Spiritus Mundi

[Andro]

It is said that in the End-Days, all that is secret and hidden would be openly revealed.

Not just the secrets we think we desperately want to uncover, not just the mysteries of Creation, Nature and Art...
But also the secrets so many of us are scared to find out - or to be found out about.

Revelation is a double-edged (s)word, you see... Revelations, like the Words of the Wise, are indeed Destroyers of Worlds.
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So, to get this started - here are a few excerpts from 'The Confession of Trithemius' (Abbott of Spanheim):

"The Spirit or Divine Breath emanated from the beginning from the Divine Fountain.

This Breath is the Spirit or Soul of the World and is called SPIRITUS MUNDI.

It was at first like air, then condensed into a nebulous substance or fog, and finally transmuted itself into water.

This Spiritual Light which we call Nature or Soul of the World is a spiritual body which may be rendered visible and tangible by Alchemical Processes.
But, as it is naturally invisible - it is called Spirit.

It is a living Universal Fluid, diffused throughout Nature, which penetrates everything.
It is the most subtle of all substances; the most powerful, by reason of its inherent qualities; it penetrates every body and determines the forms in which it displays its activity.
By its action it frees the forms from all imperfection; it makes the impure purer, the imperfect perfect and the mortal immortal, by its indwelling.

This essence or Spirit emanated from the beginning, from the Center, and incorporated itself with the substance of which the Universe is formed.

It is the 'Salt of the Earth', and without its presence the plant would not grow, nor the field become green.

The more this essence is condensed, concentrated and coagulated in the forms - the more stable they become.

It is the most subtle of all substances; incorruptible and immovable in its essence. It fills the infinities of space.

The sun and the planets are but coagulations of this Universal Principle; from their beating hearts they distribute the abundance of their life,
and send it forth into the forms of the inferior world, and into all creatures, acting about their own center and raising the forms on the way of perfection.

The forms in which this living principle establishes itself become perfect and durable, so that they no longer decay nor deteriorate nor change in contact with the Air.

Water can no longer dissolve them, nor Fire destroy them, nor the Terrestrial Elements devour them.

This Spirit is obtained in the same way as it is communicated to the Earth by the Stars; and this is performed by means of the Water, which serves as vehicle to it.

It is not the Philosopher's Stone, but this may be prepared from it by fixing the volatile."

My intention with this thread is to suggest a discussion related to the Principles and Archetypal Qualities which are necessary to understand and apply in practice, to manifest the Universal Spirit in tangible form.

I would like to avoid bringing up all sorts of 'matters', 'first matters' or particular 'paths' and 'recipes', since there are more than enough threads dealing with those topics.

Although this may be a more philosophical discussion, I've posted this thread in the practical section, because it has the potential to lead to practical applications of the insights we might gather here.

I know that many here are fond of quotes from 'source material'...

It would be great for this thread to become a home for quotes from authors dealing directly with the Works of Nature and how they are to be imitated or enhanced by Art, to facilitate this manifestation.

Same goes for images, allegorical or otherwise, which we may find to be connected to this very special Subject.

This Subject has already been touched upon here and there, in various threads (some more than others) - but now I feel it needs a dedicated thread and a fresh start.
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[Rueb]

No one is posting in the thread of the threads?

In my understanding we can differentiate between attracting the Universal Spirit with a "magnet"
and
from manifesting it out of "nowhere".

In Essence both are actually the same.


from The Book of Abraham the Jew:

For our Father says:

Pater ejus est sol.
Mater Luna,
Ventus portavit illum in ventre suo mari
Sal nitre nostrum in mari mundiversum
Sans sublimate aeris, invisibilem, congelatum.
Coelum, nostrum aqua im manus non Mandefacieientem.

For the Spirit of the Lord is unfathomable, it hovers in the Air, it means the winged serpent and penetrates Man and all Creatures which are created on the Earth.

The winged Serpent points out to the Spiritus Mundi Universalem, and penetrates all things under the heavens. This is our Materia, so have we also of the coagulirten Air Repariren.

This is the Spirit; thus out of the Dew is drawn out, and with which our Salt is prepared. The undermost serpent however denotes our Materiam, everywhere to be found; it is earthly and also heavenly, then it the right Earth, Virginea et Adamica. That one however may know what it is, so is such to be found under the Vegetable Roots.

This possesses the Spirit Universalen and is neither animal, Mineral, nor Vegetable. It is a Magnet, so it itself draws the Proteum Universi and becomes thereby a Chaos of the wise Artificers.

