Prima Vlateria
Students familiar with the concept of the elements, or the foundational forces that give rise to creation, will find that the concepts represented by sulphur, mercury, and salt are already known to them, only under a different name. In alchemy, just as in Wicca, Neopaganism, or Qabala, we use the four elements to explain the relationships between energy and matter. These four elements are the foundation for all experiences, expressions of consciousness, and material manifestation. They exist on several levels, giving personal and impersonal expressions of their nature. Alchemy helps us to identify these levels and, in doing so, to achieve our goals.
Fire-In impersonal terms, fire is pure energy. Imagine it as an intense radiating sensation of heat that penetrates everything and transforms it. In personal terms, imagine fire as our spiritual seed, our drive toward the realization of self.
Air-In impersonal terms, imagine air as all things gaseous, expansive, and cohesive. Air is the Cosmic Mind in action, and it is the laws that the alchemist learns so that he or she can manipulate the elements within and without in order to create the Philosopher's Stone. In personal terms, imagine air as the theoretical framework of ideas and images that make accessible the transforming yet seemingly chaotic and dangerous energy of fire.
Water-In impersonal terms, imagine water as all things liquid. Energy is transferred in a liquid state, be it water, rain, blood, hormones, or sexual fluids. Water is the practical means of expressing the energy of fire after it has been transferred by air, just as water ascends and descends through evaporation. In personal terms, imagine elemental water as your personal bodily fluids, and also as the emotions that give force and energy to ideas, making them manifest materially.
Earth-In impersonal terms, imagine elemental earth as all solid matter, even subatomic matter, and the elements. Earth is the etheric structure or invisible net of energy that gives rise to physical form, as well as being the actual form itself. In personal terms, imagine earth as all things material and solid, your physical body, your etheric body, and things in your life.
However, the elements do not exist in a vacuum. They are united in their common source, or Spirit, symbolized by an eight-spoked wheel. This Spirit is a primordial form of energy-consciousness that is utilized in magical rituals as well as in alchemy. Spirit expresses itself in two forms: one active, the other passive. The active energies of Spirit give rise to the so-called "active" elements of fire and air, while the passive aspects of Spirit give rise to the "passive" elements of water and earth. Fire and air are called active because they are highly mobile, unpredictable, and erratic at times. Water and earth are called passive because they are dominated by other forces and move only when acted upon.
These same basic ideas exist in alchemy and demonstrate the fundamental unity of Nature that underlies all alchemical and magical work. According to alchemical cosmology, all of creation arises from a fundamental source of energy and consciousness known as Chaos. This vast unmanifest, void of any form, gives rise to two primary forms of expression: one active, or energy, and the other passive, or matter. These correspond identically to the ideas of active and passive Spirit energy just described, which are used in modern Qabalistic rituals. These two forms of fundamental energy, active and passive, then give rise to subdivisions within themselves, forming the four elements as we know them. These elements then recombine to create the three essentials of alchemy. Fire and air combine to form the self-arising consciousness of sulphur; earth and water combine to form the material world and its etheric matrix, or salt; and air and water combine to form mercury, the medium that allows energy and matter to communicate with each other. Finally, it is through the alchemist's manipulation of these three essentials, separating them back into their principal parts and reassembling them, that he or she may undertake the alchemical work and achieve the Philosopher's Stone.
"Solve et coagula," meaning "separate and recombine," is a term you will hear repeatedly in alchemical work, and it is the key to all occult work. Alchemists are constantly separating and recombining the various essentials and elements of plants, minerals, and, more importantly, themselves, to understand Nature's hidden laws and how they work. Students of tarot see these words emblazoned on the arms of the Devil in the Wirth and Waite decks as well as other tarot decks derived from Qabalistic and alchemical symbolism. It is good to write this motto down on a card and place it where you can easily see it while you are doing your alchemical work. Just as the muscles of the human body grow stronger through the process of breaking down and building up, so do the powers of alchemical products grow more potent through an identical cycle of activity. This process is so fundamental to alchemy, and to the plant experiments outlined here in particular, that you should spend a considerable amount of time meditating on the ideas presented here.
Prima Vlateria
While we can gain much from the theoretical study of spagyrics, only in the actual conducting of experiments will we attain any meaningful degree of insight and growth. For this reason, the following experiments allow would-be alchemists to try it for themselves without a heavy investment in laboratory equipment during their trial period. The methods given and the time for completion reflect this simple, low-tech approach. However, with the proper glassware and heat source, you can dramatically reduce the time required.