The Creation of Elixirs

The Creation of Elixirs
In the beginning of the Alchemical journey, we have what is known as the Lesser Work, in which we can begin working with Plant Alchemy and the area of spiritual and physical medicines called Spagyrics. These are the beginning stages of the physical work that is performed on the physical plane, as experiments.

As in quantum physics where we are increasingly seeing the role that the observer plays in scientific experiments, so we have in Alchemy, where the alchemist themselves are seen with great importance to their experiments. In fact, this is what separates the creation of an Elixir, from that of merely a tincture which can be found in many health food stores. It is the interaction with the subtle energies of the alchemist, which greatly adds to an Elixers spiritual and medicinal benefit.

Remember the motto Solve Et Coagula, this is put into physical practice here. The plant or herb used contains a dual nature, its soul or essence, and its body or matter. You will add and use Sprit or in this case Alcohol to separate them for purification and later to hold them together when coagulated. In the creation of a true and basic Elixir in plant Alchemy, you will do the following, but first, you will need some materials to get started:

• A mortar and pestle (or something similar) for grinding the herb
• 1 oz of the herb of your choice, according to the qualities of healing you are creating the Elixir for, for example the Sun you will use an herb ruled by the Sun
• 1 8oz glass jar (mason jars work great for this)
• A bottle of grain alcohol or high proof vodka for separation
• Glass pan for Calcination
• A fine filter for separation of the liquid from the plant matter (Coffee filter will do)
• A funnel will also makes transfer of the solution easy
• And a bottle preferably with a dropper for dispensing the Elixir

When you are ready to begin, read through the following steps several times and familiarize yourself with them. This is also done to enter a certain mind state, for the metaphysical operations you are about to undertake.

Let’s say you were creating and Elixir with Solar properties:

• Begin first with a prayer or meditation on the qualities of the solar principle, and ask that these qualities may be perfected in you through your experiment. Hold this state and begin.

• Take an herb which is ruled by the Sun such as Eyebright, during the day ruled by the Sun (which is Sunday) and during the hour ruled by the Sun, and place the Herb in a mortar & pestle.

• Begin to grind the herb down do a fine powder, meditating on your salt/body being used for the work, your soul being used for your intent, are being blended with the energies of the herb through your work. At the same time the process in vise versa is being done to you, the union of both yourself and the herb with its qualities.

• When the herb is a powder, it is now ready for efficient extraction. Take the power, and place it in the jar, pouring an equal amount of alcohol into the jar while meditating on the fact you are causing separation of the soul from the body of the herb, with the same thing happening to you so that the soul and the body can be purified.

• Shake vigorously and cover the top of the jar with plastic wrap, then screw down the lid around the wrap. This forms a tight seal and ensures that vapor does not come in contact with any metal. You can also use rubber bands if no lids are available.

• Place the solution somewhere away from sunlight and allow sitting for at least two weeks, or even better use the alchemist month of 40 days. Swish the jar around every couple of days or so, to ensure proper penetration of the Spirit being used.

• After sufficient time has passed, the Soul of the herb will be fully dissolved and suspended in Spirit, and the dead matter or caput mortuum can now be separated and purified as a salt.

• Place the filter into a funnel, or use the corner of a plastic bag, and begin to pour the solution out of the jar into the bottle. To be the most efficient, you may want to place the soaked plant material in the filter, and wring out any remaining solution. The solution should be a dark color, with most of the bright green color having faded away; the impurities of the soul remain behind attached to the matter. Be sure to proper label your elixir, and then store away from sunlight.

You now have a solution of the plant’s soul suspended in spirit, and it is time to perform Calcination. This is done in order to purify the salt or body, so it can be rejoined with its soul. Through-out this process, you have been closely observing the stages that spirit, soul, and body have been working with the plant.

Through resonance, you are attuning to these stages yourself with you subtle energy. At the same work being performed below, it is being done above as well. Remember you are in Nigredo, and beginning to look at the constituent parts of the whole individually.

