cracking the philosophers stone preface and introduction

8/9/2019 Cracking the Philosophers Stone Preface and Introduction

1/30

CRACKING

THE

PHILOSOPHERS

STONE

Origins, Evolution and Chemistry

of Gold-Making

__________

J. Erik LaPort&

Roger Gabrielsson PhD

Quintessence


2/30


3/30

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments ........................................................................i

Foreword ................................................................................... iii

AuthorsPreface.......................................................................... v

EditorsPreface ......................................................................... xi

IntroducingtheStone...............................................................

xiii

Chapter 1 SophicSubstances...............................................1

Chapter 2MosesandtheGoldenCalf ..............................69

Chapter 3MariaHebreasTincture .................................115

Chapter 4 TheWhiteStoneofHermes............................167

Chapter5

Stephanos

Chrysopia

..................................

217

Chapter 6 FromChrysopiatoAlKmy ......................259

Chapter 7 ParacelsusandtheAlkahest ...........................299

Chapter 8 LaborsofHercules ..........................................357

Chapter 9 TheChemicalWedding ...................................395

Chapter10 PowderofProjection ......................................415

Chapter11 AurumPotabile...............................................477

Chapter12 UniversalMedicine .........................................551

AppendixATimelineofDevelopmentalAlchemy................573

AppendixBTheScorpionFormulaforGoldmaking ...........583

AppendixCAlchemicalImageryIndex ................................593

Afterword...............................................................................

599


4/30


5/30

FIRST PREFACE

Duringearly2009,RogerandIwereresearchingnovelagoldcompound,

when itoccurred tomewhilebrowsing through16thand17th century

literature on the development of gold salts, that the legendary

PhilosophersStoneofalchemywasperhapsatypeofgoldsalt.Delving

alittledeeperintothealchemicalliterature,itbecameclearlyapparent

that many famous writers on alchemy specifically stated that the

Philosophers Stone was nothing more than gold in its finest state,

whereasothersourceswereadamantthatthePhilosophersStonewas

indeed a salt.One thingwas certain; all these alchemical authorities

treatedthePhilosophersStoneasagenuinecompoundsynthesizedina

laboratory.Afteracursorystudy,Iconcludedthatthechemicalidentity

ofthe

Philosophers

Stone

remained

an

unsolved

mystery

that

would

potentially yield its secrets. I was immediately captivated and initial

curiosityquicklygavewaytosheerobsessiveandcompulsiveresearch

into thematter. Itwas an honorable riddle pursued by greatminds

throughouthistoryand I immediately regarded thequestasaworthy

endeavor.

Iknew

that

Icould

not

do

this

alone

and

harangued

my

good

friend

and

mad scientistgeniusDrRogerGabrielssonPhD intocollaboratingwith

measthechemistryconsultantandcoauthor.Iamdeeplyindebtedto

himforhishelpandunfailingencouragement.Iknewthathewouldnot

declinebecauseitwasRogerwhoonceexplainedtomethatanyquestion

ofchemistrywasvalidasfarashewasconcernedandthattherewasno

suchthing

as

an

absurd

or

unimportant

chemistry

question,

as

long

as

it

wasnot framed in termsofunicornsand rainbows.The resultof that


6/30

collaborationandyearsofpassionateresearchisthistreatiseCracking

thePhilosophersStone.

Thisbook

is

divided

into

three

sections.

The

first

is

ageneral

introduction

to the Philosophers Stone, its origins and historical development in

Alexandria,EgyptduringthepreIslamicperiod.TheStonescomposition,

applicationsand culturalvaluearepresented inhistorical contextand

explored in detail. Section 2 describes the preparation of the basic

alchemical ingredients, overall chemistry and confection of the

PhilosophersStone,alongwithaccountsofreproducibilityexperiments

performed in our laboratory. Section 3 examines the traditional

applicationsforthePhilosophersStoneandexpandsonthenotionofthe

alchemicalprocessasaworkbenchwisdomtradition.

Any exploration of history and this is especially implicit concerning

alchemy, is thataconclusion isprimarilyaworkof interpretation.The

purpose

of

this

book

is

to

present

just

such

an

interpretation,

which

ultimatelyleadstoaworkinghypothesis,ormoreaccurately,aseriesof

hypothesestoexplain thephenomenonof thePhilosophersStone, its

origins,evolution,chemistry,valuationsandapplications.Werepeatedly

stressplausibility statements throughout thebook that arenot tobe

construedasstatementsoffact,butratheraddressplausible,possibleor

most likely scenarios for the subjectathand.This serves to stimulate

future research efforts and to advance current understanding while

leavingthesubjectfullyexposedtoalternatehypothesesandscenarios.

Wehaveattempted to remainunbiasedwith regard toanyparticular

school or system of alchemy, focusing our concerns throughout on

numerousscenariosthatwefeltmademostsensegivenseveralfactors

andsubstantiatingevidence.Thiswasnotalwayseasyandoftentheonly

evidenceavailable

was

scanty

or

circumstantial

in

which

case

we

plainly

stateasmuchinthenarrative.


7/30

vii

WebeganthejourneyofdecodingthePhilosophersStonefromthedual

premisethat1)thestonewasanactualchemicalcompound,and2)that

ithadmanifestedasvariousdiverseproductsatdifferenttimesinhistory.

Researchinto

the

matter

has

confirmed

both,

yet

adangling

question

remained.Whatwas the original archetypal Philosophers Stone and

coulditberediscoveredandreestablishedtoday?Theattempttoanswer

these questions brought me into contact with some wonderfully

intriguingandinsightfulpeopleonajourneythroughhistory,traditions

and practices that broadened my understanding of the alchemical

process

in

unpredictable

yet

very

welcome

ways,

least

of

which

was

developingaprofoundadmirationforalchemaltraditions.

One might assume that the chemistry would prove the greatest

challenge. It was actually the language of alchemy however, that

presentedanalmostinsurmountableyetironicallymarvelousobstacleto

writingthisbook.Atremendousamountofdataandarobustconceptual

frameworklie

just

below

the

surface

of

every

cover

name

and

cover

term

encryptingalchemicalsubstancesandprocesses.IrealizedthatifIwere

todecodealchemicalabstractions, itwouldbeoftremendousvalueto

approach someone fluent in the arcane language of alchemy for

assistance.Afterseveralattemptsatcollaborationwithauthoritiesinthe

field,followedbysnubs,politeresponsestothenegativeornoreplyat

all,IrealizedthatIwasonmyowninthisregard.Ibegantoselfstudythe

etymology and history of each coverterm,which exposed a fantastic

worldofimagery,historicalcontext,mythology,andtradejargon,which

upon being understood, revealed that each covertermwas far from

haphazard,encryptingsubstancesandprocessesinmanylayersofsubtle

and interconnected meaning. Indeed some terms were truly multi

culturalwiththeirpracticalusespanningmillennia.Learningthelanguage

ofalchemy

was

as

difficult

as

learning

any

other

bits

and

pieces

at

first,

crudephrases later,beforebecoming fluent inalchemysdialectsand

sophisticatedabstractions.


8/30

The research processwas arduous. Upon decoding a covername or

terminology, we then embarked upon a detailed study of each

correspondingsubstanceorprocess.Weattemptedtofindtheearliest

recordof

each,

its

discoverer

and

its

various

applications,

which

were

oftenatoddswithestablishedscientificliterature.Ifitwereasubstance,

weattempted togleanwhether itmayhavebeenused ina chemical

technology prior to the accepted scientific date of discovery, then

searchedforabodyofevidencetosupportanearlierdate.Eachtimewe

felt close to understanding a substance or process fully, we then

consulted

numerous

traditional

alchemical

texts

and

compared

those

accountstowhatweobservedinthelaboratory.Aprimaryconsideration

wasthatperfectreproducibilitymayprovechallengingonthebasisthat

adeptswereartisansandextremelyskilledattheirart.Itcouldtakeones

career to develop the skills possessed by an adeptalchemist. As any

chemistknows,itcantakeinnumerabletriesbeforeareactionhappens

inanexpectedoroptimalmanner.Onlyafterensuringthathistoricaland

alchemicaltexts

accorded

with

our

lab

results

and

observations,

did

we

feelconfidenttopresentthehypothesesherein.

Theentirebookprojecttookoverfouryearstocomplete,thousandsof

hoursofresearch,entire librariesofbooksandjournalarticles,ancient

andmodern, scoured and scrutinized for helpful information. Library

effortswerecombinedwithlaboratoryfrustrationandelationbeforethe

bookreached itsfinalform.IbegantounderstandthatanAlexandrian

alchemistwasmoreanartisanandphilosopherthanprotochemist,yet

alchemistswould goon to assumemany roles throughout alchemical

history such as pharmacologist and experimental chemist of later

alchemical traditions. It also became clear thatmuch of the existing

researchintoAlexandrianalchemywasbasedonPseudoDemocritusand

hisPersian

Babylonian

approach

to

chemical

technologies,

reinforced

by

works such as the Leyden and Stockholm papyri that typified this

tradition.ThePhilosophersStonehoweveroriginatedwithMariaHebrea


9/30

ix

andherJudeoEgyptianschooloralternatelyaHermeticGrecoEgyptian

school these being completely dissimilar in every manner to the

PseudoDemocritantype.Thechallengewastoelucidatethis longheld

misunderstandingin

regards

to

Alexandrian

alchemy

beyond

a

reasonabledoubt.

Todays alchemy enthusiasts, historians and chemists understandably

havespecificareasofinterestorspecializationintheirrespectivefields

of research. Nevertheless, Cracking the Philosophers Stone promises

somethingnewandinterestingtoeveryone.Whileitispossibletoread

thistreatisefromcovertocover,itisnotnecessarytodoso,whichisto

saythatthisbookiswrittensothateachchapterstandsonitsownmerit

as a minicourse on the specific aspect of the Philosophers Stone

addressed.Forthosenewtoalchemy,beginwithchapter1,followedby

1012 prior to delving deeper. For those primarily interested in the

PhilosophersStonefromasociohistoricalperspective,readchapters2

7,followed

by

10

12

and

Appendix

A.

For

the

rare

aspirants,

operative

alchemists or qualified chemists primarily interested in operative

reproducibilityofAlexandrianalchemyssubstancesandprocesses,read

chapters1,3,4,69andAppendixBtosatisfycuriositybeforemovingon

to the remainder of the Stones historical context. For those more

interested in the speculative aspects of the Philosophers Stone, its

philosophical and psychospiritual connotations, its value as an early

cosmologicalmodelorasawisdomtradition,chapters4,5and12focus

ontheseintriguingvaluationsoftheStone.Itismysincerestaspiration

thateach readerdiscovers somethingof lasting valueby reading this

bookandenjoysthejourneyasmuchaswedid.

J.ErikLaPort

QeraTechResearch,Thailand


10/30


11/30

EDITORS NOTE

Astheeditorofthisbook,Iamoneofitsfirstreaders.WhenErikLaPort

askedmetoedithistome,Iinitiallyhadverylittleideaoftheweightof

whathehadactuallysetouttodowiththispublication.Thisisnotmerely

an attempt at giving a chronological account of the development of

alchemy. It is rather thework of a practising alchemist (although he

assertsthatheisnt)whosetsforthanincrediblyexcitingnewtheoryof

whatthePhilosophersStonereallyis,andwhatithasbeenthroughthe

agesintheMiddleEast,inEurope,andelsewhere.

