Magico-Cabbalistic and Theosophical Work

On the Origin of Common Salt.

[Eclip]tic original: Ecliptica; the path the sun appears to follow in the sky., the saltier it is; just as experience in those regions has taught, that 4 pounds of sea-water yield almost more than 1 pound of good salt; also, that the sun there cooks the foaming sea upon the sandy shores into salt in great abundance. However, the closer the sea is to the Poles, the less salt it yields, as is well known to all northerners and recognized by the whole world: for how little, or with how little profit, the sea-water there is boiled into salt. For despite the waters there also being salty, the sun’s rays there are far too oblique original: schief; meaning the rays hit the earth at an angle rather than directly., and thus their effect there is not as powerful as under the Ecliptic and its vicinity, where they fall straight down.

§. 8. That the entire atmosphere is also filled with this delicate, heavenly, salty balsam is confirmed by all true philosophers In this context, "philosophers" refers to natural scientists and alchemists. with irrefutable reasons; just as they are able to entice and attract this fiery water, or wonderful salt, in considerable quantities by means of a certain Magnet In alchemy, a "magnet" is not necessarily a piece of iron, but a substance or device used to "attract" spiritual or elemental essences from the air. or attracting medium. Should anyone think that such a magnet is itself saline—which is not the case among those practiced in nature—let them know that we are acquainted with various quite simple instruments. Through these, the watery fire or fiery water from that saline heavenly Schamajim Hebrew: Shamayim, meaning "the heavens."—which is fundamentally nothing other than salt, namely, fire-filled air—can be attracted in great quantities. By a special manual technique, it can be separated from all wateriness to lay this wonderful salt (the high utility of which is known to so very few) before one's eyes. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated by many that dew (not to mention rain, snow, and frost, which lack it just as little) is filled with this heavenly balsam of life or salt, which even the simplest person can experience through humble digestion An alchemical process of gentle, prolonged heating, similar to incubation. and further separation.

§. 9. Indeed, when the air is not sufficiently filled with this heavenly salt—whether caused by direct divine providence because of the sins of mankind, or by long-withheld sunshine, or through many other accidents—the air becomes entirely corrupted and enters into a state of decay. Then all of nature must suffer; humans and livestock perish through contagious, pestilential plagues; even all plants wither, and hunger, sorrow, and general destruction arise, as has been abundantly known from the beginning of time until our day. Conversely, it is also known that during continuous sunshine without any rain, but with heavy dew, there have been the most magnificent, fruitful, and healthy times; for the air was then superabundantly filled with this balsam of life, or heavenly salt.

At this point, we could perhaps go a little further and stammer something of the secret of all secrets, pointing as if with fingers to what it is that the philosophers have called their universal ☿ The alchemical symbol for Mercury or Quicksilver, representing the fundamental spirit of matter., and how visibly,