THIS BOOK

IS NAMED

SPLENDOUR OF THE SUN

original: "Splendor Solis"

OR

Splendour of the Sun

AND IS DIVIDED INTO SEVEN PARTS, IN WHICH IS DESCRIBED THE HIDDEN MYSTERY Referring to the "Arcanum," the secret knowledge or "Great Work" of alchemy. OF THE OLD PHILOSOPHERS In the medieval and Renaissance periods, "philosophers" specifically referred to alchemists like Hermes Trismegistus or Aristotle, who were believed to hold the secrets of nature., AS WELL AS ALL THAT NATURE REQUIRES TO CLEARLY ACCOMPLISH THE WHOLE WORK, INCLUDING ALL THE ADDED THINGS; AFTER WHICH NO ONE SHALL BE ADVISED TO GRAPPLE WITH THE MYSTERY OF THE NOBLE ART Alchemy was known as the "Noble Art" (Ars Magna) because its goal was the perfection of both matter and the practitioner’s spirit. WITH HIS OWN SENSES A warning that human reason and physical senses alone are insufficient to understand alchemy without divine guidance or tradition..

I AM THE WAY AND EVEN ROAD,
WHO PASSES HERE WITHOUT A REST,
WILL FIND A GOODLY LIFE ABODE,
AND IN THE END BE EVER BLESSED.