Thisbookcontainsdaringnewideasandsurprisingtwists,butnonethat

maybedescribedasmythmaking.Meticulousdetailsinthelanguageof

chemistry

support

historical

and

textual

research.

The

scholarship

behind

thisbookismassive,butthelanguageisstillaccessibletotheenthusiast

aswellastheadvancedstudentofalchemy.

BeforeIreadLaPortstext,IwasconvincedbyCarlGustavJungactually,

whomheof course references thatalchemywas firstand foremost

metaphorical and its real relevancewas limited to the depths of the

humansoul.

Those

ways

of

reading

alchemical

texts

remain

and

LaPort

emphasizeshowrichalchemysculturalandphilosophicaltraditionreally

is. He presents an entirely plausible hypothesis that allows for the

practicaluseofalchemy,rootedintraditionbutrelevanttotodaysman.

Iamsurethatmanyareaderwillexperiencethekindofexcitementthat

Ifeltreadingthisbook.

AdamMayer

WebsterUniversity,Thailand


12/30


13/30

ntroducing the Stone

Alltruthsareeasytounderstandoncetheyarediscovered;

thepointistodiscoverthem.

GalileoGalilei

racingthedevelopmentofmostsciencesfromtheirancientorigins

and

this

is

particularly

true

regarding

pharmacy

and

chemistry

ultimatelyleadstoalchemy.Formillennia,thebeatingheartofalchemy

wasalegendarysubstancethatwasbelievedtoconferwealth,powerand

immortalitytoanyonewhocouldunlockthesecretofitsconfection.This

substancewascalledthePhilosophersStone.Therecipetocreatethis

substancedatesbacktotheBronzeAgeinEgypt,Mesopotamiaandthe

Levant.

Because

of

the

numerous

sources,

there

seems

to

be

very

little

doubtthatthissubstanceactuallyexistedtherealmysterylieswiththe

secretofitsconfection.ThequesttorediscoverthePhilosophersStone

hasspannednumerousculturesoverthousandsofyearsuntilthepresent

day.

ThePhilosophersStonewasthesourceoftwointerrelatedproducts:the

universalmedicine,believed

to

confer

unnatural

longevity

to

all

who

ingestedit;andthepowderofprojectionthattransmutescopper,leador

mercuryintoalchemicalgold.Thepromiseofimmortalityandunlimited

wealth earned the Philosophers Stone special status as one of the

greatestmysteriestocaptivateearlyscientists,physicians,philosophers,

nobility,andconartiststhroughouthistory.

Thequest

to

reveal

the

process

for

confecting

the

Stone

exposed

one

to

many unique dangers of the period, among the worst being self

poisoning,madness,torture,orexecution.Despiteeverpresentperils,

T


14/30

LAPORT & GABRIELSSON

xiv

the promise of rediscovering the secrets of the Philosophers Stone

served as theproverbial carrotonastring that played a large role in

driving thedonkey cartof scientificpursuitsofancientandmedival

timesinto

the

modern

age

of

advanced

science

and

technology.

Thephilosophers

The Philosophers Stone dates back thousands of years to a time in

historywhenscience,philosophy,magic,andmysteryweresynonymous.

Philosophers in former times addressed important issues such as the

natureof reality, formsofknowledge, socialorganization, technology,

and the human condition. These lovers of wisdom attempted to

understandandharnesstheforcesofNaturethroughwhatmighttoday

bedescribedasamultidisciplinaryholisticapproach.

Alchemy began with the manipulation of minerals and metals for

medicinaland industrialpurposes. Itwasanancientscienceofmatter

basedupontrialanderror.Earlyalchemistssoughttodiscoverasingle

substancethatwouldenablethemtoperfectmatter.ThePhilosophers

Stonefittheprofilesowellthat,becauseoftheirattemptstorevealits

secrets, alchemists developed equipment and discovered new

substances and processes very relevant to modern science and

chemistry.

The

secret

of

the

Philosophers

Stone

believed

to

be

a

key

that

would

unlockthemysteriesofcreationandchangeplayedacentralroleinthe

philosophicalpursuitsofallalchemicaltraditions.Successatconfecting

the Stone was a rite of passage and a milestone accomplishment

passionatelypursuedbyancientalchemistsandphilosophers.Thosewho

attainedsuccessbecamelegends,whereasotherswere ledtoabsolute

ruin,madness and, in some cases, death arising from their obsessive

pursuitof

the

Stone.


15/30

INTRODUCING THE STONE

xv

ThePhilosophersStonemadeitsappearanceinEuropearoundthe12th

century,remainingmainlywithinalchemicalcircles.Bythetimeofthe

ItalianRenaissanceofthe16thcentury,the legendofthePhilosophers

Stoneand

its

power

was

so

great

that

it

rivaled

the

Holy

Grail

and

the

Ark

oftheCovenantasanobjectofquest.

TheStonespotentialpowerwasnolongersecret,posingagreatthreat

to the Catholic Church and Europes ruling elite. They addressed this

threat by criminalising the practice of alchemy for all but court and

churchsanctionedalchemists.InthefrenzytogainaccesstotheStone

and its power, even royalty were ensnared by the quest. Europes

powerfulelitesuchastheMedicisofFlorence,KingCharlesIIofBritain,

HolyRomanEmperorRudolfII,andQueenChristinaofSweden,among

othersnotonlysupportedcourtalchemists,butalsooutfittedprivate

alchemical laboratories and activelyparticipated in the search for the

PhilosophersStone.

AlthoughPopeJohnXXIIissuedapapalbullagainstalchemy,thewords

inhisprohibitionapplied to pooralchemists,meaning falseones.He

was reputed to havemaintained a personal alchemical laboratory in

Avignonandwasrespectedbyskilledalchemistsasapatronoftheirart.

