Navigation
Life-Explorers
Terra
Spirituality
Alchemy

Alchemy

Spirituality & Philosophy

Alchemy is an ancient branch of science and philosophy. Alchemists aimed to purify, perfect, and transmute materials. Their quest furthermore included a universal cure for disease and a way to indefinitely prolong life.


"This is why alchemy exists," the boy said. "So that everyone will search for his treasure, find it, and then want to be better than he was in his former life. Lead will play its role until the world has no further need for lead; and then lead will have to turn itself into gold.
That's what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too."

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist



Alchemical symbols


The Four Elements

🜂Fire
🜄Water
🜁 Air
🜃Earth

Classical Planets, Metals & Vital Organs

In alchemy, each classical planet was associated with one of the seven metals known to the classical world. Each pair therefore shares an alchemical glyph. Additionally, some alchemists, like Paracelsus, associated vital organs with certain planets, also according to the Hermetic Qabalah.

Sun, gold, heart
or Moon, silver, brain
Mercury, quicksilver, lungs
Venus, copper, kidneys
Mars, iron, gall bladder
Jupiter, tin, liver
Saturn, lead, spleen

Alchemical compounds

🜊Acid, vinegar
🜹Sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride)
🜅Aqua fortis (nitric acid)
🜆Aqua regia (nitro-hydrochloric acid)
🜈 or 🜉Spirit of wine (concentrated ethanol; called aqua vitae or spiritus vini)
🝛Amalgam (alloys of a metal and mercury)
🜓Cinnabar (mercury sulfide)
Ferrous sulfate
🜋Vinegar (distilled)
🜖Vitriol (sulfates)
🜏Black sulphur (residue from sublimation of sulfur)

Time

🝮Hour
🝰Day
🝱Month

Tria prima

According to Paracelsus (1493–1541)

🜍Soul, sulfur
Spirit, mercury
🜔Body, salt