To begin on the next stage, it is good to have adequate ventilation, or even better, perform the task outdoors as smoke will be created.

• On the appropriate ruling day and hour of the herb, put the soaked plant material on a fire-safe glass pan or similar container, and place fire (your will) on the matter. The Spirit will act as a fuel and ignite the Calcination process quickly blackening the matter. Meditate on the aspect of placing your consciousness on your impurities.

• Stir occasionally with a metal rod or butter knife, until the Spirit has burned off and the matter is dry and blackened. You may see small spots of whiteness and purity beginning to appear.

• Take the blackened matter and place it in your mortal /pestle, grinding the salts to a fine powder and breaking it down further into its parts.

• Place the powder back into the pan, and drip a small amount of spirit or alcohol on it and place fire against it again, allowing it to it to calcinate as before. Repeat the process as needed until the powder has become as white as possible.

• Observe closely during the Calcination process, and meditate on our previous discussion concerning applying heat to ourselves. This helps burn off impurities of the soul and body during Nigredo, until we begin to see the whiteness appear through the blackness and enter Albedo.

• The pure white salts can also now be stored away from sunlight, and are ready for use. Again, be sure to label appropriately.

If you are ready to complete the process and begin taking your elixir, begin on the ruling day and hour for the herb used in the elixir, and place a pinch of the salts in a spoon. Use the dropper to soak the salts with the soul or essence of the herb, and the spirit will coagulate the soul and body to recombine completely purified. Meditate for a moment concerning the completion of this process being done. You have brought it from the beginning to this point over the past couple weeks, and have captured the process into a consumable talisman to take in its subtle energies. You can now take the elixir.

In all likelihood you will not feel any effects of the talisman at first, alchemical or spagyric tinctures are very subtle. You will see the benefits quickly of anything relating to the physical properties of the herb being used, however the more spiritual properties may begin to manifest in other areas such as meditation or dream states first. The important thing to note is that you have fully begun the appropriate processes for initiation, and started to awaken your subtle faculties.

To help you develop in a balanced way, it is suggested to create an appropriate tincture for each of the seven days prior to beginning to taking them. This is most easily done by having all of your supplies together and creating them one per day, each day, beginning with Sunday.

As stated previously, you should have a working knowledge of the herbs you plan to use in your elixir. If you would like to get started with the ones shown here, which are safe unless you are pregnant or nursing, their name are as follows.

• Sunday / Eyebright (Euphrasia), a memory aid and anti-inflammatory

• Monday / Watercress (Nasturtium officinale), an antioxidant, an expectorant, and digestive aid. Watercress also has antiangiogenic cancer-suppressing properties

• Tuesday / Basil (Ocimum basilicum), an antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral, and antimicrobial. Basil also reduces platelet aggregation

• Wednesday / Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), a gastro-intestinal tonic and anti- flatulent

• Thursday / Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), an antibacterial and antiviral

• Friday / Passionflower (Passiflora), a sedative and analgesic

• Saturday / Horsetail (Equisetum), an anti-oxidant

As you can see, aside from the subtle and etheric effects on your consciousness, you have something quite amazing in the physical properties of these herbs. One can clearly see the benefits of this particular selection and how the ruling planets balance out the effects and create a truly synergistic medicinal framework.

For a more complete list of some useful herbs for Spagyrics, you can also refer to:

http://www.esotericonline.net/group/alchemy/forum/topics/daily-plan...

It is recommended to go ahead and begin the creation of tinctures when you start the process spoke of earlier. When you are working with laboratory alchemy, such as in the creation of tinctures and elixirs, it is very important to bring into conscious focus the spiritual work being done. At the same time, when you are working on inner development, try to also focus on the work needing to be done on the material plane. The inner and the outer work are to coincide with each other, keeping this aspect in mind will aid the ability to experience mystical union. As Above, So Below – this correlation will never falter.