The Little Golden Olympic Treasury

,,And this First Matter original: "P. M." or "Prima Materia," the unformed substance from which God created the universe. was the water upon which the Spirit of God hovered.
,,In this Matrix original: "Matrice," a term used here to mean a cosmic womb or mold., in which the world was created, there were mixed together the THREE ANIMATED PRINCIPLES original: "TRIA ANIMATA." These are the spiritual forces behind the physical elements. of the four elements: the Pure & Impure, Day and Night, Light and Darkness. In and out of this Matrix, which was surrounded by the Kingdom of God, Heaven and Earth, Air and Water were created solely through the little word LET IT BE original: "FIAT." The divine command from Genesis.. Through the Spirit of God, who hovered over the Matrix, all things were divided in six days with a firm and most wise order into their final essence—separated, light from Darkness. Thus, the clearest substance, which existed in the first THREE PRINCIPLES—MERCURY, SULFUR, and SALT The "Tria Prima" of Paracelsian alchemy, believed to be the base components of all matter.—was sent to the Element of the Pole original: "element POLI," referring to the celestial or highest sphere of the heavens. and called the Firmament; that is, the Stronghold, because it was to be the vessel which should carry the other three elements. For from the Word, and with the Word, comes the property of the Word, just as He says to Peter: You are Peter, etc. original: "Tu es Petrus." Referring to Matthew 16:18, where Christ builds his church upon the "rock" of Peter. There, the property came with the Word, so that even the gates of Hell could not overcome him and his building. So also with the little word Firmament, the property came that—beyond all conceivable understanding—the Heavens (which were a thin, light CHAOS In this context, "Chaos" refers to a primordial, vaporous state rather than mere disorder. like a smoke) had to carry the other heavier bodies of the elements and hold them together, firm and unmoved.

The coarsest part in the First Matter, which existed before the first three principles, was thereafter divided into the element of earth. This is also how the Air and Water are to be understood: whatever in the First Matter was suitable for them, into that it was divided. Thus at first, only the bodies of the elements were created, along with the moisture from which humanity should be nourished. Afterwards, these bodies of the elements were further divided and separated. From the clearest essence of the Element of the Pole, the Sun was brought forth, then the Moon, and all the other stars—much like the tree and the fruit of the Heavens, from which humanity should be nourished. So too was the Earth at first a uniform, tempered being without fruit. But afterward it was separated, so that many kinds of plants came forth for the nourishment of man. The same is to be understood regarding the other two elements. And God gave every plant its own seed and natural, laudable fertility. That is to say: all the Bodies of the Elements were first created lifeless. But through the Spirit of God, Nature—that is, the living, invisible Spirit, or the Fifth Essence original: "Q. essentia" or "Quinta Essentia," the pure, spiritual essence that gives life and form to the four physical elements., which was to maintain the bodies of the elements and rule over them—was poured into them.

Since all things were now well separated, and created to stand for eternity, God...