Mercurial Water in Alchemy

Hey dear community, first of all I hope that you are all well and that you had a day full of positive experiences! In my new post, I would like to talk a little about alchemy and hope you can expand your knowledge a little.

You can see here some different minerals and specifically I would like to mention the so-called Mercurial water or Latin aqua viva pontica, which was of great importance in alchemy to produce the Philosopher's Stone. There are even views that it is possible to bring the dead to life, to cure diseases or even to reach immortality with this water and mysticism or occultism were associated with it and it appears in this context in numerous legends in which alchemy has been used as a model. According to legends, this liquid is said to have the ability to dissolve pretty much any material and it is also known by other names and is also referred to as milk of virgins, water of life or fire and there are numerous old writings that describe the production in more detail. It can also be considered as a kind of universal remedy with which the alchemists could simplify the production without having to laboriously distill substances beforehand and numerous well-known alchemists described the importance of it and it is also said in alchemist writings that earth could be brought to life with mercurial water and through contact with the water the earth solidifies and in the pores golden seeds should be found. There is also often talk of the fact that with this water you can bring the body back to its original state and it is also often associated with the planet Mercury as well as the God from Roman mythology in alchemical works of art.

Often in alchemy, certain production processes are also associated with legends such as with the mercurial water and according to legends, one should kill the lion with his own poisonous mercurial water and then extract a tincture from the earth where the lion was killed with which it should be possible to cleanse his souls or the spirit and connect his body with a new one. According to legends, some kings also bathed in the mercurial water and this resulted in the fact that the body has been rejuvenated and if the earth should get in contact with it, you can assume that fertility would increase and would lead to a better harvest and it is also often associated with enlightenment or the connection with the higher self and there are numerous other legends that emphasize the importance of this liquid. One of the best-known recipes comes from the late Middle Ages and it is clear from old writings that you should first liquefy mercury and then mix it with vitrol and according to other recipes, other metals were also used for the mixture instead of mercury and there are probably hundreds of different approaches in which processes have been tested. It can be said that mercurial water is of great importance when it comes to alchemy and often moves into the background and hopefully in this post I was able to go into the importance of it in the philosophy as well as the practice of the old alchemists.

Thanks a lot for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new about alchemy! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens!