Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
__________
as interpreted by
J. Erik LaPort
&
Dr Roger Gabrielsson PhD
Acknowledgments ............................................................................. i
Foreword .......................................................................................... iii
Authors Preface ............................................................................... v
Editors Note .................................................................................... xi
Introduction .................................................................................... xiii
I Prima Materia ........................................................................... 2
2 Living Mercury of the Wise ....................................................... 4
3 Calcination of Sophic Gold ........................................................ 6
4 Decomposition & Germination ................................................ 10
5 White Sulfur& Liquid ............................................................... 12
6 Dry Earth & Red Sulfur ............................................................. 14
7 Multiplication by Fermentation .............................................. 16
8 Temperature Regimen ............................................................ 20
9 Nigredo & Transition ............................................................... 22
10 Albedo & Rubedo .................................................................... 24
11 Exaltation by Fire .................................................................... 26
12 Stone of the Wise, Medicine of the 3rd Order .......................... 28
Appendix A Living Mercury Distillation in Pictures ...................... 31
Appendix B Sophic Gold Calx in Pictures ...................................... 33
Afterword ........................................................................................ 35
Sometime around the end of the 17th or beginning of the 18th century, an
illustrated alchemical text unusual in its elegant clarity, was drawn up
purportedly containing within its few simple images the recipe to confect
the Philosophers Stone of the 3rd Order. Unlike many other European
emblematic alchemical texts, the Cabala Mineralis is completely devoid
of images of nobility, wolves, lions, wedding scenes, baths, graves or most
other imagery that typifies emblematic sequences of the 17th century.
The book is divided into two distinct parts; the first includes images of
semi-realistic step-by-step visual indicators for the reaction occuring in a
sealed glass reaction vessel. In this respect, the Cabala Mineralis was
composed in a style similar to Donum Dei, parts of Splendor Solis or the
closest relative to the Cabala Mineralis, the Crowning of Nature. The
second part features landscape images that loosely follow biblical
Genesis in a style similar to the All Wise Doorkeeper series.
The Prime Material to begin work is closely associated with a product
from a mine, Earth, flowers and fumes or vapors. Sophic Mercury is
associated with roasting the Prime Material, urine, eagles and distillation.
The initial emblem appears to be an ingredient list with the three
emblems that follow easily identified as preparation of chemical reagents
or compounds. The remainder of the images in Book 1 illustrate distinct
stages in confecting the Philosophers Stone. Book 2 begins with an image
that appears to be a loose portrayal of a non-specific religious creator, a
theme that makes sense upon realizing that the sequence appears to
correspond with scenes from the biblical six days of creation from
INTRODUCTION
achieve Sophic Mercury. Antimony is the prime material and any number
of chloride donors have been employed throughout alchemical history
such as salt-saturated urine, sal ammoniac, corrosive sublimate and spirit
of salt, to distil Living Sophic Mercury.
The interpretation presented in this treatment results in a chemical
reaction that closely follows the images in the book. The greatest
difficulty in reproducing the chemistry is the need for creating a good
artisanal glass of antimony. For those without access to a kiln or furnace,
an analog can be created via a reaction of antimony trioxide and sulphuric
acid to achieve antimony oxysulfate, the chemical identity for optimized
glass of antimony. Aside from this operative detail, a modern analog can
be achieved by the use of commercial counterparts such as fine gold calx
and antimony trichloride.
As is the case with any Philosophers Stone recipe, artisanally preparing
ones reagents is the most demanding aspect of the work. Reproducing
the entire work in an artisanal manner strictly according to the
instructions in the text can be very rewarding. In the interest of modern
research however, the experiment can be performed by bypassing
redundant, outmoded or inefficient processes with good results. The
interpretation presented herein is just one of many possible chemical
interpretations of the riddle encrypted in the Cabala Mineralis.
Explanations for the chemistry in this treatment are presented as
theoretical possibilities for the reactions and are offered as hypotheses
only.
xv