The Heaven of the Philosophers, or the Book of Vexations

but this mixture is not useful for making the Sun and the Moon. For in that mixture, each metal remains in its own nature, either fixed in the fire or fleeing from it: For example, mix in any way you can Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, the Sun, and the Moon; because of this, it will not happen in the least that the Sun and the Moon, and the other five, are so permuted that from the Sun and the Moon those Sun and Moon are made: for although all are liquefied into a single mass, nevertheless each one remains in its own nature: these are the things which had to be indicated concerning bodily mixture.

38 Concerning spiritual mixture and metallic communion, however, it must be known that there is no separation or mortification of Spirits, nor can there be: because such Spirits can never persist without bodies: Even if the body is taken away from them or mortified a hundred times in one hour, nevertheless another, much nobler than the former, is always acquired.

39 And this is the transposition of metals from one death to another, that is, from a lesser degree to a greater, that is, into the Moon, and from better to the best and most perfect, that is, into the most splendid Sun and the most royal metal of all.

40 It is therefore very true what has been said often above, that the seventh is always generated from the metals, or a product manifested in it from itself.

41 Question. If it is true that the Moon and every metal derive their origin and are generated from the other six: What then is its property and nature?

42 Answer. From Saturn, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and the Sun, no other metal can be made than the Moon: