Treatise on the Philosopher's Stone

Isaac Hollandus###

also [affects] its penetration; if it has too much air original: "aeris", it flies away. If it then has too much water original: "$\nabla$"; the alchemical symbol for water., it drowns the spirits so that they cannot be fixed Fixed: To "fix" a substance (fixation) means to transform it from a volatile or evaporating state into a solid, stable form that can endure the heat of a fire without vanishing.. If it then has too much earth, it is too dry, so that it has no melting capacity and no penetration.

Therefore, it is a very delicate matter to work in the separation of the elements, for many failures occur there, as well as in rectification Rectification: The process of purifying a substance, usually a liquid, through repeated distillation to remove impurities and concentrate its power.. If even the smallest part of the elements is spoiled, no matter how little it may be, the work is lost. Therefore I advise you, dear sons original: "Filii"; a traditional term for students of alchemy, often called "Sons of Art.", who shy away from all operations where one must separate the elements—whether it be in the animal, mineral, or vegetable work, or in the Stone which God has given us for free—take heed when the preparation of the Stone depends upon separation. Avoid your work, however, for the sake of its uncertainty; for it happens very easily in the beginning or the middle that one may lose some of its moisture, and then all labor is lost. For when one tries to put the components back together, they cannot be unified; likewise, its penetration Ingress: Also called "entry," this is the alchemical property that allows the fermented "Stone" to permeate and transform every part of a base metal into gold or silver. is taken away, and then both expense and labor are lost.

There have been seven original: "$λ$"; this shorthand symbol likely refers to the "Seven Masters" of the art, corresponding to the seven planetary metals. masters who performed this work, but they did it only to fathom the depths of nature; for they had already completed and prepared the Great Work beforehand, so they did not worry about the costs or the labor. This required much investigation, and we shall—God willing—discuss this Great Work further.

There are also other artists and philoso-