Absolutely, Alchemy
written by Hermione Potter
Brilliantly written, German Alchemist Marin Bratsch delves into the basic essential knowledge of alchemy, its history, and its famous works. Brief, concise instructions are emblazoned within every spell and every potion. Many references founded by the famous alchemists of our time are featured in the text with special chapters dedicated to Nicholas Flamel, Albus Dumbledore, and Harry Potter, the boy who lived.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
20
Reads
3,425
Quintessence
Chapter 7
Quintessence
The Quintessence is the fifth element with which the alchemists could work. It was the essential presence of something or someone, the living thing itself that animated or gave something its deepest characteristics. The Quintessence partakes of both the Above and the Below, the mental as well as the material. It was believed to be the very pure essence which the God's breathed, and comprises the celestial and heavenly plane. It can be thought of as the ethereal embodiment of the life force that we encounter in dreams and altered states of consciousness. It is the purest individual essence of something that we must unveil and understand in order to transform it. The Great Work of alchemy lies chiefly in the quest for a mysterious substance known as the Quintessence (from the Medieval Latin quinta essentia or “fifth essence”). This substance is believed to possess many seemingly miraculous properties, being capable of granting longevity to the alchemist, transforming base metals to gold, and curing all diseases. Alchemists believe that the seed of this Quintessence may be found in all matter, but that it is more easily extracted from certain base substances. These substances, reduced to a primal form called “hyle” or the First Matter, are then subjected to gentle heating until the Stone emerges from this chaotic mass.
The Emerald Tablet of Hermes, a short text composed of a number of enigmatic verses ascribed to the God Hermes, is said to form the essential core of alchemical philosophy. Through it we learn that the process of alchemy is essentially transformational. Furthermore, it states that there is a correspondence between that which is Above and that which is Below, which can be understood through a study of astrology and the processes of Nature, reflected in both the macrocosmic world and in the microcosm of the alchemist. The alchemist always works in partnership with Nature, to accelerate these processes which otherwise would take millennia to reach fruition, and draw those natural forces into the experiment through the principle of correspondence.
The Quintessence is the fifth element with which the alchemists could work. It was the essential presence of something or someone, the living thing itself that animated or gave something its deepest characteristics. The Quintessence partakes of both the Above and the Below, the mental as well as the material. It was believed to be the very pure essence which the God's breathed, and comprises the celestial and heavenly plane. It can be thought of as the ethereal embodiment of the life force that we encounter in dreams and altered states of consciousness. It is the purest individual essence of something that we must unveil and understand in order to transform it. The Great Work of alchemy lies chiefly in the quest for a mysterious substance known as the Quintessence (from the Medieval Latin quinta essentia or “fifth essence”). This substance is believed to possess many seemingly miraculous properties, being capable of granting longevity to the alchemist, transforming base metals to gold, and curing all diseases. Alchemists believe that the seed of this Quintessence may be found in all matter, but that it is more easily extracted from certain base substances. These substances, reduced to a primal form called “hyle” or the First Matter, are then subjected to gentle heating until the Stone emerges from this chaotic mass.
The Emerald Tablet of Hermes, a short text composed of a number of enigmatic verses ascribed to the God Hermes, is said to form the essential core of alchemical philosophy. Through it we learn that the process of alchemy is essentially transformational. Furthermore, it states that there is a correspondence between that which is Above and that which is Below, which can be understood through a study of astrology and the processes of Nature, reflected in both the macrocosmic world and in the microcosm of the alchemist. The alchemist always works in partnership with Nature, to accelerate these processes which otherwise would take millennia to reach fruition, and draw those natural forces into the experiment through the principle of correspondence.
