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Alchemy Forum 0201-0250From January 25th 1996, the Alchemy forum was restructured and the messages were sequentially numbered. This is an unedited extract of messages 201-250.Go to next 50 messages . Back to forum archive. Thu Feb 08 09:48:08 1996 Subject: 0201 alchemy and christianity Date: Wed, 7 Feb 1996 20:47:04 -0600 From: Dale/Sandi Halverstadt >Date: Wed, 7 Feb 1996 9:28:53 -0600 (CST) >From: WTHEISEN > > >SOME HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALCHEMY AND >CHRISTIANITY. I HAVE PUBLISHED A SHORT ARTICLE IN THE PERIODICAL >THE AMERICAN BENEDICTINE REVIEW, WITH THE TITLE, "THE ATTRACTION >OF ALCHEMY FOR MONKS AND FRIARS IN THE 13TH-14TH CENTURIES." IN THE ARTICLE >I TRIED TO INDICATE THE GREAT INTEREST IN ALCHEMY AMONG RELIGIOUS, >ESPECIALLY AMONG THE DOMINICANS AND THE FRANCISCANS, AND GAVE >SOME REASONS FOR THIS INTEREST AND FOR THE NEGATIVE REACTION ON >THE PART OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. THE ARTICLE IS FOUND IN >THE SEPTEMBER, 1995 VOLUME OF THE PERIODICAL. > >WILFRED THEISEN, ST. JOHN'S ABBEY, COLLEGEVILLE, MINNESOTA Are you aware of any Dominican or Franciscan Abbeys presently actively involved in alchemy at this time? And can you provide any information on them more than a yes or no? Friar Thu Feb 08 16:53:38 1996 Subject: 0202 John Dee Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 08:29:19 -0800 (PST) From: Charla J. Williams > TITLE: The Enochian Evocation of Dr. John Dee > EDITOR/TRANSLATOR: Geoffrey James > PUBLISHER: Heptangle Books, Gillette, NJ 1988 Out of print by Heptangle but reissued in paperback by Llewellyn, under a modified title something like The Enochian Magick of John Dee. NOT to be confused with James' new Llewellyn book 'Angel Magic'. Fri Feb 09 09:08:03 1996 Subject: 0203 GERMAN/ Swedish Bitter Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 10:42:06 +1100 From: Petra Gottlieb Beat Krummenacher, Was koennen Sie sagen ueber das Praeparat "Swedish Bitter" ? Wird es hergestellt in alchemischer, spagyrischer Weise? Matthias Zeiner, Besten Dank fuer Ihre Hilfe etwas fuer mich ueber Goethe als Alchemisten in Erfahrung zu bringen. Ihre Information war sehr aufschlussreich. Das Buch der Alice Raphael habe ich, eines der besten, das je ueber Goethe geschrieben wurde. Nochmals herzlichen Dank. --- PETRA CHRISTIANE GOTTLIEB petrag@iaccess.com.au >>OHNE LIEBE KEINE KUNST!<< (Paracelsus) WITHOUT LOVE THERE IS NO ART! Fri Feb 09 09:11:13 1996 Subject: 0204 Locating the prima materia (3) Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 18:47:29 -0700 From: Patrick J. Smith This post is in part inspired by Maury's excellent posts on the subject of the prima materia, but represents a somewhat different view of the subject. Maury writes: Date: Thu, 1 Feb 1996 11:59:28 -0500 From: Flamel > .....one of the names of the prima materia was "Adam's earth," which > Maier tells us that Adam carried this earth away with him from > Paradise. An old legend says that Adam, when driven out of Paradise, > carried some of its soil away with him. This earth was said to be > red, and "terra rubra," red earth, is also a name for the prima > materia. The idea is that primeval man possessed a substance, a sort > of earth, out of which Paradise could grow, and Adam carries the > secret of this earth in himself..... The alchemical quest centers around the idea of a ``prima materia'', or ``first matter''. In some texts it is referred to as the ``first matter of metals'' and in others as the ``first matter of all things''. It is also referred to as ``chaos'', primarily because it is supposed to be the same chaos which God differentiated into the physical universe, and hence is also called the ``pre-Adamic Earth''. Thomas Vaughan also calls it the ``magician's heavenly chaos''. It has been described by a myriad of names for the very reason that it contains all things {\it potentially,} and thus can manifest itself in a myriad of forms---but is none of them intrinsically. In its original state, the prima materia is neither differentiated in extent nor temporally, and hence is independent of space-time. As such, it falls outside the domain of physics, which concerns itself with localized phenomena. Yet it is the substance or fabric of which the physical universe is spun. Medieval alchemists believed that it was this feminine, mercurial substance which, when united with form (the male, sulphurous component), constituted the physical universe. But the first matter referred to this Universal Principle in its undifferentiated, perfectly symmetrical, informationless state---in which state it was regarded as nature's Volatile Principle (matter representing the Fixed Principle). This anima mundi is thus formless, but plastic in the sense that it can accept form and thereby differentiate into ordinary matter. Onto the informationless substrate presented by the first matter, information is encoded in differentiations which have the effect of localizing the prima materia. Conversely, upon separating the underlying substance of matter from its sulphurous form, the alchemists thought that matter could be reduced to its first state. Often, this analogy was taken quite literally, and many lifetimes have been spent experimenting on various metallic sulphides, most commonly cinnibar (mercuric sulphide). Alchemists believed that part of the original chaos has remained in this world. Its identification and acquisition are the principle objectives of the Magnum Opus. Something is therefore necessary which can attract this Universal Principle to a particular place and time; an instrument is required which is capable of condensing this universal spirit; the apparatus which can localize this nonlocal principle is essential to the Great Work. This instrument, which must capture the elusive mercurial first substance, is the mysterious Vessel to which the alchemists allude in so many misleading ways. The image of `condensing the Universal Spirit' has been depicted symbolically as the collection of dew (a condensate which seemed to the ancient philosophers to materialize out of the vastness of the calm, clear, night sky). Dew thus represented the Universal Spirit in its condensed form. Some took this symbol literally, and spent their lives collecting dew from the fields. Once Mercurius has been captured, the Vessel must be carefully sealed, lest this spirit escape. This is the symbolic significance of the Hermetic Seal. The process of Sealing the Vessel is symbolized by killing the dragon (of chaos), the snake or serpent. John Michell argued that those ancient dragon/serpent slaying legends implied attempts at localizing the earth spirit; that the megalithic stone monuments of ancient Britain were once condensers of the mercurial earth spirit. Some have concluded that the Vessel of the alchemists is in fact {\it man,} and that the Great Work is actually a process of spiritual purification. And, indeed, man did carry this mysterious substance within himself. This was the breath of Life first breathed into the inanimate clay by God. This is what Adam took with him from paradise..... Man, in this sense, is indeed a Vessel, and has been so represented for many centuries. Once the alchemical Vessel has been Sealed; once the Universal Principle has been localized; once the mercury has been fixed; once the dragon of chaos has been slain; the First Stone is born. This is represented variously as an epiphany---the manifestation of the supernatural in the material world; as the birth of Christ; as the Corner Stone of the Christian church; etc. The hieroglyph of this Stone is the cross---the ground plan of the medieval cathedrals; the cross of the ankh---the Egyptian symbol of the Life Principle; the cross-hatched pattern on the epiphany cake; the cross-hatched pattern on the belt of Oferus---the Christ bearer. And yet this first Stone is simply the Hermetically Sealed Vessel; it represents the embodiment of the prima materia, and hence becomes analogous to man. However, implicit in the materialization of an undifferentiated substance is the union of two opposed principles: the volatile principle (the underlying substance), and the fixed principle (form, information, matter). The Philosopher's Stone thus represented a stable union between the mercurial first matter and the sulphurous principle of fixity. It represented the manifestation of a universal principle in the material world. The state of fixity was represented by the Stone; the act of fixation by the slaying of the serpent, or by the hermetic sealing of the Vessel. The First Stone must be matured until the prima materia has become the ultima materia---the Philosopher's Stone---which is the state of ultimate fixity. Thus, the Vessel assumes the image of the alchemical Furnace, and the spirit trapped within assumes the image of the Philosophic, or Secret Fire---and the operation proceeds spontaneously. The Universal Spirit is thus trapped within the bottle---in which state it assumes the image of an inextinguishable flame, and the Stone the image of the Quenchless Hermetic Lamp. Yet it is only at the moment that the spirit is again released from its fixed state within the Stone; only at the moment of the dissolution of the Stone; at the breaking of the Hermetic Seal which keeps the Universal Spirit within its Vessel; only at this moment does the Stone exhibit its magical properties. As the Seal is broken, neg-entropic phenomena appear within the material realm, and cellular de-differentiation and hence rejuvenation within the biological realm. Hence the Stone holds the promise of transmutation and rejuvenation. And thus can be understood the ancient legends of spirits, or genii's, trapped within bottles, lamps, or vessels of some sort. The fortunate traveller who discovers the Vessel and sets the spirit free is most richly rewarded..... Having written the above, I noticed the following post (used with permission) come across the Alexandria list, and was impressed by the overall thematic similarity. Mary Lynn Richardson writes: > Your ancient gnarled oak, Robert, which temperately or intemperately has > appeared in the courtyard of the Library of Alexandria: has it a spirit, > bottled or otherwise? Have you yet scratched around the snakey roots to > find out? A bottle such as might hold imprisoned the Spirit Mercurius. > (Or even simple *vin ordinaire*, as we're picnicking again, it seems...) > > I ask for the last time passed sat by this tree I heard the > throttled cries of an animating soul: a pitiful wail of "Let me out! > Let me out." You know, of course, its a dangerous business, dealing > with Mercurius. He's like as not try to strangle you for your pains. > You need to be as quick of wit as he himself to survive. But should you > nevertheless show mercy and let him out, the trick, you will remember, > is to get him to prove his greatness by getting back in the bottle. > This challenge he will not resist, and you must be fast and strong with > the cork to imprison him again. Aah, but then he'll be ready to talk > turkey, promising all manner of rewards if you let him out again. > Strangely you may trust him this time. Strike the bargain, and be not > too dismayed if it's a filthy old rag he gives you -- for legend has it > that one side will turn all it polishes to silver, and the other side > will heal any wound. 