At Natura Sophia, we make herbal products using traditional European spagyric techniques. This process culminated over thousands of years of study and experimentation by countless dedicated alchemists.
But what, exactly, is alchemy?
It might be hard to imagine how this seemingly antiquated science can offer anything to our modern world. But take a deeper look, and you’ll see that traditional alchemy can give us exactly what’s missing from our lives: a more harmonious connection to nature and a more potent method of supporting our health with plants.
Our modern lives can make us feel disconnected from nature. We often feel socially isolated, lack access to the natural world, and are unaware of the origins of our food, healthcare, and clothing. All of this creates an illusion of separation and disconnection.
But the ancient wisdom of alchemy speaks to the wholeness and connection of all life, all existence. The alchemical maxim “as above, so below” reminds us that we can never be disconnected from nature…we are nature.
What is Alchemy?
In its simplest form, alchemy is the study of life. To be slightly more specific, we could say it’s the study of the processes of transformation that life goes through from birth up until death. It’s both a system of sciences and human wellness, as well as a spiritual path. Alchemy evolved from the quest to understand life and extract meaning and power from the natural world.
The ancient alchemists developed a holistic worldview from observing nature. They saw no distinction between philosophy, religion, medicine, and science, as we do now. Indeed, the system of alchemy is considered by many to be a universal science, a universal religion, and a universal system of medicine. For this reason, their insights into the nature of plants, minerals, and stars also apply to human health.
Below, you’ll find some of the ideas that are essential to the practical side of alchemy and that inform our work with herbal spagyrics. Please note: this is a vast subject that one could spend their lifetime studying, so we will do our best to distill a few essentials here. We hope this blog post provides a clear overview, and we have included additional resources at the end if you’re intrigued to learn more.
As Above, So Below
“There is in each person, in every animal, bird, and plant, a star which mirrors…a star in the heavens.”
― Paracelsus
The phrase, “As above, so below,” may be the best-known quote of alchemy. First recorded thousands of years ago in the Hermetic Law (via the Emerald Tablet), this well-known concept is the basis for a key concept in alchemy: the doctrine of correspondences.
It states that everything in creation is interconnected. That the microcosm contains the macrocosm, or to say it another way, the pattern of the whole is reflected in each part. The entire planet is mirrored in every living cell. As a guiding philosophy, the doctrine of correspondences shows the interrelatedness of creation and how we are a part of it. It also shows how herbs are related to the greater archetypal forces of life. Central to the practice of alchemical herbalism is seeing patterns of relationship amongst plants, planets, elements, and what in alchemy are referred to as the three philosophical principles, or tria prima.
All of nature is made of repeating patterns and layers. And the creative intelligence of the universe is in each layer, so there can be no place or thing that is not connected to the rest of the universe. The concept of uniting the Heavens with the Earth is a common theme amongst alchemical texts.
Tria Prima – The 3 Philosophical Principles
When studying various herbal, medical, philosophical, and even religious traditions, we find that many of these traditions have some form of trinity, or triune pattern. Whether it be the Holy Trinity of Christianity, the three doshas and gunas of Ayurveda, the miasms of homeopathy, or the three treasures of Chinese medicine and the three modes of medical astrology, what is clear is that there is great importance in the triune pattern.
In the Western Alchemical tradition, these are represented by the Three Philosophical Principles, called Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt. These are fundamental to the Alchemical laboratory work we do at Natura Sophia Spagyrics. In fact, the careful extraction, purification, and recombination of the Three Principles is what makes spagyrics different from regular herbal tinctures.
It’s important to note that alchemical (or philosophical) Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt are not the same as the modern chemical substances. Rather, these are archetypal representations of fundamental qualities inherent to all of life, the chemicals are just minor reflections of a greater characteristic.
Instead, they are the soul, spirit, and body of all things in the world, from humans and plants to rocks and clouds. And “everything in nature contains these three components in varying degrees and ratios."
Sulfur: soul and consciousness, in plants, it is the volatile or essential oil component
Mercury: spirit and intelligence, in plants, it is the alcohol.
Salt: the body or physical form, in plants, it is the alkali mineral salts.
To read more, see our blog post The Three Philosophical Principles of Alchemy.
The Historic Branches of Alchemy
Egyptian Origins
The question as to where alchemy originally came from is debatable even amongst scholars, though many seem to agree that Egypt is a likely birthplace. The word “kemia” meaning the black land, was the original term for Egypt, and of course was the root for the word alchemy. Ancient Egyptian culture gave mysticism to alchemy. The Egyptians recognized that humans existed as both physical and non-physical beings. They used verbal sounds, guided meditations, aromatherapy, and dream therapy to address health issues (Bartlett).
The ancient Egyptians had a complex and sophisticated system of medicine. We know of more than 2,000 different preparations the Egyptians used that contained herbs, minerals, and animal ingredients. Indeed, it is said that during the period of the Library of Alexandria, great scholars, mystics, physicians, and travelers the world over would gather there to exchange knowledge and wisdom. Some of this exchange involved that of alchemy, including people from the Far East, including India and China.
