Differences between Alchemy and Spagyrics

Indeed, very deep. The term “spagyric” can often be found in the ancient treatises of iatrochemistry, such as Glaser and Nicolas Lefebvre and even Paracelsus. But I can assure you there is no trace of what we are currently used to knowing as spagyric proceedings in those books, that’s to say, the processes of separation and purification typical of modern spagyrics. In the sixteenth-seventeenth century, ancient chemists, or spagyrists as they sometimes defined themselves, never separated substances to gather them again but used them to volatilize salts, as alchemists did. Even they deeply understood the supreme principle of spiritus mundi/secret fire to be extracted from the raw matter. In conclusion, the term “spagyric” initially was just a neologism meaning “obtained with laboratory methods“, not indicating the process of separation and purification accepted in modern spagyrics.

Yes, the proceedings are different, and the goals are different. In alchemy, they try to extract only one principle, called Spiritus Mundi/Secret Fire, from raw matters destroying them to open. This ineffable substance is undifferentiated and dwells in every state of the material; it doesn’t matter if solid, liquid, or gaseous. When extracted, it takes the form of Mercurius and then gives birth to sulfur and salt and tends to reduce all to the first seed, prima materia. In spagyric, they don’t believe in this matter possibility, but only in purifying the raw matter. So, their spirit dwells only in certain states of matter, their sulfur, and their salt body in others. Consequently, they work to purify every state of matter. As alchemists do extract life, they believe in the form of

To extract their first matter, alchemists disperse and destroy the raw matter till salts remain and then work hard to volatilize and open those salts, as the Spiritus Mundi/Secret Fire dwells in the most salts. Spagyric work ultimately is to obtain three states of matter, generally volatile liquid, viscous liquid, and fine salts, which they call Mercurius-Sulphur-Salt (which do not have the same meaning as in Alchemy), and then put all three together.

Separation in alchemy means setting aside our Mercurius, which should then be divided into parts. Separation in spagyrics means setting aside the matter in different states, generally volatile liquid, viscous liquid, and fine salts, which they namely call Mercurius-Sulphur-Salt (and which do not have the same meaning as in Alchemy). Unification in Alchemy roughly means pouring one part of Mercurius on another to make sulfur and a body. Unification in spagyrics means remaking the initial material in a purified form. And that‘s although the alchemical dry metallurgic path does involve a previous metal purification.

In alchemy, “to dissolve” means bringing a raw matter back to Mercurius because the alchemical dissolution is done by means of Mercurius. In spagyrics, a liquid solvent dissolves a solid matter to make a spagyric tincture.

Alchemy doesn’t have any chemical liquid solvent but dispersing and volatilizing liquids with which they open and volatilize salts. The alchemical universal dissolvent for antonomasia is Alkahest, which is the result of salt volatilization; then it is Mercurius and the first matter of the entire opera. And it can also be in powdery form. In spagyrics, they extract what they call Mercurius-solvent from the raw matter and set it aside to re-unify with the purified salts-body. Spagyrists distill them in liquid solvents to purify, not destroy and volatilize.

In alchemy, although there can be many flowing substances in the humid way’s first-preliminary work to disperse and/or lift solid matters, the name menstruum is only given to the universal dissolvent Alkahest/Mercurius, which represents the end of the preparatory work. And its dissolutions take place in closed conditions, for no fume should be lost. The alchemical dissolution results in another Mercurius or returns to prima materia. A menstruum is like any other ancient chemistry dissolvents in spagyrics: it dissolves a solid raw matter to get a powder. Fumes are generally lost as waste.

Because according to alchemists, once fumes and vapors are gone, the matter is deprived of life. According to spagyrists, it is eventually liberated from wastes/feces. Additionally, according to Alchemy, Spiritus Mundi is also said to have a nature of air besides that of fire, and consequently, it is attracted by fumes and smoke. We will see why fluid mechanics should also be considered in Alchemy.

Because alchemists see in it the most intrinsic deposit of Spiritus Mundi/Secret Fire, according to spagirists, it is only the residual part of a distillation.

In alchemy, it is the volatile Mercurius made fixed, or Mercurius philosophorum, not necessarily in saline form. Some alchemists call it sulfur. In spagyrics, it is the result of the purification of the salt body.

In alchemy, spirit, soul, and the final body comes from the spiritus mundi/secret fire. Hence, the raw matters are reduced in Mercurius-prima materia. If they are from more than one raw matter, they must be all in Mercurius or sulfur form. Spagyrics spirit, soul, and body are treated as separate entities to be purified and re-unified in a tincture. In alchemy, the spirit is the spiritus mundi/secret fire dwelling in everybody. Once extracted, it takes the name of Mercurius and, as dissolvent, it is used to extract the soul and to reduce a raw matter in prima materia. In spagyrics, it is a volatile substance out of the first distillations. It gets purified and, in the end, will be added to the final tincture. In alchemy, sulfur has varied meanings, and it can represent the fixed Mercurius. This metal fixes the volatile Mercurius, the metal dissolved by the Mercurius, the redness, the perfect red, the soul extracted by the spirit. And it does not conform to a standard state of matter. In spagyrics, the sulfur represents the soul, it is not extracted by the spirit, and at the end of the work, it will be joined to the other two principles to form the tincture. Very often, it has a viscous texture. Salt is the union of Mercurius and sulfur in alchemy in a new body. In spagyrics, salt is a synonym for the body, and its extraction and purification consist of a series of operations performed separately from Mercurius and sulfur.

In alchemy, the black-white-red color rotation is necessary for the Main (second) work. It is affected by the nourishments with the Mercurius previously set aside. In spagyrics, colors are just chemical reactions.

In alchemy, a tincture is a red sulfur passing through colors during multiplications in the main work. In spagyrics, it is the re-unification of the three principles – volatile Mercurius, oily sulfur, and powdery salt – after having been separated and purified.

In alchemy, the stone is the product of the union of two mercurii, fed by Mercurius, then turned into sulfur, and finally fixed in the philosophical egg which will give birth to the stone. In spagyrics, the stone is a tincture in solid form.

Not at all. Alchemists know well that the Spiritus Mundi/Secret Fire is the same for all three kingdoms of nature. If they so often seem to point exclusively at the mineral kingdom, it is because there is a more significant amount of what they are looking for. But they also know that minerals are not easy to be opened, so they often recommend extracting secret fire in the vegetable kingdom and making their universal dissolvent out of it. Then they recommend dissolving metals in it to obtain Mercurius even richer in the secret fire.

They can share crucibles and pelicans, but alchemists use distillatory devices rather differently. They need unique big heads with larger gathering pipes to successfully perform salt volatilization. Ultimately, spagyrists don’t have the clog and desiccation problems of alchemists.

Also, the oven to cook the philosophical egg is peculiar only to alchemy.