Our Blackness: Putrefaction

[Schmuldvich]

Our Art has been accomplished for thousands of years--without the use of electricity, without the use of extreme methods, and under not so wonderful circumstances all over the world! This leads me to believe what the Sages say is true: There is no need for vast arrays of laboratory equipment, nor is there need for countless elaborate processes carried out by the Artist! Alchemy takes time, and I feel as if most people just getting their feet wet fail to observe this vital fact: Putrefaction must occur before we see all the changes in our flask that the Ancients described.


Are we all in agreement that Putrefaction is an absolutely necessary early stage of our Great Work? Must not every one of us wait about one philosophical month, or 40 days, before seeing the blackest of the black?

"From the putrefaction therefore in this water, there first appears blackness, like unto broth wherein some bloody thing is boiled."

"Now I have shown you that this operation is at no great remove from the living things, nor was anything over born or endowed with spirit or growth except for putrefaction and change of appearance. Thus it is that an authority has said that this operation avails nothing until after decay."

"Our venerable Water of the Philosophers, original Hyle of the Sages; it is the stone that one revealed for you in this treatise. It is the first matter of the perfect body, as you have determined. Put your matter in a furnace, into a clean vessel, clear transparent and round, whose opening you will hermetically seal, so that nothing can escape. Your matter is to be placed on a level bed or surface, slightly hot. You will leave it there for one Philosophical month. Maintain the heat evenly, so that the perspiration of the matter will sublime, until it sweats no longer, that nothing rises or descends, that it begins to putrefy."

And this blackness is that which conjoineth the body with the spirit. Then saith Rhasis, the government of the fire being observed for the space of forty days, both (to wit the white liquor, and the citrine body) are made a permanent or fixed water, covered over with blackness; which blackness, if rightly ordered, cometh to its perfection in forty days space. Of which another philosopher saith, so long as the obscure blackness appeareth, the woman hath the dominion; and this is the first conception or strength of our stone; for if it be not first black, it shall never be either white or red. Avicen saith, that heat causeth blackness first, in a moist body; then the humidity being consumed, it putteth off or loseth its blackness; and as the heat increaseth, or is continued, so it grows white. Lastly, by a more inward heat, it is calcined into ashes, as the philosophers teach. In the first decoction, which is called putrefaction, our stone is made all black, to wit, a black earth, by the drawing out of its humidity; and in that blackness, the whiteness is hidden. And when the humidity is reverted upon the blackness again, and by a continued soft and gentle digestion is made fixed with its earth, then it becomes white. In this whiteness, the redness is hidden; and when it is decocted and digested by augmentation and continuance of the fire, that earth is changed into redness, as we shall hereafter teach.

The highest mystery of the whole Work is the Physical Dissolution into Mercury, and the reduction into primary matter.

Take then in the name of the great God, the venerable matter of the Philosophers, called the first Hyle of the Sages, which contains the above named Philosophical Mercury, termed, the first matter of the perfect Body, put it into its Vessel, which must be clear, diaphanous and round, and closely stopped by the Seal of Seals, and make it hot in its place, well-prepared, with temperate heat, for the space of a Philosophical Month, keeping it six weeks and two days in the sweat of Sublimation until it begins to be putrefied, to ferment, to be coloured and to be congealed with its metallic humidity, and be fixed so far, that it do no more ascend in aery fumous substance, but remain fixed in the bottom, turned from what it was, and divested of all viscous humidity, putrefied and black, which is called the sable robe, Night, or the Head of the Crow. Continue therefore its decoction with a gentle fire, until all the black matter appearing in the superficies be quite dissipated by the Magistery, which blackness is by the Philosophers called the dark mantle of the Stone, which afterwards becoming clear is termed the cleansing water of the earth, or rather the Elixir. And note, that the blackness which appears is a sign of putrefaction. And the beginning of the dissolution is a sign of the conjunction of both natures. And this blackness appears sometimes in forty days, more or less, according to the quantity of the matter, and the industry of the operator, which contributes much to the separation of the said blackness. Now my Son, by the grace of God you are acquainted with one Element of our Stone, which is the black earth, the Raven's head, by some called the obscure shadow, upon which earth, as upon a base, all the rest is grounded. This terrestrial and dry Element, is called, Laton, the Bull, black dregs, our Metal, our Mercury.

Therefore since this mystery of Putrefaction is not more secret then necessary, so necessary that without it there is nothing can be done to purpose, that is to say, with profit; I shall be a little plain and full in the prosecution of this mystery: For in the knowledge of this consists all that is required to make a Philosopher. All the intentions of the Artist, must be only so to prepare and order things, that he may be sure of this terminus; and when he is there come, he is as sure a Master as if he had the Stone in his Cabinet. By the failing of this sign, the Operator is always to turn either backward to seek out some other principles, or forward, or to the right, or to the left; but when he is Master of this, he then can fail in nothing but in the Regimen of the outward heat.

"This first regimen has been studiously kept secret by all the Sages. They have spoken of the second regimen, or that of Saturn, as if it were the first, and have thus left the student without guidance in those operations which precede the appearance of that intense blackness. Count Bernard, of Trevisa, says, in his Parable, that When the King has come to the Fountain, he takes off the golden garment, gives it to Saturn, and enters the bath alone, afterwards receiving from Saturn a robe of black silk. But he does not tell us how long it takes to put off that golden robe; and thus, like all his brethren, leaves the poor beginner to grope in the dark during 40 or 50 days."

