Practical alchemy archives - Philosophic Mercury

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Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997
From: Johann Plattner

Dear experienced members of the alchemy-group !

I decided to recapitulate my practical knowledge about philosophic
mercury here. I would like to initiate more discussion to practical
alchemical experiences. Of course, I`m so fair to say, that I`ll expect
to get also some valuable informations, if possible.
It should be well known, Philosophic Mercury is the most concealed, but
in the other way, the most important subject in alchemy. Some claim,
it`s the very first beginning of the royal work. I cannot imagine, only
by blank meditation respectively practising Inner Alchemy, to get
the desired goal. I don`t agree with Lapidus, who reduces Alchemy
to pure Chemistry, but I`m impressed to hear, which possibilities there
are too, without any mystifications. Although, he concealed the most
important things very closely (at least for me).

For me, Philosophic Mercury is:

1. a uniform (single) substance, when it is rectified, viz. cleaned.
2. a liquid. (which does not wet the hand)
3. a highly inflammble substance.
4. a substance wich has quite a strong scent.
5. a extremely volatile substance.
6. a substance with a boiling point between 20 to 25 degrees (sic!)
7. a substance, which requires great care in handling.
8. a substance, dissolving fine gold.
9. a substance, which production is not very difficult, but very well
concealed.
10. a substance, which production is described unrecognized in the
Encyclopedia Brittanica edited in 1781.
11. a substance, which have to be produced from metalls only.
etc. etc.

I think, for the beginning, it`s quite enough.

With best wishes

Johann Plattner

Date: Thu Aug 28 22:46:47 1997
From: Art Kunkin

Dear Johann Plattner,
It's quite possible that some of the more "experienced" members of
the forum might prefer to carry on a discussion about the mercury in a
smaller arena for the time being. There might even be some who are not too
eager to discuss at all for the time being but would like to know for
future reference how to contact those who have identified themselves in the
forum as serious practical workers. With that in mind I would like to make
my email address available to you (kunkin@cinenet.net). Personally, I am
even interested in knowing geographical locations as well as electronic
addresses because such snail mail addresses have proven useful to me when I
have travelled abroad. (My own location is Los Angeles, California).
Meanwhile I applaud the fact that you obviously have done much of
the required study. However, a significant clue that you overlook in your
listing is the reiterated statement that there is a joining of two and
possibly three elements (including a secret fire) in the "rebis" at an
early stage of the process but that these distinct elements are
nevertheless one. Just about all of the "recipes" that have been tried and
publicized are far from conforming to this condition despite the unanimous
agreement of the ancients on this point. It is certainly one of the most
baffling aspects of this greatest of all human puzzles and one that has
blocked many serious seekers from even attempting laboratory work. Even the
recipe from the 1771 Encyclopedia (not 1781!) that has often been
identified as the process for producing the philosophical mercury does not
really conform to this condition even though it definitely produces the
strange substance seen by Casanova in St. Germaine's laboratory which boils
in one's hand (your number six). Cordially, Art Kunkin

Art Kunkin

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 15:55:54 -0700
From: "A.M.W. House"

Dear Johann,

Please find information regarding Philosophic Mercury at this site:
focussing specifically on making Regulus of iron and antimony to further
produce a philosophic double mercury that was animated by several
distillations and subsequently caused swelling and putrefaction in gold.
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/markhouse1.html

Many species of so-called philosophic mercuries may come from more than the
metallic kingdom, for instance: vegetable - acidic acid made philosophical
by a radical vinegar production, see these former postings all under the
heading Practical: Acetates Theory, Acetone, Distillation of Vinegar, on the
Alchemy Forum dated 8/19/97. These are fairly recent if you didn't see them.

Please note that the vegetable realm gives it's carbon atom to the metallic
kingdom for this transfer of it's life energy to the metallic kingdom. To
find more details on this path (acetates) read Russ House's articles on
acetates made with vinegar in Ora et Labora issues from LPON-USA vol. 1,
issues 3 & 4.

What follows are some theoretic and practical references to P. Mercury. Note
these quotes come from collections of mine on P. Mercury from many recent
publications from contemporary alchemical schools as well as ancient to
modern texts: "The Agent (P. Mercury) of the work is the invisible Mercury,
which is the gas, spirit, or air of antimony, excited in a steady sand heat
as warm as blood. 98.6F." "P. Mercury is derived from Antimony through the
catalytic action of iron." Albertus Spagyricus

Three fires = to:
1. natural (ordinary heat) masculine
2. unnatural ("Our Mercury") feminine
3. contra natural ("Argentum Vivum") has the power to unbind metals etc.=
Secret Fire.

Three Mercury's = to:
1st mercury is called: vulgar mercury
2nd mercury is called: common volatile mercury or conceptual mercury
3rd mercury is philosophic

"The three essentials unified are the Triplex Mercury of Philosophers."

Artofferus quotes:

"That which is Philosophical is not visible. But may become visible by
condensation."

Example Teaching:
1. Man is a magnet. He/she circulates air in and out. Christ turned water to
wine. 1st miracle. (see here the beginning of the Great Work for P. Stone).
AMWH
2. Rain water is a neutral chaos; plants absorb it, it becomes their blood.
(grapes are the best example)....
3. Animals absorb moisture and nitre, subtle mercury above the earth in the
sky, and a subtle sulfur below that above the earth=dew. This nitre is
abundant about 6 feet above the ground level. Air=(AR) which = nitre or GUR.
The breath of GOD, is Salt, sulfur, and Mercury. "JOB" is a purification
process....