Greek Fluorescence
Many well-known Greek philosophers and physicians are considered to be part of the alchemical lineage. Thinkers like Hippocrates, Aristotle, Galen, and Ptolemy all contributed in their own way to the alchemical tradition, some indirectly and in antithetical ways (such as Paracelsus’ response to Galenic medicine).
The Greeks “sought to clarify and summarize the nature of reality, how things come into existence and decay” (Bartlett). They developed the Four Elements and Four Qualities to describe life and the world, which, of course, became central to their practice of medicine and classification of plants. Greek philosophy inherently merged with Egyptian thought during the time of Alexandra, which is said to be the foundation of Western alchemy.
Arabic Refinement
After the fall of Alexandria to the Romans, alchemical knowledge was said to flee Egypt and enter the Middle East, where it was hidden and further refined. Avicenna was considered a major contributor to medical alchemy and laid the foundation for Unani-Tibb, or their system of medicine, which highly involves the use of herbs. There, the work of the Greeks was collected, refined, and expanded. The Islamic alchemists made significant contributions to the laboratory work of alchemy, particularly in the process of distillation.
The best-known Islamic alchemist from this period was Jabir ibn Hayyan, who died around 806 CE. He described the first two of the Three Principles: Sulfur and Mercury.
European Renaissance
Alchemy blossomed again in Europe during the Renaissance and had a lasting influence on modern chemistry and medicine. The most important alchemist of this time was Paracelsus, who created the spagyric method we use at Natura Sophia.
Paracelsus: Father of Spagyric Alchemy
“This work of bringing things to their perfection is called ‘alchemy.’”
-Paracelsus
Born around 1493, Paracelsus was a Swiss physician, astrologer, and the most notable and infamous alchemist of the European Renaissance.
Paracelsus is remembered for being a bombastic and radical free thinker who went against the grain of current thought, specifically regarding the practice of medicine at the time. He boldly and publicly criticized his fellow physicians for being greedy, inexperienced, and for using harsh and ineffective methods.
As an alchemist and a physician, Paracelsus abandoned the ideology of classic textbooks and returned to nature to understand health and wellness.
Contributions to Alchemy
Paracelsus extended Jabir’s idea of Sulfur and Mercury to include Salt. He described Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt as the soul, spirit, and body of all things, as discussed above.
Paracelsus created the word Spagyria from the Greek words for “to separate and reawaken.” He refined the existing alchemical techniques into a process designed to extract the soul, spirit, and body (the Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt) of plants, as well as with minerals and metals.
His goal with spagyric herbal extracts was to perfect the plant, the herbal extract, and the person who consumed the final product. Paracelsus felt humans had a divine mandate to perfect, or bring into greater harmony, the world and themselves. Spagyrics was his attempt to do just that, and in this way was a central piece to an evolutionary model of health, one that operated not just on the body, but also on the mind and the soul.
Traditional Spagyrics in the Modern World
Our Natura Sophia spagyric essences are extracts of the Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt from the entire plant. Since Sulfur is the soul, Mercury is the spirit, and Salt is the body, spagyric extracts affect the soul, spirit, and body of the person who takes them, in turn. This is because the spagyric extract sympathetically targets the same corresponding layers within the person.
This is why a single herbal spagyric essence has the power to transform you physically, spiritually, and energetically.*
Reconnecting this holistic, spiritual view of life to herbalism is one of our goals at Natura Sophia Spagyrics.
Like Paracelsus, we see the process of whole-plant, spagyric extraction as a means to transform the plant, helping it to evolve to a higher, more harmonious state of being.
And we know that, in return, herbal spagyrics can do the same for the people who take them. They have a profound ability to bring you back into harmony with nature – body, mind, and spirit.*
More Resources
Evolutionary Herbalism: Science, Spirituality, and Medicine from the Heart of Nature by our Founder, Sajah Popham
The first-ever herbalism guide to integrate herbal, medical, and esoteric traditions from around the globe—including astrology, Ayurveda, and alchemy—into one cohesive model.
The Temper of Herbs by Robert Bartlett
In this landmark exploration of the qualities of elemental degree, Robert Allen Bartlett sets up ancient alchemical natural philosophy against modern lab equipment.
Alchemical Herbalism Online Course from our school, Evolutionary Herbalism
This comprehensive integration of the European alchemical tradition and modern clinical herbalism guides you step-by-step through harnessing the transformational power of plants. This unique methodology and approach balance the science and spirit of plant medicine in both the lab and the clinic.
Additional books to begin or deepen your study of alchemy can include:
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The Way of the Crucible and Real Alchemy by Robert Bartlett
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Spagyrics by Manfriend Junius
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The Alchemist’s Handbook by Frater Albertus
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The Philosopher’s Stone by Israel Regardie
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The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus, Vol. 1 & 2, by Paracelsus
For a comprehensive list of recommended books on alchemy and herbalism, visit our resource page here.
References:
Bartlett, Robert. The Temper of Herbs. 2020. Revelore Press. Olympia, Washington.
Popham, Sajah. Evolutionary Herbalism: Science, Medicine, and Spirituality from the Heart of Nature. 2019. North Atlantic Books. Berkeley, California.
