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http://noblepagan.com/wicca-86/sacred_space_your_altar-2776/
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The Basics of Alchemy, as practiced by Old Blue top for further study, go here [just below] to see my bibliography for labeling symbolism ideas, go here. [just below in the document]
Any good wizard has an inexpensive chemistry set to study the elements with. To mix and stir things up, potions, elixirs, powders, tinctures, reactive agents, etc.
A simple definition of alchemy is ‘transformation.’ The basic heart of alchemy’s tradition and philosophy is to know that all things are just different expressions of the one universal mind.
Alchemy was the first chemistry. Today it has many meanings and methods.
To make fireworks and firecrackers is a type of alchemy. Perfumery is a type of alchemy. To go through an old ritual process which brings something to its ‘essence’ is the still practiced today, with many online sites devoted to it. Google ‘alchemy’. In elder days alchemy was used to transform metals, especially base metals into gold. Much is said here of the “Philosopher’s Stone” and the “Emerald Tablet.” There is also a Mental Alchemy, first formally studied by Egyptians and the mighty Hermes. To put it simply, it is a psychological study of the mind and many mysterious Mental Planes. It is similar to but different from studying the various layers of the aura. Crystal making is a type of alchemy. Even some forms of political advocacy are seen as a type of alchemy. Languages, writing and the use of symbols is a type of alchemy in itself. See labeling here.[see below]
For an example of basic alchemical principles I offer:
How to make an alchemical elixir for the planet Jupiter, based on old ritual practice of alchemy. This takes 10-15 weeks - or around 3 months to do.
There are 3 principles in plants. 1. Soul: Sulphur principle - aroma, as in the fragrance of roses. 2. Spirit: alcohol. All plants break down and ferment, creating sugar which creates the spirit. 3. Body: salt principle - lie in the water tissue of the plants and is drawn out by crystallization
This form of Alchemy involves extracting and separating all three of the above principals, purifying them, and then recombining them. This raises the plant to a higher level. When the elixir is ingested, these principles vibrate with our own soul, spirit and body, helping you to get in tune with the planet’s vibrations.
Since Thursday is the day of Jupiter, each step should be done on a Thursday in a series of weeks. If you know how, look up the planets daily planetary hour and work with that if you can, it isn’t necessary. Always prepare yourself for ritual and set your alter with symbolic items for abundance and Jupiter. Light a green candle or incense for wealth or Jupiter. Use symbolism to label your jars, bottles, boxes, notes, etc. See here. [below] It helps to have your symbols chosen ahead of time.You can check out skyandtelescope.com to find out what Jupiter is up to, if it is prominent at any particular time for you.
1. Gathering - the first Thursday Harvest about one or two ounces of any herb you feel resonates with planet Jupiter’s abundance and prosperity. Make it an herb which is alright to be eaten or digested, not poisonous. Take the taste and fragrance of the herb into account. We will be making a alcohol based tincture to add to wine or to drop on the tongue. Gather it ritually, considering the phase of the Moon and tides. [Full Moon rising, high tide coming in] Leave a bit of cornmeal at the sight, or purchase the herb via your favorite herb shop. Gathering it in the morning when dew is still about is more potent. Dew is very meaningful in alchemical processes.
Also at this time, go gather or purchase the alcohol [known as the Spirit] you will use in Step 3. You only need a little, about an ounce or so. See more in Step 3. Consider also, collecting a few drops of dew, rain, or Moon Water, which are nice additions, but not necessary.
2. Powdering - the next Thursday Take your time. Spend the main part of your day doing this. Break up the plant as much as you can, to get it to as close a powder form as possible. Visualize abundance and growth coming into your life while working. Some methods to use: scissors to cut it up mortar and pestle to grind it grind it between two rough stones, or rub it over the top of a rough stone rub it over a wire screen to break it up, letting bits drop into a bowl below the screen, wrap it in wax paper or cloth and hammer it with a hammer, sift it through various mesh cloths or screens use your athame or knife to chop it up - as ritual, waving a feather over it or stirring it with a feather, is symbolic of ritual cutting
3. Maceration and Circulation - the next Thursday and 2 weeks Maceration - Begin soon after sunrise or after your morning meditation. Place the herb in a large jar [an old mayonnaise jar or a corked test tube works well] Slowly pour on Everclear, cognac or brandy [some use vodka since it has no taste or aroma to interfere with the herb’s] allowing the powder to absorb it. As soon as the liquid is standing a little above the powder - stop pouring. This is known as the Spirit. Any liquor store sells small bottles of brandy or cognac for a couple of dollars. Everclear is good in that it has high alcohol percentage, which breaks down the essence of the herb better. I’m not sure you can get a small bottle of it. Large bottles of Everclear aren’t too expensive [$20 or so]. You want to use an alcohol you can drink - not a medicinal alcohol. For a special touch, add one or two drops of dew, or a special water such as rain water, Lunar Slime, or crystal treated water. Be creative and add your own touch to the solution.