'Twill serve you well here in the delta city. > --Mary Lynn Richardson / mlrichar@acs.ucalgary.ca / (403) 287 9213 -Patrick Smith p-smith@advtech.slc.unisysgsg.com Fri Feb 09 09:12:37 1996 Subject: 0205 Menstruum to dissolve Sol Date: Thu, 08 Feb 1996 21:20:32 -0500 From: Russ House >Date: 06 Feb 96 19:02:42 EST >From: Beat Krummenacher > >Dear Russ >The following remarks refer to your message from 1. February 1996 to the theme > > >The old ones have often used the distillates from the dry distillation of >metallic acetates. Indeed it is little astonishing, that the dissolving effect >of the rectified fraction is weak. The ardent water or the spirit of >philosophical wine alone can not dissolve metals, but at most attack them. > >The master key lies in the acuation of the spirit. However more exactly read >once the Weidenfeld book. There you will find many useful instructions. The >philosophical menstrua only emerge by acuation of the spirit of philosophical >wine. Then the further openly stands there... > >Your remark to the application of urine is important. From urine salts can be >isolated, what suits to the mentioned acuation. Urine is a primary source for >volatile salts. Today one also can more simply accomplish these works. However >the alchemists knew hardly an other source for these chemical materials >formerly, so that they highly estimated the exit of the man . > > >Lapis > > Hello Beat, Again, I am glad to connect with you. Your comments on the use of specific salts to actuate the volatile acetate distillates are appreciated. They confirm what I have seen in print from several sources. I think some referred to these as the "dulech" salts. I have not used them to date, but will do so in the future. Weidenfeld is a good resource, but difficult to wade through at times. I have lost some patience with reading but think that he offered keys never printed or collected to this extent in other writers. I sent a photocopy of one English edition of his work to Roger Kessinger of Kessinger Publishing, who promptly put into print. He has done this for several different texts that associates and I suggested to him. I hope that we might see you in the U.S. again, perhaps at the P.O.N. conference in Colorado. With regards, Russ House ==================================== Courses in Alchemy * Qabala * Esoteric Studies The Philosophers of Nature on the web: http://www.mcs.net/~alchemy/ email: alchemy@mcs.com "Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana" - Groucho Marx Fri Feb 09 09:13:45 1996 Subject: 0206 Alchemy and Electricity Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 02:09:16 -0500 From: Flamel Below is a interesting example of the connection between alchemy and electricity. The example is from the spontaneous fantasy of an adolescent boy: "I was the king of an island in a great lake like a sea... The island consisted of a mountain with a small medieval town nestling below. At the top was my castle, and on its highest tower were things like copper antennae which collected electricity from the air and conducted it into a deep vault underneath the tower. In this vault there was a mysterious apparatus that turned electricity into gold." This is an unusual image, i.e., the symbolization of an apparatus, a machine constructed for a definite purpose, one that transforms electricity into gold. Who invented this machine? Is this what Paracelsus meant by the "star in man" - the machine as microcosm? Hmm. Maury Fri Feb 09 13:19:22 1996 Subject: 0207 Alchemy and Electricity In Karl von Eckartshausen (1752-1803) Magic. The Principles of Higher Knowledge (translated by Gerhard Hanswille and Deborah Brumlich). Merkur Pub. Co. Canada. 1991, there are some sections relevant to alchemy and electricity. Adam McLean ----------------------------------- There is a fluid in Nature which maintains everything, the prime matter of things. It is also called MATERIA PRIMA or UNIVERSAL FLUID. All bodies, everything physical, is maintained by the Universal Fluid. The modification ofthis fluid is limitless. It is the cause of all forms, the reason for all changes. Within this fluid, all the genetic forces are contained. This Universal Fluid is Magnetism, Electricity, Light, Heat, etc. The Elements are the first emanations of the Universal Fluid. "SHE" is the Organ of Creation, the seed of all things which God called upon to create the worlds. The first modifcation of the finest of all matters was the creation of the Elements. The nature of the Universal Fluid is purity and simplicity to the highest degree in physical things. "SHE" contains and modifies everything. This includes all physical bodies. "SH E " is the cause of the growth of all the metals, the vegetation of plants and the maintenance of animals. "SHE" follows the Laws of Nature step by step. The degrees in the physical world are as follows: Light - Magnetic - Fluid - Electricity - Heat - Fire - Air - Water - Earth. ... The fourth degree is Electricity. The outflow of this Prime Matter is created in such a way, that it continuously flows back to where it came from, according to the nature of things. The retroactive effect is in accordance to the type of body in which the outflows are enclosed and also in accordance with the resistance of these particular body particles. Should the resistance of the body particles not be even towards the outflow, as it is with the Light, then the Prime Matter becomes as effective as the Light with its entire power. Should the resistance and the energy be equal, then the body-particles do not outweigh the power of the influence, nor the power or the energy the body-particles, then on account of this equal relationship, a Fluid Being comes into being, that we identify as a Magnetic Being. This is similar to a scale, which is in total equilibrium. This is changed with the slightest modification. Since it is the endeavour of the battling, enclosed forces of the outflows, inclusive of the enclosed body particles proportionately to a lesser degree, through the effort of the influences to return to their Prime Matter, due to the body-particles which want to contain them, ensues a never ending battle. Little by little, more and more outflow is the result. What a battle. This is the origin of Heat, the Origin of Creation, or the nascent state of the substance of Heat. Fri Feb 09 13:22:53 1996 Subject: 0208 Additions to the Archive Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 07:27:31 +0000 From: Peter Principle Hello all: Not actually on Adam's site, but has anyone seen the marvelous site dedicated to John Baptiste Porta's Natural Magick 1584 A.D. at http://tscnet.com/pages/omard1/jportat2.html this is definately of interest to the subscribers here Fri Feb 09 13:24:34 1996 Subject: 0209 Additions to the Archive Date: Fri, 09 Feb 1996 05:53:44 -0500 (EST) From: hyson I see Adam has thought deeply on problem of transcription of the Alchemical texts. It was new to me that museums would prevent to copying of a work, even for the pupose of preserving it. A fine answer. Thank you. Aloha Michael Hyson Fri Feb 09 16:07:00 1996 Subject: 0210 alchemy and christianity Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 09:16:34 -0600 From: George Randall Leake III >>From: WTHEISEN [edited for brevity] >>IN THE ARTICLE I TRIED TO INDICATE THE GREAT INTEREST IN ALCHEMY AMONG >>>>RELIGIOUS, ESPECIALLY AMONG THE DOMINICANS AND THE FRANCISCANS >>WILFRED THEISEN, ST. JOHN'S ABBEY, COLLEGEVILLE, MINNESOTA >>From: Dale/Sandi Halverstadt >Are you aware of any Dominican or Franciscan Abbeys presently actively >involved in alchemy at this time? ***it's my impression that nearly all Western alchemists after the resurgence of the art were either clergy or very religious. Even explicitly magical texts seem to go on and on about how these efforts were in pursuit of the nature of God's universe. The stigma against alchemy seems to be a late development--this colors our perception of it in much the same way as the modern tendency to imbue Tarot with divinitory connotations. Fri Feb 09 16:32:56 1996 Subject: 0211 Additions to the Archive Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 07:40:19 -0800 From: joshua geller adam writes: > Firstly, there remains the difficulty of getting the original image. No > libraries with collections of alchemical material will allow conventional > photocopying of manuscripts or early books, and the same applies to > scanning, as this presents the same conservation problems (i.e. placing > bound volumes face down on a flat sheet of glass). So how do we get the > scanned images in the first place? Digital cameras are no use at present as > their low resolution does not make it easy to capture readable text. There > are also copyright problems with the public distribution of images. Some > libraries will want to charge a reproduction fee. This does not apply to the > text in an early book or manuscript as the text itself in not copyright. One > can transcribe this text without incurring copyright fees, but one cannot > distribute an image of the text without fees as this will normally be= > copyright. the solution to this is to take analog photographs of the required sensitivity and scan them. it seems to me if the photographer agreed to give up his copywright the library couldn't charge for distribution of the material, which is almost certainly in the public domain. josh Fri Feb 09 16:33:18 1996 To: Alchemy forum Subject: 0212 Additions to the Archive Joshua Geller writes:- >the solution to this is to take analog photographs of the required >sensitivity and scan them. it seems to me if the photographer agreed >to give up his copywright the library couldn't charge for distribution >of the material, which is almost certainly in the public domain. This won't work either. I just don't know of any Library holding special collections of early printed books or manuscript which will allow one to turn up with a camera and take photographs of books or manuscripts. I wish it were so, as I have a camera rig with lenses and flash guns adapted to close work. Photography potentially damages books and libraries insist on controlling the conditions under which photographs are taken, and so they will allow their own photographic department to do the work (at a high price), and then they control the copyright. Believe me! I have worked with many of the major collections of alchemical books and manuscripts, and although I am recognised as a researcher in this field, they would not allow me to do my own photography. We must realise that many alchemical manuscripts are currently worth upwards of $20,000 (some are probably worth millions of dollars) so librarians are lothe to see any of the precious material in their charge damaged. It is even difficult to get to see certain items, without special permission. For example, the British Library's copy of the 'Splendor solis', is only available to people who have a definite research reason to see the work. About three years ago I was allowed to handle it in order to identify the watermarks in the paper sections of the manuscript in order to see it they were consistent with its dating. (This I found to be so). However, I cannot presume to turn up again and be allowed to handle it. Adam McLean. Sat Feb 10 10:51:17 1996 Subject: 0213 Alchemy and the bible From: Barry Carter Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 13:08:49 +0000 > On Wed, 31 Jan 1996, Alchemy forum wrote: > > > Date: 31 Jan 96 12:54:42 EST > > From: Beat Krummenacher > > > > > > 1) Moses and the golden calf: The bible says, that Moses took the golden > > calf, burnt it and gave it to drink the people. After that the people were > > opened the eyes, and it recognized, that it had wrong dealt. > > > > This passage is often cited by alchemists of past centuries as evidence for > > alchemy in the bible. But how the noble gold can be burnt and drink? > > ><...snip...