9 - Seven Alchemical Principles, Part 1

Alchemy is concerned with extracting and refining the purest essence of a physical substance. Modern alchemists view the physical changes that the substance undergoes as powerful analogies to spiritual and psychological changes within the human psyche. For example, breaking down the solid structure of an herb, as in the process of calcination, exemplifies to the alchemist the tearing down of old beliefs, thoughts and emotions in the alchemist. The mind of the alchemist affects his alchemy, and vice versa. We are back with a fresh new show straight out of our kitchen laboratory! In this episode, we get our hands dirty with some practical experiments while we discuss the first three of the seven classical alchemical principles: Calcination, Dissolution and Separation. Calcination breaks down the solid structure of the matter by heat and mechanical force. Dissolution is the wet work in which the calcinated salts are dissolved in a menstrum. Separation divides the fine and coarse particles of the matter in a process of filtration. This is part one of a double episode. Come back soon as we dish out a second serving of that secret sauce that we call Chasing Hermes.