulphur, Matter and Spirit
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001
From: Tatiana Dolinina

To Hereward Tilton and all:

> I have recently come across an assertion in a German
> book on alchemy that (in pre-Paracelsian tradition)
> Mercury corresponds to matter (as the female) and
> Sulphur to spirit (as the male)

I'd be interested to see textual allusions to Sulphur
as the "spirit" aspect.

Any references?

Thanks.

Tatiana Dolinina

Subject: ACADEMY : Mercury and Sulphur, Matter and Spirit
From: Gleb Butuzov
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001

Dear Hereward and Tatiana,

Generally speaking, Our Sol and Our Luna comprise Mercury of the
Philosophers, i.e. this latter posesses both Mercurial and Sulphuric
qualities, being still referred to as "Mercury". To my mind, most plainly
the difference between "sulfuric mercury" and "mercurial Mercury", i.e.
between masculine/feminine, soul/spirit etc. aspects of Mercury, was
described by Julius Evola in his "Hermetic Tradition" (Inner Traditions
International. Vermont, 1995. pp. 48-49).

Besides, sometimes different Sulfurs may be confused in terms of
philosophical categories, because not all what is called "Sulphur"
is True Sulphur; some represent "earthly" and "dead" matter.
The same we may say about Mercury.

Best regards.

Gleb Butuzov.

Subject: ACADEMY : Melchior Cibinensis
From: Adam McLean
Date: 23rd July 2001
Does anyone know of any modern source for biographical
information on Melchior Cibinensis? He was the early 16th
century Hungarian writer of the 'Alchemical Mass', and is
included in Michael Maier's 'Symbola aureae mensae'.

Adam McLean

Subject: ACADEMY : Melchior Cibinensis
Bcc: ACADEMY
From: Penny Bayer
Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001

Dear Adam

Cristina Neagu discusses the possibility that the humanist
Nicolaus Olahus (1493-1568) may have been the author of
Melchior Cibensis' Mass. See 'The Processus sub Forma
Missae: Christian Alchemy, Identity and Identification',
Archæus IV (2000), pp. 105-117.

Best regards
Penny Bayer