This property was fire and Humidity, but fire is the mover. Thus fire or the spirit is diffused through the whole system of Nature, so that the meanest drop of water, or the smallest atom of Sand or Earth is filled with that Universal spirit. Observe here that the whole difference of Things consists only in volatility or fixity; that is: God has ordained it wisely, that Heaven must become corporeal and be converted into all the Elements, as vice versa, the inferior Elements are by subtilisation converted into air and fire or Heaven, in order to be reimpregnated and renewed by the Celestial Influences, for the sake of generation, preservation, destruction, and regeneration of all Things.
We have explained to you how Vapours are converted into air and air into fire, we will now examine the nature of these Vapours. We have told you that there exists in the Earth an Innate Heat, which we believe to be the strongest in the Center of the Earth, by reason of its swift motion. This Celestial Heat causes a continual transpiration and sublimation of Vapours; such Vapours are Dews and Fogs; these Vapours are two-fold and four-fold.
Two-fold because they consist of water and earth, fourfold as they contain the four Elements, which four Elements cannot do without each others assistance; that I call these Vapours water and earth is, because they contain those two Elements volatilised and subtilised, and if they ascend they are still further subtilised and converted into air and fire or Heaven. Such Vapours have been water will be easily admitted, but that they also contain a subtilised earth, may perhaps be doubted; but note, that I have said before, that one Element is the conductor of the other, and that one Element dissolves and subtilises the other.
Fire dissolves and subtilises air, air dissolves and subtilises water, water dissolves and subtilises and mollifies the earth, vice versa, the earth condenses the water, water condenses air, air condenses or corporifies Heaven or fire, by which means air becomes animated, as we have explained before, and becomes this Spiritus Mundi. Thus one Element is the others Magnet, solvent, volatilising, condensing, coagulating and fixing principles.
You are to note here that Nature has its degrees of Volatility and Fixity; as for instance, that part of fire which is nearest to the atmosphere is not so highly pure or subtil, as that which is a thousand leagues remote from it: In the same manner, the highest atmospheric air is purer, colder and more subtil as well as dryer than that air near us, which we breathe. The superfluities of the water is also lighter, more aerial and more subtil than the thick slimy ground waters, which settle on pebbles.
The Earth has also its degrees of subtility and fixity: We have therein earth juices, sulphurs, bituminous substances, such as the pitcoal, clays, loams, minerals, ores and metals, rocks, stones, and flints, and the precious gems of a wonderful fixity. The most volatile earth is mollified and dissolved by water, further volatilised into air and fire.
Vice versa the lowest fire sooner mixes and corporifies itself with the air, than the remote, whilst the lowest atmospheric air sooner mixes with, and becomes water, than the pure and highest air, the Inferior slimy ground waters become earth sooner than the superficial lighter waters. The Volatile soluble Earth, in particular its Virgin earth, i.
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The volatile water is sooner converted into the lower air than the grownd waters can possibly be. If you understand us right, we shew you here the first beginning of Nature, and the true First Matter. As the four Elements proceed from the primordial Vapours, they are forced to generate continually such a Vapour, of the very selfsame principles and substances, which Vapour is converted by Nature into a Chaotic water, and falls down in Showers of Rain.
In this Chaotic water is invisibly contained the Universal Sperm for the generation, preservation, destruction and regeneration of all Things. Now we have treated of the regeneration of the Chaos or Universal Vapours: We have demonstrated how fire water air earth be proceed from the first Chaotic Waters, and how they produce the Universal Sperm, and how they continually regenerate the Chaotic waters for generation, preservation and Regeneration of all Things.
This Universal Sperm is generated by condensation and evaporation of Vapours, which are circulated in the great Alembic of the Air, until they are sufficiently impregnated or animated by fire, when they are again condensed and resolved into water. But really and truly it is the true regenerated Chaos, the genuine spirit and Anima Mundi animates it, who generates, preserves, kills, and regenerates all sublunary Creatures agreeably to their original form, by means of their Seed or Sperm, and this Anima Mundi is Nature truly.
