Originally Posted by
Andro
It's essentially the same "thing". When it assumes a form/body (takes a "host"/"vehicle" and alters it), we could say that it is minimally "specified".
From Trithemius:
Here is the entire more significant part of the Trithemius text, the more "practical" part that follows the religious dissertation. It is IMO a great summary of the foundation of Great Work:
"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 water was at first spirit and life, because it was impregnated and vivified by the Spirit. Darkness filled the abyss, but by the emission of the Word, the Light was engendered, the darkness was illuminated by the Light and the Soul of the World ("The Astral Light") was born.
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, and 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 pure, 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 and 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 from its essence. It fills the infinities of space.
The sun and planets are but coagulations of this universal principle; from their beating heart they distribute the abundance of their life and send it forth into the forms of the interior world and in 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 a vehicle to it. It is not the Philosopher's Stone, but this may be prepared from it by fixing the volatile. I advise you to pay great attention to the boiling of the Water. Do not let your spirit be troubled about things of less importance. Make it boil slowly, then let it putrefy until it has attained the fitting color, for the Water of Life contains the germ of wisdom. In boiling, the Water will transform itself into Earth. This Earth will change into a pure crystalline fluid; which will produce a fine red Fire; and this Water and this Fire, reduced to a single Essence, produce the great Panacea composed of sweetness and strength, the Lamb and the Lion united."
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