THE FIRST MATTER

(No Aut hor or Dat e)

W h e n w e tu rn o u r th o u ghts to the pr epar ation of the Univers al

M a t t e r , th e h i g h e st A rt of the W ise, in which is concentr ated
a l - l t h e stre n g th o f h e a ven and ear th, we m ust know that it is
i n a l - I th i n g s, kn o w w h a t the univer sal Subject is, and how it
i s c o n sti tu te d ; th e fi re of natur e in its two diver se pr oper ti es ,
t h e c o rp o re a l a n d th e u niver sal wor king power , which the phi l o-
s o p h e rs ca l l th e F i rst M atter . The foundation being the M er c ur y
o f t h e Wi se a l so ca Il e d the univer sal m atter . But the W ise k now
t h a t i t ca n n o t n o w b e found in the wor ld as One Thing, in whi c h
t h e 2 ce n tra l fi re s o f natur e r emain limited and cor por eal.
T h e r e f ore th e y sa y, th a t whoever can wor k thr ough One Thing er r s
a n d d o e s n o t fo l L o w th e Ar t, but he who lcr ows the Univer sal M atter
h a s t h e tru e Wi sd o m, a n d for him the door of W isdom stands o pen.
W h a t Go d h a s cre a te d is found in the thr ee Kingdoms, so we m us t
e a r n e stl y l o o k fo r th i s univer sal Matter in them, and it is eas y
t o f i n d i f w e th i n k i n which cr eation the cl_eanest and pur es t
l i g h t o f N a tu re o f Go d can be found.
T h e u n i ve rsa l su b j e ct is the most noble of Godr s cr eation, i n
w h i c h Go d H i mse l f b u rn s for love.
w h e n w e l o o k a ro u n d i n the whole of natur e, we see that M an
i s G o d rs mo st e xce l l e n t wor k, for all cr eatur es belong to th e
n a t u r a l a n d p e ri sh a b l e wor ld, but M an stands in a two- fold p os i ti on,
f o r h e i .s n a tu ra L a n d a l so super natur al, heId dear est by God al d
c r e a t e d o ve r a l l th i n g s.
T h o ug h h l s b o d y i s p e rishable thr ough the FaIl by cor r uptio n
a n d p a rti ci p a ti n g i n i t, yet his soul- is bor n of God, super n atur al
a n d i m p e ri sh a b L e , fo r th e spir it of God has his place and hom e
i n h i m , a n d d o e s n o t b e l ong to the gr eat wor ld, but Eter nity .

1.
 T h e re fo re B a si l i u s V alentinus says: Man is thr ough his so ul -
a d i v in e e n ti ty, e ve n though his outwar d body per ishes even as
the animals, but man can overcome this natural being through
t h e Q.E . fo r h e i s th e Centr um Centr or um and the Centr um Co nc en-
t r a t u m , a s th e sma Il w or ld is called, and Basilius says fur ther ,
everything is found in the small that is found in the great one,
namely heaven and earth, the elements and all that is in the
Firmament.
W e se e to o th a t th e W ise, not without r eason, say, "In you
l - i e s th e mo st p re ci o u s of all pr ecious things, in m an is fo und
a l l t h e stre n g th o f h e aven and ear th. The philosopher s say ,
"T a k e o n th e A rt, w h e re Natur e l- eaves off", for they wish peopl e
t o u n d e rsta n d C re a ti o n and how Cr eation came about. The ph i l o-
s o p h e rs a fte r th e i r ma gician Stilo say: This Univer sal- M atter i s
t h e p h i l o so p h i c Me rcu ry fr om which all things ar e taken and he1d,
and man being the Centrum Centrorum understands the properties
o f a l l C re a tu re s, a n d has the power s of the thr ee Kingdom s of the
l o w e r w o rl d i n tri p l i ca te in him self. He must r ealize that the
beginning of the light of Nature can be found in himself, for he
is grounded in the eternal nature.
In order that we should not be confused by the various narres
of the Prima Materi-a, sendivogious warns us truly that we must
comprehend the hidden meaning, not simply the outward words, for
t h a t i s th e i r i n te n ti o n . W her e Natur e finishes in the M etal l i c
kingdom and in our eyes has a substantial bod.y, there we must
s t a r t o u r A rt. T h e Me r cur y of the W ise must necessar ily be tak en
f r o m ma n , a s R i p l a u s shows when he wr ites, Man is the nobles t of
al-l creatures in the false creation, and in hj.m are the four
e l e m e nts, o n e i n a n o th e r, which become one wor kir g, and in the
mercuri-al- family are many materials, which through thd Art can be
drawn out.
A s t h e tw o ce n tra l fi res of natur e lie in the M icr ocosm o s o
r
a r e t h e y a L so i n th e Macr ocosm o, and in specie in the spir itual

