PREFACE.

...monuments: concerning the Moon, Isis, Astarte, Cybele, and Venus; why they are called mothers of the world and the "Great Mothers"; concerning the Philosophical Egg Ovum Philosophicum A sealed glass vessel, often egg-shaped, used to contain the alchemical matter during its transformation; it symbolizes the cosmos or the womb of nature. of the world, of Castor, Pollux, and Helen; concerning the Sun, the "egg-born" original Greek: ὠογενῆ (ōogenē); concerning the eight Gods in Diodorus Siculus A Greek historian of the 1st century BCE. The "eight gods" refers to the ancient Egyptian pantheon he described.; concerning the eight teachers of Hercules; concerning his eighth year and month, in which he completed ten labors original: stipendia decem absolvit. This refers to the period of service Hercules owed to King Eurystheus.; concerning the eighth circuit of the Philosopher's Stone Lapis Philosophicus in the works of Basil Valentine A legendary 15th-century alchemist, likely a pseudonym for Johann Thölde, whose writings are foundational to early modern chemistry.; concerning the Garden of the Hesperides In myth, a garden of golden apples; in alchemy, these apples represent the attainment of gold or the Stone. compared with the Garden of Flamel Referring to Nicolas Flamel, the famous French scrivener rumored to have discovered the secret of transmutation.; concerning the Etnean fire of Basil, compared with the torches of Ceres The Roman goddess of agriculture, who searched for her daughter with torches; here, the "torches" represent the heat required for alchemical ripening., and the whole ritual of the torch-race original Greek: λαμπαδηφορίας (lampadēphorias). An ancient Greek relay race where the goal was to keep the flame alive., and why such a lamp was accustomed to be lit on the altar of Prometheus; concerning the phalli of the temple of the Syrian Goddess, concerning Priapus, concerning the mysteries of the Eleusinian Ceres, and concerning Priapic Diana; concerning the Philosophical Dew Ros Philosophicus Alchemists believed dew was a celestial medium that carried the "world soul" down to earth, essential for the Great Work. and the golden shower by which Danaë was impregnated; concerning the golden shower of the Rhodian Jupiter, and the Philosophical Rain; concerning the three names of the Nile: why...