Originally Posted by
Andro
On page 40 of the bilingual version, he first refers to it as "Venus", when he discusses the "Secret Solution" or the "Magic Marriage" or the "Magnetic Coalescence of the Earth with the Sky". He explains how our "Venus," via this "Magnetic Coalescence", is "dissolved" into a water, but this is not entirely technically accurate. The better word is "liquefied", because it is not a common dissolution. The result of this "Magnetic Coalescencee" between "Earth & Sky" gives us the First Mercury, sometimes referred to as "Common Mercury" (NOT "vulgar" Hg) and also as "Mercury Simplex" (Urbigerus, Citculatum Majus). It is not YET "our" Philosophical Mercury.
You can compare this to Hermetic Recreations, especially where it mentions the difficulty to dissolve "The Matter" (which is "of a Calx/Lime nature" as per St. Didier, and also see where Venus is born in the Painting), unless going back to the same "Universal Source", to bring render its "Spirit" counterpart (the one containing the "Acid Principle").
In previous chapters, especially in the Introduction, ICH also discusses the possible Origins of our "Venus" or "Magnet" in greater detail.
Moreover, Ali Puli is surprisingly and uncharacteristically explicit in describing what is required for our "Central Salt" to form (in "Centrum Naturae Concentratum").
It is those Authors that I mostly followed when rendering this "Matter", plus additional clues from here and there and a healthy dose of Clear Thinking, further complemented by vivid dream guidance from my own "past" lives memories...
Additionally, and this is not something I can explain chemically, this "Venus/Central Salt" seems to have a special affinity to form in more "oily" environments, and it also ascends to the top of the "water" in the vessel.