The Vivification of the Prima Materia
The Reintegration of Body, Soul, and Spirit
a material or fixed body is opened by a penetrating spirit, the separable principle of the soul is drawn out, the soul in turn becomes assimilated into a more refined spirit, and then that refined spirit is recombined with body to produce something new.
A foul, dirty man represents the prima materia, a chaotic or unrefined substance. The beautiful winged woman is an embodiment of the refining, animating principle. Her golden crown, silver star, necklace, and garments signal a hierarchical ascent toward light and perfection. The wings on her back connect her to the mercurial principle — the ability to rise, to bridge levels of matter and spirit. Her act of clothing the man with a purple robe and lifting him “to his brightest clearness” visually enacts the purification and enlivening that occurs when spirit transforms body. The ascent to “Heaven” in the figure can be read as the elevation of matter through successive alchemical operations toward a state that resists corruption and holds the spirit within it — what alchemists called fixation.
spirit dissolves body; soul is extracted; body becomes soul; soul becomes spirit; spirit is returned to body so that stability is achieved.
the circulation and reintegration of the three principles (corpus, anima, spiritus),
To clothe matter is to give it form, dignity, and permanence. The purple robe is a classic sign of royal or perfected status, often associated with the culmination of the Work or with a matter that has become capable of bearing spirit without corruption.
"Mentioning which SENIOR speaks thus: "The Spirit dissolves the body, and in the Dissolution extracts the Soul of the Body, and changes this body into Soul, and the Soul is changed into the Spirit, and the Spirit is again added to the Body, for thus it has stability." Here then the body becomes spiritual by force of the Spirit. This the Philosophers give to understand in the following Signature, or Figure: They saw a man, dirty and foul smelling slime or clay ; to his assistance came a young women, beautiful in contenance, and still more so in body, most handsomely adorned with many-coloured dresses, and she had wings on her back, the feathers of which were equal to those of the very finest white Peacock, and the quills were adorned with fine pearls, while the feathers reflected like golden mirrors. On her head she had a crown of pure gold, and on top of it a silver star; around her neck she wore a necklace of fine Gold, with the most precious Ruby, which no king would be able to pay; her feet were clad with golden shoes, and from her was emanating the most splendid perfume, surpassing all aromas. She clothed the man with a purple robe, lifted him up to his brightest clearness, and took him with herself to Heaven." Therefore says SENIOR: "It is a living thing, which no more dies, but when used gives an eternal increase." - Splendor Solis oder Sonnen Glantz, Veröffentlichung, Hallescher Verl., c. 1582, Bibliothek des Germanischen Nationalmuseums