... Take therefore, what lies before your feet, and of yourself with your feet treat on, for Hermes says: Pater ejus Sol, Mater Luna. Will you now dear brethren with this fatness of the earth enjoy and drink of the dew of the heaven; and with the winged serpent which moves in the earth, get so much and with another which is without wings, know to hear, in order that you can unite the lower with the upper.

[Andro]

No one is posting in the thread of the threads?

Thank you, Rueb, for picking this up.

I was just waiting and wondering if anyone would...

In my understanding we can differentiate between attracting the Universal Spirit with a "magnet" and from manifesting it out of "nowhere". In Essence both are actually the same.

The magnet IS the vessel, in a way - and it needs to possess certain qualities. It could start out as an empty glass vessel prepared accordingly, or the vessel may contain an additional magnet matter/matrix which should be prepared or obtained following the same principles. In any case, if we use an additional magnet matter INSIDE the bottle in which we expect the condensation to occur, then this magnet is merely an extension and enhancement of the glass vessel, except in certain cases when a glass (or earthen) vessel is not even required as a magnet, the matter/matrix being sufficient.

If "The Earth is it's Nurse" - then OUR Vessel and/or Matter-Matrix must be a much better 'Nurse' than any corrupted and imperfect 'nursing earth', commonly found in Nature.

It is also important to point out that the magnet/matrix/vessel is not directly connected to facilitating the manifestation/incarnation of Spiritus Mundi in physical form, it is not our 'Athanor' - but it is rather mostly connected to the act of 'catching' it when it is free of impurities, and 'holding' it when it is already manifesting via natural causes, causes which must be enhanced by the Art of Philosophical Separation.

Thanks again, Rueb, for picking up this thread.
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[Andro]

That one however may know what it is, so is such to be found under the Vegetable Roots.

In further posts (depending also on the participation of others in this thread), I will elaborate further on the Ouroborean 'Perpetuum Mobile' Principle of Nature/Creation (to which the above quote is alluding), and on its potential Implications and Applications in Our Work.

But for now - a quote from Walt Disney, followed by a powerful Image:

Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.

[Illen A. Cluf]

My intention with this thread is to suggest a discussion related to the Principles and Archetypal Qualities which are necessary to understand and apply in practice, to manifest the Universal Spirit in tangible form.

Finally a discussion on the most important aspect of Alchemy, and my favorite area of interest!

As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing as Alchemy without an understanding of the vital importance of the Universal Spirit. Without the Universal Spirit, we only have archemy or chemistry and endless years of wasted time in the laboratory producing anything but alchemical products.

There are numerous quotes concerning this subject, so where should one begin? We could go far into the past and quote from Ibn Umail's (Senior's) Ma al-Waraqi:

" MARIYA also said : The ' Water ' which I have mentioned is an Angel, and descends from the sky, and the earth accepts it on account of its (the earth's) moistness. The water of the sky is held by the water of the earth, and the water of the earth acts as its servant, and its Sand (serves) for the purpose of honouring it. Both the waters are gathered together and the 'Water' holds the 'Water'. The Kiyan (Vital Principle) holds the Kiyan and the Kiyan is whitened by the Kiyan2. She meant (by this) the coction of the ' Soul' with the 'Spirit' until both mix and are thoroughly cooked together and become a single thing like Marble." ...........

(As for her statement regarding the Angel) "She meant by this the 'Divine Water', which is the 'Soul'. She named it 'Angel' because it is spiritual, and because that 'Water' has risen from the earth to the sky of the Birba " (i.e., from the bottom to the top of the Alembic.)
"And as for her statement' (The Water) descends from the sky 'she meant by this its return to their Earth; and this Angel which she mentioned I shall explain to you in another way so that you may be aware of both explanations— if Allah will! She meant by this the child which they said will be born for them in the Air while Conception had taken place in the Lower (region); this being (through) the Higher Celestial Strength which the water has gained by its absorption of the Air. Regarding this, HURMUS said : 'The strength of the Highest and the Lowest will be found in it'."

" They name this Water also, 'the Rain which revives the Lower World'; and (by) all this (is to be understood) the Pure Silvery Water which is the Gold of the Sages. The Excellent Master, HURMUS, named it ' the Good of many names '."

I.A.C.

[Illen A. Cluf]

From The Golden Chain of Homer:

Therefore out of Light and water, God has created all Things.

Water was the first condensation or corporification of the Universal fire, which water nevertheless in its center was, and remains fire, full of life and activity, and the more so, as it was assisted by its Equal, the Light, separated out of it, as much as was necessary for the creating of all immaterial and material Beings, and in success of time for their maintenance.

