“This law of the universal mixture of the animated and inanimate, of the subtle and the coarse, of the spiritual and the corporeal, is the foundation of all operations of Nature. For Nature always works by uniting what is opposite: the warm and the cold, the moist and the dry, the fixed and the volatile. Thus the Artist must imitate her. He must prepare the matter by dissolving its exterior hardness, by opening its pores, so that the interior virtue can be manifested. But he must do it with prudence, without violence, without destroying the natural bond which unites the three principles. When the matter is thus softened, penetrated, and disposed, its internal Sulphur awakens, the Mercury rises, the Salt becomes purified. These three, united in harmony, form the true substance of the Philosophers. This is why the ancient sages said that our Stone is made of one thing and yet of three; of one root, yet of three aspects; one nature, three substances; three in one and one in three.” “When the prepared matter receives the celestial influence – that is, the gentle fire of the philosophical furnace – it begins its first operation, which is the blackening. This darkness is necessary, for no seed can grow unless it dies first. The body must decompose so that the spirit may be freed.” “When the darkness begins to clear, colors appear: green, blue, purple, finally the whitening. This whitening is the sign that the inner fire has penetrated the whole substance. Then the matter becomes like a heavenly earth, receptive to perfection. At this stage, one must maintain the same fire, neither increasing nor diminishing it, until the matter becomes solid, fixed, and luminous.” “When we say that the four elements enter into our composition, it must not be understood in the vulgar sense. Our Fire is not common fire; our Water is not common water; our Earth is not the crude earth of the ground; our Air is not the air we breathe. These names signify qualities, not the gross bodies of the world. Thus Fire means the subtle, penetrating, active principle. Water means the dissolving and uniting virtue. Air means the volatile spirit. Earth means the fixed and tangible part.” “The three principles of the philosophers — Salt, Sulphur, Mercury — correspond to the body, soul, and spirit. Salt is the foundation, the base, the permanency. Sulphur is the virtue, the color, the life. Mercury is the movement, the union, the mediation.” “The first operation is the dissolution of the body. The second is the purification of the spirit. The third is the union of the purified parts. This union produces the rebirth of the matter, which appears under new forms, shining and subtle.” “Alchemy is thus the knowledge of the hidden properties of Nature and the art of directing her workings. The wise man does not force Nature; he accompanies her, helps her, guides her with gentle fire and patient vigilance.” “This figure shows the Work in the heart of the substance: at the base, the wheel with Sun and Moon — the two natures; in the middle, the vessel rising like a column — the purification; above, the winged disk — the spirit liberated.” “The Artist must know how to raise the fire of Nature, without burning the matter nor chilling it. Balance is the key of the entire Work.” FM-ICONOGR-ATLAS, c. 1813, François-Nicolas Noël, BnF, département des Manuscrits
Visiting the Interior of the Earth Entering the Black Gate Sealing the Vessel Burning in the Athanor The Raven Appears The Head of the Crow
Dissolving the Body Washing the Corpse The Bath of the King Immersion in the Green Lion The Lion Devours the Sun
The material Rises The Spirit condenses The Eagle Takes Flight The Soul Is Drawn Forth The Water Becomes Air
The Return of the Dew The Descent of the Dove of the Spirit The Manna Falls from Heaven The Spirit Is Fixed The Spirit Takes on a Body
The White Work The Whitening of the King The Moon Is Crowned The White Wedding The Virgin’s Milk Flows The Lily Blossoms The Swan Appears
The Prince Courts the Princess The Lovers Are Joined The Conjunction The Hermetic Marriage The Two Become One
Perfect Putrefaction Death in the Vessel The King Lies in the Tomb The Night of Saturn
The Resurrection of the King Rising from the Sepulchre The Red Dawn The Phoenix Is Born
The Red Work The Blood of the Lion The Solar Wedding The Marriage of Sun and Moon
The Child of the Philosophers The Birth of the Stone The Living Gold The Red Tincture
Circulating the Elixir Multiplying the Stone
The Stone Endures the Fire
Finding the pearl beyond price
The King sits enthroned The Golden Touch, Midas Touch
The Completion of the Opus