Seal the jar - air tight. The alcohol (spirit) will draw the sulphur/soul out of the plant, releasing its soul. The alcohol should take on a coloring. Some plants are dark and murky, some brown, some bright green, it varies depending on the plant chosen. All colors are fine.
Circulation - a two week process Place the jar in a special box if you want, [known in alchemy as your maceration box] and put it in a warm place for two weeks. [set it any a sunny window during the day, and bring it in at night] Circulation occurs when drops of alcohol form on the sides of jar and trickle back to the plant. Keep an eye on it. Shake the jar each day for two weeks. This is also where many drift off and never get around to completing the elixir. Don’t let that happen. Resolve yourself to following through and finish the project.
4. Filtration and Calcination - the next Thursday - or separate Thursdays, as you wish Filtering Two weeks later, on Thursday, filter the tincture into a clean dry bottle of dark glass, using coffee filter paper and a funnel. Use a glass funnel if you have one. Try to avoid metal. Sometimes I make a funnel using wax paper. Seal and put the alcohol in a cool dark place. Label it “Spirit of Jupiter” Then, place the plant residue in a ceramic pot or a tray which you can set over a Camp Fire pit. [I use a clay soup pot]
Calcination (which means "To turn white") Eventually you want to burn down the remaining plant matter till it is a white ash. You want to do this outside because lots of unpleasant smoke will drift out of it. Go outside, to a picnic park is good, and Fire up the camp stove. It is not necessary but you can use a ritual Fire if you want, using bits of the sacred woods. [I add pinches of their sawdust to a commercial ‘Fire log’]. You can add salts to make it spark or special Jupiter incenses or additions that specialize in divination smoke, since you know there will be lots of smoke. Make a festive occasion of it by lighting ‘sparklers’ if the local law will let you. I enjoy doing this at Summer Solstice or near the 4th of July when colored smoke balls can be had.] I digress. Any Fire is fine. Place the ceramic pot holding all the plant remains over the fire. Let it burn, you can even set a match to the herb inside the pot to speed things up if you want. Let it smoke and burn. It will create a black substance first. Stir it well. When all is black and the smoking quits, you can take it off the Camp Fire and go inside if you wish. But I have never had a problem continuing on to the white ash phase at the camp site. [It takes about 1-2 hours. I burn 1/2 of a commercial Fire Log]
Continue to white ash phase [can be indoors the next Thursday if you want - put the pot in a hot oven] Grind the black plant cinders into a powder; then return the powder to the ceramic pot. This grinding will help reach the white ash phase if it doesn’t come quickly enough for you. I haven’t had much problem so far. Pulverize all black cinders and bake to white ash. If it doesn’t reach white, but only a beige or light grey, that is fine.
5 Purifying and Crystalization - the next Thursday NOTE: Sometimes this purification and crystallizing is omitted and people use the ashes instead of crystals for Step 6. Making a Solution: Add about an ounce or two of distilled water to the white plant ashes in the ceramic pot, place a lid over the pot and bring it to a boil. This creates a solution. Let it simmer (gently boil) about 20 minutes Then turn off the heat and let it cool. Filter the Water and ash solution into a bowl or bottle. The soluble ashes are known as the dead head. Discard what is left of the ashes outside. Seal and label the jar. For symbolism ideas, see here. [below] You can also add a drop or two of special waters here if you’d like, as mentioned in Step 3.
Purification/Crystalization Clean the ceramic pot. Add the filtered liquid Water solution to the pot. Heat and keep it just below the boiling point till all the water evaporates and leaves the alkaline salts, or salt of the salts. When the salt is completely dry, turn up the heat, put the lid on the pot and heat the salts for about an hour or more. When it is pure, white crystals will form. At first they will not all be white, or pure. Repeat steps 8 and 9 till all is crystallized pure white or pink crystals.
6. Final Step - Cohobation - the simple final step, nice to do with special ceremony, pomp and circumstance, which begins a two week incubation period. So plan to have another ceremony in two weeks, when it is complete and you can first taste it. It empowers the elixir if you can do this step on the daily planetary hour if you know how, but this isn’t necessary. Place the purified salt crystals from step 5 [or ashes from step 4] in a jar. Pour the Alcohol/Spirit tincture from Step 3 over the crystals/ashes. This re-unites the three principles of the plant mentioned above. Seal the jar air tight and put it in a warm dark place for two weeks. [Keep it in your special maceration box if you want]. When this incubation is finished, bottle the tincture in its final bottle. Make sure it seals air tight. A dark jar is best. Note the aroma and color. Label it as Jupiter Elixir and date it.
