Can we say, with good approximation, that the “journey” of the spirit of life is in fact a long series of alchemical transmutations?
Yes, we can say that the “journey” of the spirit of life is in fact a long series of alchemical transmutations also called “chains”. For example, the concept of the Mercurial Double explain the long journey of the Mercurius Sideribus, or the stars, and the Spiritus Mundi, or Spirit of the world, to be finally “enticed” by the alchemist’s Mercurius.
Does the concept of magnet or bait also play a role in these transmutations?
Alchemists assume a long voyage from the stars to the “magnet” they have built in “ladders” of transmutations. This magnet is known as Mercurius, and the supreme version as the Philosophers’ Stone.
So we can assume that this Mercurius moves through transmutations on a scale of densities?
The idea of
Since the “journey” of the Mercurius also takes on aspects of resonance, can we speak of an “echo”, or are we too much in the realm of acoustics?
Those who have never reached the end of the Last Cooking would never be able to get out of this symbolic tangle (among these, I too). Then it was Canseliet who generously gave us the tip to understand why Ostanes was called “sovereign of the seven sounds”. However, knowing how it ends also gives us a different vision of the obscure alchemical symbolism.
Could the idea of
Ladder and chain are synonyms in Alchemy, except for the detail that chains better express the concept of “contact between one link and another”.
Why are chains, i.e. repetitions, necessary in Alchemy?
The ancients said that if there is no repetition, unreality prevails. The repetition of processes is peculiar to Alchemy and one of the most peculiar aspects of sacred art. From a purely chemical point of view, it is easy to understand that this practice of unnerving repetitions (especially in the humid path) was initially aimed at “breaking” the raw matter, and then at “thinning” the earthly envelope of Mercurius. We will see how the changes in state of the broken matter will be crucial to bringing Mercurius out into the open. A modern chemist would say that all these reiterations could be aimed at affecting the usual behavior of the electronic cloud that surrounds the atoms.
What do alchemical processions have in common with religious processions?
The symbolical comparison with religious processions was coined by the Romans. In fact, the calendar of Roman festivities was full of processions, long solemn parades with the display of sacred simulacra, ritual walkings of the faithful population around simulacra, or real ritual runs to and from and around some symbolic places. Even today, for an Italian, all of this means “procession”.
Alchemists have borrowed this term to indicate the journey of mercurial transmutations also during alchemical works.
Is the symbol of the chain or the procession better?
An alchemical “chain” is a procession in alternation in which maximum attention must be given to the conjunctions of the links of the chain. In the contact points of the chain lies the secret.
What happens when the links in the chain come into contact?
Even the metaphor of the contact between links in a chain cannot be exhaustive. Instead, we can better explain this metaphor with the number three.
I think I understand: as in Theurgy, the number three expresses the concept of a third element that binds the two, and which is nevertheless part of the chain. Like the number three, it is no less important than the other two in the series.
The number three implies the entire triad. The threes. A real combination.
Is the contact between two links in the chain ever mentioned directly, or is it a secret?
Alchemists use to say: Like a fruit that must generate another fruit, this one has a seed. Here a new concept opens up, doubling occurs through tiny contact details and not through “printing” of similar ones.
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