Now to prove that this Dew, Rain, Hail, or Snow is actually the regenerated Chaos, containing the Universal Sperm and Spiritus Mundi we must show you that they were generated first out of the primordial Chaos. We must also show, nay, we have done it before, that our regenerated Chaos contains the four Elements, and if it contains them, it must of course possess all what the four Elements contain.
We say therefore as a fundamental truth, that everything can be resolved and must return to that; what it was at first; and everything must be resolved and be returned to its first origin by that self-same principle by which it was made or generated naturally. The Elements originate from Vapour and fire, and they return to Vapour, that is Water, and from thence to fire. They proceed from fire and humidity, and by fire and humidity they return to their first origin. Now that Dew and Rain is fire and water, or such a regenerated Chaos as the first Chaos was, is proved by its visible effects, better known to Country-men and Gardeners than to Citizens: Chemical Anatomy demonstrates visibly that the four Elements are contained in Dew and Rain water.
Daily experience confirms it, that by the effects of those waters every Plant prospers and grows, Animals cannot do without it, and minerals and metals are generated by their inward fiery principle, as we shall show hereafter. Take a quantity of Dew, Rain, Snow or Hail, which you like; but the most expeditious way is if you take Rain water from a thundershower, receive it into clean glazed earthen Vessels, and filter it in order to separate the dirt from it which intermixes from the Roofs of Houses, and you will after filtration, have a clear crystalline water, of no particular taste, in fact a fine clear water, fit to be used like any other water.
Place this collected water in a warm garret, where neither Sun nor Moon can shine upon it, cover the Vessels with a Linen Cloth, to prevent the dust getting into it. Let it stand a month unmoved, and if the place is warm enough, you will by this time perceive an alteration in the water, because this water begins by the power of the implanted fire or spirit grow warm although imperceptibly and to break; it begins to ferment and putrefy and acquires a bad smell, and you will observe that it becomes turbid, although it was perfectly clear at first, and a brown spongy earth ascends swimming at the top, which increases daily and from its weight falls to the bottom.
Here you see a separation, occasioned by the ingrafted spirit of the gross from the subtil. The separated earth is brown, spongy or like wool slimy and slippery, and this slimy earth is the Universal Gur of Nature. Here the Artists may observe two things viz. Here the air animated by the fire is extended in the water. Now you have two passive Elements water and earth. In the beginning you had only a volatile water but by a gentle putrefaction in a warm place you have manifested the earth also. Fire and air we must look for in another way. When you see now your Rain water in that state of putrefaction that the slimy Earth is separated and falls to the bottom.
Now pour your troubled water and earth in that state of putrefaction into a large Glass Body, which place in an earthenware pot, fixed into a charcoal distilling furnace, apply a large alembic and receiver and light your fire, which keep so gentle that only the stream or vapours arise.
Let this all come over first as a pure water, which contains animated air, that is air and fire. Distil no more of the very volatile water over; than what will go with the gentlest degree of Heat, whilst the Subject in the body only vapours away but must not be suffered to boil, in this manner you vapour over about the fourth part of the whole, or less. Take the receiver off with this very volatile water, this water the more so, if you afterwards rectify it per se over a steam bath is more luminous and clearer than common distilled water, which is a proof that it contains much air and fire.
"The golden chain of Homer" (Aurea Catena Homeri), from the Stock Photo: - Alamy
Now apply another receiver and continue the distillation, raising your heat sufficiently, so as to cause the thickish water in the Glass Body to boil and in this manner you must distil all the water over, which will appear like water and in drops in the Alembic; continue the distillation until it remains in the body like melted Honey and looks Brown, but beware of distilling until it remains dry, because you would burn the young and tender Virgin earth in the bottom of the Vessel, which is not yet fixt.
Take the distilled water away and put it by as the Element water. The Honey-like Matter, or the moist earth remaining in the Glass body, take out cleanly and put it into a china basin and set it in the Sun to evaporate until it is perfectly dry; then grind it in a Glass Mortar to a subtil earth. Now you have separated the Elements out of your Chaos. Now it remains to be proved that they are truly Elements or else it must be false what I have written, that all sublunary subjects proceed from them.
