Rusty Neon
Help!
Given the importance (at least per Jodorowksy and Camoin) of alchemical symbolism and iconography to interpreting the Marseilles deck, I'm trying to figure out the various stages and the various processes of alchemy. Thus, any help from fellow list members would be appreciated. I'm sure other list members have been as puzzled as me about the alchemical stages and processes. Any corrections or elaborations to what I've mentioned below are welcomed and appreciated. I promise my feathers won't be ruffled. (Spiritual Alchemy is important for tarot. However, in my view, it's good to understand physical alchemy a bit first.) What follows below is very kindergarten level, so please bear with me.
I find the various popular alchemy texts vague and contradictory. I therefore find comfort in what Haeffner writes in _Dictionary of Alchemy_, page 210: " From the variety of diagrammatic illustrations which we find in alchemical manuscripts it is very clear that the stages or processes are jumbled in endless variations. There is no single, standard path to the summit."
For simplicity, I'm limiting my beginning, rudimentary studies of alchemy to one tradition, i.e., the Latin tradition of alchemy, rather than Hellenistic, Arabic, Chinese, etc.
Stages of alchemical work (Latin tradition):
The Small Work was to obtain the white stone, which could transform base metals (e.g., lead) into silver. This work was terminated after the white work.
The Great Work was to obtain the red stone, which would permit transformation of base metals into gold. This work was terminated after the red work.
(1) Nigredo (blackening, the black work)
Alchemical sulphur and alchemical mercury are placed into and combined ("coniunctio": in this case, a bodily marriage, rather than the mystic marriage) in the philosophical egg (the vase/vessel) and heated (i.e., the element of "fire"). As well, there is water (the element of "water") in the vase/vessel.
It seems that if alchemists were using materials from the mineral kingdom, the "sulphur" used in alchemical work was often gold (a small quantity, of course) and the "mercury" used was silver (a small quantity).
I'm not really clear what metals were in fact used as alchemical sulphur and mercury in the black work. But it seems the gold and silver were, by tradition, used. Anyone else know for sure?
The sulphur and mercury could, alternatively, be derived from the materials from the animal or plant kingdom (rather than the mineral kingdom) by preliminary alchemical processes taking place before the start of the black work.
In the case of the plant kingdom, "salt" (body) would be the "calcined salts of the plant"; "sulphur" (soul) would be the essential oils derived from the plant; and "mercury" (spirit) would be the ethyl alchohol derived from the plant. Source: http://www.presentmoment.com/article/1995-3_PM__Med_Alchemy.html
Also, I've read about alchemical "salt" being used in addition to alchemical "sulphur", alchemical "mercury", the water, and the fire? (After all, there are three main "principles" in alchemy: i.e., sulphur, mercury and salt.)
Anyone know what substance was used as "salt" when gold and silver were used as the sulphur and the mercury? Perhaps some traditions of Latin alchemy didn't use "salt"?
Is the vase/vessel considered the "salt"?
Paradoxically, it appears that "salt" - in the form of ash - might be a _result_ of the alchemical process of putrefaction, rather than a starting ingredient.
Alchemical processes during the black work included: "calcination", "putrefaction" (dividing the calcinated elements until destroyed). There may be other processes that are considered part of the black work. I have no idea when various processes start and end and another begins. The processes may even overlap, depending on the traditional source. There was also "condensation" as there was emission of vapours, which condensed. Perhaps condensation is viewed as part of a larger process rather than as a process itself.
Black end product
Spiritual alchemy: Correspondence to death
__________
(2) Albedo (whitening, the white work)
"Solution". Purifying (whitening, cleansing). "Dissolution".
White end product
Spiritual alchemy: Correspondence to ressurrection
__________
(3) Rubedo (the red work)
There were, of course, intermediate colours, such as yellow -which was the end of the yellow stage (of Hellenistic alchemy) -between white and red. Given that yellow and other colours (besides black, white and red) are found in the Tarot de Marseille decks, the intermediate colours would be important to tarot.
It's not clear what processes were used during this stage.
"Distillation". "Conjunction".
Red end product
_____________
General points:
There is a second process of coniunctio, this time the "Celestial Mystic Marriage" of alchemical sulphur and alchemical mercury (which presumably is the marriage of opposites that is shown in many historical alchemical illustrations), after they have been separated (as opposed to the Bodily Marriage that started the nigredo stage).
Anyone know at what point in the sequence the "Separation" takes place and at what point the "Celestial Mystic Marriage" takes place?
Which actual physical substances are the alchemical sulphur and alchemical mercury that are combined at that time?
And where do the alchemical sulphur and alchemy mercury for the Celestial Mystic Marriage come from?