2.
fire. In $ h e fi re i s a n Astr al Spir it, as a subtle nitr e an d i s
e n d . o we dw i th a l i vi n g soul, which is the Ar chaus of the Motor
U n i v e r sa l i s, th a t i s i n all- things and which opens its most i nner
Centrum and pours into it a fermenting property through which
l i f e a w a ke n s, a n d i s b rought to fur ther use: W ithout this as tr al
spirit th e tw o co rp o re a l fir es ar e dead and not wor king, but w hen
t h e y a re o p e n e d b y th e fer m enting pr oper ty they ar e made vol ati l e,
and al-l life awakens. Nothing ca:r exist without this astral
S p i r i t w h i ch i s th e l i fe of all things, and in Alchemie nothi ng
n e w c a n b e b o rn w i th o u t it, or be placed in the Plusquam perfec ti on,
f o r t h e S p i ri t a l -o n e g i ves life to all.
As all creatures have it for their beginning and in Gods order
a r e h e l d b y i t a n d n o u ri s hed, so it is no str anger to any creatur e'
f o r t h ou g h i t i s S p i ri t, Vet it can be in a body. Her mes say s :
T h e u p p e r o p e n S p i ri t i s most hidden in the ear th. W or k the upper
o p e n Sp i ri t w i th th e l o wer secr et one, so will the living one
awaken the dead, and be to it as a Well of Life and work great
w o n d e r s.
The Holy Spirit is indeed the agent which awakens and subtilizes
t h e t wo co rp o re a l ce n tra l fir es. W hen these two ar e br ought to
full- perfection and their Universal Weking power made substantial,
t h e p h i l o so p h i ca l sa yi n g is justified:
"H e wh o ma ke s th e vo l a tile fixed, and the fixed volatile, under -
s t a n d s th e w o rki n g o f o ur Univer sal- and Par ticuLar Recipe' .
This is confirmed by Basilius in his Tract on Uni-versal and
Pa r t i c u l a r T h i n g s w h e n he wr ites: "The Univer sal is the m ost pr ec -
i o u s t h i n g o f th e w i sd o m , and the thr ee pr oper ties ar e one p r o-
perty, and is found and drawn out from one koperty from which
aLL metals can be made into one, and is the true spirit Mercury
a n d An i ma S u l p h u r, w h i ch cleanses the holy salt, selaed unde r one
heaven, living in one body and. is the Dragon and the Eag1e. The
K i n g a n d th e L i o n i s th e spir it and the tight wor d. of spir it, the
b o d y o f th e su n co l o u r b ecom ing a medicine. Finally al- l thr e e
principles a re o n e e xp re ssion in the Love of God T
 T h i s U n i ve rsa l i ty o f the Stone is confir med by the m any b or n
f r o m th e u n i ve rsa l ce n tr e. Other Recipes ar e only used in par -
ticular i n sta n ce s a n d must be so obser ved.
T h a t th e U n i ve rsa l Mater ia lies only in the Micr ocosm s is fur ther
s h e w n b y B a si l i u s i n T r . de M i- cr ocosm o. The natur al means and
r e m e d y i s fo u n d i n th e M icr ocosm os, m etals and miner als fol-l ow
a f t e r , a n d i f o n e ca n n ot find out the r em edy, place one sim i l ar
u p o n a n o th e r si mi l a r a nd healing will r esult. It is also s ai d,
Though it may be easy to make the Stone or Lapidum it is far
h a r d e r to fu Il co mp re h end it. A11 Philosopher s including A dam ,
S o l o ma n , H e rme s a n d T h eophr astus, by they ever so wise, r €c ogni z e
t h i s d i ffi cu l ty. D i o n ysius Zachar ias also r ealises that God
p l a c e d a D i vi n e w o rki n g power in the Univer sal Stone.
T h e Wi se a l w a ys me n tions the necessity of knowing how to pr epar e
t h e i r Me rcu ry i n th e i r wr itings, for they say "Our Spir it whi c h
e n l i v en s th e b o d i e s o f m etaLs is a natur al fir e, declar ed openl y
by man or revealed by Gods Spirit. Flamellus fearing to offend
G o d d i d n o t w i sh to d i sclose the Key to the por tals of natu r e,
by turning over the lowest earth to the highest heaven. Sendivogius
s a y s : " T h o u g h i n a se n se much is said openly never thel_ess, the
e x t r a cti o n o f o u r sa l t or Mer cur y Sophici and that which bri dges
them over our water, is never openly mentioned but only revealed
by God.
W h en th e p h i l o so p h e rs m ention their - saLt or m er cur y, their W AT ER
i s s i mp l y a ma tte r o f s peech. They speak of their water as a dr y
w a t e r w h i ch d o e s n o t cl eanse the hand.. what they r eally mean by
this is that the sat-t is the Key to the Art, for in the sAlr lies
the opening of all things, and in such lies the universal_ Men-
s t r u u m o f th e w h i te Me r cur y. of this Mer cur y the philosopher s
s a y : rt i s a sto n e a n d y et not a stone, when a fier y air sal t
g o e s in to a 1 l b o d i e s a nd opens them . It is a Stone however
w hen
i t o p e n s a n d u n i te s w i th the body, then it belongs to the fier y
g r a d e o f n a tu re , ma y b e com e dr y and be pr ocessed. Then
is the
w h i t e me rcu ry a sa l t w hich has no r esemblance to the or r tir laF .* r

