Philosophical Dialogue between the Flying Mercury and a Common Smelter

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...be able to avoid it, for one finds oneself cheated by you from front and back, no matter how clever one might wish to be.

Mercurius. My dear Smelter, this work is far from having changed my form, even if I appear as pure and bright as I wish: for as long as I am not brought out of my running form Mercury's "running form" refers to its natural liquid state at room temperature., and my innermost part is turned outward (this means clipping my wings In alchemical symbolism, "clipping the wings" of Mercury refers to "fixation"—the process of turning the volatile, liquid metal into a solid, stable substance that does not evaporate when heated.) and I appear to you in my young Crystalline form, completely pure and spiritual, nothing can be accomplished with me. For those things which are added by you in a completely irrational manner to give me my beauty or pure form, only spoil and stain my innermost essence, and are truly more harmful than useful to me, whereby I am only prevented from accomplishing that which you should naturally require of me. For with your own cleverness you will surely achieve nothing with me; unless you learn to recognize me rightly and seek to gain something through natural means and ways, you may expect nothing beneficial from me for all eternity: for I can endure neither too great cold nor heat, but whoever hopes to make something of me must hit upon the right balance original: "Mittel." In alchemy, this refers to both the "medium" or "agent" used, and the "middle way" of temperate heat, avoiding extremes of fire..

Schmelzer. Ah, my masters have turned your gray coat inside out so many times, and kept so many laboratory assistants original: "Laboranten." These were often hired hands who performed the manual labor of the laboratory under the direction of a master., who have sublimated and precipitated Sublimation involves heating a solid until it turns into vapor and then solidifies again; precipitation is the emergence of a solid from a liquid solution. you, now white, now yellow, now red These colors refer to the traditional stages of the alchemical "Great Work": the Albedo (white), Citrinitas (yellow), and Rubedo (red)., and performed so many vain works upon you in such strong fires, that I should believe in Hell there could

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