The History of "The Royal Art" (Ars Regia)
The term "Royal Art" (Ars Regia in Latin) has a complex history, and its application to alchemy is somewhat indirect.
The most common historical usage of "Royal Art" is Masonic. Freemasonry refers to itself as "the Royal Art" — the art of building, of constructing the Temple, both literal (Solomon's Temple) and symbolic (the temple of the soul, the temple of society).
The term appears frequently in Masonic literature from the 17th century onward. The "Royal" aspect refers to:
- The connection to King Solomon and the building of his Temple
- The idea that Masonry is the art of kings — not in the sense of political rulers, but in the sense of those who have achieved inner sovereignty
- The association with the "Royal Arch" degree, which deals with the recovery of the Lost Word
The Alchemical Usage
Alchemy was more commonly called:
- The Great Work (Magnum Opus)
- The Art (simply Ars or "the Art" — alchemists often just called it "the Art" as if there were no other)
- The Secret Art
- The Hermetic Art (Ars Hermetica)
- The Spagyric Art (Ars Spagyrica — from Greek spao, to separate, and ageiro, to combine)
- The Divine Art
- The Sacred Art
However, "Royal Art" does appear in alchemical literature, though less frequently. When it does, it carries several connotations:
- The art that produces gold — Gold is the "king of metals," associated with the Sun, with sovereignty, with perfection. The art that produces gold is therefore the "royal" art.
- The art fit for kings — Alchemy was associated with royal patronage. Emperors and kings supported alchemists (Rudolf II, for instance, made Prague a center of alchemical research). The art was "royal" in the sense that it was practiced at courts and under noble protection.
- The art of inner kingship — The deeper meaning: the art by which the practitioner becomes "king" of their own nature, sovereign over the inner realm, ruler of the microcosm.
- The solar art — The Sun is the "king" of the planets. Gold corresponds to the Sun. The alchemical work that culminates in the Solar Body, the golden perfection, is therefore "royal" in its solar association.
The connection between alchemy and Masonry is real — both traditions draw on the Temple symbolism, both speak of building and transformation, both have roots in the operative crafts (stonemasons, metallurgists) that became speculative. So the term "Royal Art" bridges both, even if its primary historical home is Masonic.
Royal (cosmological) Arts versus Sacerdotal (metaphysical)
Guénon distinguishes between:
- Sacerdotal arts (priestly, metaphysical, contemplative)
- Royal arts (kingly, cosmological, operative)
In this schema, alchemy is a "royal" science — it deals with the cosmos, with transformation of nature, with power over the manifest world. It is distinguished from the purely sacerdotal or contemplative path, which seeks knowledge of the Absolute directly, without engaging the intermediary realms.
the true King is the one who has transcended all worlds, that the Crown is not worldly sovereignty but divine sonship, that the Royal Art in its fullest sense is the art of returning to the Father.
You are royalty, that you are the Son of the High King, that your birthright is the Kingdom.
"The Royal Art" is not the art of making gold or ruling the cosmos. It is the art of being who you are — the art of the Son remembering the Father, the Prince returning to the Throne that was always his.