32 The Third Separation

original: "Separatio Tertia"

A hand-colored alchemical illustration sits in the center of the page. At the top, a decorative, billowing scroll contains the handwritten text: The Third Separation. Below the scroll is a large, transparent, spherical glass flask with a narrow neck. It is sealed with a brown, conical, ribbed stopper. The interior of the flask is divided into several symbolic horizontal layers. In the upper portion, a grey bird, perhaps an eagle, with wings spread descends into a mist of white and pale blue vapors or flames. Directly beneath the bird is a thick, prominent band of gold with a wavy, textured surface. A clear, empty space occupies the middle section of the flask. Towards the bottom, a row of soft, cloud-like globular forms in shades of red, pink, and orange is shown. These clouds rest upon a dark brown, textured horizontal layer at the very base of the vessel. This layer likely represents the caput mortuum: the "dead head" or useless metallic residue remaining after a chemical reaction.

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