salamander and remora

[solomon levi]

This topic has been discussed elsewhere, esp a wonderful conversation between
Carabic and Green Lion who are both more enlightened than I about this matter.
But I have some somewhat original thoughts I'd like to throw out there... at least
I haven't seen them mentioned. Please don't take them too seriously. These are
but loose theories based on phonetic cabala.

On salamander, I note the similarity to (h)alexander, which could be cabalistically
"salt from/out of man" which could be urinous salts and/or microcosmic salt.
Other ideas on salamander - amanda = loved or worthy of love. Which brings to
mind sal mirabilis. I only think this interesting because it was mentioned that
salamander is the lantern. Perhaps this was not the intention and I am far off, but
the lantern on the philosophers' hand is alum, a sulfate, as is sal mirabilis.
Another gesture towards alum - sal mandala (circle)[the circle is the symbol for alum].
A different interpretation: sal mandible (jaw) = spit??
Also sal aman... sal ammon...

Moving on to the remora, in french remore, which brings to mind the RERE
puzzle discussed by Fulcanelli.
I don't know when the remora actually was linked to the fish by that name of today,
but it is interesting how that fish hitches a ride with a bigger fish/shark, reminding
us again of iron/ferr/bearer - perhaps something capable of bearing something else
over the alembic, as sal ammoniac is known to do. Remora is also an anagram of
armore, again bringing to mind mars/iron.

[teofrast40]

hallo sol,
apparently the remora is a miythologycal fish that was said to cause ships to wreck or to remain entrapped in ice.
salamander and remore are another symbolic couple that pertain to the fight of the two natures that give birth to philosohical mercury.
Cyrano de Bergerac gives an amazing description of the fight between those two creatures in his Histoire comique des etats et des empires du soleil, that I already suggested in another thread.

[Hellin Hermetist]

An unusual and very interesting approach.

http://everything2.com/title/Marco+P...the+Salamander

If you have done any work with this mineral, please keep me informed. Its extraction has been banned at my country.

[solomon levi]

Originally Posted by Hellin Hermetist

An unusual and very interesting approach.

http://everything2.com/title/Marco+P...the+Salamander

If you have done any work with this mineral, please keep me informed. Its extraction has been banned at my country.

Interesting. Gives credence to the phrase "woman's work"... sewing, threading...

[LeoRetilus]

Originally Posted by Hellin Hermetist

If you have done any work with this mineral, please keep me informed. Its extraction has been banned at my country.

Which mineral are you refering to?

[Androgynus]

Originally Posted by LeoRetilus

Which mineral are you refering to?

He's probably refering to asbestos.

In 1684 Members of the Royal Society of London discussed the nature of a type of woven cloth described as incombustible linen, or salamander's wool. It was an attempt to explain scientifically the phenomenon described in many cultures over more than 1,500 years, of a cloth which could be immersed in fire and emerge, not only unburnt, but even cleansed. Such cloth is known to have been woven using fibres from the mineral asbestos.

HH, please correct me if I'm wrong...

[Hellin Hermetist]

Androgynus spoke right.

Asbestos is the mineral which corresponds to salamander.

[LeoRetilus]

Ah good well,

A magnesium silicate, Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4,

Chrysotile: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysotile

"....in which some of the magnesium ions may be substituted by iron or other cations. Substitution of the hydroxide ions for fluoride, oxide or chloride is also known, but rarer.[1] A related, but much rarer, mineral is pecoraite, in which all the magnesium cations of chrysotile are substituted by nickel cations"

"....Chrysotile is resistant to even strong bases, but the fibres are attacked by acids: the magnesium ions are selectively dissolved, leaving a silica skeleton...."

interesting that while it is not touched by vulgar fire that an acid can get to it, so if we replace the magnesium with say gold, will we have a gold glass?

[LeoRetilus]

Originally Posted by LeoRetilus

Hi all,

I found this article today, its very informative and collaborates what I have found in nature concerning gold deposits and their associations with sulphides,silicates, and antimoniacal waters in forming hydrothermal deposits, a very interesting read.

And in particular I'd like to pull out one paragraph that I need help with, somewhere in one of those old books, a path or process is mentioned that one can use to obtain a substance the, "color of the sky". I can't remember where I read it but at the time I wasn't aware of gold being able to take on the color of blue except by the disagregation of the metals to a certain size so I for the most part overlooked it but its been at the back of my mind for a while.

Does anyone recognize reading about what is described here:

".......was carried out by Professor Bischof some years ago. He, having prepared a solution of chloride of gold, added thereto a solution of silicate of potash, whereupon, as he states, the yellow colour of the chloride disappeared, and in half an hour the fluid turned blue, and a gelatinous dark-blue precipitate appeared and adhered to the sides of the vessel. In a few days moss-like forms were seen on the surface of the precipitate, presumably approximating to what we know as dendroidal gold--that is, having the appearance of moss, fern, or twigs"

I don't know if this guy knew what he had done, when he obtained the blue colored precipitate and the moss-like growth.

I posted this elsewhere but ties in nicely here as well.