Countless friars, monks, bishops, and archbishops practiced and

published alchemical treatises. Religious reformer Martin Luther,

throughhis

support

of

alchemy,

played

an

important

role

in

inspiring

German alchemists to continue alchemical pursuits and advance

chemicaltechnologies:

TheArtofAlchemyisrightlyandtrulythePhilosophyoftheSagesofold,

with which I amwellpleased, not only by reason of its virtue and

manifoldusefulness,whichithaththroughDistillationandSublimation

inthemetals,herbs,waters,oleities,butalsobyreasonofthenobleand

beautifullikenesswhichithathwiththeResurrectionoftheDeadonthe

DayofJudgment.


16/30


xvi

GreatscientificfiguressuchasRogerBacon,RobertBoyle,JohannRudolf

Glauber, and Sir Isaac Newton pursued the Philosophers Stone

enthusiastically. Even founding father of the United States Benjamin

Franklintook

akeen

interest

in

alchemy.

Things

appeared

to

change

after

Robert Boyle published The Sceptical Chymist and Antoine Lavoisier

usheredintheageofmodernchemistry.

However,theloreofthePhilosophersStonewaskeptalivebyaccounts

ofcolorfulfiguressuchasGiacomoGirolamoCasanova,CountAlessandro

diCagliostroand theenigmaticComtedeSt.Germainwho consorted

with European aristocracy, providing elixirs and organising secret

societiesingrandfashion.ComtedeSt.GermaininitiatedComteFranois

de Chazalwho passed on the Rosicrucian tradition to noted Swedish

adventurer and doctor, Sigismund Bacstrom. Bacstrom did much to

preserve the Rosicrucian tradition and the secrets of confecting the

PhilosophersStone.

Theformula

Theearliestaccountclearenoughtoidentifythematerials,methodsand

application of the Philosophers Stone is found in the teachings of

AlexandrianalchemistandteacherMariaHebrea(alsoknownasMaria

Prophetissa)sometimebetweenthe1stand3rdcenturiesoftheCommon

Era(CE).Incrypticfashion,sheliststhethreeingredientsanddivulgesnot

onlythe

archetypal

method,

but

also

reveals

knowledge

of

an

alternative

fasterprocesstoconfecttheStone.InEuropethesetwomethodswould

cometobeknownastheArsMagna(orGreatArt)andtheArsBrevis(or

BriefArt)respectively.

Maria Hebrea also clearly explained that the application of the

Philosophers Stone was to change the properties of copper. This

importantclue

argues

for

atechnology

originating

during

the

Bronze

Age

and is important because, at the time of Marias Alexandria, bronze

technologywasalreadyconsideredaremnantofgreatantiquitythathad


17/30


xvii

reached an advanced level.Maria also implied that the Philosophers

StonewasalegacyoftheraceofAbraham,yetdisclosednothingofits

origins.

One interpretation from amuch earlier source reveals an encrypted

recipeinaccordancewithMariasmethodology.Alegendaryworkcalled

theEmeraldTabletofHermesTrismegistusknown toAlexander the

GreatcenturiespriortoMariasuggestsGrcoEgyptianoriginsforthe

recipe.ThenamesEnoch(Jewish),Thoth(Egyptian)andHermes(Greek)

were synonymous for themytholegendary individualwho introduced

science and technology tohumanityduring thedevelopment of early

civilization.

TheStonesvalue

InAlexandria,theartofalchemywasdescribedbysomeaschrysopia,

meaninggoldmaking.Thisartofaurifactioninvolvedchangingcopperto

a unique type of alchemical gold. This was in direct contrast with

established gilding technology of the period, which involved surface

treatingbronzethatresulted inwhatmightbedescribedasaurifiction

meaningfalsifiedgold.Alchemistsbelievedthattheywereharnessingthe

powersofcreatingandtransmutinginnerproperties,ratherthanmerely

falsifyinganouterappearance.

Philosophers

and

alchemists

made

keen

observations

of

the

natural

world,andwitnessedtransformationandchangeasadailyphenomenon.

Intheanimalkingdom,eggstransformedintohatchlingsandcaterpillars

morphed into butterflies. From seeds, sprouts emerged and flowers

became fruit in the plant kingdom. The philosophers and alchemists

realizedthatmancouldparticipateintheprocessoftransformationvia

practicalmeanssuchascreatingbutterandcheesefrommilk,breadfrom

grains,or

wine

from

grapes

and

vinegar

from

wine.

Long

before

living

cells or chemicals and their reactions were identified, alchemists


18/30


xviii

witnessed the dynamic processes of transformation and change in

Natureandtermedittransmutation.

Themineral

kingdom

likewise

showed

signs

of

growth

and

regeneration.

Seawater crystallized into salt and cinnabar ore magically produced

mercury and sulfur. Gold was a byproduct of stibnite mining. The

observationthatsulphideores,suchascinnabarandstibnite,commonly

occurinthepresenceofgoldcausedalchemiststodeterminethatmetal

oresandbasemetalswereinanorganicgeologicalprocessofmaturing

intogold.

From theperspectiveofanalchemist, the ideaof transmutingabase

metalintoalchemicalgoldwasmerelytheactofassistingthequickening

ofanaturalprocess.Iftransmutationisunderstoodtomeanachangein

theproperties of matter, it engenders a better understanding of the

alchemistsmindset.TheStonesabilitytoaffecttransmutation inbase

metals,resultinginalchemicalgold,wasaveryrealprimarypowerinthe

mindsofthoseinsearchofitssecrets.

TheStonesdualvalueisbestdescribedby13thcenturyFranciscanfriar,

philosopherandearlyEuropeanadvocateofthescientificmethod,Roger

Bacon.Baconexplainedthatalchemy:

is the science which teaches how to make and generate a certain

medicine,called

elixir,

which

when

projected

onto

metals

or

imperfect

bodiesperfectsthemcompletelyatthemomentofprojection.