To produce heavenly subjects out of this Chaos, or meteors, as this water itself is a meteorical production, let no one undertake; but we will demonstrate that Animals. Vegetables and Minerals may, and can be generated, and that is what we pretend and no further. Take your dried earth put it into a glass Body and humect it a little with a few drops of your Distillated water, but not with the Element air and fire, and put the Body in a warm room facing the South, but let not the Sun's Rays shine upon the Body; after your earth is dry, humect or imbibe it again with the Element water.
You will find by your inbibitions and exsiccations, that the Earth becomes more ponderous and sandy.
As soon as you perceive that the earth is become sandy, you may know that it is mineralised, this sandy earth is neither Animal nor Vegetable, consequently Mineral. If you have a few ounces of this earth, try it as Glauber tries the sun containing Sands and you will find a grain or two of sun and moon. Take your before mentioned earth dried in the Sun. If you like to produce Animals, take your before mentioned dried and powdered earth, pour first together, one part of water, and three parts of air, with this mixture humect your earth so copiously that it may become like liquid or melted Honey, place the Glass body which contains this mixture in the Air where it is warm, the Sun may shine on it but not too hot, nor at the Meridian, and the Glass is left open.
You will perceive that in a few days, there will be different kinds of small vermine, in the thick water ; when the earth diminishes and dries up you must humect it again, so that it may remain of the same consistence like Honey or Syrup, as before; and you will perceive that the first small vermine will die and loose themselves, and others will be produced who will feed on their putrefaction and become larger and more in number.
I could reveal here something, but as it would be abused by profligate men, I am obliged to be silent. You may be convinced by these experiments that our water or regenerated Chaos, Rain water, or Dew, or Snow is, and contains the Mundi and Universal Sperm, out of which, all things were, and are generated.
It appears from this that this water and Earth are endowed with the principle of fertility for the three departments of Nature, as all things are produced thereof. Few there are that know the secret powers of these things, and what it is that causes and gives fertility. It is a spirit or fire, but as a volatile unembodied spirit, he can effect nothing in natural productions. All what is to be serviceable in visible Bodies, must be, or become corporeal with them, it must become visible and palpable: Few know this although they handle it often enough.
This corporified Anima Mundi or Universal Sperm according to its origin is but little known, although it may be got in great quantity. The cause of this obscurity is that it bears a different name from what it ought to have. According to its root and origin it ought to be called the Sperm of the Macrocosm, the Sperm of the World, the cause of Fertility.
The Golden Chain of Homer : Aurea Catena Homeri (2012, Paperback)
This title belongs to it as it is the concentrated corporified Sperm, and spirit Mundi in a transparent visible crystalline Body, a dry water, which does not wet the hands, an earth, a fiery pure earth, full of Light and fire also full of cold, like ice, a coagulated or congealed fire, a condensed and animated air, which is better and more valuable than all the Treasures in the World.
But that I may show you this embodied spirit and that you may touch It with your hands, proceed as I teach you. Process to demonstrate the corporified Anima Mundi. Let the fire die away whilst it is yet luke warm, filter it through blotting paper. Pour the clear into a clean pewter basin, or into an earthen glazed dish, which place in a cool Cellar or Room, and during the night the celebrated Spiritus Mundi will shoot in Crystals and appear under two different forms.
The first is of a perfect crystalline transparent form, this shoots ah round the sides of the basin and settles on small sticks. The second fixes itself on the bottom of the basin, and is darker and not so transparent. Here now you see that celebrated spirit, the Universal spirit, the Sperm of the Macrocosm, the regenerated Chaos visible and bodily.
Pour the water off gently, and let the crystals dry. Those crystals which hang all round the sides or on the sticks keep by themselves separately. Those that are fixed on the bottom of the basin keep separately also. With both sorts of crystals go to old Lame Vulcan and he will tell you their Names. Take some of those Crystals which hung all round the sides of the Basin, or were fastened to the sticks and throw them on lighted Charcoal, and they will tell you what they are, they are called nitre. The bottom Crystals throw also on fiery Coals, they have a harsh voice and spit about them.