Of the separated Light we have spoken before, we have now to consider its first body Humidity or water. This water differs it regard to Rarefaction or Density; if Rarefied to a certain Degree it constitutes air, that is fire predominating above water, but if condensed to a degree it becomes Humid water, or Humidity predominating above fire. Nevertheless, in both, that is in their Center lays concealed fire or the Universal spirit.

As soon as the air gets deprived of its Universal fire, which animates it and renders it elastic, it becomes immediately putrid, and thereby declines lower down, becomes Humidity, mud, earth and immoveable; it is the same case with water when deprived of fire, or of animated air, it becomes putride, condenses still further and becomes earth, immoveable.

God has ordained it so that the Universal spirit by means of Humidity should work all things, because Humidity mixes easily with everything, by means of which the spirit can soften, penetrate, generate. destroy and regenerate all things.

Thus Humidity or water is the Body, the Vehicle and Tool, but the spirit or fire is the Operator, the Universal Agent and fabricator of all Natural Things.
This universal fire fills that immense space in the Universe between the heavenly bodies. and as it has a power to become material, it generates a subtil vapour or invisible most subtil Humidity, its first passive principle: It causes therein a gentle Reaction, and a general, gentle, most subtil Fermentation takes place Universally, and by this Reaction the Universal Acid is everywhere generated, which we can deem nothing else than a most subtil incorporeal Nitre Spiritus Mundi, outwardly cold and inwardly fire.

Thus this Spiritual incorporeal Nitre or Universal Acid; we deem the second invisible change of the Universal fire, generated out of chaotic invisible Humidity: and as this approaches the atmospheres of the heavenly bodies, it becomes gradually more and more material, until it meets an alcaline passive principle wherein it fixes itself and forms Native nitre, so that from Spiritus Mundi, it becomes nitre.

Thus we say, not without good reason, that the Solar Rays of Light, are nothing else but a most subtil spiritual Spiritual Mundi, which gradually becomes more and more nitreous, as it approaches the Earth, but Sea Salt in the Ocean; animating the atmosphere with fire or Life, and thereby giving elasticity to the air, and Life and preservation to the water. From this, every man of common understanding may learn what Nature is, and its origin.

We see that between the Firmament and our Earth continual Vapours, Clouds, and Fogs, which ascend like a transpiration of the Earth, and are sublimed upwards by the Central heat of the Earth. This Chaotic water and Vapours, contain, and are the First Matter of all Things, and although this appears very simple before our Eyes, yet it is two-fold, as it contains fire and Humidity, the Invisible in the Visible, the fire or spirit is the Agent, and the water the Patient.

Whosoever wishes to arrive at the Fountain of Secret Wisdom, let him mind this well; and let him go with this Central Point of Truth to the circumference, and for ever imprint in his memory: that from fire and water, or spirit enclosed in Humidity all things in the World are generated, preserved, destroyed and regenerated.

Whosoever comprehends this well will find no difficulty in analising Natural things as he may easily volatilize fixt, and fix the volatile: a stinking subject he may convert into a pleasant smelling one, out of poison he can make a salutary Medicine because he knows that all things proceed from one Root; and return to that Root: The distinction is external and regards only the modification of the Matter, which is more or less digested or fixt. Therefore the Philosophers say that their Matter is in all Things, yet they have selected such Subjects wherein the Universal spirit is more abundantly contained and more concentrated, and easer to be obtained; otherwise that spirit is All in All. (My bolding and emphasis).

[Paradox]

The first matter. Is it also the last matter?

[Andro]

The first matter. Is it also the last matter?

Quoth Paracelsus:

"The substance which is sought is the same as that from which it has to be drawn forth."

Quoth Bob Dylan:

"And the first one now, will later be last."

Also, from various allegorical/mythological characters:

"I am Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and The End."

Please feel free to metabolize this internally, and draw your own conclusions.
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[Paradox]

Internally metabolized, thank you Androgynus.

If this is true, then this is truly an amazing substance (or lack there of). All things come from it and eventually are reduced back to it. It evolves and devolves matter. Which means that in the beginning there was no BIG and there was no BANG. Creation is ongoing. Which explains not only the expansion of the universe, but also the increased rate of expansion.

Does hydrogen + first matter = helium?

[Andro]

All things come from it and eventually are reduced back to it. It evolves and devolves matter.

Correct.

Does hydrogen + first matter = helium?

EVERYTHING originates from the 'First Matter', and it is not the purpose of this thread to discuss such periodic table particularities.

Try to understand and internalize the concept of Spiritus Mundi before you ask such questions.

Forget (for now) the periodic table. 'De-culturize' your vision. Un-Learn.

Please read (or re-read) the first post carefully, for a better understanding of what this thread is and isn't intended for.
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