tl
s a 1 t , b u t w h i ch h a s a n Alkali and an Astr ingent substance, of
w h i c h P h i l a l e th a sa ys, "Our mer cur y is to be found nowher e ov er
t h e e a rth , b u t i t i s a Son which is given to us by a wonderful -
Art.
I t s b e g i n n i n g i s p a rtly heavenly, par tly false, for it mus t
g i v e bi rth to a l i g h t Spir it, in it ar e two centr al spir itual
fires, th e se a t th e b e ginning of all Pr ocr eation cover ed ov er
t h e w a te rs, a cti n g a ccor ding to Gods Hand, and until a cer ta i n
hour gave all creatures nourishment and multiplicity. It is false
h o w e ve r th ro u g h i ts fa l ,se being, over comes love and its exis tanc e
and thereby partakes of both the lower and higher powers. From
i-ts heavenly source it draws al-l the powers of heaven, and lives
i n t h e A i r, th e re fo re called the Sea of the W ise, and Basili us
a g a i n sa ys, T h e R e ci -p e of al- l metals is a heavenly volatile w ater y
spirit, which is contained in the AIR and in the earthy kingdom
and WATER,seeks its natural home and the air is the secret and
hidden earth, which hovers over our heads and from which through
the elementary enviroRments. is dravrn our white nitre. Paracelsus
w r i t e s o f th i s," On e mu st know the anatom y of the living bod y ,
and from it draw the Essence (without hurting the body) from
which a]l- the wonders of the world can be produced',. This woul-d
b e t h e g re a t se cre t o f the Adepts whlch they keep concealed, and
Paracelsus shows that the two central fires should not be taken
roughly from people but gently when overflowing of itself.
Ur in Caltha has in it the cold eentral fire whfch stands in
i t s n o b l e sa 1 t, a n d th a t is our M agnet, Philaletha calling i t
Moon artd Copper. In the red that is in the Stercus Adamish earth
is the Electrum mi.nerale immaturum, the Electrum electissimum,
t h e s e cre t w h i te sa tu rn ine m iner a, sti1I in its water , and i n
whose strength all metals 1ie hidden, and from which can come
f o r t h mi n e ra l s l i ke A n timony, Ir on, solis Gold, the sulphur of
the philosophic mars, iron and the gold in which the warm central-
fire or our acidie sulphur, through which our astral mercury
r e c e i ve s i t. F o r th i s sulphur is the clear est fir e and gr eates t
B a l m of N a tu re .

)o
 Se n d i vo g i u s w a rn s u s that we should not be l- ed astr ay by t hes e
a b o v e me n ti o n e d mi n e ra l s, for he says: "One must not look fo r the
warm central- fire in the ordi-nary metals of commonman, for the
gold in ordinary mortals is dead, but ours is alive and has a
spirit, it i s th i s w h i ch one m ust take."
T h i s u p p e r a stra l sp i rit Sendivogius calls our W ater or D ew ,
f r o m wh i ch o u r n i -tre i s dr awn, the mother of the centr um soli s
a n d m o o n . H e rme s sa ys: The sun is its father , the Moon its m other ,
t h e w i n d ca rri e s i t i n its belIy. It is called by many nam es ,
t h e S u b j e ctu m, H yl e , th e Fir st M atter of the wor 1d, for this
Spirit is the sarne tight Power hovering in the beginning over the
water, the Archaus, the first working nature or Beginning of all-
things.
Pr o t he u s a l so , fo r h e takes aIl m anner of cr eatur es to him s el f.
T h e S a tu rn i a n S p i ri t, for he br ings all things befor e us. Thi s
astral spirit through its incessant working and motion imparts
i t s s t re n g th to th e l o w er wor ld. For if this spir it ceased for a
m o m e nt, th e n w o u l d a l l cr eatur es die and decay.

God the Almighty Creator of Heaven

The earth l-ives in light
The light in Spirit
The Spirit in Salt
The Salt in the Fire
The Air in Man
The Man makes visable the Air and Spirit.

0h single eternal Heavenly and true Life, the salt and tree
J e s u s C h ri stl This fru i t, Apocaly xxll v. 2. which leads an d
holds us in eternal 1ife, I pray you that we may confound the
f a l s e T re e o f l i fe , Ge n. 2. v. ) J3 & 22. and hand over the W al l - s
o f P a r a d i se th e se p a g e s of pr ose. M ay we in this l- ife r each our
g o a l f o r th e re fre sh me n t of our mor tal bodies, to the confoundi ng
of death by practising the true knowledge and working of our Art!
AMEN