ThesecondpowerinherentinthePhilosophersStonewasthatitcould

extendhumanlifetoitsfullestpotential.Thiswasmistakenlyinterpreted

bysometomeanthatoneinpossessionofthePhilosophersStonehad

accesstopotentialimmortality.Baconaddressesthispropertyasfollows:


19/30


xix

Thatmedicinewhichwill remove all impurities and incorruptibilities

fromthelessermetalswillalso,intheopinionofthewise,takeoffso

much of the incorruptibility of the body that human life may be

prolongedformanycenturies.

Similar ideasoccur inChinese, Indian, Persian, and Islamic alchemical

traditions long before arriving in Europe. The idea that lifemight be

prolonged by centuries,orpossibly to the extent of immortality,was

appealingtomanywhoencountereddescriptionssuchasthese.

The

ability

to

create

gold

would

provide

the

alchemist

or

his

patron

with

unparalleled power through manipulation of local and worldwide

economiesbaseduponagoldstandard.Itwasviewedbythebenevolent

asaweaponwith thepotential to toppleunjustpower structures.By

devaluing gold, some alchemists hoped to usher in an age of

enlightenment, as the Harvard educated American physician and

alchemist George Starkey, writing under the pseudonym Eirenus

Philalethes,alludes

to

in

the

following:

Ihopethatinafewyearsgold(notasgivenbyGod,butasabusedby

man)willbesocommonthatthosewhoarenowsomadafteritshall

contemptuouslyspurnasidethisbulwarkofAntichrist.Thenwilltheday

ofourdeliverancebeathandforthengold,thegreatidolofmankind,

wouldloseitsvalue,andweshouldprizeitonlyforitsscientificteaching.

The incredible power attributed to the Philosophers Stone, and the

secret of its manufacture, obsessed many of the greatest minds

throughoutthehistoryofscienceandchemistry.Theallureofasingle

substance created and held in the palm of ones hand which

embodiedpotentiallyunlimitedwealth,powerand immortality this

provedsuchadifficulttemptationtoresistthatitkeptmanyseekersof

thePhilosophers

Stone

spellbound.


20/30


xx

Transmission

During the 12th century, alchemy and the Philosophers Stone were

makingathreeprongedarrivalintoEurope.MuslimssettledinSpainand

Sicilyin

the

western

Mediterranean

where

Islamic

literature

was

translated into Latin. Muslims valued science and technology and,

accordingtotheirwritings,heldalchemyandthePhilosophersStonein

highregard.CrusadersreturningfromtheEastalsoimportedalchemical

works fromConstantinople and theHoly Land. It isprimarily through

Arabic translationsoforiginalGreek, Egyptian andHebrew alchemical

texts,

along

with

a

corpus

found

at

Constantinople,

that

European

intellectuals were first introduced to alchemy and the Philosophers

Stone.

KnowledgeofthePhilosophersStoneremainedwithintightcircles,asa

mysterycraft tradition, for approximately 300 years after arriving in

Europe.Talesofitspowerandeyewitnessaccountsincreaseditsstatus

inEurope

to

the

point

where

the

quest

for

the

Philosophers

Stone

was

on par with great mysteries like the Holy Grail and the Ark of the

Covenant. The Stones secrecy, yet alleged achievability, added to its

allure.

Much like masonry, glass making, metallurgy and art, alchemy was

considered a mysterycraft whereby one learned through long

apprenticeshipwith

amaster

artisan.

The

trade

was

passed

on

primarily

throughoral teachings andphysicalwork.Anywritten instructionsor

recordswereencodedinimagesorsymbolismintelligibleonlytothose

initiated into the particular tradition being studied. Throughout

alchemyshistory,and ineachculturethatpracticed it,transmissionof

the art followed this manner. This approach allowed for the

communication

of

discoveries

and

new

techniques,

and

a

general

sharing

of information between brothersinthecraft without revealing any

secretstooutsiders.Doctor,Rosicrucianandalchemicaladept,Sigismund

Bacstromexplainsthat:


21/30


xxi

manywroteonthisart,moreforthepurposeofshowingtoothers

whopossessedthesecret,thattheauthoralsoknewit,thanfromany

desiretocommunicateknowledgetotheignorantandwhatisworse,manywroteandpublishedbookswhoknewnothingwhateverof the

subject.

ThisfactiswhatmakesmodernresearchintothePhilosophersStoneso

challenging.Theelaboratealchemicaljargonwhichhassosuccessfully

encrypted the secrets of the Philosophers Stone forms a complex

matrixof

symbols,

cover

names,

allegory,

and

emblematic

art.

For

many

alchemists,thegrandtestorriteofpassagewastodecodetheencryption

andrediscoverthesecretsubstancesandprocessesnecessarytoconfect

the Stone.Often only a fraction of the recipe or a few of the easier

procedures would be uncovered, revealingjust enough to keep the

alchemistencouraged.

Fromthe

time

of

the

scientific

revolution

up

until

fairly

recently,

alchemicaljargonhadbeenderidedascharlatanism,superstitionandof

no relevance tomodern scholarship.Glaubersbiographer,K.F.Gugel,

attempted to impress upon the reader that alchemical imagery was

actuallythelanguageofscienceforthatera,comparabletothechemical

equationsofmodernchemistry,bydeclaringthat:

The convoluted symbolic language [of alchemy] was just as

comprehensibletothechemistsofhisdayasmodernformulaearetous

now.

Alchemists needed to be fluent in Latin and possibly many other

languages inordertoreadandcomparevarioussourceworks. JohnT.

