The second part of my translation from the Rotations of Elements, according to Master Rodanius description. Taken from Joachim Tancke, or Tanckius, Promptuarium Alchemiae Leipzig 1614.
The original german is Umbkehrung der Element, nach Beschreibung des Meisters Rodanii. My interpretative translation in italics and commentary in normal.
You can find the first part of the translation at Rodanius and the Rotation of Elements Part 1.
“Above that see in your spiritus our Lapide (Stone in latin): Water and Air dominate for the other Elements, the Water is superior to the Air inside, besides the Spiritus in the Fire cannot be in its strength, then the Water, as clearly, forever withstands the Fire,…..”
There is a fight between Water and Fire. This is called “love fight” by alchemists, as the alchemical embryo is the result.
“……this is caused by these heavy Elements which don’t agree at all, then the Fire, is warm and dry, while the Water is cold and humid, and the other two, the Elements dominate in the bodies our Stones, namely Fire and Earth, and the other two. The Elements dominate in the Spiritus our Stones, namely Water and Air.”
Note that Water and Air have in common the flowing feature. So alchemists do consider Spiritus as something flowing. In fact very often there has been a confusion on the two Elements.
“These arts should be known by workers, from the body alone our medicine will not able to be done without the Spirit.
In the same manner it is also impossible to prepare from Spirit alone without the Body, you have to prepare this body as you want, so it really will be able through its power to not run away, also similarly the Spirit prepares “per se” in itself as you want, it really cannot become perfectly fixed by means of bodies, but that this medicine must continue to be flying and dyeing and Red,….”
In fact our final medicine can volatilize and dissolve, although it will be red and in a fixed form.
“…… which cannot occur without the reduction of the Element and conjunction and also will have to mitigate the lack or shortfalls of Elements so the desired result will come from Bodies and Spirits producing spiritual bodies and corporeal spirits. So far it is said on the action of Elements, so to Bodies and Spirits the preparation and conjunction of this medicine is due.”
Of course, when saying Medicine, an alchemist means his/her Philosophical preparations. Nevertheless they are hardly to be orally taken. Be cautious.
“Now we want to also say about this Transmutation or Transformation of Elements, and how this has to come, that the Body has to turn spiritual and the Spirit corporeal, then certainly from this White the whole art of Alchemy is performed, and because of that is a kind of moulting ( shed old feathers), which one who wants to operate must mainly know.”
To shed old feathers, or change (transmute) colors.
“On this transmutation here a speech.
There are four Elements, Water, Earth, Air, Fire, the Water is cold and humid, because of that this stuff is said to act as a woman, and when dealing when another Element a part of her can be unpleasant,…..”
The Element Water tends to dissolve.
“so an Element is active on a part of the others consequently they are certainly an entire when dealing each other, and then it remains no other space than the Earth, so occurs in the Water when moving the Earth because in no other element Water proves to act as a Spirit than in the Earth, and agrees, however, in a gender namely celt, but otherwise concerning the other genders they are each other again…..”
This sentence is really beyond my knowledge and comprehension. I fail to understand such a “celt” (original german “kelte”) gender.
“…..namely in the humid and dry, then the Earth is cold and dry, but the Water acts as cold and humid, the Fire may not have room in the Air and may act in the warm on its own, because of that it is warm and dry and one can see what Morienus has said, that the Earth lives of Water and the Fire lives of Air, that the union of Water with the Earth is in a gender because in the coldness and with the Air in another part, namely in the humid about that is clear because the Water is medium between the Earth and the Air, one sees also the part that Air has with the Water in the humidity and with the Fire in the warm, concerning that it is a medium between Water and Fire.
One sees that the affinity that Fire has with Air is in the warm and with the Earth in the dryness, inside the Fire there is a medium with the Air and the Earth has affinity with the Fire in the dryness which is a medium between Fire and Water.
And equally it is clear that every Element is a medium in each other, and none of the others will inversely be able to turn to the one which is repulsive, where it isn’t next in the medium Element, which between it and the viscous opposed, will operate.”
The Element Water not only can dissolve, but can also start putrefaction.
“So one wants from Water the Fire to raise which is even a repulsive Element, then the Water is cold and humid but the Fire is hot and dry, one must first the Fire on the Air do, which is the medium Element between Water and Fire as above mentioned, namely the coldness must transform into warm, the Fire will turn to the Air,which is the medium Element.
Then soon the cold in warm will turn, that transforms the Water without a medium in Air, one has the humid of Water to transform into dryness, in this way the Water will transform in all its repulsive Element, which is the Fire, equally one must transform the great warm of Fire into cold so the Earth will result from Fire, which is the medium Element between Fire and Water on the other sides to get down.
Hence one must transform the dry of the Fire, so the Fire will be transformed in its opposite which is the Water. “
We have to imagine the Elements to go up and down inside a vessel. To be more precise the movements inside the vessel actually are the Elements. And in the main part of our Work we will be able to see the rotation of colors along with that of Elements, or state of matters.
To be continued.