Rosarium Jacobi engraving number 6 provides us with a conjunction or coitus phase, antecedent to that one on conception above; in fact, we are in a setting previous to the static putrefactive bed but equal to Symbola Aurea Mensae. What’s more is something suggesting an additional character, quite a supplementary water stream.
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili is a gorgeous renaissance burin masterpiece, as Sabine Stuart Chevalier points out. This great work layout puts forward a child urinating over a black phase. An accepted explication is that some Secret Fire ( which can be extracted from children’s urine and becomes our Mercurius) can be added during putrefaction to “enhance”. The motto on the lintel is “black” in ancient greek. It is interesting to know that ancient greeks had a very poor lexicon for colors. Indeed Homer described blood color as black.
Another symbolical issue is the theory of providing salt for each Spiritus, Anima et Corpus forming the new body or Trinity. A picture taken from Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum by an Anonymous philosopher roughly represents all that. It is a pity that in Alchemy, very often, 1 + 1 is equal to three, as we can evince from Philosophia Reformata’s second series, where Spirit plus Anima or Soul is equivalent to a new Body. Very volatile indeed. But nothing is more accessible than finding new matter for a body in Alchemy.
Then there is the salt theory for each Main Work color, that’s to say, black, white, and red (5), which can be considered very close to the previous Spirit, Soul, and Body, as you can see in this seventeenth-century engraving from Cabala Speculum Artis & Naturae or better known as Spiegel der Kunst und Natur by Michelspachers. Hermetic symbolism grasped all the opportunities Alchemy could offer.
A final, but not to be underestimated, salt to be added to the total is the breastfeeding for our new body, a Virgin’s Milk for our Mercurius Duplicatus. We already know that Mercuri Philosophorum is not always just lovely young girls. They may assume two old men’s appearance, primarily when putrefaction is involved, as Aurora Consurgens provides us.
The mercurial triplicity or triple density has been taken for a clue towards the three salts enigma. This Nazari’s colored version is very evocative.
Now we are ready to placate and appease our mind bringing to an end Cabala Mineralis undernote. So: ” Duae, ad plus Tres partes, Mercuri nostri, liquant unam partem luna vel solis , vulgi subtilitati, et corpus unum sunt (6), spongiosum, inseparabile, Quod vocatur luna nostra, vel sol noster, non vulgi
… per Mercurium Aquilarum Quinque
… per Mercurium Aquilarum Septem”.
We have seen more than one explication about Mercurius Duplicatus counting and calculation. More exhaustive details could be a disrespectful abuse of millennial alchemical silence on “Weights” or proportions. But let’s draw to a close with Rabbi Simeon ben Cantara’s liberality and translate him: “Two, or three at maximum, parts of our Mercurius dissolve one part of vulgar Luna (metallic silver) or Sun (metallic gold), but already in Mercurius or spiritual form. Namely repeatedly volatilized till Mercurius is reached. They become a unique body, sponge-like (pay close attention to this attribute. Perhaps Terrae Foliatae have something to do with it) and inseparable, which are called our Moon or our Sun ( metallic silver and gold first reduced in powder and then dissolved in Mercurius, so not vulgar”.
Then five times sublimated in Mercurius Philosophorum or five Eagles (7) for silver and seven for gold. And now it is up to you. But many other “recipe” we will encounter. And other weights will be put before your eager eyes.
Cabala Mineralis or the She Horse on Urine Work part 1 , Cabala Mineralis or the She Horse on Urine Work part 2 .
- See Atalanta Fugiens & Terra Alba Foliata;
- See also Atalanta Fugiens & Mercurius Duplicatus ;
- See also Sun & Moon At the Turn of the First Millennium ;
- See also Basilius Valentinus, Salt, Azoth or Philosophers Gold? ;
- See also Kamala Jnana & Introduction to a Live Secret;
- Originally used term was fiunt or siunt. Very probably an error for “sunt”;
- See Dorneus & the Need for two Eagles;