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P.O.N. Seminars 1992Copyright 1992, 1998, The Philosophers of Nature. All rights
reserved. The Elements of Crystals Lecturer: Jean Dubuis This morning we'll speak about crystals because if you really want to work on alchemy there is an elementary knowledge on crystals necessary. This is not a complete crystallography course, but what we will give you is what's necessary for alchemists. What you have to know first is that in nature 2 states occur. The crystalline one, that's the state of order, and the amorphous state, the chaotic one. The alchemical experiments are supported by the order state. So, we will speak about certain types of crystals and some rules concerning these crystals, but just what's necessary for alchemy. The crystals come from the fact that the atoms have a spherical volume. And you can only put these spheres within 2 types. With spheres like this (shows a cubic pattern) or like this (points to rhombohedric pattern). In reality the spheres don't touch, they are far from one another, but they always respect these 2 rules of network. These 2 rules of network are the basis, and give 7 types of crystals in nature. In qabalistic and alchemistic tradition there are crystal attributions that are types of crystals. So every sephirotic level is a resonance level in your inner world. We have not checked every level for reasons I will explain, but I think for 3 of these levels we have to pick experiments that show that the tradition is right. We will then start by explaining every type of crystal conscious of its sephirotic level. Usually we have marbles that show the crystals so the problem is easier. We couldn't smuggle them through customs. (Laughs.) The first type of crystal is the cubic crystal. That's this aspect (shows the cubic illustration again, Jean goes over to the tree of life). This crystal is on the sephirotic level of Binah (3). And I will try to explain there are 2 types of crystals that are perfect. The cubic one is the most perfect, because all its sides are equal and all its angles are right. Along the path down to the density of matter, crystals lose their perfection. If you want to work in alchemy, since we are late in the program we want to crunch the program and probably Marc will yell (laughs), if you want to make stones and bring them to a sephirotic level, you must have the corresponding crystal to the self. I was about to speak on the eternity stone but since we won't have time I'll just explain very rapidly. The stone this morning (caraway) was here (Hod, level 8), the stone of eternity is here (Binah level 3). It's a stone we're pretty sure of because we've tried it and it gives contact with eternity. From the inner point of view, it gives you a certain peek at all your problems. Actually we're studying an easy way to make this stone. Our researches are to find the easiest cubic network to be found, actually. Yesterday evening I had a hard time finding this word, he (Jean) is the universes greatest shitster. (Laughs.) So the best cubic crystalline network is sea salt, and this eliminates the problem of having the salt charged with Fire - loaded with Fire. Since the natural sea salt has a load of Fire you mustn't make a solve coagula on it unless you have water from the water angel or deliquescence from the butter of antimony. [RH: Solve/coagula refers to the process of dissolving a salt in a solvent (solve), and recovering the crystalized salt through crystallization by evaporation (coagula). WARNING: Please note that the butter of antimony, antimony chloride, is a horrible corrosive on the skin. It is easily spread around the lab on gloves to create painful and dangerous surprises later when touched by the bare skin. Washing in plenty of water, and the plunging the hands into rubber gloves filled with ammonia solution is a good tactic.] Once you have the salt you have the first element of the stone, but now you have to find a sulfur that will accept incorporating into the salt. So you must find a sulfur from a plant of this (Binah level 3) level. But unfortunately these do not give essential oil. Well actually, we're in a research program to extract this sulfur with hexane from relatively easy to find plants. Once we get the sulfur it will be easy to find and the problem is solved. If you work in alchemy, some metals and some plants are in resonance with this level (3), but the salt to use is the lead. Concerning plants on this level there is horsetail. If you can make something that will give you an inner experience on this level, it will certainly give you an experience of eternity. Because in eternity there are 3 types of experience of eternity. The supreme experience is here (Jean points to the path from Kether to Binah). You can't do much to get it (inner supreme experience), it's granted if your job has been O.K. The second type of crystal is already less perfect it's here on the Chesed sephirah and it's the quadratic system. Note: There was a problem of the terms in French regarding crystals, not quite corresponding to the terms used in English. [RH: a summary appears at the bottom of this page] If you want to go further with alchemical work you must be very careful with the symbolism of things, because nature is protected in every domain, in every reign. We have only right angles here (3) and there (4). That is a symbol Marc is holding there (Marc is holding up a chart) in the quadratic or hexagonal system that is melissa or tin. If you make a stone on this level it's very delicate. This stone gives esoteric information on the world and with this you can see all the tricks in the initiatic orders, with no exceptions. But for initiation, this stone is of very little interest. Q. Hard to hear but could be about quadratic level of Chesed. A. If you work on Chesed magic. O.K. lets go further down and the sephirah is Geburah, corresponding to Mars, and it's the orthorhombic system. And it's the first time that (a crystal) appears at an angle of 60 degrees. From there on we get to the worlds of matter. We start to be in density. On this level, on what was just said, when energies are very, very subtle, the symbolism is a circle, and when they