> > > > Lapis > > On Tue, 6 Feb 1996 10:54:21 +0001 (EST) Thomas D Sola replied: > Looking at this passage from a spiritual point of view rather than a > practical/physical stand, I see this in a little different light. I > would (off-hand and in a nut shell) say Moses took the golden calf (i.e. > mundane gold, the element already present in nature that needs refinement > and sepparation from the dross that comes with it but gold in the > spiritual sense) burnt it (that is to say refined it within his own > reviberatory furnace sepparating the dross so as to make it pure) and > made it liquid (figure of speach to go along with the metaphor already in > progress, also to denote that it is in such a state as to me devided and > consumed amongst a number of receiving vessels, be they containers or > people) giving it unto his people to "drink" (or much like zen masters > are said to be able to "force" enlightenment on the adepts through > physical contact, that is to say a transference of enlightened energy to > ignite a similar occurance in the adept). > > One thing we must keep in mind is to read the above related passage > within the context of it's printing. That in mind I surmize that the > golden calf, which was made of the jewlry and whatever gold the people > had with them was impure gold and as such was worshiped by all the son's > of Levi. This was the sin that they saw as doing wrong. They worshiped > an impure idea and so were impure themselves and when Moses came down (with > the ten commandments) from sinai he was able to purify the gold and > "enlighten" the people with its wisdom. > > Just a note, in my copy of the bible--a standard King James--it says he > melted the gold and made it into a powder. He then mixed the powder with > water and gave it for drink. > > Thomas > David Hudson claims that through alchemical processes gold and other precious metals can be moved to a monoatomic, non-metalic, superconducting, high spin state. This material generally takes the form of a white powder which can be mixed with water to form a gelatinous liquid. According to Hudson, these monoatomic elements already exist in the human body. He has some evidence to conclude that increasing the availability of these monoatomic elements repairs the DNA and cures many diseases that are related to genetic problems, i.e. cancer and aids. He also claims that the superconducting nature of these elements generates a Meissener field around the body which some can perceive as the aura. He says that these elements connect the individual to the zero point energy (a concept from quantum physics) and that this is our connection to the infinite (or God). It is difficult to find fault with his interpretation of the new principles of quantum physics that lead to his conclusions. Perhaps someone with training in physics would have less trouble than I. Hudson _believes_ that the golden calf was converted to monoatomic gold and this white powder (which he suspects is also the manna) was fed to the Isrealites for the purpose of bringing about a transformation of conciousness. He believes that monoatomic gold is the Philosopher's Stone since the white powder which he has produced can be heated and melted into a clear gold glass. I suspect that much of what Hudson claims is true. Many hitherto unexplained relationships are made clear by his theories. He is producing the monoatomic material and it does have "Philosophical" effects. Barry Carter Blue Mountain Native Forest Alliance Voice 541-523-3357 Fax 541-523-9438 Sat Feb 10 10:51:28 1996 Subject: 0214 Alchemy and Electricity Priority: normal From: Barry Carter Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 13:16:37 +0000 on Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 02:09:16 -0500 Flamel wrote: > > Below is a interesting example of the connection between alchemy and > electricity. The example is from the spontaneous fantasy of an adolescent > boy: > > "I was the king of an island in a great lake like a sea... The island > consisted of a mountain with a small medieval town nestling below. At the > top was my castle, and on its highest tower were things like copper antennae > which collected electricity from the air and conducted it into a deep vault > underneath the tower. In this vault there was a mysterious apparatus that > turned electricity into gold." > > This is an unusual image, i.e., the symbolization of an apparatus, a machine > constructed for a definite purpose, one that transforms electricity into > gold. Who invented this machine? Is this what Paracelsus meant by the "star > in man" - the machine as microcosm? Hmm. > > Maury > I understand it is possible to make monoatomic gold and other elements using alchemy. It is also possible to make or separate them using high frequency, high voltage electrical fields. Barry Carter Blue Mountain Native Forest Alliance Voice 541-523-3357 Fax 541-523-9438 End corporate totalitarianism. When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl." Sat Feb 10 10:52:59 1996 Subject: 0215 Edward Smith and Imhotep Date: Fri, 9 Feb 96 17:49:05 UT From: Alex Blanco George, thanks for the info. I would not have found it. As you know alchemy is a wide term and it has to be explore. Alchemy is present every where there is a mixture of substances in the physical plane or the astral planes. I believe that Imhotep was an alchemist since he prepared the lotions for the preservation of the mommies. Sat Feb 10 10:53:59 1996 Subject: 0216 alchemy and christianity Date: Fri, 9 Feb 96 22:34:36 PST From: A.J.Le Sage Have anyone considered the reasons why Alchemy was so prolithic among the medeval clergy. 1 An Abbey would offer the safest of Havens for study. 2 The Abbeys were the only place where the realvant documents could be found. ---------------Original Message--------------- Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 09:16:34 -0600 From: George Randall Leake III >>From: WTHEISEN [edited for brevity] >>IN THE ARTICLE I TRIED TO INDICATE THE GREAT INTEREST IN ALCHEMY AMONG >>>>RELIGIOUS, ESPECIALLY AMONG THE DOMINICANS AND THE FRANCISCANS >>WILFRED THEISEN, ST. JOHN'S ABBEY, COLLEGEVILLE, MINNESOTA >>From: Dale/Sandi Halverstadt >Are you aware of any Dominican or Franciscan Abbeys presently actively >involved in alchemy at this time? ***it's my impression that nearly all Western alchemists after the resurgence of the art were either clergy or very religious. Even explicitly magical texts seem to go on and on about how these efforts were in pursuit of the nature of God's universe. The stigma against alchemy seems to be a late development--this colors our perception of it in much the same way as the modern tendency to imbue Tarot with divinitory connotations. Sat Feb 10 10:59:32 1996 Subject: 0217 Rare and Out of Print Books Date: Fri, 9 Feb 96 17:31 PST From: Armenua Thought everyone might be interested in the texts that are available at the following website. RSE has purchased from an obscure company some fantastic rare and out of print books. Most of the texts are taken from the original printer's plates. http://www.ramtha.com/products/books/alchemy.html http://www.ramtha.com/products/books/hermetic.html It's also interesting to note that the first book on the Alchemy list is Alchemical Mandala by Adam McLean! Sat Feb 10 11:01:29 1996 Subject: 0218 Alchemy and Electricity Date: Fri, 09 Feb 1996 22:33:18 -0600 From: Logodox At 01:20 P 2-9-96 +0000, you wrote: [In Karl von Eckartshausen (1752-1803) Magic. The Principles of Higher Knowledge (translated by Gerhard Hanswille and Deborah Brumlich). Merkur Pub. Co. Canada. 1991, there are some sections relevant to alchemy and electricity. Adam McLean] Dear Adam, Thanx for this brilliant extract from Eckartshausen ! Possess a small piece "The Cloud Upon The Sanctuary" by same author which was mentioned in "Suggestive Inquiry Into The Hermetic Mystery" by Mary Anne Atwood. "Cloud" was a highly abstract piece of "spiritual" discussion (as usual veiling the things referred to) which was utterly unlike the "mechanistic" description You posted. For my two cents, I highly regard these kinds of posts which allow me to (attempt) to build a mental model or analogy with which to work in my quest for refinement of my subliminal ore. For me, this short post was of the highest order and interest, akin to "Suggestive Inq...", which I constantly promote due to my perception of the very high order of MS. Atwood's thought structure! Thank You !!! I shall look forward eagerly to find the reprint mentioned above. Pax Logos & Peace Profound, Logodox, FRC nous ----> logodox@sound.net Sat Feb 10 11:04:27 1996 Subject: 0219 Menstruum to dissolve Sol Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 01:20:14 -0800 (PST) From: Art Kunkin >>Lapis >>Russ House said the following to Beat Krummenacher ..... >Your comments on the use of specific salts to actuate the volatile acetate >distillates are appreciated. They confirm what I have seen in print from >several sources. I think some referred to these as the "dulech" salts. I >have not used them to date, but will do so in the future. ......... >I hope that we might see you in the U.S. again, perhaps at the P.O.N. >conference in Colorado. Dear Russ - and Beat, I truly appreciate being able to connect with friends from around the world this way. Hello, Russ. Hello, Beat. Thanks, Adam. Thanks, Internet. I have only seen the word "Dulech" used in one place, the Liquor Alkahest article by Eiranaeus Philalethes in the Collectanea Chemica. However, in the recent edition (Cinnabar, PO Box 1930, Boulder, Colorado 80306, 1994, $60) of the compiled works of Eiranaeus Philalelethes where the Latin text of this article is printed side by side with the English, the word, in Latin, is spelled "Duelech." (Duel, Duality?). I would very much like to know the meaning of "Dulech," its derivation and where else it has been used in alchemical writings since the word plays such a central role in the important Liquor Alkahest article. I have recently looked for the word in the 12 volume Oxford English Dictionary but it was not listed there. I think that some years ago I also looked for "Dulech" in the Lexicon of Alchemy by Martinus Rulandus but don't remember the result since I did this so long ago. Unfortunately, my copy of this book is in storage and not at hand tonight. Can anyone on the forum provide more information on this word? Russ, where else have you seen it used? Also, since I don't think I sent in my membership dues this year to the Philosophers of Nature, I have not received any notice of a new P.O.N conference in Colorado. Why hasn't an announcement about an upcoming conference of alchemists been published in this alchemical forum? Yours, Art Art Kunkin Publisher and Editor, World Wide Free Press URL: http://www.wwfreepress.com/ Voice: 310-455-2451 E-Mail: kunkin@cinenet.net Snail Mail: 115 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd, Suite #166 Topanga, CA 90290, U.S.A. "It's Never Too Late To Have A Happy Childhood" (Ask me how!) Sat Feb 10 11:06:56 1996 Subject: 0220 Menstruum to dissolve Sol Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 01:46:05 -0800 (PST) From: Art Kunkin Correction: Less than an hour after I sent the remarks below to the alchemy forum, I discovered that I had taken my copy of the Lexicon of Alchemy out of storage several years ago and it was now on a shelf in my office. There is a listing for the word "Duelech" on Page 129 which reads: "Duelech is a species of Tartar in the human body, a Porous Stone, dangerous and very painful." Since the Liquor Alkahest article referred to below deals with the properties of human urine, Duelech is obviously what we would call a kidney stone. > I have only seen the word "Dulech" used in one place, the Liquor Alkahest >article by Eiranaeus >Philalethes in the Collectanea Chemica. However, in the >recent edition (Cinnabar, PO Box 1930, >Boulder, Colorado 80306, 1994, $60) of >the compiled works of Eiranaeus Philalelethes where the >Latin text of this >article is printed side by side with the English, the word, in Latin, is >spelled >"Duelech." (Duel, Duality?). > I would very much like to know the meaning of "Dulech," its derivation and >where else it has >been used in alchemical writings since the word plays such >a central role in the important Liquor >Alkahest article. I have recently >looked for the word in the 12 volume Oxford English Dictionary but >it was not >listed there. I think that some years ago I also looked for "Dulech" in the >Lexicon of >Alchemy by Martinus Rulandus but don't remember the result since I >did this so long ago. >Unfortunately, my copy of this book is in storage and >not at hand tonight. Can anyone on the forum >provide more information on this >word? Russ, where else have you seen it used? Art Kunkin Publisher and Editor, World Wide Free Press URL: http://www.wwfreepress.com/ Voice: 310-455-2451 E-Mail: kunkin@cinenet.net Snail Mail: 115 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd, Suite #166 Topanga, CA 90290, U.S.A. "It's Never Too Late To Have A Happy Childhood" (Ask me how!) Sat Feb 10 22:14:39 1996 Subject: 0221 Rare and Out of Print Books Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 14:34:35 -0500 From: Russ House >Date: Fri, 9 Feb 96 17:31 PST >From: Armenua > > >Thought everyone might be interested in the texts that are available at the >following website. RSE has purchased from an obscure company some >fantastic rare and out of print books. Most of the texts are taken from the >original printer's plates. > Thanks for the info... their book offering is quite good. The obscure company is Kessinger Publications. Their web address is: http://montanaweb.com/kessinger Russ ==================================== Courses in Alchemy * Qabala * Esoteric Studies The Philosophers of Nature on the web: http://www.mcs.net/~alchemy/ email: alchemy@mcs.com Sun Feb 11 09:58:43 1996 Subject: 0222 Alchemy and the bible Date: 10 Feb 96 18:53:57 EST From: Beat Krummenacher <100667.1267@compuserve.com> Thomas D Sola wrote (6.2.96): >Just a note, in my copy of the bible--a standard King James--it says he melted the gold and made it into a powder. He then mixed the powder with water and gave it for drink.< Of course it is evident, that the biblical texts can be interpreted on different kinds. A theological interpretation is always possible. However the above-mentioned quotation from the bible seems to me to force an alchemical interpretation. Moses melted the gold: An amalgamation with mercury first leads to a fluid utilizing mercury in the excess. Heating of the product has evaporated the mercury and produces a powdery gold. The concept of water at the alchemists often means our water, i.e. a philosophical menstruum, suitable to lead back other materials in their first matter and/or to dissolve them. This dissolution is drinkable as aurum potabile, whereby as a rule the gold salt remains as black powder on the floor of the vessel and is not taken in. The real preparation of potable gold is more complicated in the detail. The essential is however the overpass of the metallic gold in a drinkable form with large spiritual effects. I'm not changing my mind: The practical interpretation of this passage from the bible is just as plausible as any other. Lapis Sun Feb 11 09:59:42 1996 Subject: 0223 Duelech Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 03:33:47 -0500 From: Flamel On Feb 10, 1996, Art Kunkin wrote: >>Less than an hour after I sent the remarks below to the alchemy forum, I discovered that I had taken my copy of the Lexicon of Alchemy out of storage several years ago and it was now on a shelf in my office. There is a listing for the word "Duelech" on Page 129 which reads: "Duelech is a species of Tartar in the human body, a Porous Stone, dangerous and very painful." Since the Liquor Alkahest article referred to below deals with the properties of human urine, Duelech is obviously what we would call a kidney stone.<< From Arthur Edward Waite, *The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus,* Vol. II, p. 364: "DUELECH, a dangerous and painful tartareous and porous stone which forms in the human body, especially in the bladder." The term may be one of the many neologisms derived from Paracelsus' medical philosophy. It may have other roots, too. Its background can be found in one of Paracelsus' pathological theories of disease, his doctrine of "Tartarus" (Opus Paramirum, III; the "Book of Tartaric Diseases;" etc.). A century later, Fabius Violet, a Paracelsist, promoted "Tartar" as the general basis of all pathology, but it was Van Helmont who incorporated the "moral" in Paracelsus' doctrine of "Tartar" into his own theory, yet he rejected Paracelsus' fantasical ideas of how sediment (i.e., stone or sand) was deposited in urine, and he replaced them with his own ideas. So that you can compare texts, I'll elaborate very briefly some of his ideas surrounding the concept of "duelech." Van Helmont rejected the simple Paracelsian analogy to explain "stone" as caused by tartar as similar to wine in a vat whose sendiment passively settles. Instead he replaced it with the action of a "ferment" that actively produces and separates a solid deposit. Now stone was viewed not merely as a deposit, but due to a chemical transmutation of urine. "Fermentation" now became the specific "cause" of deposits, or lithiases, of stone material in urine (see Van Helmont, De lithiasi). Van Helmont introduced a new agent, a "seminal ens." For him, this was the "specific" factor, that is, the "ferment," "odor," "semen" (or "idea"), or "archeus" which allows Nature to work her transmutation. This was conceived as a more powerful factor than the ancillary forces of heat or cold. So stone was conceived as from non-stone; it was primarily form and not matter, that is, form disposing matter and creating the possibility for stone to develop. To Van Helmont "stone" formation in urine was a coagulative process involving two agents or "spirits" - the spirit of urine and the spirit of wine - and he termed this process after Paracelsus, "Duelech," as it was dependent on the interaction of two components (De lithiasi, III, 35). The volatile urine-salt, an "earth," caused and was subject to coagulation, while the fermental seminal spirit prepares and disposes the "earth" to stone-formation. Van Helmont says the seminal ferment is a "foreign accessory," a stercorous agent, like a _Gorgo_ that may petrify the volatile "earthy" salt of urine, uniting with it and producing a solid body by coagulation. The stercorous agent belongs to the "odorific ferments," known as _spiritus putrefactus_ that unites with the volatile urine-salt as the _spiritus coagulativus_. Both of these agents are required for the stone. Van Helmont further thought that in order to complete the process there must be an intermediary, a "pander" (_leno_), which he believed was _aqua vitae_. By mixing the volatile salt of urine with alcohol, he got a white clot (_offa_, that is, a morsel or cake), a subtle and fugitive _coagulum_. Indeed, the stone was now the product of a true chemical combination. Van Helmont went on to attempt to develop empirical cures for the stone. Though he achieved disappointing results, he concluded from his lifetime of experiments that urine contains a stone-preventive. He also claimed there was a _ludus Paracelsi_, a "stony-antistone," involving the liquor alkahest, a stone so mysterious that he said, for reasons known only to God alone it must remain among the secrets which God alone can reveal only to the few elect. But he does tell us where to find the material for the _ludus_, on the shores of the river Schelde where bricks are fired. The material is to be transmuted into a volatile salt, then into an oily salt, with a taste like urine. Van Helmont says it should be taken daily, with perhaps white wine (!), as a prophylactic against stone. I hope this is of some help in finding the derivation of "duelech." How does this compare to the Philalethes text? Maury Feb 11, 1996 flamel@aol.com Sun Feb 11 15:04:43 1996 Subject: 0224 FRENCH: Philalethe. Date: 11 Feb 96 05:18:04 EST From: Jean Dauge Le texte integral de Philalethe, L'Entree ouverte au palais Ferme du Roi est disponible sur ma page X-URL: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JDauge/rennes.htm ,Rubrique Alchimie. J.Dauge Sun Feb 11 17:50:59 1996 Subject: 0225 Menstruum to dissolve Sol Date: Sun, 11 Feb 96 07:12 WET From: Anastasy Tynan "Duelech is a >species of Tartar in the human body, a Porous Stone, dangerous and very >painful." Since the Liquor Alkahest article referred to below deals with >the properties of human urine, Duelech is obviously what we would call a >kidney stone. Would animal bezoars, usually from the stomachs of cows, have a similar importance? Cheers, A. Mon Feb 12 09:45:18 1996 Subject: 0226 Alchemy, electricity and the two fluids Date: 11 Feb 96 13:05:53 EST From: Beat Krummenacher Rawn Clark wrote (2.2.96): >My experience with metals has only been of the practical-magical sort and not of the laboratory-Alchemy sort, so I hope there's someone out there with a laboratory perspective! I've applied the Fluids spagyrically to my own satisfaction, and am led to think that they would be of essential value in a laboratory metallic Work. Is there anyone Working in this way? Any comments?< Dear Rawn, Your reference is very valuable. A practising alchemist exactly taken works with both fluids. There are the invisible fluids, which trigger the alchemical effects. The work of the alchemist in his lab serves thus the purpose to prepare material substances so, that they become optimal carriers for the fluids. The fabrication of the material basis for alchemical works is chemistry. The useful materials for alchemy are ideal sources of charge for the fluids, but also the elementary powers. You can take this remark completely in the sense of Franz Bardon. If the materials are strongly loaded with the concealed powers, they alchemically begin to work. The fluids can be transferred on arbitrary other things by alchemical tinctures and essences. The healing power of correctly manufactured more spagyric and/or more alchemical essences is based on this energy transmission. This points to a large advantage of the practical alchemy facing the way of the magician (after Bardon). The magician can force the fluids in materials through concentration with his consciousness. The magic of the water is based on it. Indeed natural materials usually are bad sources of charge. It is thus difficult to receive materials heartily loaded with the fluids. To improve the situation Bardon has taught the preparation of fluidal condensers. Indeed his instructions are still defective from the view of an alchemist. For the fluidal condensers present no optimal carriers for the concealed energies. Thus the magician primarily is dependent on purely consciously steered energies. Fluidal condensers help him to better reach his purposes in the matter. It is a fact, that matter itself owns the characteristics to attract the fluids. No plant could grow, if it did not own the ability to attract the fluids to a sufficient extent and to use them. However an ordinary plant is a weak source of charge from view of alchemy, and so the usual plant tinctures also own slight healing powers. Spagyric processes isolate now the actively charged materials under separation of the assimilation of charge decreasing components. This is the true meaning of the and/or essences capable of loading, so are open two ways to strengthen the effect still in addition: 1. The materials are digested or circulated. This procedure allows the everywhere latently available fluids to penetrate in the materials. The purified substances take in the concealed energies and load themselves with them. The digestion requires a certain time and a certain temperature, because the speed of the loading is a function of time and temperature. Alchemical tinctures are ideal condensers for the fluids, since everything charge impeding was separated. Because the fluids are bound in supreme concentration, alchemical essences much more strongly work than the unprocessed materials of chemistry. 