In Kamala Jnana’s photos sequence, we can see a puffy white borne by a shrunk black waste. An unspecified washing causes a grey bathing series.
Some hermetic authors recommend not to utilize all of Mercurius Philosophorum when preparing Mercurius Duplicatus (1), but to set apart a certain quantity and partition it. So, in the end, all Mercurius volume will be employed and disappear into the small final quantity.
Here, to rescue is an Opus Magnum Scheme, and get back at the first article for an introduction to Kamala Jnana’s “Dictionnaire de Philosophie Alchimique”.
Suppose we get back at Guido de Montanor & the Regimens of Fire. In that case, we will find this enlightening sentence: one has to know that the main regimens of our stone are four, of course, dissolving, washing, unifying and fixing”. Further on: ” Washing is to bury, distill, raise and lay down”. Burying is black putrefaction in closed conditions, then the introduction of a particular substance to let it do an up and down job ( solve), or a real distillation in the case our specific substance does not meet all stunning Secret Fire parameters we need to work without common fire (2). Mind that sometimes distillation is an allegory to hide our stunning Secret Fire effort without external heat. If you remember my post on Dom Pernety & Laton, at the bottom, there is a correlation of mine between alchemical washing and a common washing performed before the soap age: soak, lift, and flap clothes. Laton or Laiton being our black during washing or distillation.
But, of course, washing is all but a common sense washing. In alchemical symbolism, to wash or to take a bath means to achieve snow-white conditions or light out of the dark. In Fulcanelli & Antimony of Wises, a black dragon covered with scales/Primitive Mercurius (on the top left) has to turn into a virgin maid or a Soul/Unripe Sulphur/Primaterialistic Subject (on the top right), even in a dry way.
In his “Concordances Alchimiques ou la Grande Oeuvre Photographié”, Roger Caro calls it a simple white color. But let’s read the very excerpt about pictures 22-23-24-25 or the entire washing phase (below from left to right).
“Number 22 ~ The 7th and 8th P.M. show the vegetative phase. Upon contact with the humidity of the air, the matter (containing one or several granulations) changes to green, a type of mold being the cause of it. Note, moreover that very often (when there is but little superfluity), no granulation appears; they are placed in a body, but their composition remains the same, and the stone preserves all its value.
Number 23 ~ Here begins the first “washing”, as the good Flamel says. It is the 9th P.M. and the dejecta are naturally green. The matter will lighten more and more, month after month(3).
Number 24 ~ This shows the fourth washing, being the 12th P.M.
Number 25 ~ As can be seen with the 7th bath, the 15th P.M., the color white is obtained — a beautiful lunar white”.
As a matter of fact, it is not so rational, presuming that one can get white out of black by simply waiting for nature to do its path. For the first time, thanks to Kamala Jnana’s photos, we have got evidence of black and white volumes being clearly different. Thus something has been introduced to upset putrefaction deadly peace. And we can reasonably imagine the vessel has been closed after the mysterious addition.
Alchemical works do not come to an end with the achievement of Mercurius at the end of the preparatory session. Since we have to extract over and over again (4). But of great interest when talking of Kamala Jnana’s stunning photos is to point at his awesome and perfect Secret Fire performance and color metamorphosis without common fire. In fact, Roger Caro warns us not to employ common fire once we have at hand the “Salts” to perform our Main Work (namely a single salt with something added in (Mercurius Philosophorum). Mind we are not in the aforementioned preparatory work. I’m not talking here of Cinnabar mercury sulfide and Potash KOH potassium hydroxide, which have already acted as common fire in their exothermic preparatory reaction indeed. But about the necessary philosophical salt (Mercurius Philosophorum) which will act as common fire, being a huge Secret Fire concentrate. Now, Kamala Jnana way can achieve and actually does, the legendary amount of it. Be aware that most of the hermetic authors’ ways, which we are so dependent on, do not reach this perfection. Which appears as fabulous as our epic ancients.
As Kamala Jnana is commonly thought not to have been so generous in providing Mercurius achievement witnessing photos, one would be allowed to think he kept introducing potassium hydroxide to perform washings. In fact, what could be more suitable than potash to move our quiet black? If so, what would Mercurius be for? In fact, we know this is really our Universal Dissolvent task. For the moment is enough to know that one washing, or one application, is just a start. Another six will be for white to reach. Ancients authors say: “Wash with fire and cook with water which doesn’t wet hands“. That’s really a unique concept, but the operation name changes according to phases.
Is this light water/Secret Fire/Universal Dissolvent, which purifies Laton and makes colors pass from black to white, of a reasonable white color? People skilled in painting art know that grey color is black plus white addition. So is that effective for alchemy too? No, it doesn’t. As it is not effective for chemistry too. In the washing phase, we are not dealing with chemical pigments. Although there are many talks about the alchemy of dyestuff, that’s not the case yet. Whatever chemical compounds we start with, washing will always end up with white color.
Mind that white color is a strange union of all colors. It is less passive than other colors to light beams. Light is not a trivial issue in alchemy. For example, Rubellus Petrinus said that the kind of cinnabar ore employed in Kamala Jnana way is decisive, since components deviate the plane of polarized light of a positive or negative angle.
Back to our main topic, Washings, or additions, are a good explication of what Mercurius Duplicatus is for. In fact, one lonely Mercurius/Secret Fire is quite useless. If not awakened by another coming Mercurius. Always, in Alchemy, we will perform partitions and additions. On some occasions, they will be known as Marriage, in others Washings, and further Breastfeeding. It is as if I would divide myself into many pieces to reunify myself again.
Kamala Jnana’s way is a didactic way for excellence, featuring both dry and wet ways. In common with a dry way it doesn’t need a liquid chemical solvent to push mercury sulfide and potassium hydroxide reaction to finely divide themselves. It is reasonably fast, but, as in metallurgic ways, the smallest error will irremediably ruin all. As in wet ways, temperatures are low or even not applied at all when an exothermic reaction can take place. And colors can be observed inside glass vessels. Kamala Jnana represents a whole compendium of Alchemy from the medieval age on. So of our untutored age.
If you have known someone who has successfully performed Kamala Jnana’s way till its natural end, then you have a real treasure. This is not my case.
- See also Atalanta Fugiens & Mercurius Duplicatus , or Cabala Mineralis & the Three Salts Enigma;
- See also J.I.Hollandus De Lapide Philosophico first book;
- Philosophical months, that’s to say, astronomical days;
- See also Eros & Psyche;