by Shawn Kirby L.Ac.

"In body, mind and spirit" is a commonly used phrase that many people utilize without realizing its antiquity.  The concepts of body, mind and spirit came to us from venerable sources going back to Paracelsus, alchemy and ancient Egypt. I have had an abiding interest in the study of alchemy, particularly practical herbal laboratory alchemy, or “spagyrics,” for many years now. In the interest of entertainment, perspective and history, today’s blog is a very short primer on spagyrics and the concepts of body, mind and spirit or, in alchemical terms, Sulfur, Mercury and Salt in their proper context and milieu.

( Spagyrics is generally practiced in the modern era as a means of spiritual development for the benefit of the practitioner of the art, not necessarily as a way to manufacture medicine for the general public. If the reader is interested in practicing this art for their own personal development and interest, they are advised to refer to the reading list given below. I should also point out that this article is concerned with western alchemy, and not Taoist internal “alchemy” which is not a related discipline, nor something I know a whole lot about.)

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The word alchemy comes from the Greek word khemia, or “black art” referring to the black soil found along the banks of the Nile, referencing alchemy's Egyptian origins. Alchemy later found adherents in the Arabic world who referred to it as al-kimia, which later became alchemy as it found its way into Europe during the middle ages. This is also the root of the word Chemistry, the modern science whose origins come from alchemical practices. The mythological origins of alchemy state that the Egyptian god Thoth gave the knowledge of alchemy to mankind by writing down the secrets to the art on a slab of pure emerald. “The Emerald Tablet” as it became known, has been the first text traditionally read by all alchemists at the beginning of their pursuit of the art. It is the Emerald Tablet that makes the famous statement, “As above, so below.” At its core, alchemy is concerned with the enchantment of matter and finding the secrets of spirituality in the physical world.

Alchemy as practiced in Greece took the paradigm of the four classical elements as the most basic way to work with and tease apart matter in the pursuit of the art.  The classical elements remained foundational and fundamental throughout the Greek and Arabic phases of alchemy until late in the middle ages when a physician and occultist (the two were not mutually exclusive at that time) named Paracelsus changed the world of alchemy forever by introducing his new paradigm of “the three essentials.” By that point alchemy had begun to branch into two distinctive disciplines, one that concentrated on the plant kingdom and one that focused on metal work. The metal work concerned itself with the legendary pursuit of turning lead into gold. (While this may seem quaint to the modern reader, it should be pointed out that Sir Isaac Newton was a dedicated practitioner of alchemy and spent a tremendous amount of time performing the metal work. Over 2/3rds of Newton’s writings are diaries and journals documenting his alchemical work, most of which remain unpublished and are considered an embarrassment by modern science. Whether or not Newton actually succeeded in turning lead into gold is of little consequence in light of what he discovered, and bequeathed to modern science, in his pursuit of that goal.)

Europe at that time was filled with “puffers,” most of them charlatans who were working day and night to get rich quick by turning lead into pure gold. Paracelsus found this crass pursuit of riches a travesty and an embarrassment to the art, and maintained that alchemical knowledge should be used for the sole purpose of curing disease and finding other ways to alleviate suffering. Paracelsus performed both the metal and the plant work, not to become rich, but in order to discover and develop medicine. During this work, Paracelsus posited a new paradigm that, in his view, superseded the four elements. The “three essentials” posited by Paracelsus were, in his view, the three fundamental “substances” that made up the phenomenal world. Paracelsus compared, and named, these three essentials after three substances he had encountered during his metal work, namely Sulfur, Mercury and Salt.

Sulfur can be said to correspond to the “soul,” in this case referring to the individual discursive consciousness, the “mind” as in “mind, body and spirit." In the plant work, sulfur refers to the essential oils that can be obtained through steam distillation. The next time you stop in at Whole Foods and pass the fragrant essential oil counter, you can thank the medieval alchemists and spagyricists for developing the art of steam distillation. The essential oil embodies the principle of sulfur in the plant being worked with because the unique scent of the oil is a marker for that plant as an individual.

Mercury can be said to correspond to "spirit." Spirit can be understood as life energy or the élan vital. (Many modern alchemists often state that mercury corresponds to qi 氣, or prana.)  Mercury is universal and undifferentiated. In this model, the life energy that animates living things is one and constant. In the plant work alcohol that is distilled from plants is considered to represent mercury, since alcohol can be derived from any plant and in its most pure form is always the same regardless of its source. That is why, to this day, distilled alcoholic beverages are referred to as “spirits.”

Salt can be said to correspond to the physical body and to matter itself. This is not the lifeless and dead matter of materialism or Cartesian duality, but rather an intelligent matrix in which sulfur and mercury, soul and spirit, can dance and play. Salts in the plant work are the mineral components found within the plant and are derived through the process of calcination. These three essential components, as well as Paracelsus’ ideas regarding micro-dosage, are the basis of modern homeopathy. Between homeopathy and Carl Jung’s writings on the psychology of alchemy, the concepts of “body, mind and spirit” have made their way not only into our profession but into many modern and New Age ideas about spirituality ranging from depth psychology, to the titles of books on yoga, to granola bars found in the check out aisle at the health food store.

Spagyrics, the name given to the plant work, is still practiced today, but more in the vein of a spiritual discipline than as a way to create medicines for other people. The difference between this work and the ideas of New Age gurus, is that the much of the work is done in the laboratory and not seated in an armchair. As such, the benefits of the work are meant to be experienced and not merely theorized about and turned into mental constructs or psychological theories. The spagyricist works with the three essentials in the plant kingdom, using distillation, calcination and other processes, to tease ever more rarified jewels form the plant being worked with. These substances can then be recombined, creating elixirs which can be taken by the practitioner to produce subtle changes in consciousness. In the process of doing the work the spagyricist becomes more present in physical reality, leaving behind the ghostlike shadow world of mental constructs and ideas. This working mediation enables the operator to become more and more aware of the world right before their eyes and, consequently, the unfathomable mystery that is life itself.

For further reading –

Real Alchemy: A Primer of Practical Alchemy by Robert Allen Bartlett

The Alchemists Handbook: (Manual for Practical Laboratory Alchemy) by Frater Albertus

Spagyrics: The Alchemical Preparation of Medicinal Essences, Tinctures, and Elixirs by Manfred M. Junius