come down their symbolism is a triangle. It corresponds to the 60 degree angle that is here in the crystal. And in the case of this one it's not a perfect crystal -- it melds both of them. If you want to have experiments of this crystal, the most appropriate plant is Yarrow (Note: The plant Yarrow is under the rulership of Venus, the proper plant for Mars is Madder) and the metal is the iron. The tinctures made with this crystal or the stone on this level gives physical strength and a psychic accent on prowess. Crystals and stones on this level are very quick to manipulate. Because of the psychic level it may bring pride. Not pride, but ego. Further down, the crystal with Tiphareth is monoclinic. From there on there are 2 series of 60 degree angles in crystals. It's crystal is gold crystallization, the plant is eyebright, euphrasia. The intrinsic stones and vegetable things of this level can give you the sight of the aura. This is why in French we call them raised glasses. Then, next down to the triclinic system (7). This system is in accordance with Venus. If you make vegetable stones, elixirs, or tinctures, these give a vision of an inner vegetable world. Very often during the inner experience at this level it's rather nice because you live in houses in gigantic trees. So if you have that kind of experience that means you are on this sephirah. And it's interesting because you're preparing for the upper levels. Further down we come to Hod, the level of the stone (of caraway) that we gave just now. The crystallized system of this stone can be considered a perfect crystal, because all the sides are equal, every face is constituted with equilateral triangles. This is rather easy to make and as I said earlier this is the symbol of Thoth Hermes. The symbolism of this part of the tree is very important and sometimes it's the base of the real initiatic sciences. If the ancients gave the name of mercury to this one, it's because Mercury is the junction between the 2 worlds. This is why the stone lets you have experiences of both the inner and outer worlds. The ancients said Mercury is the messenger of God. And you see the Mercury here (Homer diagram) makes the junction between life energy and matter energy. In your inner initiatic work you must work here until you have the junction with the inner master. Because the contacts between those that can be established, because once the job has been done contact with the inner master which is between here (Malkuth) and there (Tiphareth) becomes possible. In the symbolism of the tree apart from crystals this (Tiphareth) is the inner heart. It will transmit to your physical body here (Malkuth), but only through Yesod. That's why initiation is of the brain and heart. If you come down here you get to level (9), the hexagonal crystal. This is important because this crystal buffering things done with this crystal, open with no risk, the doors of the astral world. The symbolism of this crystal is very difficult to understand because on one side if you look from above, it has 6 external atoms. So it's the symbol of the number 6, the symbol of the hexagram to bring things to the upper and the lower. If you consider it with the atoms in the center it gets you to the number 7. In qabala it's the septagram with the sun in the middle that is a symbol of things that awaken the powers in you. On the other hand, this kind of crystal has a very particular body. Because what's called graphite is carbon crystallized here (9) and in qabalistic texts it says that the upper and the lower are in junction and if you charge the crystallization network of the graphite, it crystallizes in cubic and it gives access there (3) because it gives diamond. The problem of changing graphite into diamond is just a crystallization problem. See the treaty of tinctures of Mr. ----- (request for name of treaty) it's delicate, it's a very high level experiment. Once we are down here (10) there is no particular crystalline network because all crystalline networks are on this level and according to the type of body of the crystal of this world we can know its sephirotic value. There's something I forgot. The metal here [RH: on level 9, Yesod.] is silver and you will be thinking, and make the junction to the fact that you put silver in the Martial Regulus in order to have it in equality here. When your Regulus crystallizes with the Star it crystallizes in hexagonal here (9). You can reach the White Stone but never the Red one with it. When you will have a certain experience that maybe you have (had) already. The work with antimony: If you change its crystalline network, and with experience you can follow the sephirotic levels, the Red Stone is possible, only when it's crystallization is above that (6?) But it's better to bring antimony to the cubic level. Never attempt to have things crystallizing in cubic, to crystallize above this (3) reign. Because here, you're in the junction between duality and unity. The (cubic) crystal is somewhere in the lower part of Binah. If you are getting to the higher path the energies of duality cannot reintegrate the energies of unity. There will be a final explosion. That, in vegetable or mineral kingdoms. One of our friends had taken one of the plants - the only available plant here (level 10) is sundew - and our friend never found the flask or the heating device. Don't worry when you're working with these things - say that the Grandfather's eye is on you - the explosions only occur when you're not in the lab. (Laughs.) Questions? Q. Did you give a plant for Venus? A. Alchemilla for Netzach. [RH: Alchemilla is lady's mantle.] Note: Plants are given in English/French equivalents in the P.O.N. lessons. And there is a listing of toxic and non-toxic/poisonous plants/herbs there. For Mercury the best plants are caraway and lavender. Venus - Alchemilla. In alchemy Alchemilla means plant of the alchemists. For Moon it would be veronica. And Earth it would be drosera or sundew. Note: A correction of sheet R3 should read Water and Earth instead of Air and Earth. Any questions? A Summary Added by Russ House:
Copyright 1992, 1998, The Philosophers of Nature. All rights
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