Treatise on the Philosopher's Stone

and stay enclosed within the glass; and by means of the rising original: "Erhebens"; refers to the expansion of vapors or the process of sublimation where solids turn into gas and rise when heated. they break the glass, so all is lost that one has put into it. One must guard against this, for it is a source of great worry—as those of you who have attempted such things well know. Great labor also belongs to the rectification Rectification: The process of purifying a liquid, such as alcohol or "spirit of wine," through repeated distillation to reach its highest strength and purity. of the wine and the long duration of time required. One must also perform great work to make flowing water original: "$\nabla$ fl"; the symbol for water followed by 'fl' for 'fluens'. In this context, it refers to a specific distilled solvent or purified water. and to preserve the spirits Spirit: In alchemy, a "spirit" is a volatile substance that easily evaporates or "flies away" when heated. well so that they do not fly away. This requires a long time, as is known to those who have attempted it further in digestion Digestion: A process where a substance is subjected to gentle, continuous heat, similar to how food is broken down in a stomach, to mature the material. and putrefaction Putrefaction: A stage of the work where substances are allowed to decompose in moist heat, often turning black, which was considered necessary for spiritual "rebirth" of the matter.. These processes must be handled very subtly, and a wondrous governance Governance: Also called "regimen," this is the careful regulation and control of the heat of the alchemical furnace. must be maintained—neither too weak nor too strong. One must always be on guard against this and preserve it with great care, as many are aware.

There is yet another concern: to calcine Calcination: The process of heating a substance to high temperatures in the presence of air to reduce it to a powder or ash, known as "earth." and improve the bodies original: "corpora"; the solid materials or metals being used in the work. and the earth, so that one does not burn them into glass or make them too dry. Therefore, one must maintain an especially good governance of the fire and be cautious in care and labor. Furthermore, one must calcine and clarify The process of clearing a liquid or substance of impurities or sediment. the earth, and distill the water over it again, and so forth with all the works original: "operibus"; the various operations or stages of the alchemical process. that belong to it.

Furthermore, in the composition The stage where different purified elements are combined., one may easily give too much of one and too little of another. For if you have preserved your oiliness original: "Faistigkeit"; refers to the "fatty" or oily essence of the substance, believed to be the combustible "soul" of the matter. too well in the beginning, the medicine will have no ingress Ingress: The ability of an alchemical substance to penetrate, enter, and transform another material, much like a dye soaking into a fabric.; then you will be in worry with your