More later,

Anthony

Date: Fri, 29 Aug 1997 12:52:41 -0400
From: Beat Krummenacher

Johann Plattner described some of the characteristics of the philosophical
mercury. His description refers to the philosophical mercury, as it is
prepared on the wet way. Furthermore he emphasizes, that he does not agree
with the sight 'alchemy be pure chemistry'. That is right. Alchemy as whole
is no pure chemistry. For alchemy also describes inner inherent laws, which
are not exclusively bound to matter. However I maintain, that 'the
laboratory alchemy is pure chemistry'. What materially is running down in
the flasks of an alchemist is chemically describable. That the products of
the practical work can exercise effects, which go beyond pure chemistry,
does not alter it.

It is very important for the practical alchemist to understand to what
extent alchemy is pure chemistry. The sight of the most practitioners is,
that only then a success can occur, if the alchemist himself engages in the
practical process for instance by means of magic methods. An effective
alchemical product can only be received, if the mental influence of the
alchemist is part of the work. With all emphasis I would like to cling to
it, that the mental impulse of the alchemist CAN support certain processes.
However it is NOT a must! There are alchemical processes, which generate
active matters out of themselves, without the necessity of the alchemist to
utilize any magic practice. The processes to the philosophical mercury are
lying in nature itself. The task of the alchemist at these processes is
isolating, purifying and properly joining the right ingredients. The
release and/or load with the concealed powers is accomplished by nature
itself.

It's no accident that in the alchemical literature again and again the
practical work in the lab is compared with the hatching of a hen's egg.
This comparison means - notwithstanding other interpretations - the
independence of the alchemical processes of the mental influence of the
alchemist. I would like to explain that somewhat more exactly. If we take a
fertilized hen's egg, so a chick will hatch out, if we incubate the egg at
the right temperature. Everything what the chick requires to its
development is contained inherently in the egg. Let us hold the egg too
cold or heat it too high, so the life in the egg will die out. We can use
the egg at most still for nutritional purposes. A chick never will hatch.
All birds hatch out, if they are properly incubated. And this happens
without any help from man.

Nature contains all chemical matter, which is required for the
philosophical egg. However in nature this secret egg nowhere is found in a
perfect state. Because the basis to the philosophical work cannot be found
in perfect composition, a conscious being must produce this basis
artificially. Therefore alchemy is called an art. The alchemist is an
artist, because he creates through his understanding, his knowledge and his
skill artificially the philosophical egg.

The material basis for this work completely can be described by chemistry.
Nothing is mystical at these processes. We may never forget: The whole
world is found in an ocean of energies, which are responsible for the life
and for the effectiveness of the philosopher's stone. The matter itself is
more or less condensed vitality, according to the origin of a specific
matter out of the three natural kingdoms. While the inner alchemist tries
to lift his whole nature onto a higher energy level by means of a more
mental and more emotional work, the practical alchemist helps nature to
strengthen the energies bound in it, in that he prepares the necessary
chemical carrier to attract and to store the same energies in supreme
concentration. The material basis of the stone actually is a composition of
pure chemical substances. The practical problem is, that only certain
chemical substance classes are suitable to function as magnets in reference
to the vitality. There are only certain organic and inorganic compounds,
which own these characteristics.

A comparison: If we want to produce a magnet, so several ways are
available. But only certain matters have the necessary characteristics to
exercise the magnetic effect. In this case there are natural sources, which
have a certain magnetic power. Some minerals are magnetic. Through art - in
this case through metallurgic and chemical processes - it is possible to
change matter so that much stronger magnets are produced, than they can be
found in nature. Today no man would have the idea laying down a piece of
iron in front of him and magically trying to produce an effective magnet
from it. Who knows the physical-chemical conditions, which make out a
magnet, can manufacture a magnet, in that he processes suitable raw
materials. The magnetism is a characteristic of matter. The necessary
mental effort of man only is to rearrange matter in a way that the magnetic
power in nature can appear.

The practical alchemist can do exactly the same. If he knows the
physical-chemical conditions, which make out the philosophical mercury, he
can manufacture the philosophical mercury by only rearranging matter. The
concealed powers are characteristics of matter, just as the magnetism. If
the alchemist properly forms the material basis, the sought-after power
legally appears. That is a concrete process nothing dealing with mysticism.

Because alchemical substances are unusually high in energy, because such
matters set up a tremendous energy field, they trigger effects in
everything, which comes in touch with them. If man takes in such matters,
so his whole nature will be transmuted. Beside bodily changes intense
perceptions appear to him on other levels of existence. Such perceptions
fundamentally are similar to experiences following the magic way. This
homogeneity immediately will strike each alchemist.

To disguise the enormous consequences of their practical work, the earlier
alchemists have correlated practical processes often with the running
parallel mental experiences, so that the beginner must assume, the practice
require the magic influence of the alchemist. However this is not true. If
the magic influence on the part of the alchemist would be a necessary
condition for the practical great work, so never one reason would have
consisted to pass over the secret practical processes with silence.

Lapis