Young explains that the scientific language of alchemy required

extraordinarytalent

and

insight

on

the

part

of

the

alchemist

in

order

to

interpretalchemicaltextsandcreatesymbolicimagerytoapplytonew

discoveries:


22/30


xxii

Hermetic writing was certainlynot incomprehensible to the initiated,

butitselucidationdependedonacombinationofskillsfarmorediverse

thanwouldbeexpectedofatwentiethcenturyresearchspecialistinany

field.It

demanded

great

practical

experience,

extensive

familiarity

with

avastrangeofrareliterature,andinmanycasesaccesstoaparticular

key obtainable only throughpersonal contact with the author or his

friends[althoughthekeywassometimesdiscoveredindependently].It

also demanded highly advanced reading skills of a type regarded

nowadays asfar more theprovince of the literary scholar. Symbol,

metaphor and often very heavily veiled allusion, not to mention

deliberatered

herrings

and

self

proclaimed

self

contradictions,

were

thestockintradeoftheseauthors.

Most important in thequoteabove is thementionofamaster Key

usually obtained by an initiate through direct transmission which

allowed the wouldbe adept to unlock the secret to confecting the

Philosophers Stone. It was this allimportant Key that was the most

guardedand

greatest

secret

of

alchemy.

The uninitiated generally experienced an overwhelming sense of

impenetrability. Accomplished alchemists, as part of their tradecraft,

wouldattempt to sidetrackoreven completelydiscourage seekersby

contradicting themselves in their writings, unnecessarily repeating or

presenting procedures out of order, or including imagery that had

nothingto

do

with

the

actual

recipe.

Starkey,

writing

as

Philalethes,

revealsasmuch:

AndtrulyitisnotourintenttomaketheArtcommontoallkindofmen,

wewritetothedeservingonly;intendingourBookstobebutasWay

markstosuchasshalltravelinthesepathsofNature,andwedowhat

wemaytoshutouttheunworthy:Yetsoplainlywewrite,thatasmany

asGod

hath

appointed

to

this

Mastery

shall

certainly

understand

us,

andhavecausetobethankfuluntousforourfaithfulnessherein.This

weshallreceivefromtheSonsofthisScience,whateverwehavefrom


23/30


xxiii

others:thereforeourBooksareintendedfortheformer,wedonotwrite

awordtothelatter.

By

encrypting

the

details

of

their

craft

in

this

manner,

alchemists

protectedmedicalandindustrialchemicaltradesecretsandensuredthat

onlytheworthywouldevergainaccesstothePhilosophersStone.For

theuninitiated,alchemical researchoftenproved tobea frustratingly

labyrinthineexercise.Modernprivateandprofessionalresearchaimedat

decoding alchemys entire corpus ofmaterials andmethods remains

ongoingaftercenturiesofeffort.

Properties

and

Applications

The Philosophers Stone was not naturally occurring, but rather a

compoundsubstanceresultingfromskilledartisanship.Thealchemists

roleintheStonesconfectionwastopreparethematerialsproperlyand

combine them in the correctproportions.Onceprepared, sealed in a

vessel and fired at exactly the correct temperature regimen, the

Philosophers Stone was said to create itself by means of a self

synthesisingprocess;attentionneedonlybepaidtothedegreesoffire.

Thedeceptivesimplicityoftheprocesswasenticing;yetdiscoveringthe

exactingredientspresentedaseeminglyinsurmountableobstacletothe

uninitiated.Somealchemistsbecameobsessedwithrediscoveringthese

secrets,tothepointofinsanity.

Some tantalising success stories encouraged determined souls to

continuebypresentingdescriptionsofthefinishedproduct.Analchemist

whoachievedsuccessatconfectingtheStonewascalledanadept.One

oftheearliestEuropeanadeptstoprovideadescriptionofthefinished

Philosophers Stone was the 14th century French alchemist, Nicholas

Flamel,whowrote:

When thenoblemetal [gold]wasperfectlyprepared, itmadeafine

powderofgold,whichisthePhilosophers'Stone.


24/30


xxiv

Theprimary ingredient in thearchetypalPhilosophersStone recipe is

alwaysalchemicallypreparedgold.GeorgeStarkeywouldechoFlamel

threecenturieslater,writingthat:

SomeAlchemists who are in search of ourArcanum seek toprepare

somethingofasolidnature,becausetheyhaveheardtheobjectoftheir

searchdescribedasaStone.

Know,then,thatitiscalledastone,notbecauseitislikeastone,but

onlybecause,byvirtueofitsfixednature,itresiststheactionoffireas

successfullyasanystone.Inspeciesitisgold,morepurethanthepurest;

itisfixedandincombustiblelikeastone,butitsappearanceisthatof

veryfinepowder

ItdoesnotexistinNature,buthastobepreparedbyArt,inobedience

toNature'slaw.Itssubstanceisinmetals;butinformitdifferswidely

fromthem,andinthissensethemetalsarenotourStone.

Thus,youseethatthoughourStoneismadeofgoldalone,yetitisnot

commongold.

Theabovequotationsclearlyidentifytheprimaryingredientasgold,yet

traditionaldescriptionsoftheStonescolor,density,structure,andeven

scentareatgreatvariancewiththoseofgold.ThePhilosophersStone

hasbeendescribedasaheavyvermilionpowder;arubycoloredwaxy

substance;adeep

red

translucent

crystal;

asaffron

or

yellow

powder,

andevenagoldencoloredliquid.Ithasbeendescribedaspossessingan

odourofseasalt,orhavingnoscentatall.Althoughdescriptiveaccounts

oftheseindicatorsmayatfirstseemcontradictory,theyareeachquite

accurate in thatwhat thesedepictionsportray aproduct at various

stagesofrefinement.

Dependingupon

the

intended

therapeutic

or

industrial

application

of

the

product,thePhilosophersStoneneededtoundergofurtherrefinement.

