Once you are familiar with the basic technique of distilling water, you can move on to making simple and interesting Elixirs and scented waters from herbs. These will not have the same power as spagyric products made from alcohol, but with careful attention and the utilization of planetary hours, they can be made to have a noticeable energetic enhancement above a simple tea or herbal infusion.
The power of smell should not be easily dismissed, as it relates to the most ancient and primitive part of our brains and is linked to psychic phenomena of the highest order. The pituitary gland, so critical to psychic functioning and the gateway to spiritual Illumination, is situated in the brain at a point above the palate that allows it to be directly affected by breathing. Memory is intimately connected to scent, and despite the degrading of our olfactory senses by excessive use of crude commercially produced products, occultists rely on the power of incense to create immediate changes in their emotional and mental environment for rituals and meditation. An extensive array of emotional and mental associations and ancient memories can easily be brought forth by making a simple pass by the perfume counter in a department store or taking a morning walk past a church that uses incense. Nothing is stronger at inducing emotional evocation than smell.
For scented waters, it is important to pick a plant with a copious amount of essential oils. However, if this is not possible, the watersoluble oils that are released can be recouped and collected. The amount of oils is small; however, it is quality and not quantity that we are looking for.
In addition to lemon balm, several herbs of importance to the alchemist because of their attributes of providing for health and long life are sage and juniper berries. Part of this is due to the chemical properties of these plants, but the more important reason is the concentration of specific qualities of life force that result when placing lemon balm and sage under Jupiter and juniper berries under Mars (and Aries), although sometimes the Sun. Traditional herbal and al chemical medicine and modern medicine have yet to agree on many things, and before ingesting any herbal product, is it best to consult a health care provider who specializes in alternative and natural medicines to ensure that you will not have an allergic reaction.
1. Read all directions several times prior to undertaking the experiment. Be sure you are familiar with every step of the process prior to actually performing it. Remember: Safety first!
2. Grind your herb to as small and fine particles as possible. Use a clean coffee grinder if needed when dealing with harder dried herbs such as pine needles or berries.
3. Place the ground herb into your large flask and pour enough distilled water in to cover the herb completely. Soak the herb for twenty-four hours. Measure the amount of water used so that you will recognize when it has gone over into the receiving flask.
4. Place the large flask over its heat source. Do not allow the water to boil. Watch as white steam clouds begin to form in the upper chamber.
5. When all of the water has come over, leave the large flask on the heat source for five minutes; then remove it and allow it to cool.
6. Using a wooden, glass, or plastic dowel or spoon, scrape the herbal mass at the bottom clean. Do not use metal, as it will scratch the glass and weaken it. Grind the mass with a mortar and pestle and place it back into the large flask.
7. Remove any white or dark oil spots that may be floating on top of the distillate. Place them in a small jar for later use.
8. Pour the distillate back into the large flask, mix it with the ground herb, and repeat the process. Leave the flask on the heat source for five minutes after all of the liquid has gone over to the small receiving flask; then remove it and allow it to cool.
9. Repeat steps 6 through 8 for a total of seven rounds. After the fourth round, increase the time the large flask is left on the heat after the distillate has gone over to the small flask from five minutes to ten to fifteen minutes.
10. After the seventh round, calcine your herb, which by now will have already begun the process during the exposure to prolonged heat.
11. Purify the salt to as fine a color as possible and recombine it with the fluid you have collected. This is now your alchemical tincture using distilled water.
It is important that you pay close attention to the temperature of your heat source, as the alchemists of old worked at low temperatures to preserve the life force of the plant. This life force is what alchemists seek to capture, concentrate, and use in their healing and spiritual work.
• Water is the chief means of transferring energy in alchemy.
• Folklore is filled with examples of collecting and using water for healing and magical purposes that parallel Hermeticism.
• It has been scientifically proven that thoughts and feelings can affect the energetic nature of water and whatever the charged water comes into contact with.
• Water can be charged through visualization, sound, planetary hours, or herbs.
• Distilled water is used in the creation and ingestion of many spagyric products.
1. Practice the exercises outlined in this chapter and record your experiences in your notebook.
2. Charge water, have someone drink it, and ask if there was any change in texture or taste.
3. Charge water and use it to maintain your houseplants.
4. Purchase three roses and place them in separate vases. Use charged water for one and tap water for the second, and for the third rose, add the nutrient powder supplied by florists to the water. Compare the life span of the three flowers and record the results in your notebook.
5. Distill several ounces of water and make an herbal tincture with it.
There are no specific meditations for this chapter. Practice the psychic experiments as outlined and record your experiences. Pay attention to the lunar cycles and your dreams as you undertake these experiments.