Essentials - Three Philosophical Principles
<p class="MsoNormal">The essential carriers of curative powers; Mercury, Sulfur, Salt. They must not be mistaken for the usual meaning of these words in present day chemistry. By means of special processes they are separated, cleansed (purified) and finally recombined (cohobation or chymical wedding)
“Modern physics teaches us that the “raw material” of the universe is an energy flow in fields of which matter represents only a manifestation. Einstein already said: “The field is the sole reality.” (M. Capek, <i>The Philosophical Impact of Contemporary Physics, </i>Princeton, 1961, pg 319)</p><p class="MsoNormal">“ It was not possible to formulate the laws of the quantum theory without referring to consciousness” (F. Capra, <i>The Tao of Physics, </i>London, 1978, pg. 318]
According to the alchemist conception, the entire manifestation of matter is maintained through the cooperation of three Philosophical Principles, called the Three Essentials or the Three Substances.
The different proportion of the 3 substances in the countless forms of manifestation of matter accounts for their multiplicity. Various materially existing things are sometimes also called Mixta (mixtures). A metal is a Mixtum, likewise a plant. The Three Substances form the basis of every chemical (not alchemical) element.
Alchemical Sulfur is not the chemical element of Sulfur, nor is Mercury regarded as identical to the metal quicksilver. Metals are themselves composed of the Three Philosophical Principles.
Sulfur and Mercury together form the law of polarity. We can call Salt the physical units; Mercury corresponds to undulation; while Sulfur represents the quantum of light. Another acceptable analogy is the correspondence between proton (Sulfur), electron (Mercury), and neutron (Salt). In his work <i>Alchymie und Heilkunst</i>, Alexander von Bernus designates as “prime matter” negative electricity, which, as a chemical body is atomistically organized.
Nicolas Flamel in his book, <i>Book of Hieroglyphic Figures</i>, describes the relationship between Sulfur and Mercury: “these are two snakes that are attached around the caduceus or mercurial staff, by which Mercury derives his great power and transforms himself as desired.”
There’s a close resemblance to the Indian nadis which are the subtle channels through which flow the vital energies. The coarser channels are the nerves, veins and arteries. In the West we have no equivalent counterparts to the subtle channels of Indian nadis, or Chinese meridians. The nadis with the energy centers (chakras) in the central channel are considered the most important, called ida, pingala and sushumna.
The Three Principles of alchemy are accessible to our sense in the form of matter that manifest in four different states: solid, liquid, gaseous, radiant or etheric. These manifestations are considered the four Elements; Earth, Water, Air and Fire and are endowed with the properties of cold, moist, dry, and hot.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/a6/d1/96/a6d19651b36501490e929c48d712ec5c.jpg" /></p>