Anima Mundi

The world is a living being To the Hermeticists, all of the world, including rocks and streams, is alive and possesses a soul. The physical world was believed to be made of four physical elements earth, air, fire, and water. The elements would scatter, however, and the entire world would fall apart if they were not held together by the mysterious fifth element, the world soul, or Anima Mundi. This is in contrast with the modern scientific, materialist philosophy, which views the world as composed of nonliving matter. 

Besides the four elements, the alchemists believed in a fifth element, which is actually the Anima Mundi or Materia Prima interacting and vitalizing the other four. This is known as the Quinta Essentia, which is the origin of the word quintessence. This hidden substance is exposed when the Philosopher s Stone is created. 

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