2. With magic methods the alchemical materials can be loaded likewise. The energy density called forth through the magician is higher and directly directed at the material. With the help of these methods the loading process can be shortened. However in the final analysis a difference hardly exists between both ways. For the charge density of a substance depends alone by their characteristics to take in load. Since the electricity regarding its polarity between minus and plus is a manifestation of the fluids, it counts: Just as there are more or less suitable substances for preparation of an electric condenser, there are more or less suitable substances for preparation of an alchemical product. If you search the charge properties after correct preparation. The final product of this work is the philosopher's stone, the supreme concentration of fluidal energies in material form. An alchemist owns facing the pure magician the additional power, to transfer fluidal powers onto other things through mediation of material substances. He can magically work without recourse to his consciousness. By right preparatory work materials can be received, which own the ability without affecting of the magician from himself, to load themself with the fluids. Fundamentally an ethical inferior man can pursue thus likewise alchemy, if he knows the right processes. The property of the knowledge to manufacture the philosopher's stone, means power on all levels of existence. Because this power makes possible a large abuse of power, the central processes of the alchemy were concealed in addition. This also should remain henceforth so. Fortunately he will achieve however no more successes in his practice, who breaks the law of the secrecy. There are higher laws, which care for it, that only he may own the philosopher's stone, who is ripe enough to responsibly use this knowledge. As long as men are not capable to peacefully coexist on mental high levels, the doors will remain locked to the palace of the concealed temple. But nevertheless: In the alchemical literature all necessary processes and materials for the great work are found clearly described. However it requires mind and patience to discover all that scattered recorded in writing, to properly order and thus to completely understand the process to the philosopher's stone. Whether then the practice will be successful depends on further things, whereupon I do not respond now. For these reasons it is to be recommended each man striving really after higher worlds to exercise practical alchemy. For the development inside (magic) and the development in the exterior (alchemy) harmoniously coordinated yield the key to the true adept. A such development is for understandable reasons much quicker and more penetrating than the persecution of only one of the both ways. If Bardon would have been permitted to write further books, so the fifth book would have carried the title Lapis Mon Feb 12 09:46:03 1996 Subject: 0227 alchemy and christianity Date: 11 Feb 96 15:42:30 EST From: MARVIN LOWES ---------------Original Message--------------- Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 09:16:34 -0600 From: George Randall Leake III >it's my impression that nearly all Western alchemists after the >resurgence of the art were either clergy or very religious. Even explicitly >magical texts seem to go on and on about how these efforts were in pursuit >of the nature of God's universe. The stigma against alchemy seems to be a >late development--this colors our perception of it in much the same way as >the modern tendency to imbue Tarot with divinitory connotations. So when and why did the stigma arrise? Tony Lowes 73551.655@compuserve.com 11/02 Mon Feb 12 09:46:47 1996 Subject: 0228 alchemy and christianity From: Jon Marshall Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 07:36:40 -0800 i can only really discuss the question of alchemists in england. But before the dissolution of the monasteries, there were basically two types of alchemist in that country. the monk and the 'licensee'. Licensee's were those, usually people of some small estate, who practised alchemy on the understanding that they did not break the law by violating the perogatives of the mint, and that they reported any success to the monarch. You might think of Ripley and Norton as examples of these two streams. In neither case does there seem to have been much questioning of alchemy as anti-christian (despite alchemical texts regularly being attributed to heretics, or people of suspect faith such as Roger bacon, Arnald de Villanova, Ramon Lull, Geber etc). Even the papal bill of 1317 issued by Pope John XXII seems more concerned with the devaluation of currency than any spiritual danger. I would suspect (without having yet obtained the article that our attention was recently drawn to), that the banning of alchemy among the franciscans and dominicans at various monastries (during the late 13th, early 14th centuries) was posibly more to do with the feeling that alchemy was a distraction from their real work or a burden on their funds- and that excommunication was the penalty for repeated disobedience not for heresy. When alchemy was finally outlawed in England in 1403-4 it was explicitly because of problems with the currency and the economy. Mutliplication of gold and silver was punishable as a felony- which i believe was death and forfiture of goods. Despite this there is plenty of evidence that alchemy continued in the monsteries, and again we have cases arising from 'visitations' that priors were being found guilty of, or charged with, spending their monasteries revenue on alchemy (and loosing it), and in at least one case of issuing false coinage. I know of non being charged with heresy. Another important reason for the 'class' basis of alchemy is literacy- the most likely place to get an education was in the church, or if you came form a landed family. After the dissolution of the monasteries, alchemy shifts towards medicine or manufacture- to enable educated people who had no property or position to survive. Thomas Charnock is a well known alchemist from this period who not only supported himself through alchemical medicine, but proposed a gold making factory to Elizabeth I. Other more conservative manufacturing ventures were not uncommon; such as the 'society for the new art' involving thomas smith, leicester, burley etc making copper from iron. Thus despite alchemy's, to me at least, heretical overtones, the church does not seem to have prosecuted alchmists as heretics before the reformation. I beleive that after the reformation that alchemy tended in europe to be more associated with protestants than catholics (ie hugenots in france) and thus became more likely to be considered heretical or suspect. And there is frances yates thesis that 'Rosicrucianism' was associated with an attempt to build a protestant esoteric empire, a movement defeated at the battle of white mountain, and forever lost in the 30 years war- which would have made alchemy even more suspect to the church. Of course post reformation (particuarly about the late 16th early 17th centuries) was also the most intense time of prosecution of witches. Van helmont was 'investigated' by the inquisition for explaining things that were really caused by demons by natural causes, paracelsian writings were put on the Index, Bruno was burnt etc. So, i guess i am arguing that hostility to alchemy had originaly to do with maintneance of economic power and after the reformation had largely to do with preserving spirtual power. jon Mon Feb 12 09:48:29 1996 Subject: 0229 Frater Albertus Says: Regarding why he used lemonbalm... Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 16:26:24 -0500 From: Rick Grimes -Reply > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >I posted about my attempt at the first experiment in the _Alchemist >Handbook_. I never saw a copy of my post so I hope it went through. >In short, it did not turn out well, due to lack of the proper equipment (but at >least it wasn't as big a mess as the rootbeer experiment which I'm not even >going discuss). > >Anyway, I had asked, in this post, if anyone knew why Frater Albertus >recommended using lemon balm (aka melissa) in this experiment? Is there >something about lemon balm that perhaps helps newbies gain insight faster >(I hope). No one ever responded, and I am unsure my post went through, >so I ask again -- why lemonbalm? > >Maybe its just one of the least harmful herbs. I've always considered it >useful but innocuous. Plain old lemon balm. I harvested a good amount of >it this past fall and I made it into a tea. Aside from the mellow flavor in tea, I >don't think its good for anything else. In my herbal, _Rodale's Herbal >Encyclopedia_ it mentions that lemon balm has been used for ages and >was used by the ancient >Greeks to help cure stings because they saw that bees liked it >(thus the name Melissa). Of course, this herbal could be incorrect. >Maybe there was a more esoteric reason. > >So, why did Frater Albertus use lemon balm in the first experiment? > >Regards, > >- Peggy - > > > ><<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >I raised this issue with Dr.Terry Willard (who, by the way, has written a few >books on Herbalism that incorporate both Alchemy and Chemical >Sciences) . Dr Willard took the 7 yearly sessions in Salt Lake City. >Apparently Lemon Balm was used because there was plenty of it in Frater >Albertus's garden. > >Blessings, > >+Gilbert > ************************************ Even though this post is several days old, I think it is still usefull and pertinent: To verify Dr. Willard's referal to Frater's garden, I should like to add that during the three years that I lived in Salt Lake City (1973 thru 75) attending classes and working with Frater Albertus at Paralab, I personally harvested the Melissa from his garden. Practically speaking, it grows profusely in rich soil often giving three harvests per growing season. It is a hardy plant once it has achieved a foothold. It's influence on the body is subtle but certainly effective especially with the nervous system - my understanding is that it may help open and strengthen nerve routes in the brain. Frater always said, "If you feel it, you have taken to much." Case in point: On one occassion I picked and dried four or five very large plastic bags packed with fresh melissa. I dried it very slowly in the 2nd floor apartment at Paralab. Once it was properly dried I stripped the stems of all the leaves in preparation for masseration. The stems would later be added to the dried mash and calcined. Thinking that it was only just meliss, after all, I failed to wear my mask and gloves as I usually did. When I finished the job my eyes were almost swollen shut, my nose was totally closed and I had a terrible tremmor; my hands shook uncontrollably. Understandably, when Frater saw me he repremanded me severely explaining that I foolishly and stupidly underestimated this herb. He said I could easily suffer nerve damage with such a foolish and irresponsible notion. He prepared something for me there and then - I have no idea what - and within a few hours the tremmors stopped. It took about two days for my eyes and nassal system to clear thanks to the Blue Mali eucalyptus oil I inhaled for two days. My point is this: Melissa is subtle when used normally, nevertheless, it should not be underestimated simply because one does not feel an obvious effect, or find references for it in an herbal. In my experience a certain extract may not work so well until one arrives at IT"S vibrational virtue rather than assume it can adjust to energies discordent to it's own, especially those extracts and oils that influence higher thought. It should be remembered that there is so much more about all of nature's products that is UNKNOWN, than is known. Peace to all Rick Grimes Mon Feb 12 09:49:34 1996 Subject: 0230 Alchemy and the bible Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 18:01:19 +0001 (EST) From: Thomas D Sola On Sun, 11 Feb 1996, Alchemy forum wrote: > Of course it is evident, that the biblical texts can be interpreted on different > kinds. A theological interpretation is always possible. However the > above-mentioned quotation from the bible seems to me to force an alchemical > interpretation. > <...snip...> > > I'm not changing my mind: The practical interpretation of this passage from the > bible is just as plausible as any other. > > Lapis > Lapis, I did not mean in any way to subvert or disclaim your interpretation of the passage. I do think it is just as plausible as any other and in fact I beleive it is correct just as I beleive my interpretation is (though less well put than yours) also correct. When I speak and think of alchemy I think of it as an aim to spiritual fruition more so than that of the physical but only as a personal preferance. I think both schools of alchemy were practiced side by side. "As it is above so it is below" or put in a more germain light, "It is on Earth as it is in Heaven", I think the two paths are inseperable from one another. This forum tends to lean heavy to the physical alchemy side of things which is more than fine. I just like to throw in the spirtual possabilities every so often. Much regard, Thomas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- NOTE: All spelling mistakes are those of the author and the author alone, any similarities to other mistakes made, past or present, are purly coincidental. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ForEsme@world.std.com http://world.std.com/~ForEsme Mon Feb 12 10:49:47 1996 Subject: 0231 Swedish bitter Date: 11 Feb 96 18:10:24 EST From: Beat Krummenacher Dear Petra, The Swedish bitter is neither a spagyric nor an alchemical product. Swedish bitter is similarly manufactured to this day like in earlier times. According to the manufacturer the composition varies. Fundamental are all Swedish bitter however nothing but alcoholic extracts from a plant mixture. Preparation: One brings the dried plants as finely as possible ground in approximately 40 percent alcohol and leaves stay under occasional shaking several days. Then is filtered off. The brownish to greenish filtrate is the Swedish bitter. While today the industry uses pharmaceutical alcohol, one formerly took distilled brandy. Composition: A typical Swedish bitter contains predominantly bitter drugs and plants with laxative effect. Among others are always contained aloe, senna leaves, gentian. In general one may say, that a Swedish bitter is a robust laxative. Properly dosed the bowel movement is eased. Because diarrhea can appear in higher dosage, one believed, that Swedish bitter has a purifying effect on the body. From thus the concept of the cleansing of the bloodstream emerged. Formerly the dispenses for Swedish bitter were concealed always more or less. Since some components were rare or expensive, one paid for a good Swedish bitter high prices. No wonder, that the Swedish bitter soon counted as universal remedy and was utilized against rather everything, which tormented man. Formerly the Swedish bitter stood in a similar respect like the theriac, which was likewise a specially manufactured mixture from usually at least 20 different plants. However the whole has nothing to do with alchemy. Lapis E-Mail 100667.1267@compuserve.com Mon Feb 12 14:22:00 1996 Subject: 0232 alchemy and christianity From: John E. Myers >Date: Fri, 9 Feb 96 22:34:36 PST >From: A.J.Le Sage > > >Have anyone considered the reasons why Alchemy was >so prolithic among the medeval clergy. >1 An Abbey would offer the safest of Havens for study. >2 The Abbeys were the only place where the realvant >documents could be found. > It is said that many of the great cathedrals were representations of the alchemical secrets, in stone. There is definitely a connection there between Christianity and alchemy, though where it begins and ends is a mystery. J.E.M. / "All things come to * * myersj@gactr.uga.edu / he who waits." * * * * alt.immortal / I have time. * * * * * * * * * Mon Feb 12 19:08:56 1996 Subject: 0233 hudson redux (will it ever end?) Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 09:26:51 -0600 From: George Randall Leake III >Barry Carter >David Hudson claims that through alchemical processes gold and other >precious metals can be moved to a monoatomic, non-metalic, >superconducting, high spin state. This material generally takes the >form of a white powder which can be mixed with water to form a >gelatinous liquid. [edited for brevity] >I suspect that much of what Hudson claims is true. Many hitherto >unexplained relationships are made clear by his theories. He is >producing the monoatomic material and it does have "Philosophical" >effects. ***I'd like to know what exactly you or he means by "Philosophical" effects. Do you mean an easy chair, tobacco pipe and cup of hot espresso? Or effects such as brain hemmoraging. schizophrenia, or getting stuck in graduate school for most of your adult life? ***since yr response might be irrelevant to the scope of this list, here's my email: taliesin@mail.utexas.edu ***what makes one suspicious is Hudson's motivations (personal gain seems the most likely). Some of the ideas about gold and other elements being transformed at the particle level are not new --these resemble ideas penned in India some aeons past. If Hudson's method is a scientific one in the empirical sense, then obviously a lot more proof of its efficacy is needed. In terms of a "philosophy" or belief system, it seems to reside in the company of Scientology and the Psychic Friends Network. Mon Feb 12 20:30:58 1996 Subject: 0234 Locating the prima materia (3) From: Barry Carter Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 10:26:09 +0000 In regard to Patrick J. Smith's post on the prima materia [0204], David Hudson is claiming that the his discoveries are combining modern quantum physics and alchemy. He maintains that the monoatomic forms of various precious metals are the key to getting the philosopher's stone. It is easy to speculate that there are higher energy forms of some of the monoatomic elements which have greater philosophical effects than the philosophical and medical effects reported for the basic monoatomic forms of the platinum group metals that Hudson has primarily worked with. One wonders if the low energy plateau that charactorizes the healing properties of these elements might be accompanied by a higher energy plateau at the top of a slippery slope which has the properties attributed to the Philosoper's stone. The first plateau then might correspond to the prima materia and the higher plateau might correspond to the ulitma materia. Experimetal models could be devised to determine if this is so. I wonder what the physical attributes of these two materia's are. Barry Carter The thing about infinity is, there sure is a lot of it. Much more than we knew about even two years ago. Mon Feb 12 20:28:51 1996 Subject: 0235 Alchemy and Electricity From: Barry Carter Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 10:53:05 +0000 Adam McLean quotes Karl von Eckartshausen (1752-1803) Magic. The Principles of Higher Knowledge > The outflow of this Prime Matter is created in such a way, that it > continuously flows back to where it came from, according to the nature of > things. David Hudson claims that Planck's constant is the recognition of the zero-point energy that and is the basis of all matter. Here are some excerpts from his Dallas lecture which refer to this subject in a way that is strikingly similar to the reference that Adam McLean cites above: Now if you pick up the electro- magnetic spectrum and you look at it you'll find absorption spectroscopy and emission spectroscopy all on the same chart. But they're not exactly the same, they're slightly offset because it's a logarithmic chart and where this turns around and goes back is where the electro-magnetic zero point is and it just happens to be dead center where these two won't reconcile. Next slide. And in fact what happens is as this turns around you get something that looks about like this. You get a singularity. It's where it literally turns around and starts to come back and at the point where it perfectly turns there's actually a singularity. Because in reality it literally turns and runs off in another dimension and then comes out of that dimension and continues on. The two miss each other by Planck's frequency, they don't touch. That's the width of the frequency. And that's what it looks like, that's literally coming up and turning and running down into another dimension and coming out of that dimension and continuing on. It's where another dimension intersects. It's where time intersects the electro-magnetic spectrum and it intersects at the electro-magnetic zero point. Where do you find that? You find it at the area where matter exists, you find it at the temperatures where you exist. To the right is the ionization spectrum, to the left is the ultra . . . . is the microwave, but it's in this spectrum, in the middle, where the zero point is. And that's what you'll find out is that God, or the electro-magnetic zero point is within you. That's where it is. It's within all life. It's what is life. It's what makes up life. It's what makes up matter. All physicists are looking for that singularity. They're trying to crunch waves tighter and tighter and tighter and tighter and tighter together until they literally. . . ., and they're going way out past deep gamma trying to crunch those waves together and get them where they stack on top of themselves. But the amazing thing is at the electro-magnetic zero point they literally turn and run off, and relative to you they stack on top of themselves. It's inherent in the system that this singularity occurs at the electro-magnetic zero point. And all physicists are looking for the creation way out in deep gamma and right back here at null, it's where it all came from. It's the primal soup. It's where particles are born out of that vacuum energy every day. Electrons disappear into it and reappear out of it continually. It is the creative force. It's where it all came from. And if you get yourself shrunk down where you could climb inside that dark slit right there, where literally matter, the wave, no matter how long it is, it's running away from you so it's stacking on top of itself relative to you, if you could get inside of there, you would be one with God. Harold Puthoff, down in Austin, Texas, who worked on the government contracts on psychic, telepathy, mental connections between people, and he's now working with levitation, time travel and all that. He's published some papers developing Sakharov's theory about gravity, in which he says, that gravity is not a gravitational field. That gravity, is in fact, the inter-reaction of matter, the protons, and the neutrons and the electrons, with the zero point, or vacuum energy. And what we experience as gravity is, in fact, the inter-reaction of the matter with the zero point energy. That is the energy where it all began, where all matter that we know in this universe came from, is the vacuum where the zero point energy, the scalar energy, there's all sorts of names for it, but it is that underlying vibration that contains immense amounts of energy. And it's everywhere in the universe, timeless, all, every nucleus runs on it, every electron runs on it, and that's where you will meet your god. Barry Carter The thing about infinity is, there sure is a lot of it. Much more than we knew about even two years ago. Tue Feb 13 08:52:24 1996 Subject: 0236 New Hudson WhiteGold forum! Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 00:13:37 -0500 From: Binga via Adam McLean An E-Mail forum devoted to Dave Hudson's work with the WhiteGold has now been set up by one of the subscribers to the alchemy forum. This will provide a specialist forum where people can explore aspects of Dave Hudson's work in depth. At times the need of people to discuss matters arising from this work rather swamped the alchemy forum, so I think it is a good aidea that this specialist group has been set up. I wish this new forum the best of luck, and note that they have opted to moderate the forum from the outset. Adam McLean --------------------------- From: cyberinga@aol.com WhiteGold is a moderated forum devoted to the exploration and discussion of asymmetrically deformed nuclei also known as the David Hudson material (Orbitally Rearranged Monoatomic Elements (ORMEs)), White Powder of Gold (WPG) and various trade names such as Etherium. Online since 2/12/96, WhiteGold subscribers include: physicists, healers, chemists, artists, philosophers, alchemists and engineers. Some of us have been following this work for years. Others have only recently begun their research. We find common ground in our desire to objectively explore this interesting subject. Persons wishing to subscribe, should email WhiteGold-request@zz.com. The word subscribe should appear both in the Subject and Body fields of the post. To receive a FAQ, without subscribing, send email to: WhiteGold-info@zz.com. Strength in Wisdom binga cyberinga@aol.com binga@zz.com Tue Feb 13 08:52:33 1996 Subject: 0237 alchemy and christianity Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 09:05:05 PST From: Jason_Johns I believe that much of the stigma came from the modern chemists who viewed the alchemists as batty old men, pursuing a goal that was unattainable. The methods used by the old alchemists were not exactly scientific which alienated the new scientists who did not believe anything unless it was scientifically proven - something that is still alive and well today. Many of the modern scientists disregarding the pursuit of the philosophers stone or turning base metal in to gold as the research of fools. They were only interested in what they could accurately measure and produce. The research of alchemists produces no immediate results but require many years of dedication before even the slightest gains were seen. I think the research requires a very spiritual approach, something which has been discarded over the last few centuries with the approach of science. If I remember correctly, Newton was an Alchemist!!!! Yet he produced some scientific principals which still appear to hold even today. Precisely how he reconciled what could be termed two diametrically opposed professions I do not know. However, in conclusion, I believe it is only in the last couple of centuries that this stigma on alchemy has developed due to the progress of 'modern science'. Even today, mention alchemy and you get laughed at!!!!! Jayzn. [Jason_Johns.rxuk@eur.xerox.com] ---------------Original Message--------------- Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 09:16:34 -0600 From: George Randall Leake III >it's my impression that nearly all Western alchemists after the >resurgence of the art were either clergy or very religious. Even explicitly >magical texts seem to go on and on about how these efforts were in pursuit >of the nature of God's universe. The stigma against alchemy seems to be a >late development--this colors our perception of it in much the same way as >the modern tendency to imbue Tarot with divinitory connotations. So when and why did the stigma arrise? Tony Lowes Tue Feb 13 08:53:28 1996 Subject: 0238 Duelech and Duenech Date: 12 Feb 96 19:35:35 EST From: Beat Krummenacher Dear Art To the discussion around the word Duelech I would like to capture still the following aspects. You already have taken out the meaning of the concept from the lexicon of Ruland. Duelech appears however often also in the spelling Duenech in alchemical writings. Ruland translates this concept thus: >Duenech est antimonium<, i.e. antimony sulphide, because formerly under antimony not the metal was understood, but stibnite. The metal was called Regulus antimonii. Ruland writes however also: >Azot Duenech<. It encloses: >der Stein / Grun / Dan er beguennet zu wachsen<. Therefore: >The stone, which is green, because it begins to grow<. From Sincerus Hydrophilus, Der Chymischen Und Heutigen Welt, Nutzbahre Schatz-Kammer. .., 1736: P. 228 / 229: >In the first chapter is contained, how be in our green lion the true matter, also which color it have. And it is called Adrop, Azoth or Duenech.< P. 232: >However know in advance, that you will be able to prepare no kind of the stone, without the green and mellow Duenech, which grows in our metallic and mineral earth.< P. 244: >Still know to the conclusion: There is called a herb Adrop, Duenech, Azoth, from which our medicine is prepared.< Therefore one must distinguish two fundamental meanings: On one hand the word for a kind of kidney stones, on the other hand the code name for the green lion, Adrop, philosophical lead, mineral antimony, airy gold or mercury. While the first meaning is important for the medicine, the second meaning is remarkable for the alchemist. Who wants to know more about it, is referred among others to the writings of Ripley. By the way the identification of Duenech with Adrop is interesting. If one shifts the letters in Adrop, so one receives the notion of Porta = door. Thus the notion stands for the concretely representable substance, which is the door to the great work. Who knows to manufacture the Duenech or Duelech, can open the gate to the Magnum Opum. Lapis Tue Feb 13 09:04:38 1996 Subject: 0239 alchemy and christianity Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 00:56:27 PST From: Jason_Johns I know that the cathedrals which reveal much occult information are those built in the 'gothic' era, such as Chatres in France, which is probably the most famous of them. There is a church in Scotland called Rosslyn which is also very mysterious and powerful. Jayzn >Date: Fri, 9 Feb 96 22:34:36 PST >From: A.J.Le Sage > > >Have anyone considered the reasons why Alchemy was >so prolithic among the medeval clergy. >1 An Abbey would offer the safest of Havens for study. >2 The Abbeys were the only place where the realvant >documents could be found. > It is said that many of the great cathedrals were representations of the alchemical secrets, in stone. There is definitely a connection there between Christianity and alchemy, though where it begins and ends is a mystery. Tue Feb 13 22:54:12 1996 Subject: 0240 Xtremely interested!! Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 05:57:17 -0600 ( if this sounds a little haughty please forgive me ) >Hello, to who ever is reading this. My name is Risis. I would VERY MUCH >like it, if someone would kindly inform me about some of the basic >principles behind Alchemy. I myself have never sought or attempted to >practice anything in this field. I have learned a small bit about the >Occult (who hasn't!?)........... Reading from a book once, it stated that Alchemy was simply a way to provide insight into mysticism and the metaphysical. In ANOTHER book, it was stated that Alchemy was a way to provide insight to the psychology and the human soul.{furrowed brow}Could anyone kindly clear this up and give me a clear perspective on exactly what the PRINCIPLES of Alchemy evolve around.Thankyou for replying!!< BTW: just in case to contact me directly --pg06@ionet.net-- w/o the dashes of course Tue Feb 13 22:54:22 1996 Subject: 0241 alchemy and christianity From: Tom Hennessy Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 10:17:38 -0700 (MST) When Elizabeth I came to power she was just before Henry VIII? Henry 'outlawed' bloodletting by anyone other than 'accredited'.. doctors. It wasn't Henry who 'outlawed'.. alchemy was it? The dates you give don't 'jibe'.. with Henry so I guess it wasn't him? I still believe 'physicians'.. wield much more power than we think. And it has been going on for a long time. Who loves ya. Tom http://www.nucleus.com/watchman Tue Feb 13 22:54:34 1996 Subject: 0242 Locating the prima materia (4) Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 09:38:24 -0500 From: Gilbert Arnold The Alchemical Master Rubea Viridis recommended 'ductae lanieris' as a means to stabilise the 'higher energy plateau at the top of a slippery slope which has the properties attributed to the Philosoper's stone' . Tue Feb 13 22:54:46 1996 Subject: 0243 Alchemy and the Bible Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 14:53:59 -0500 From: RawnClark The discussion about the connection between Alchemy and the Bible (which somehow ended up as "Alchemy and Christianity", disregarding the fact that the Golden Calf story comes from the Torah ;) seems to be ignoring one essential item: the Alchemical symbolism in the Torah pre-dates Christianity AND Judaism. This symbolism is also fairly cogent and speaks of well thought-out, complete processes -- implying that it is based upon a yet older tradition. Judaism and Christianity, as we know them today, are, however slightly, expressions of (at least reactions to) this ancient root, and it is no wonder that their Sacred texts are rife with subtle and not so subtle, Alchemical symbolism. I very strongly urge anyone truely interested in the Alchemical parts of the "Bible", to look to the original text, in the original language it was written in. This means the Hebrew Torah and the Greek/Coptic New Testament. The King James translation of the "Old Testament" (Torah) is especially misleading. It's translation of the New Testament is equally poor, representing more a political statement of its times than an accurate translation. One should also look closely at the difference between the verifyable history of the texts versus the accepted mythology of their origins...they usually negate eachother and point to different (and equally important) levels of inherant meaning. Any approach to a root text is necessarily one of translation. Translation is a process of personalization, where the original words are ingested, digested, and then spit out anew, carrying with them the imprint of the translator (this is true even when we read a thing in our own language!). It is not an exact process, as is show by the number of different translations most root texts have generated. Add to this the inevitable errors of transcription that are evident in most re-copied ancient texts, and the odds of an error snow-balling are astronomical! The advice of "Question Everything" is very apt when it comes to trying to divine Wisdom from someone else's writings. A written word, no matter how Divinely inspired, can only encompass a small part of the answer; at best, they may lead us to the discovery of our own answers, but only when personalized and empowered by our questioning. Best to you, :) Rawn Clark (rawnclark@aol.com) 13 Feb 96 Tue Feb 13 22:54:57 1996 Subject: 0244 An Experiment Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 16:07:11 -0500 From: RawnClark As an outgrowth of a project I'm Working on with a friend, I came across (blindly stumbled right into it more like) a personally healing modality. I have been performing this exercise daily for two and a half months now and am amazed at its healing effects. While it began quite simply, it quickly evolved to its present state, patterned after an Archaeous of Water (with Sal=physical body; Sulphur=astral body; and Mercury=mental body): *** Rawn's Healing Archaeous *** 1) Spend a few moments settling completely and comfortably into your physical body. 2) Sense the *bright* energy of your asral body and consciously incorporate its vibrant matrix into every cell of your physical body. 3) Sense your mental body and consciously incorporate its essence into your astral matrix as it permeates your physical structure. 