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They are called Common salt or Alkaline salt. This nitre out of the Rain water fulmunates with sulphur, like any other Salpetre, and has no other, or greater effect than Common purified universal seed. The salt cracks and flies from the fiery coals like any other Common salt, and shows the same effect in all other operations like good Common salt. By this experiment you may perceive clearly the Center and Sperm of all things, the Sperm of the World, visibly and corporified before your eyes, and you may touch it with your hands. Both generate, preserves, destroy and regenerate everything that is on Earth.
In the atmosphere it is volatile and incorporeal, and produces volatile meteors in water and earth, it assumes a crystalline Body. In the beginning this Chaotic water was entirely Volatile, because if you did distil it before putrefaction, every drop of it ascends like volatile water; By fermentation and putrefaction it gets a basis of fixation and precipitates its subtil earth. The most volatile part of this water generates Animals, when it becomes a little fixer it generates Vegetables, and when it becomes quite fixed it generates Minerals and Metals.
Whosoever like to generate minerals, let him take the fixest parts, such as eath and water. If you like to produce Vegetables, add to the earth and water some air and fire. If you want to bring forth Animals add still more of the most volatile, that is more air and fire, as containing more of the Universal. The vegetable department stands between Animals and Minerals. The efficient cause which has enabled us to see and feel the Universal Corporified Sperm, is putrefaction, the Principal Key whereby the Lock of Natural Subjects may be opened. The cause of fermentation and putrefaction is the implanted spirit which is never idle whenever he meets with Humidity, his own instrument, by means of which this spirit is ever busy, either visibly or invisibly, either sensibly or insensibly, this causes fermentation and putrefaction; and out of a volatile makes a fixt, and out of a fixt again a volatile and this mutation is continued without ceasing.
This spirit breaks and dissolves Stone and Rocks, which he himself has coagulated and reduces them into Sand and Dust; this same spirit reduces Trees into Mould and earth, and putrefies Animals, and again from such putrefied substances produces Vegetables and Minerals, and this continues from one thing into another. I have said that the Universal Corporified Sperm of the World, produced out of the regenerated Chaos of Rain water, that is our nitre and salt is not better than common nitre, and common salt, and it is truly so because they produce the same effect and operation, and their is no difference between them, except if the one should be more purified than the other, but if they were equallv pure, there could be no difference; therefore let the Artist not be deceived, if anyone would tell him, this from the Chaotic water is the nitre of the Philosophers, and the other is vulgar nitre, we say that such a distinction is folly and superstition.
If Common pure nitre produces the same effects as the other does, then Common nitre is philosophical nitre; but that the Reader may be convinced that the Universal nitre out of the Rain water is not better than purified vulgar nitre, let him consider that the Universal nitre is the Father and Generator of vulgar nitre, and he must then naturally conclude that the Blood of the Infant must be like that of Father and Mother, and that it must contain the very same principles and consequently must produce the same effects as the Father, nay, it is itself the Father, and is centrally one and the same with the Father and omnipresent.
Now if out of the Universal nitre and salt all things are produced. Animals, Vegetables and Minerals, all things of course are reducible into these their first principles. That all things proceed from universal seed is demonstrated by nitre and salt being found everywhere in all things. As we cannot ascend towards the heavenly Bodies, we must judge of what is above by that which is below within our reach. The Firmament is full of Light, Light is nothing else but attracted and repulsed, moved and manifested fire of Nature or Universal spirit. This further agitated and concentrated produces Heat and fire.
Nitre is coagulated fire concealed in air and Humidity; therefore we say and conclude, that the Heavens or intermediate Space between us and the Heavenly Bodies consists of, or is filled with a most volatile incorporeal nitre, which as it descends into our Atmosphere and probably other atmospheres of Heavenly Bodies becomes gradually more and more corporeal. Let this suffice concerning the Spiritual Heavenly nitre.
