Lapis philosophorum

Accordingly, our Sun Sulphur or Light of Nature cannot be found fixed on Earth in reality, because his Corpus (the Rootmoisture) is not truly fire-proof or incombustible. The fixed red Lion or Sulphur rubrum fixum is the first sought-after Lapis Philosophorum ... 

The Mercury of the Philosophers is the third in our sequence. He is the cleanest whiteleafed Earth, the Diana of the Sages, a peculiar Middlesubstance between Mercury and the Metals, the Sal metallorum. Out of this the Lapis Philosophorum... 

Lately, a new category of Pseudo-Alchemists have emerged, who seem to think that they can produce the lapis Philosophorum with the aid of a certain occult psychotechnique. This group could be called Illusionists, because they fool themselves and others with imaginary hokuspokus. 

It should be understood, that when we are speaking about these incomparable Beings, we are talking about the Lapis Philosophorum. 

The Lapis Philosophorum is the Mystery of the inner Salt-Body. The whole Magnum Opus of Hermetics revolves around the dissolution, transformation and spiritualization of the same. It is the impure half material Soul-Body (soma psychicon), who through a succession of very secret processes, should be changed into pure Spirit-Body (soma pneumaticon). 

A220. Engraved frontispiece Falscher und wahrer Lapis Philosophorum, Frankfurt, 1752... 

In the same way that the macrocosm is constructed aroimd the central Earth, the microcosm of people and alchemy is built around the central Lapis Philosophorum. The role of the philosopher s stone in the regulation of opus magnum changed with time, being interpreted progressively as yeast, medicine, redeemer, accelerator and finally as catalyst. 

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