"Our stone is composed of Spirit, Body, and Soul.
The Philosopher’s Stone is made of three things: the Sun, the Moon, and Mercury.
Make from the Masculine and Feminine a round circle,
From this, extract a square,
And from the square, a triangle,
And from the triangle, a round circle.
And you will have the Great Work.
If you wish to perfect metals beyond what Nature has made them in virtue,
You must receive their nature,
And see in them Male and Female,
Otherwise, you will accomplish nothing.
The wise have left behind the following threefold wisdom:
The stone of the wise, the supreme virtue, the miraculous light of the world.
The father of this stone is the Sun, its mother is the Moon,
The wind has carried it in its belly, and the Earth is its nurse.
This is the Philosopher’s Stone, born through the work of wisdom."
- Alchemical symbols, 17th century, by Heinrich Khunrath
