Alchemical Practices and Planetary Correspondences
They dedicated themselves to the manufacturing of jams and preserves, according to an interest that from this perspective is fully comprehensible. Other practices consisted instead of transferring the sick energy to the plant by incising its bark, inserting some drops of blood or pus inside the plant and then proceeding with magnetic passes. The reason for the preparations therefore was not so much to isolate the chemical principle of the plant, but to keep its energetic value intact for as long as possible.
PERFUMES
Besides the ordinary preparations there were perfumes whose purpose was to awaken thought, even subconscious, to certain currents or qualities, thus attracting by sympathetic law the required astral current.
| Sign | Perfume |
|---|---|
| Aries | Limoncello, cedar, amber |
| Taurus | Jasmine |
| Gemini | Hyacinth |
| Cancer | Cyclamen, acacia, lily |
| Leo | Calycanthus |
| Virgo | Honeysuckle, camellia, coriander |
| Libra | Benzoin, broom, cascarilla |
| Scorpio | - |
| Sagittarius | Mimosa, lavender, vanilla, violet |
| Capricorn | Incense, cypress, cedar, heather |
| Aquarius | Basil, broom |
| Pisces | Iris, myrtle |
Table 2: Planetary Correspondences
| Sign | Metal | Stone |
|---|---|---|
| Aries | Iron, gold | Blood jasper |
| Taurus | Copper | Malachite |
| Gemini | Gold-Silver | Topaz |
| Cancer | Gold-Silver, Platinum | Opal, blue diamond, quartz |
| Leo | Red gold | Ruby |
| Virgo | White gold, Iridium, Tin, Mercury | Agate, Sapphire on platinum |
| Libra | Copper, Red gold | Emerald |
| Scorpio | Iron | Blood jasper |
| Sagittarius | Tin-gold, White gold, platinum | Sapphire |
| Capricorn | Lead | Obsidian, Onyx |
| Aquarius | Lead, Platinum | Diamond, Sapphire |
| Pisces | White gold | Aquamarine, Lapis lazuli |
STONES 12 SIGNS AND 7 PLANETS
Unlike the doctors of the time, alchemists had the unprecedented idea of trying to heal diseases not only through herbs and plants but also through minerals and chemical preparations that in their view should have solved the problem anyway
COLORS
| Sign | Color |
|---|---|
| Aries | Red-gold |
| Taurus | Green |
| Gemini | Yellow |
| Cancer | Mother-of-pearl |
| Leo | Gold |
| Virgo | Deep blue |
| Libra | Pink lilac |
| Scorpio | Deep red |
| Sagittarius | Violet |
| Capricorn | Black |
| Aquarius | Intense blue |
| Pisces | Blue, Lilac |
| Sign | Angel |
|---|---|
| Aries | Camaele |
| Taurus | Aniele |
| Gemini | Raphael |
| Cancer | Gabriel |
| Leo | Michael |
| Virgo | Raphael |
| Libra | Aniele |
| Scorpio | Camaele |
| Sagittarius | Zadkiel |
| Capricorn | Zaphkiel |
| Aquarius | Zaphkiel |
| Pisces | Zadkiel |
DIRECT ASTRAL INFLUENCES (OBSERVATION, MIRROR, TALISMAN)
As we said however, all these means were only relative to acquiring those forces of spiritual and energetic character associated with the various planets. In the impossibility of assimilating from individual planets, they then made use of plants, minerals and so on. Besides these methods, however, alchemists had others that directly involved the observation of stars. Roger Bacon for example seems to have built a kind of rudimentary telescope to capture the influence of stars and channel it onto a certain preparation. Other alchemists instead proceeded with magic mirrors, constructing a mirror of the metal associated with the planet writing on it the seals and images related to the planet, observing the star through the magic mirror and trying to penetrate themselves with the virtues of the star, then they wore this piece of metal on their person and used it as a talisman.
THE THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES OF THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
Beyond these elements, one must also take into account the therapeutic properties of the philosopher's stone itself. The philosopher's stone is indeed described as rich in curative and vitalizing properties. An example comes from a transmutation that occurred in 1695 in Ulm: Once the mixture cooled, it was broken and a metallic mass appeared with elegant variegated colors in which green predominated, which was considered a good omen. [...] The observer who wanted to taste it with the tip of his little finger had indeed felt an acidic taste and then had the impression of feeling a profound transformation in his own body [...] I felt a general well-being and a sensation of increased vigor throughout my organism.
It is then Nicolas Flamel himself who in his Breviary lists its therapeutic capabilities: "To keep yourself always in health take it in golden infusion, nine drops in four periods of the year, that is March 22, June 22, September 22 and December 22, in the liquid you prefer and, doing as I told you, you will never have an illness, you will enjoy a happy life full of health and wealth, you will be master of all nature, because you will have more treasures than princes and kings in precious stones, gold and silver."
MEDICINE OF THE SOUL AND SPIRITUAL ALCHEMY
In this perspective I wanted to see with you some of those that were the main phases necessary for achieving the Great Work according to the iter. Material of the Work: all the secret of the work consists in having pure Mercury (that is, considered as a principle not yet individuated and not specialized) in the state in which it was before being mixed with any metal. Pernety. So it makes us understand that we need a special matter, obtainable in a state of consciousness different from the ordinary one, which must therefore be found with some operation.
Ways to obtain the prima materia
To find this prima materia Basil Valentine suggests to us: make your gold (the nucleus of consciousness) be retrograded to what it was before (crude, freed from bonds).