AlchemistsusedthebasicPhilosophersStoneproducttocreateeithera


25/30


xxv

tonifying / rejuvenating universalmedicine in liquid form known as

aurum potabile or a powder of projection that facilitated the

manufacture of alchemical gold from copper, lead, mercury, or a

combinationthereof.

In

some

cases,

the

Stone

was

used

for

wet

gilding

silverwithalayerofmetallicgold.Itisalsothemostlikelycandidatefor

thesecretingredientrequiredinordertocreatetherosecoloredstained

glass,whichadornedthegreatGothiccathedrals.

Inherent

Dangers

ConfectingthePhilosophersStonewasfraughtwithdangers,bothinside

andoutsidethelaboratory.TheStonerequiredalaboratory,butdueto

widespreadprohibitionsonalchemy, ifonewasnotacourtsponsored

alchemist it meant working in an illegal laboratory. Clandestine

alchemical labs, as well as many operating under court patronage,

featuredbuiltincharcoalfurnacesposingthefirstobviousseverehealth

threat.Thetoxicnatureofvariouschemicalsandgasesassociatedwith

alchemyhad

not

been

fully

understood,

and

alchemists

handled

these

substanceswith littleornoprotective protocols.Alchemists routinely

inhalednoxious fumes, suchasmercury,and tested theirproductsby

tastingoringestingthem;ineffectactingashumanguineapigs.

Inadditiontoseverehealthrisks,alchemistsalsofacedlegaldangers.For

clandestine laboratories, thedangerofbeingdiscoveredwasanever

presentsource

of

concern.

Hauling

large

daily

loads

of

charcoal

into

small

privatequartersnot tomention thenoxiousodoursemanating from

suchlabswouldhaveattractedunwantedpublicattention.Desperate

characterssufferingfromdiseasealsotargetedalchemists,believingthat

theypossessedsecretcures.Themerehintthatanalchemistmaybein

possession of the Philosophers Stone placed him in grave danger as

Starkey,

writing

as

Philalethes,

reveals:

Itwas only a short time ago that, after visiting theplaguestricken

hauntsofacertaincity,andrestoringthesicktoperfecthealthbymeans


26/30


xxvi

ofmymiraculousmedicine,Ifoundmyselfsurroundedbyayellingmob,

whodemandedthatIshouldgivetothemmyElixiroftheSages;andit

wasonlybychangingmydressandmyname,byshavingoffmybeard

andputting

on

awig,

that

Iwas

enabled

to

save

my

life,

and

escape

fromthehandsofthosewickedmen.Andevenwhenourlivesarenot

threatened, it is notpleasant tofind ourselves, wherever we go, the

centralobjectsofhumangreed

Iknowofseveralpersonswhowerefoundstrangledintheirbeds,simply

because they were suspected of possessing this secret, though, in

reality,theyknewnomoreaboutitthantheirmurderers;itwasenough

forsomedesperateruffians,thatamerewhisperofsuspicionhadbeen

breathedagainsttheirvictims.MenaresoeagertohavethisMedicine

thatyourverycautionwillarousetheirsuspicions,andendangeryour

safety.

Aswillbedetailedinsubsequentchapters,alchemicalgolddiffersfrom

genuine elemental gold. Nevertheless, the ruling elite would not

necessarilyhavefullyunderstoodthedifference.Afundamentalreason

for the prohibition of alchemy was the states belief that if the

Philosophers Stone was successfully achieved, alchemists could

potentially tap intoanunlimitedsourceofwealthandthusdestabilize

currencymarketsandexistingpowerstructures.Thisattitudewasfirst

recordedduringthelate3rdcenturyCE,inanedictbytheRomanEmperor

Diocletianwho

feared

that

Alexandrian

alchemical

gold

could

pass

for

genuine currency and thus empower those who opposed him. He

orderedallmaterialsintheEmpirewhichtreatedoftheadmirableart

ofmakinggoldandsilverdestroyed.Diocletiansedictwasthefirst,but

not final, criminalization of alchemy. During the 14th century, the

Dominican Directorium inquisitorum, the inquisitors directory, lists

alchemistsamongmagiciansandwizards.

Theperception that thePhilosophersStone couldgenerateunlimited

wealthandimmortalitywasalltooenticingforthoseinpower,andisone


27/30


xxvii

of the reasons foralchemybeingpatronizedandpursuedbyEuropes

rulingeliteand religious figureheads.For this reason,courtsponsored

alchemists achieved somewhat of a celebrity status. If unsuccessful,

alchemistsrisked

punishment

for

either

being

afraud

or

withholding

secrets. Far from guaranteeing protection, successfully achieving the

PhilosophersStonepresenteditsownuniquesetofperils.Ifsuccesswas

evensuspected,thealchemist inquestionfaced interrogation,torture,

imprisonment,orevenexecution;thoseinpowerwouldstopatnothing

to acquire and harness the power of the Philosophers Stone.Greed

enticed

con

artists,

charlatans

and

impostors

to

seek

out

the

PhilosophersStoneand,uponinevitablyfailing,touseitsreputationto

defraud enthusiastic yet unwary patrons. This resulted in a very

precariousandunstableenvironmentforgenuinealchemistsoperating

withgoodintentionsandendowedwitharefinedskillset.

Despite thesedangerouspitfalls, thePhilosophersStonecontinued to

captivatesome

of

the

greatest

intellectual

minds

of

Europe.

Alchemy

survivedpublicscandal,legalprohibition,politicalintrigue,andreligious

persecution.Itevolvedintotheearlymodernchymistry,whichplayeda

foundational role in the development of pharmacy and modern

chemistry. By the 19th century, alchemists were responsible for the

discoveryofagreatmanysubstances.Alchemyhadplayedthe roleof

protoscienceforchemistry,iatrochemistry,pharmacology,andphysics,

amongothers,andhadcontributedtotheformulationofthescientific

method. Alchemy also profoundly influenced the development of

psychology,historiology,astronomy,astrology,andtheoccultsciences.