Thanks!
Given the importance (at least per Jodorowksy and Camoin) of alchemical symbolism and iconography to interpreting the Marseilles deck, I'm trying to figure out the various stages and the various processes of alchemy. Thus, any help from fellow list members would be appreciated. I'm sure other list members have been as puzzled as me about the alchemical stages and processes. Any corrections or elaborations to what I've mentioned below are welcomed and appreciated. I promise my feathers won't be ruffled. (Spiritual Alchemy is important for tarot. However, in my view, it's good to understand physical alchemy a bit first.) What follows below is very kindergarten level, so please bear with me.
I find the various popular alchemy texts vague and contradictory. I therefore find comfort in what Haeffner writes in _Dictionary of Alchemy_, page 210: " From the variety of diagrammatic illustrations which we find in alchemical manuscripts it is very clear that the stages or processes are jumbled in endless variations. There is no single, standard path to the summit."
For simplicity, I'm limiting my beginning, rudimentary studies of alchemy to one tradition, i.e., the Latin tradition of alchemy, rather than Hellenistic, Arabic, Chinese, etc.
Stages of alchemical work (Latin tradition):
The Small Work was to obtain the white stone, which could transform base metals (e.g., lead) into silver. This work was terminated after the white work.
The Great Work was to obtain the red stone, which would permit transformation of base metals into gold. This work was terminated after the red work.
(1) Nigredo (blackening, the black work)
Alchemical sulphur and alchemical mercury are placed into and combined ("coniunctio": in this case, a bodily marriage, rather than the mystic marriage) in the philosophical egg (the vase/vessel) and heated (i.e., the element of "fire"). As well, there is water (the element of "water") in the vase/vessel.
It seems that if alchemists were using materials from the mineral kingdom, the "sulphur" used in alchemical work was often gold (a small quantity, of course) and the "mercury" used was silver (a small quantity).
I'm not really clear what metals were in fact used as alchemical sulphur and mercury in the black work. But it seems the gold and silver were, by tradition, used. Anyone else know for sure?
The sulphur and mercury could, alternatively, be derived from the materials from the animal or plant kingdom (rather than the mineral kingdom) by preliminary alchemical processes taking place before the start of the black work.
In the case of the plant kingdom, "salt" (body) would be the "calcined salts of the plant"; "sulphur" (soul) would be the essential oils derived from the plant; and "mercury" (spirit) would be the ethyl alchohol derived from the plant. Source: http://www.presentmoment.com/article/1995-3_PM__Med_Alchemy.html
Also, I've read about alchemical "salt" being used in addition to alchemical "sulphur", alchemical "mercury", the water, and the fire? (After all, there are three main "principles" in alchemy: i.e., sulphur, mercury and salt.)
Anyone know what substance was used as "salt" when gold and silver were used as the sulphur and the mercury? Perhaps some traditions of Latin alchemy didn't use "salt"?
Is the vase/vessel considered the "salt"?
Paradoxically, it appears that "salt" - in the form of ash - might be a _result_ of the alchemical process of putrefaction, rather than a starting ingredient.
Alchemical processes during the black work included: "calcination", "putrefaction" (dividing the calcinated elements until destroyed). There may be other processes that are considered part of the black work. I have no idea when various processes start and end and another begins. The processes may even overlap, depending on the traditional source. There was also "condensation" as there was emission of vapours, which condensed. Perhaps condensation is viewed as part of a larger process rather than as a process itself.
Black end product
Spiritual alchemy: Correspondence to death
__________
(2) Albedo (whitening, the white work)
"Solution". Purifying (whitening, cleansing). "Dissolution".
White end product
Spiritual alchemy: Correspondence to ressurrection
__________
(3) Rubedo (the red work)
There were, of course, intermediate colours, such as yellow -which was the end of the yellow stage (of Hellenistic alchemy) -between white and red. Given that yellow and other colours (besides black, white and red) are found in the Tarot de Marseille decks, the intermediate colours would be important to tarot.
It's not clear what processes were used during this stage.
"Distillation". "Conjunction".
Red end product
_____________
General points:
There is a second process of coniunctio, this time the "Celestial Mystic Marriage" of alchemical sulphur and alchemical mercury (which presumably is the marriage of opposites that is shown in many historical alchemical illustrations), after they have been separated (as opposed to the Bodily Marriage that started the nigredo stage).
Anyone know at what point in the sequence the "Separation" takes place and at what point the "Celestial Mystic Marriage" takes place?
Which actual physical substances are the alchemical sulphur and alchemical mercury that are combined at that time?
And where do the alchemical sulphur and alchemy mercury for the Celestial Mystic Marriage come from?
Thanks!
