Spagyria Versus Alchemia

“Therefore, learn Alchemiam, otherwise called Spagyria, which

teaches you to separate the false from the true.”
__Paracelsus_

What is Spagyria and what has it got to do with Alchemy ?

The word spagyry in Greek means to separate and recombine.

Spao meaning to draw out, to divide; and ageiro, to gather, to
bind, to join. These two steps or operations are the foundation of
every true and genuine alchemical work.

The above statement of Paracelsus has long been stated centuries

before Paracelsus’ time in slightly different words in the
“Emerald Tablet of Hermes”. Hermes has said that we should
learn how to “ Separate the fire from the earth, subtle from the
gross, gently and with great sagacity”. This is the separation.
Hermes has also said that after the separation, it, “ from earth
ascends to heaven and descends again new born to earth, having
acquired the powers of what belongs to heaven and also of that
which belongs to earth”. In this statement we find the union and
the recombination as the alchemical conjunction.

The secret of this operation that Paracelsus was referring to has

also been expressed by the alchemists in the well known Latin
phrase ,” solve et coagula, et habebis magisterium” . Disolve and
combine, and you will have the magistery.

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This separation as is expressed in the spagyrics process is a vital
part of the alchemical process and is a most important step that
needs to be taken in our work in order to achieve the desire
purification of our alchemical essentials.

This work of the separation is known as a Spagyric technique.

Companies who produce herbal tinctures, use this technique.
However to use this technique is not necessarily an alchemical
work as we shall see.

It is part of the alchemical work and we will see that commercially

produced herbal tinctures are not alchemical at all. We can even
say that these commercial tinctures are not even fully a spagyric
product, let alone alchemical.

Because spagyrics and alchemy share common concepts and

methods, they are often confused with each other. Spagyrics is
regarded as a part of alchemy, however there is a difference
between them in intention as well as in the method used in the
practice.

A spagyrics product in effect deals with the health of the

physical body. Alchemy on the other hand is an initiatory pursuit,
and deals with the medicine of the soul. The true goal of alchemy
is initiatory.

Working on a spagyrics product does not require a specific state

from the operator. In alchemy, however, the psychic quality of
the operator is very essential.

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The attunement and relationship between the matter worked on
and the operator becomes very strong. A sympathetic attunement
is achieved with one’s matter that sets off a certain resonance of
energies that are being manipulated and raised in vibrations.

This resonance, being between one’s matter and the operator, is

as an intimate relationship. That is why it is said that no one will
transmute anything if he hasn’t transmuted his or herself first.

There is yet an other important difference in principle between

spagyrics and alchemy. Spagyrics, like homeopathy, does not
regard healing to be as a result of some chemical reaction, but
believes that certain energies, which are contained by the body as
a vessel, carry out the healing process.

Homeopathy attempts to eliminate the vessel in order to activate

the energies.

Spagyrics purifies the vessel to create in the body a resonance

that raises the vibrations of the energies.

Alchemy also does all that, that is, it purifies the matter worked
with and raises its energies. However it does something above
and beyond spagyrics and homeopathy. Alchemy accelerates the
evolution of matter. This is the essential difference. Alchemy
transforms and converts, it transmutes and accelerates the
evolution of being both physically and spiritually. Matter and
spirit go hand in hand.

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