As the various sciences became more compartmentalized alchemy

seemedtofadeintothebackground,withtheartsurvivingamongsecret

societies and fraternities or via individual transmission. Thousands of

alchemicaltexts

survive,

many

detailing

in

tantalisingly

veiled

language

thesecretsofconfectingthePhilosophersStone.Thesearchcontinues

eventoday.


28/30


xxviii

TheRediscovery

The Philosophers Stonewas an actualmaterial substance; a tangible

product synthesized by an impressive number of wellrespected

historicalpersonalities

alchemists,

philosophers,

physicians,

and

the

like.ThequestionhasneverbeenwhetherthePhilosophersStonewas

real, but ratherwhat exactly is the molecular structure of the Stone

(considered in the light of modern chemistry, pharmacology and

industry)andhowcanitbereproduced?

Thisisnotatreatiseregardingalchemyperse.Rather,thisstudyfocuses

upon the reproducibility of a genuine Philosophers Stone substance

accordingtotraditionalprocesses.Theprimarygoalwastosynthesizethe

exactsubstancetraditionallyunderstoodtobethePhilosophersStone,

usingmaterialsandmethodsdetailedinalchemicaltexts,andtoanalyse

thehistoryandevolutionofthechemistryinvolved.

The study was limited to alchemical authors that were generally

considered authentic that is, the great adepts of alchemy in each

tradition.Themethodologywastofindacommondenominatorinherent

inthepublishedsynthesesofthesealchemistsandbeginresearchfrom

there. To do so, required an alchemical approach solve et coagula.

Hundredsofalchemicaltextswereexaminedforcommonalities linking

Maria Hebreas descriptions circa 200 CE with those of European

alchemistswriting

between

the

12thto

20th

centuries.

It

was

aquest

for

anarchetypalmaterialslistandmethodologyprofilethatstoodthetest

of time. The search resulted in the identification of the standard

ingredientsandchemicalreactionscommontomostrecipes:

1. Gold featured as the primary and most obvious of the three basic

ingredients; the gold described is always refined to a highpurity, then

reducedto

the

finest

particle

size

possible

before

being

used;

2. Antimonyoccursnaturallyasasulphideoretodaycalledstibnite;informer

timesstibnitewascalledantimony,whereaspurifiedmetallicantimonywas


29/30


xxix

calledregulusand,earlierinhistory,flowersofantimony;bothstibniteand

purifiedantimonyareusedatspecificstagesinthearchetypalrecipe;

3. Flux / Menstruum the final constituent was far more difficult to

distinguish; it isasubstancewiththecapabilityofdissolvinggoldwithout

violenceorcorrosion,yethastheadditionalcapacitytocrystallize,congeal

or coagulate under the right conditions; described as being metallic in

nature,yettranslucentandviscous.

Theprimarychallengewas to identify the flux/menstruum.Goldand

antimony are considered by alchemists to be related. The flux /

menstruumis

described

as

being

intimately

related

to,

and

having

the

samenatureas,bothgoldandantimony.Thegreatestandmostguarded

secret toconfectingthePhilosophersStone is the identityof the flux,

morecommonlycalledtheuniversalsolvent.Complicationarisesbecause

differentsubstanceswereusedatdifferentperiodsthroughouthistory.

These substances ranged from a unique salt during the Alexandrian

period,to

the

salt

saturated

urine

of

Islamic

alchemy,

to

the

unique

chemical compounds developed and utilized throughout European

alchemy.Putsimply,theflux/menstruum istheKeytothewholeart,

andknowledgeof itunitesbrothers inan invisible fraternityofadepts

spanningcenturies.

Crossreferencing and carefully analysing original sources resulted in

reproducibilityof

the

various

flux

/menstruum

chemical

reactions

accordingtothematerialsandmethodspresented inalchemicaltexts.

Various indicators were scrutinized, such as appearance, vapour

temperature,viscosity,abilitytodissolvegoldwithoutviolence,etc.Once

workingsamplesofeachwerereproduced,thechemistrywasscrutinized

andcomparedtothereactionsdescribedinalchemicaltextsinorderto

discern historical variations. It became apparent that the flux /

menstruum was achieved by a variety of techniques, which offered

alchemistsamarginfordivergenceinmaterialsandmethods.Soended

the solve aspect of the research. What was next required was the


30/30


coagulation of a vastbodyof arcanedata, sourced from centuriesof

alchemical

literature,

into

a

coherent

narrative

of

the

evolution

of

the

chemistry

associated

with

the

creation

of

the

Philosophers

Stone

and

its

valuations

and

applications.

Recipes written by alchemists who shared a common approach, in

accordance

with

an

archetypal

technique

of

uniting

gold

and

antimony

viaaflux/menstruumweregathered.Comparisonsbetweenvarious

recipes provided further insight into the core process that ultimately

enabled

reproducibility.

By

the

end

of

the

17th

century,

alchemists

had

developed

comprehensively

diverse

techniques,

yet

the

primary

ingredients and finished products remained essentially equivalent to

thoseof theAlexandrian adepts so many centuriesearlier.Achieving

reproducibility

resulted

in

the

writing

of

chemical

equations

for

the

Philosophers

Stone,

and

to

fully

elucidating

the

subject

of

alchemical

goldand transmutation froma contemporary scientificperspective.A

comprehensive

understanding

of

the

Stones

molecular

structure

was

fundamental

towards

creating

a

hypothesis

for

a

therapeutic

mechanism

of action in vivo. The following treatment reveals the origins and

evolution

of

Alexandrian,

Islamic

and

European

methods

to

achieve

the

samesinglechemicalcompoundthePhilosophersStone.

cracking the philosophers stone preface and introduction

Documents