That there is nitre and salt in the Air is plain by lightning, thunder and Hail. Here on Earth we cannot find another subject which fulminates, thunders, and hails besides nitre or salteous things. Nitre is born spiritual and volatile in the Heavens, in the atmosphere it becomes acid but remains spiritual and volatile, in water and earth it assumes a visible and palpable Body; how that happens that it inflames hails, fulminates and thunders in the atmosphere, we will first demonstrate theoretically by physical reasons, and then mechanically by practice.
Nitre does not fulminate, except it meets with a contrary agent and is excited by heat. The more volatile and subtil the nitre is, the more vehemently it fulminates and is the easier enflamed. In the same manner volatile and subtil its contrary agent is the more vehement, sudden and powerful in their mutual operation. The Light heavenly fire and Life of all things is condense in the atmosphere in the form of a subtil volatile nitre and this must have a contrary agent for its operation. In order that this volatile nitre may obtain a contrary agent, there ascends continually out of the Earth, Ocean and Rivers an equally subtil, volatile, sulphureous, alcaline Earth in the shape of Vapours, Fumes, and Fogs, filled with salt alcalicum Volatile.
This is the natural evaporation of the Earth excited by the Central heat of the Earth. This ascends continually to meet the Volatile incorporeal nitre, now, when they do meet in a dry rarified atmosphere they are moved by the Sun's Rays, which by those ascending Vapours are collected and concentrated, whereby these Vapours become more and more heated until the subtil nitre takes fire and fulminates with this contrary sulphureous, volatile, alcaline agent, rarefies the air all round and thunders with dreadful Explosions as we observe during hot, dry, Summer days.
When on the contrary the atmosphere is dense and loaded with humidity, these two Universal Agents meet peaceably: Humidity and Cold hinder the inflammation and, consequently the fulmen. Take nitre, let it melt in a crucible, in an open fire, add to it a volatile alcaline sulphureous nitre, such as sal ammoniac or volatile nitre of urine, which is also sulphureous, or a volatile earth. Such are Charcoal, Mineral sulphur, Vegetable and Animal Oils, and the nitre will take fire and fulminate like gunpowder; the more volatile the earth or the nitre is, but in a dry state, the more violently does the nitre fulminate, and this reaction takes place only in a dry heat, but in humidity they unite peaceably and quietly.
Humidity is here a third Medium which prevents the fulmen. If you dissolve volatile salt of urine, or sal ammoniac with nitre in water, both are dissolved without violence or alteration, but if this humidity or water is evaporated and coagulated over the fire to dryness, so that they only commence to melt, they inflame and fulminate immediately. Another evident proof we have in Aurum fulminans.
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The reason of its fulmen many have sought to explain, but few have known it. Many chemists have attributed this fulmen to the sun itself: Sun is dissolved in aqua regia , which must contain common nitre or sal ammoniac in order to become aqua regia. The sun when dissolved is precipitateted with fixt oil of tartar or with any other alcali, such as a volatile salt of urine, or so-called spirit of urine, and the Sol falls to the bottom as a Spongy quicklime. Although this quicklime is edulcorated or washed a times with water, yet you will not take its fulmen from it by washing because some of the vinegar and alcaline salt remain fixed therein so that such a sun quicklime becomes heavier than the sun employed.
Now let us examine the quicklime or sun fulminans. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. The Golden Chain of Homer. Product details File Size: September 2, Sold by: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway.
The Golden Chain of Homer: Part 3 of the Aurea Catena Homeri, Set up a giveaway. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Learn more about Amazon Prime. Hamilton and Philip N. Wheeler provide an English translation of Aurea Catena Homeri, complete with frequent, detailed footnotes and extensive commentary that offers a detailed analysis and insight into Kirchweger's work, considered a masterpiece of alchemical literature.
The Golden Chain of Homer shows Kirchweger's book in a new, enlightening way. Through this translation, it becomes easier to understand alchemical principles and unveil the mysteries that shroud the science of alchemy. Grand Eagle Retail is the ideal place for all your shopping needs! With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and over 1,, in stock items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love!