The Making of Philosopher`s Stone: Introduction

The following series of illustrations is taken from the Elementa Chemicae of the Leiden chemistry professor J.C. Barchusen. He had them engraved from an old manuscript "to do a great favour to the adepts of gold-making". He was of the opinion that they described the production of the Philosopher`s Stone "not only in better order, but also with a more correct emphasis" than anything else that he had seen hitherto.


In order to attain the lapis, the alchemist had to make a fundamental decision on which path to follow: a short "dry" path, in which the separation of the matter took place under the influence of external heat and the involvement of a secret "inner fire", and a "wet" path, which was much longer and only led to its goal through many distillations. The latter is illustrated here.


The main role in this process is played by the philosophical Mercury, not ordinary quicksilver, but a mysterious substance whose origins are entirely shrouded in darkness.


The material spirit is extracted from it. The legendary Azoth comes, as the agent of the Work, in the form of a dove. Like the doves that Noah sent forth to learn whether the waters had abated, it only ends it`s flight when the lapis is finally fixed.


It`s twenty-seven-fold flight upwards and downwards here and in a related series of illustrations corresponds, in William Blake`s mythology, to the flight of the twenty-seven larks, which act as bearer`s of conventional ideas. Only the twenty-eighth brings enlightenment and an escape from the retort`s restricted field of vision. It is destroyed when the lapis is complete.


Click Here to read Part 1

The Making of Philosopher`s Stone: Part 1

1. The emblems of the lapis on the crescent moon. Normal gold (lion) must be twice driven by antimony (wolf) in order to lose it`s impurities. The dragon is philosophical quicksilver (Mercury).

2. The alchemist assures himself of God`s presence in the Work.

3. Chaos.

4. The coat of arms of the lapis.

5. The four elements.

6. The chamois represent spirit and soul, which unite to form philosophical mercury.

7. The six planets embody the metals to which the bird mercury is related. The locked trunk says that the path to this quicksilver is hidden.

8. The inner circles are the four elements, which form the basic material of the seven metals (fixed stars).

9. Sulphur (sun) and mercury (moon), male and female.

10. Through contact with the moon and the sun, philosophical mercury attains the power of fertilizing the earth.

11. Sulphur and mercury must be freed by fire from the material which contains them.

12. Purification of philosophical mercury by sublimation.

13. Philosophical mercury is joined once more to it`s sulphur, so that a homogeneous liquid is produced.

14. Gold (lion) is purified by mixture with antimony (wolf).

15. and transformed by dissolution into philosophical sulphur.

16. The furnace.

17. The retort in which sulphur and mercury are united.

18. Philosophical quicksilver consists of liquid, mercurial components (Azoth) and solid sulphurous parts (Latona). The bird is the mercurial "spirit" that carries out the Work.

19-21. The state of putrefaction: here the four elements separate and the soul emerges from the body. The ascending bird represents the distillation of philosophical mercury. The descending bird indicates that the distillate must be repeatedly poured on to the physical residue.

22-23. The blackness of putrefaction (nigredo) is purified by Azoth, the living spirit, which is extracted from the quicksilver.


24-25. Putrefaction is the gate to the conjunctio, and conception. It is the key to transmutation. The star indicates that the matter is self-enclosed, and that the seeds of the seven metals lie within it.

26-27. The black material (toad) turns white if Azoth (dove) is poured on it again. With the application of great heat, it then yields all of it`s liquid components.

28-29. Under the effects of heat the elements begin to re-stratify.