Aula Lucis, or The House of Light

into clouds, and by this means she stretches and strains original: "rack and tenter-stretch"—to stretch something tightly, as cloth is stretched on a frame (tenter) during manufacturing. the body so that all its parts are exposed to a searching, spiritual purgatory original: "purgatorie"—here meaning a process of intense purification through suffering or trial. of wind and fire. For her wind passes completely through the clouds and cleanses them; and when they are well cleansed, then Heaven enters with her fire and stabilizes original: "fixeth"—an alchemical term meaning to make a volatile substance permanent or solid. it in the sapphire-like essence original: "Ente juro Saphirico"—likely meaning "by right of a sapphire-like being," referring to a pure, crystalline, or celestial state of matter..

But this is not all. There are other circumstances which nature uses above ground for the sake of her plants original: "vegetables"—in the 17th century, this referred to the entire plant kingdom.. Now I would speak of her underground original: "subterraneous" preparations it for the sake of her minerals, but it is not lawful for me to do so, as it was for the poet:

original: "Pandere res altâ terrâ, & Caligine mersas"—a quote from Virgil’s Aeneid (Book 6, line 267), where the narrator asks permission from the gods of the underworld to reveal secret things.

However, I shall not fail to tell you a significant truth, whoever you are who studies this difficult science. The preparation of our animal and mineral sperm original: "sperm"—referring to the fundamental "seed" or life-force of animals and metals. (I speak of the true preparation) is a secret upon