The Philosopher's stone (or Pierre of Wise), center of interest of the Alchemy, result of the philosopher's stone, would be a substance able to carry out the Transmutation “cheap” metals - it is necessary to include/understand not Précieux - into gold. One could also leave it the Panacée or Élixir Long life , which cures all the evils and makes immortal that which drinks it. For the alchemists of the Middle Ages, Pierre would be the fifth element, named Alkahest (four known elements being ground, water, air and fire). Its realization is the “philosopher's stone”. In a metaphorical direction, Pierre Philosopahale is the Love, all that is touched by the Love becomes Gold. This essential Aur is synonymous with happiness: the goal of the Life.
The Research of Pierre
With the bottom of the crucibles and Athanor S, the alchemists mixed the ingredients which were to allow obtaining Pierre, the Philosopher's stone. This one was to make it possible to transform into pure gold a fused metal while being thrown inside.
Some, such Nicolas Flamel, one of the largest alchemists, claimed to have succeeded in manufacturing Pierre. One can quote Jan Baptist van Helmont, which claimed to have obtained some results during its experiments and which describes the stone like such:
" I saw and I touched more once philosopher stone; the color was like saffron out of powder, but heavy and luisante like pulverized Verre. This product, of which a quarter of grain ¹ provides eight ounces ² of gold expressed a considerable energy: approximately 18.470 times the unité".
¹ 13 Mg approximately
² approximately 245 G
This description corresponds well to the idea that one can be made philosopher stone through the traces left by the alchemists. It is indeed generally described like a red stone, lasts, heavy, without odor, liquid at the pure state (alkahest pure).
Extracts of works of Nicolas Flamel
Nicolas Flamel (1330-1418) is known to have claimed to have succeeded in producing the Philosopher's stone. Famous near the public to make an appearance in the novel Harry Potter at the school of the wizards of J.K. Rowling or in the Will of the alchemist , an adventure of Blake and Mortimer, or the manga " Fullmetal Alchemist" , made by Hiromu Arakawa.
One finds many writings in which Nicolas Flamel explains how to create Pierre.
Here are some extracts (as old French):
Quotations of the book of the hieroglyphic figures by Nicolas Flamel
" Therefore, the first time that I made the projection, it was on Mercure of which I of converted half-deliver approximately in pure money, better than that of the mine, as I tested and makes test several times. They were the 17 of January, one Monday, approximately midday, in my house, presents Perrenelle only, the year of the restitution of human chalk-lining thousand three hundred and eighty two ".
" And then after, while always following word for word my book, I did it with the red stone on similar quality of Mercury, in presence still of Pernelle alone, in the same house, the twenty fifth day of April following same year, over the five hours of the evening, which I transmuted truly into quasi as much pure gold, better doubtless than the Or common, softer and more ployable".
Quotation of the breviary of Nicolas Flamel addressed to his nephew (1414)
" Adonc if you take desire to make grinds of gold, dear nephew, which crumb would not however be necessary, for what can occur detrimental incongruity, mets thousand ounces of quicksilver in large iron cauldron with strong fire, and when is hot that will smoke, have one ounce of crimson powder of the fourth imbibition, included icelle waxes some like pellet, throws icelle on the aforementioned smoking quicksilver and icelui is stopped suddenly: Vigore fire and at the time will be moulted, left in mass and part out of powder of yellow gold which will fuse out of crucible and will make mass or ingots and will have of all icelui mercury with approximately of 997 ounces pure gold at the last point of fin".
Quotations of the book of Laveures of Nicolas Flamel (1414)
" Thus throw elixir a weight on hundred parts of washed mercury and it will be the pure moon better than of mine and also if you made projection. A weight on one hundred of imperfect body it transforms them into true lune".
" Thus throw a weight of elixir on thousand parts of the moon or washed mercury. And it will be very true sun in all examination grinds better than that which comes from the mines. Because the gold and the money made by the dessudit elixir pass the gold and the money of the aforesaid the mine in all properties. And for this the Philosophers say that their gold and money are not gold and money vulgals, because he to them is added a great addition of teinture".
Certain elements above are known, the such the Moon which indicates the Platine. Certain scientists think besides that if Nicolas Flamel could not produce Pierre of Wise, it perhaps could obtain platinum.
The receipt of the philosopher stone
The Alchemy in a general way, and the creation of the Philosopher's stone in particular, would break up into some crucial steps:
- Fusion
- Distillation
- Dissolution
- Evaporation
- Purification
-
work with the black, of the name of the color which the preparation takes: one calcines the matter for the to purify (Greek will pura , the Feu) and thus to reach the state of Putréfaction, in which the matter is removed from its impurities.
- work with the white, or small-work or small-magistère: one does not know the course of this operation, which gives Pierre Blanche, able to transform metals into money. The operation is symbolized by a Arbre carrying the Moon S.
- work with the red, or large-work or large-magistère: there too, we do not have any information, if it is not that this stage transforms Pierre Blanche into Philosopher's stone, represented by the solar tree .
There are three principal stages to create a philosopher stone:
- * First of all to extract from the mercury of the philosophers a particular leaven called “mercury of the philosophers”. - * To make react this leaven on gold and money to obtain two additional leavens.
- * To mix the leaven created starting from gold with that created with the money and the mercury of the philosophers in Matras out of glass, to close it in a hermetic way and to put the whole to be cooked in a athanor.
Interpretation
One should not be limited to appearances materialists of alchemy; one can also regard all this chemical handling as psychic transformations , leading the individual to an evolution of oneself.
See too
- It is of this stone that one speaks in Harry Potter at the school about the wizards .
- Hagane No renkinjutsushi (more known in Europe by its under title Fullmetal alchemist), a manga which takes up the ideas of alchemy, by reporting us venture of two young brothers seeking the philosopher stone. In this work the capacity which is conferred to him is more important since it is supposed to make it possible to the holder to pass in addition to the rule of the equivalent exchange, basic principle governing alchemy.
- Alchemy
- Astral Light
- Hermes Trismégiste
- Corpus Hermeticum
- Hermetism
- Table of emerald
- Philosopher's stone
- Carl Gustav Jung, which was interested in alchemy
- Chimère
- Sibylle
- Homonculus
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