Spagyrics

Pick at least 5kg of Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis), or of another plant that you choose, and dry it in the sun. After it becomes very dry, incinerate it on a sheet of iron.

The spagyrical art is the application of the art of alchemy in the preparation of herbal and metallic tinctures, and in the preparation of spirits and menstruums. It consists of provoking an evolution of the matter, purifying it, and exalting it, which is not possible to do without long and subtle operations that some old authors never revealed clearly.

Spagyric, in the Greek terminology, means to separate, to divide, and to associate or unite. The spagyrical art was practised in more retreated times, and flourished in the main well-known civilization centers.

The spagyrical preparations are based in natural works of Universal Generation, by which they can extract from the matter its quintessence, whose constitution can be ennobled so that they can be assimilated by the human being.

What is the difference between a common tincture of a plant and a spagyrical preparation? The tincture is a simple maceration of a medicinal plant in an alcoholic solution, usually up to 60 degrees. The spagyrical preparation opens the plant, that is, it separates alchemically its primordial components, Mercury, Sulphur and Salt, and then unites them again in an intimate combination in the Circulation.

But, the great vegetable Secret is the First Being (ENS) or the Salt volatilization This is one of the secrets of herbal spagyrics that few artists know, and the ones that know it, according to the tradition, never reveal it in clear language. ‘If you are not capable to obtain Alkahest, you learn at least, to volatilize the tartar salt...’ - Van Helmont.

We did not refer to the theory of planetary correspondences adopted by some modern authors and even some classical adepts such as Paracelsus, who says: ‘And as the medicine it should not produce effect without the sky participation this should be made under its influence.’ Many classical authors, and some contemporary, do not offer this opinion, being limited to describe its preparations alchemically.

With the metallic or mineral spagyrics, as we already said, the purpose is the preparation of tinctures of metals or minerals. Herbal spagyrics are practically innocuous if we don’t work with toxic plants. The same doesn’t happen with the metallic or mineral spagyrics. Only artists with much experience in the laboratory manipulations will prepare them right, because some metallic or mineral compositions are toxic.

Rubellus Petrinus

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