4) Separate your mental and asral bodies as a unit, from your physical body. 5) Observe and regulate your detached physical body's process of slowing and normalization. 6) Shift your attention to your astral body and consciously integrate your mental essence into its matrix. 7) Separate your mental body from your astral body. 8) Observe and regulate your detached astral body's process of slowing and normalization. 9) Observe and regulate your independant mental body's process of clarification. 10) Accumulate the four Elements in the appropriate regions of your mental body, equally and with balance. 11) Re-unite your mental body with your astral body, and consciously integrate your mental essence into your astral matrix. 12) Accumulate the four Elements in your astral body (roughly: Earth, from hips down; Water, abdomen; Air, chest; and Fire, head), equally and with balance. Unite them with their mental correspondents. 13) Re-unite your mental/astral body with your physical body, and consciously integrate their energy into your physical structure. 14) Accumulate the four Elements in the appropriate regions of your physical body, equally and with balance. Unite them with their mental/astral correspondents. 15) After a time, release the accumulation of the Elements and resume normal bodily consciousness. Generally this takes me about 30 minutes to accomplish (the above is a rough outline of the process). I've found that at least 15 minutes of having the astral separate from the physical is required for the physical to slow and normalize sufficiently for a healing effect to result. The astral and mental bodies take much less time for their normalization and clarification. I am seeking someone who is capable of this operation (ie: conscious separation of the bodies and manipulation of the Elements on all three levels) and who is also interested in trying the experiement. While my results are personally satisfying, I'm left wondering if these results are reproducable, and what the variations might be and/or mean. If you are interested, please contact me directly at Sincerely, :) Rawn Clark 13 Feb 96 Wed Feb 14 09:34:06 1996 Subject: 0245 Locating the prima materia (4) Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 22:22:32 -0500 From: Rawn Clark In a message dated 96-02-13 19:56:37 EST, you write: >From: Gilbert Arnold > >The Alchemical Master Rubea Viridis recommended >'ductae lanieris' as a means to stabilise the 'higher energy >plateau at the top of a slippery slope which has the properties >attributed to the Philosoper's stone' . > > Would you be so kind as to translate "ductae lanieris" for us poorly educated folk? My little Langenscheidt Latin dictionary was of no help at all... Many thanks! :) Rawn Clark 13 Feb 96 Wed Feb 14 09:36:42 1996 Subject: 0246 Frater Albertus Says: Regarding why he used lemonbalm... Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 21:38:47 -0500 From: Russ House It started like this... >>So, why did Frater Albertus use lemon balm in the first experiment? >> >>Regards, >> >>- Peggy - >> >><<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>I raised this issue with Dr.Terry Willard (who, by the way, has written a few >>books on Herbalism that incorporate both Alchemy and Chemical >>Sciences) . Dr Willard took the 7 yearly sessions in Salt Lake City. >>Apparently Lemon Balm was used because there was plenty of it in Frater >>Albertus's garden. >> >>Blessings, >> >>+Gilbert >> >************************************ > >Even though this post is several days old, I think it is still usefull and >pertinent: > >To verify Dr. Willard's referal to Frater's garden, I should like to add >that during the three years that I lived in Salt Lake City (1973 thru 75) >attending classes and working with Frater Albertus at Paralab, I personally >harvested the Melissa from his garden. Practically speaking, it grows >profusely in rich soil often giving three harvests per growing season. It is >a hardy plant once it has achieved a foothold. > > ..... chop ..... > >Peace to all > >Rick Grimes > +++ I originally wrote the following on 1/1/96, but I had already unsubscribed from the list using that particular account and the message was returned undelivered. I just found it tonite: It addresses WHY there was melissa in Frater Albertus' garden. In fact I have been growing melissa for 13 years now, having started with seeds from Albertus' place. I guess this indirectly addresses WHY melissa is in my garden: "This is an old topic by now, but I will add another penny to the stack. It is true as Paul & Micah and Art Kunkin, et al have said, that Albertus chose this plant because of the great interest that Paracelsus had in lemon balm." "Some years ago, I interviewed a Mr. Orval Graves of California, who was the man who organized the first classes on practical alchemy at Rose-Croix University of AMORC in San Jose back in the 1940's. In those classes were four people that I knew, one of whom was Albertus. He was considered to be a 'diamond in the rough' and a 'real character', who made a bit of a show of knowing more than the instructors. In those classes, Mr. Graves insisted on a strict adherence to Paracelsus in most of the practice. They worked in those classes with melissa (lemon balm), and while there was an herb garden there at the AMORC park, the melissa always disappeared first. It seems that this tradition has passed on, a few more steps.... to Albertus who faithfully used melissa in his classes, to the instructors who later taught at AMORC circa 1989-1993,and to the spagyrics courses of the Philosophers of Nature, who work first on melissa. It was interesting for me to see where this funny little lineage originated when speaking with Mr. Graves." Regards, Russ ==================================== Courses in Alchemy * Qabala * Esoteric Studies The Philosophers of Nature on the web: http://www.mcs.net/~alchemy/ email: alchemy@mcs.com "Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana" - Groucho Marx Wed Feb 14 09:37:33 1996 Subject: 0247 alchemy and christianity Date: Tue, 13 Feb 96 19:55 PST From: Armenua Tom.... just to set the record straight... Elizabeth I was Henry VIII's daughter... Remember? He left the Catholic church and created the Church of England so he could marry Ann Bolyn, Elizabeth's mother. Henry VIII--->Edward--->Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary)--->Elizabeth Wed Feb 14 09:41:01 1996 Subject: 0248 FRENCH Basile Valentin 1826 Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 23:32:39 -0500 From: Michel Martineau Système Auto-Réalisation A tout mes amis de ce monde, et à mon maître en reconnaissance de son dévouement, j'atteste ce qui suit est mon expérience personnelle, et à moi seul les mystères que recèle la Vie, du fonds de son Etre éternel. Moi Basile Valentin, j'ai travaillé sur moi-même à la réalisation de la vie éternelle par le procédé de la transmutation sexuelle. Plusieurs fois rejeté & délaissé pour mes idées avant gardistes, j'ai travaillé et expérimenté sur moi-même la dissolution complète des égos sans devenir inconscient. J'ai toujours gardé mes opinions quand on me les demandait, et je n'ai jamais été le mouton qu'on aurait voulu que je sois. Les informations qui suivent ne viennent pas de moi, mais de mon maître et celui-ci du siens etc... a suivre... Ceci est mon cadeau de la St-Valentin, à mes disciples. Wed Feb 14 09:41:09 1996 Subject: 0249 Menstruum to dissolve Sol Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 23:43:21 -0500 From: Russ House >Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 01:20:14 -0800 (PST) >From: Art Kunkin > >...Clip... Also, since I don't think I sent in my membership dues this year to >the Philosophers of Nature, I have not received any notice of a new P.O.N >conference in Colorado. Why hasn't an announcement about an upcoming >conference of alchemists been published in this alchemical forum? Yours, >Art Dear Art, Last night I posted the full info on the seminar to the P.O.N. web site: http://www.mcs.net/~alchemy/ It is listed under "What's New" and under "Activities". If there are those who do not have a browser, please send an email and I will respond offline. I do not want to set a precedent for 'advertising' on the forum, unless Adam states that it is OK. Regards, Russ Wed Feb 14 12:23:48 1996 Subject: 0250 Duelech and Duenech There is an interesting Duenech allegory found in a number of 16th and 17th century alchemical texts. Here is one version. Adam McLean -------------------------------------------------------------------- Duenech Allegory There was an old duke, called Duenech. He saw himself despised in the meeting of monarchs, on account of his deep melancholy. After a deliberation with friends how this melancholy could be suppressed and how the blood with the other excellent temperaments could get the upper hand, he sent for the physician Pharut and offered him a high reward, if he, Pharut, the prince of physicians, could cure him. Thereupon Pharut said that it would be a protracted and difficult cure which only he could bring about and he promised to cure Duenech. They fixed a time to begin, namely when Saturn was in opposition with the Sun. Thereupon Pharut ordered everybody to leave the duke's house, with the exception of a little fool in gay-coloured garments, who was allowed to stay to entertain the duke. After Pharut put Duenech in a bed with white sheets and covered him well, so that he might not be killed by the smoke of the nearest furnace. Then he gave him clear water, in consequence of which Duenech began to sweat so strongly that the white sheets were completely stained. The black bile had been dissolved in the whole of Duenech's body. Thereupon Pharut prepared another bed for him, the bolster of which was filled with the feathers of a young, black eagle, and the pillow with swans' feathers; on the bed a black sheet and a white cover were laid. Duenech was put in this bed and all air holes were entirely closed so that neither sweat nor vapour might escape. This bed was heated and Pharut rubbed Duenech's body and feet with evil-smelling oil until the black bile had spread to the top of his head. From the change of colour it was clear that Duenech became unconscious several times. Pharut opened Duenech's mouth and rejoiced when he saw that Duenech's palate was white. At last he laid the exhausted monarch into a third bed and revived him there with water and oil, mixed with sulphur. When Duenech looked at himself, he saw that he was freed from melancholy and had new, healthy blood, and that he surpassed all his fellow-soldiers in power. |
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