Take seven drops with wine daily for 7 days, beginning on a Thursday just after the new moon.
Old Blue’s Alchemy bibliography: back to top, here. DVD 50 Greatest Kid Concoctions lots of fun J745.5 A82 Bio-diesel, how to make; Lili publication, several authors, one is Dan Carter. 662.662 H8306 The Book of Alchemy by Francis Melville. Quarto, London. 2002. 540.112 M497B Small and excellent. Has great elixir recipes for planets, etc. Best Tincture extraction I have found. Chemistry sets: discoverthis.com/chemistry.html excellent! Cool Chemistry Concoctions. Rhatigan, Joe and Gunter, Veronica Alice. Lark Books, NY. J540.78; R341C. fun stuff. Got the 4 separated liquids here (substituted syrup with salt water) Crime Scene Chemistry for the Armchair Sleuth by Cobb, Cathy, Fetterolf, Monty L., and Goldsmith, Jack G. A mature reading of cases and the chemistry that closed them. 363.256 C633C 2007 Dover’s Experiments for Children Dover Publications. series: all are excellent: Electricity 537.R317E; Chemistry 542.M918C; Biology 574 H191B; Physics 530.028 M312P Easy Genius Science Projects with great experiment ideas. Gardner, Robert. Enslow Publ. Berkely Heights NJ. J540.78 G176E this is a fun book. Worth checking out Fireworks factory, how it works at the. Megan Rocker. Kids book with a simple look at a firework factory. J662.15911H HeartMagic.com/essentialdistiller.html Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts. Silberer, Dr. Herbert. Dover Publications. NY 133.Si32H very very old. Hard to read. IAG (International Alchemy Guild) can help find a teacher or guide. Idiot’s Guide, Complete Guide to Alchemy. By Dennis William Hauck. Alpha, Penquin Publ. 540.112 H291C ’08 this is an excellent book - very worth purchasing. The Kybalion by the Three Initiates [William Walker Atkinson]. a study of the Hermetic philosophy of ancient Egypt and Greece. 135.4 T4135K Penguin Press, Tarcher Cornerstone Edition. A fine readable little book on Mental Alchemy. This could also fit into the Meditation topic, and I find many illusive discussions on this topic when I study the Aura’s layers Soap, experiments with by Salvatore Tocci. J668.2078 T561E Fun and interesting. Why There's antifreeze in your Toothpaste. Field, Simon Quellen. Chicago Review Press. 2007. 540.F458W 2008.
Labeling your Jars, bottles, notebooks, boxes and pots: back to top, here. [below] Using secret symbols is very strong alchemical tradition. All studies are rife with secret symbolic languages. Many different symbols are used, some having long historical traditions. What I give here is very simplified.
Colors, basically I see them as so. There are no clear definitions as the planes of alchemy are never sharply delineated. All planes blend by degrees and vibration, one into the other. Black phase - early in the beginning, chopping up and reaching the for the black ash phase Red phase - when you start drawing out the Spirit and the alcohol develops ‘color’ White phase - reaching for the white ashes and re-mixing the 3 principles at the end Green and yellow are also popular colors of alchemy. Elements are associated with the colors and phases, such as Fire and Water for the black phase and Air and Earth for the white phase. Birds - using bird symbolism was very popular in the older days. Some use to believe that birds spoke a mystical language. Some Symbols were formed by copying bird tracks left in the sand. Various birds in various colors, poses and directions of flight had secret meanings. Eggs were used as symbols quite often, especially if much incubating was used Snakes, frogs, insects [especially butterflies] are common Deer and Unicorn together in a forest meant the completion of the Philosopher’s Stone Dogs and wolves are used sometimes Flowers - very Egyptian - especially the use of different colored roses, and also popular in perfumery Lions of all sorts are popular and very traditional, especially when working with metals. Dragons - especially for the Spirit elixir Black dragon is the Dead Head Green dragon is the tincture added to ashes - considered a fierce dragon, now tame Red dragon is noted at the beginning in the chaos stage and at end, at finished stage Fire breathing dragon is calcinations stage Winged dragon is used sometimes for the volatile Spirit in its early 1st week phase Dragon without wings is now tame, he often represents the soul/colored alcohol solution, 2nd week Have fun developing your own secret symbolic language. ---back to top, here
Alchemy - Jupiter Elixir 
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