"Aphorism 83...There is no new generation made without a previous corruption."

"The matter should be gathered at the right time. This must be well preserved until putrefaction."

Posted by Andro nearly 10 years ago

How many here have achieved our true Blackness?

[Andro]

Posted by Andro nearly 10 years ago

I only joined this forum 7 years ago

As for the above picture, I reckon there was way too much 'accidental' humidity ('phlegm' or 'waters of the flood/deluge') for the body to fully putrefy and be subsequently 'calcined' & 'sublimed' by means of its own 'water'.

[Schmuldvich]

I was under the impression the image you posted was a successful putrefaction. Thank you for clarifying. Do you have any images or wisdom you would like to share regarding Putrefaction that you haven't shared already?

In my method/Xperience:

1. The white emerges later, after putrefaction/dark/black stage. Also red. Not theory.

2. Not all my matters putrefied 2 absolute black. Dew was best 4 black.

3. Seal flask tight = no blackness. Not theory.
Air brings death/decay & life as well. Fire of death & life is in air.
The air we breathe keeps us alive & slowly kills us @ the same time.
That's b/cause our body cannot cast off most superfluities found in air (& nourishment).
Hopefully Stone can change that to some extent

4. If temp gentle, genie/more volatile parts stay in flask.

5. U want attractive & homogenized body of magnet, not the water from where it came.
If something hetero in magnet, magnet no good. Throw away hetero b4 expose magnet 2 Fire.

6. Fire then attracted 2 magnet body & incarnates inside.
Magnet must B very attractive. Good Magnet already has lots of Fire.
Add more Magnetic Water = Add more Fire.
Superfluous water slowly evaporates again. No need 4 it.

7. Repeat cycle until body of magnet supersaturated w/incarnated Fire.

8. Surely are other ways/matters also. Not monopole.

[Andro]

Do you have any images or wisdom you would like to share regarding Putrefaction that you haven't shared already?

Not sure about 'wisdom', but too much water hinders the process, as does too much dryness. We want it to 'sweat', not to 'drown'. The 'sweat' is being cohobated/circulated upon its body, in gentle heat. The 'sweat' in this case would be a weak expression of the 'Acid' - active principle (Radical Humidity). We constantly loose our RH throughout our lives, 'cooking' at our own body temperature.

[black]

If you do not pass through the blackness to the light...you will not be
able to read the emerald tablet.

It alludes me at the moment who might have suggested this...but it may
have been Dr Glauber.

[Schmuldvich]

Not sure about 'wisdom', but too much water hinders the process, as does too much dryness. We want it to 'sweat', not to 'drown'. The 'sweat' is being cohobated/circulated upon its body, in gentle heat.

I appreciate you sharing, Adro.

It baffles me (well, honestly I guess it doesn't really...) that so many people FOR SO MANY YEARS can talk about Alchemy but very, very, very few actually start the Great Work and much, much, much fewer than that even start working down the right path to begin with!

I guess that is why so few pictures exist on the internet of legitimate Alchemical works. You would think that one could dig and at least find a couple pictures of one of the most forefront operations of our Magnum Opus...Putrefaction...but no such pictures exist. I originally thought Andro's preparation was a successful putrefaction, but I guess not; that means that to the best of my knowledge there is only one picture on the internet of our Putrefied starting matter, and that was originally posted on a private message board years ago....So that leaves me with the question: Do so few people know such little about Alchemy that they forsake this critically important early step? Maybe it's just because no one wants to post their Work publically.

Everyone has their reasons and I respect that.

I will ask though, being new here...has ANYONE here achieved our Blackness? Anyone at all, past members even?

If you do not pass through the blackness to the light...you will not be able to read the emerald tablet.

It alludes me at the moment who might have suggested this...but it may have been Dr Glauber.

Have you achieved our Blackness, black?

[Awani]

...but very, very, very few actually start the Great Work and much, much, much fewer than that even start working down the right path to begin with...

...and the few who do start the Great Work, and the few who walk down the "right path" (as you say) never ever ever make the Stone. Pretty funny if you ask me.

[Andro]

...and the few who do start the Great Work, and the few who walk down the "right path" (as you say) never ever ever make the Stone.

How can anyone possibly KNOW this, except the silent ones who have crossed this threshold... Or the less silent ones who only introduce gentle guidance, without making bombastic claims?

(bombastic claims such as: "the right path")

[Andro]

Everything can putrefy, including what you call 'our matter', by which I can only assume you refer to urine (correct me if I'm wrong). But urine is not 'our matter'. If anything, it can be a useful 'Materia Tertia', if one is inclined to work in this manner.

Also, if we're talking about Alchemical putrefaction (putrefaction of a body by means of its own 'water' OR the Universal 'water' OR an expression of it), it is different than the more 'common' variations. And if someone posted a picture somewhere, it doesn't really say much. Black color doesn't necessarily equal NNN.

Speaking of which, are you talking about a 'black pitch'-like mass (NNN)? If you have seen a picture of such, you should be able to tell if it's a genuine Alchemical putrefaction or not.

Maybe it's just because no one wants to post their Work publicly.

That's a fair assumption.

[Awani]

How can anyone possibly KNOW this, except the silent ones who have crossed this threshold...

Or whistleblowers.