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Hermaphrodite Child of the Sun and Moon AppendixTranslated by Mike Brenner. Copyright Mike Brenner 1997. Permission given
to freely copy this, as long as this copyright remains attached. Appendix. The 44 Qabbalistic Seals of Solomon: A Handy Chart of the Recipe for Changing Lead into Gold 1. Subject Ingredient. Prepare the Liquid, viscous Mercury, the Chaotic Waters over which the Spirit of God moved, the One Substance of Alchemy. 2. Object Ingredient. Visualize the the polar star, in perfect equilibrium at the center of the heavens, to represent the Object of Alchemy. 3. Vessel. Raise the Inner Fire that accomplishes the Work in the dual vessel. 4. Separation. Separate the Water from the Virgin Earth. 5. Decoction. Bring the Virgin Earth to life with 5 magical and 4 scientific imbibings, until it flows like tar. 6. Conjunction. Join this Earth and Water back together. The number X discloses the veil at the boundary of the Water kingdom, the threshold separating the Kingdom of Light from the World of Outer Darkness. 7. Augmentation. Increase the pure elements in the form of the 3 Principles to take the first step into the Lunar or Paradisiacal Kingdom of the Air and the Spirit World. 8. Calcination. Start calcinating and alkinizing these pure elements into a heavy, solid Earth, containing the Salt of Power. This is the key to the whole Work. 9. Inner Conjunction. Couple the seeds of the sun and the moon, or Mercury and sulphur, in a mixture of oil and water. 10. Patience. Wait patiently while the inner spirit of the liquified Mercury-Water grows the seeds. 11. Reduction. Combine the three principles into the foul, dark purulence. 12. Balance. Watch the North Star sustain the calcination of the Earth. 13. Dual Fire. Braid together licks of Hot Dry Fire with licks of Cold Moist Fire to form the mystical Dual Fire. 14. Sealing. Seal the vessel tight. 15. Calcination of the Salt. Watch the Salt calcinate inside the glass door. 16. Leaching. Keep up the circulation of the Moist Fire as the Salt leaches out. 17. Further Leaching. Watch the quintessence bubble out from the 4 pure elements. 18. Athanor. Recall that this is all happening in an oven constructed with three sciences. 19. Corpse. Discard the prior vessel which is now an empty shell. 20. Living Silver. Gather the Alchemical Mercury from the center of this amalgamated mystical material. 21. Sufficiency. Realize that this Living Silver is sufficient to do the entire Work by itself. 22. Reduction. Use the perfect balance of the North Star to reduce the crystal Stone using the magical Fire. 23. Blossoming. Count the ten colors of the peacock's tail the Fiery Sulphur goes through as the Liquid Mercury develops it. 24. Bleaching. Then dry it, so it begins to turn white. 25. Solification. Solidify the Mercury. 26. Tincturification. Join the Mercury to the Sulphur and Salt, forming the fireproof Tincture. 27. Petrification. Take the Stone from amidst the mixture, the White Gold of the Wise with the power to change all incomplete metals into the finest Silver. 28. Standing at the Second Threshold. With your back to the Paradisiacal Kingdom of the Air, face the open door to the Celestial Kingdom of Light. 29. Fire Elemental. Mercury is now the Solid White Stone, a fire-warrior, a Salamander. 30. Multiplication. The Stone increases in proportion to the amount of Liquid Mercury added, coagulating like milk turning to cheese, permitting the Stone to tinge in unlimited quality and quantity. 31. Harmony. Start the Red Work, but reflect on the balance of the polar star to inspire an extremely gentle fire, so it does not turn red too quickly. 32. Reflection. At the completion of this Work, the mysteries of the universe are as easy to see as looking into a mirror. 33. Fragmentation. Break the Stone into three parts, one to make the white Tincture of Silver, one to make white liquid Gold, and one to crush. 34. Dispersion. Scatter the remnants across the red stone and mix well. 35. Rapture. With this mixture, start conducting the marriage of the Sun and Moon. This will permit the mystical Gold and Silver to complement each other, the king and the queen to be brought to the highest ecstacy, and, for the third time, the cycle of 10 to be completed. 36. Fermentation. The first step in the Marriage is for the solid Sulphur of the Sun to ferment the white solid Sulphur of the Moon, recapitulating the heavens inside itself. 37. Exaltation. Next, the Solid White Sulphur cools and bring the hot, fiery Sulphur to life, so it can be glorified ever higher. 38. Completion. Now complete the Work of manufacturing the Stone using the fourth element, Earth, into which Hermes sought to transmute the Mercury. 39. Fire and Air Elements. Watch as these appear with ephemeral bodies of fire. 40. Control. Bring the Liquid Mercury, once burning passionately like liquid Fire, under control as it is excreted as solid Earth, imperturbable as a flame-resistant Stone. 41. Realization. The Stone has a body, a spirit, and a soul. A body because it is visible and tangible, a spirit because it penetrates through all metals, and a soul whose fiery attribute matures everything, turns it into a tincture, and perfects all metals. 42. The Quintessence in both Stones. These Stones advance from a single Being to form a duality, a triple, a subtle quadruplet, and finally the quintessence itself. This is Multiplication, since the white and the red quintessence can reproduce endlessly, as soon as the noble wedding of the Sun and Moon takes place. 43. The Crowning Achievement of the Work. The three crowns indicate that the Tincture-Stone of the Philosophers overcomes and refines the three kingdoms: vegetable, animal, and mineral. 44. The Wedding of the Sun and the Moon in Magical Celestical Fire. They are brought to their high and holy station. If you have problems understanding these alchemical texts, Adam McLean now provides a study course entitled How to read alchemical texts : a guide for the perplexed. |