Hermaphrodite Child of the Sun and Moon VI

Translated by Mike Brenner. Copyright Mike Brenner 1997. Permission given to freely copy this, as long as this copyright remains attached.
Back to Hermaphrodite Child of the Sun and Moon.

EXPLANATION OF FIGURE 6

Back in Figure 1, Mercury swung from the dark, exoteric world of the
gross elements to the subtle, esoteric kingdom of the Air. This same
spirit of Mercury in pure, crystal-white, liquid form appears in
Figure 4 inside the innermost triangle. The crown sitting on the
triangle represents the Sun-child as a solid jewel. Though the noble
Salt is sealed in the excreted soil, that soil is now set aside, later
to become the cornerstone, the foundation of the entire Work,
unchanging and forever.

The seven stars represent the circulations of Air, through which the
paradisiacal queen nourishes so the Child grows in power, strength,
and virtue.

PARAGRAPH 6

The dry water indicates
A substance that wets nothing, yet is
The Seed of all humidity.
It is the Green Lion's partner,
Made pure and subtle by the Mars-nature,
The White Mercury is made here:
It must be polished as bright
As a spring of liquid silver:
That is how to gently inspire the Work along,
So it binds with its Red servant.

EXPLANATION OF PARAGRAPH 6

The Dry Water symbol is fundamental to this Work of our hearts. It is
a dry rain from above, a rarefaction and condensation strange to the
touch. Your hand would not get wet, but would change colors, becoming
black as chimney soot, white as snow, and red as freshly spilt
blood. It is invisible, yet everywhere. It is the moist Center, the
warm Radical, the green lion, the liquid dragon. The magical fire in
Its waters evaporates It. It becomes a liquid silver Spirit rising up
from a fountain floating in the Air. It is transmuted from the putrid
murk of the rotting grave, into a pure and splendid Light full of
Glory. It is now the Nymph-Spa where the Sun and Moon bathe,
preparing for a magical copulation so powerful that they are
permanently bonded together into a single being.

THE SIXTH CANON

A king in purple robes
Stabilizes me each time:
That is the pure Gold of the Philosophers
Who seek It in me.
It is called Solid Red Sulphur.
Everything else keeps a wide berth,
Because I can do it all single handed,
Though I am only one Stone,
I tolerate no Silver or Gold,
And Mercury treats me with disdain.
I complete the entire Work
All by my Self.

EXPLANATION OF CANON 6

In this recipe for cooking the Stone to coherency, the cloudy,
vaporous Water that does not wet the hand serves as the moisture that
binds and stabilizes the Stone, like an egg binds dough. This
stabilization process is represented by the Regulus of Jupiter who is
the newly born heavenly Child or the black Stone beset with rubies.
It symbolizes the passions regenerated into true desire, the red
solid Sulphur that arises from this same purified moisture and
becomes the Stone. The art and science of this spiritual union and
reintegration gives It the power to complete all Work pertaining to
the Stone and the true Tincuture.

Only someone (are your ears turning red now?) wallowing in blissful
ignorance of natural law would think that lifeless metallic gold,
silver, and mercury, which neither speak nor breathe, could ever give
birth to a life-giving Stone or healing Tincture. The Adept who wrote
this Canon dismisses all such nonsense.

True, the Stone may look like gold, silver, and mercury,
but its internal essence is the Mystical Substance from
Figure 4. This Mystical Substance is sometimes called gold because
part of it is solid fiery Earth. Silver because part of it is
liquid-water, and Mercury or quicksilver because of the white mixture and
the product arising from it. So, with the bubble of pride burst, you
can succeed in achieving your goal and reach closer to your final
destination.

If you have problems understanding these alchemical texts, Adam McLean now provides a study course entitled How to read alchemical texts : a guide for the perplexed.