Four Strange Letters by an Adept.

Here is the first one.

Four strange letters by an adept.
The ignorant disapproves to what he doesn't understand.
The scholar mocks about these big secrets.

Both have their free wills: but none of them is right[smart].

First letter

I heard that you helped my friend in an important affair and defended him with herculian braveness. Further, that you as a son of the art have walked into the labyrinth of chemistry and want to quench your thirst from this inexhaustible sea. Therefore I, to pay back your protection of my friend, tend to give you the Ariadnes' thread to lead you through this labyrinth and present you the bowl, with which you can draw from this sea (not it's rivers).

Some, like Bernhardus says, approach the sanctuary with unwashed hands and undertake chemical works without knowing their matter, namely a red earth from the garden of eden, in and out of which the perfect Adam has been created. But this matter, as soon as it had been stained by original sin, became black. Therefore the artist has to clean it and bring it back again to its first redness. As a first sign of friendship I recommend you to look through Philaletha's open entrance to the king's closed palace and thereafter I will lead you to those things that which the highest one gave me to see with eyes and grab with hands. Because what will those achieve who, being blind night owls, devastate coals and don't even know the true matter, for even Pontanus erred two hundred times in the right true matter. Others, instead of getting the stone of the wise, throw their treasures like stones out of the window.

Instead of the gold they get smoke and famine and instead of health death. Though Sendivogius says that in the air there is that spirit, which after it's thickening and coagulation is worth more than all the treasures in the world. Even clearer the emerald tablet says: the sun is its father, the moon its mother, the winds have carried it in their belly, the earth is its nurse. If hence the winds have carried this archaeus in their belly, this archaeus therefore has not brought forth gold mines and mountains in the air, but this spirit that is created by the winds, is brought and infused into the center [midpoint] of the earth. And because the earth is its nurse, it has nurtured this newborn fruit with golden natural sulphurs as well as with its milk and raised it until a marriageable age. Subsequently this hermaphrodite procreated metallic fruits too.

And that's how nature acts. Let us therefore imitate nature and don't harm her. Nature begins the work and the art finishes it. Man lives from the impure milk of the mother at the beginning, afterwards from the milk. Like that this archaeus too is saturated with impure sulphurs at the beginning until it passes over from the volatile into the fixed. It will be created all summer long until winter is coming. Because if this egg would not be sealed by winter to hold back the valuable steam, this fruit would perish in its first origin. Therefore the work needs to be imbibed and soaked with the philosophical milk after the impure sulphurs. The egg must not have the slightest opening if a new fruit should emerge from it.

Parsimony binds the common chemists and laboratory technicians literally on the mind. Sometimes they want to solute the common gold, sometimes fix the common mercury, but in these there is no living spirit. Because as soon as the metals are taken out of the mines and tortured through ovens and melting fires, they will be left by the acting spirit itself and our metals become dead bodies. The metals have lost their lives and the soul, if they have been robbed of this acting spirit. Our mercury is warm and moist and therefore unifies both sun and moon. It is gold-like and silver-like through and through, simple in its threefoldness and threefold in its oneness. It is the root-moisture and soulful seed of metals.

And even if it is locked inside the strongest prison by nature, it can be freed and redeemed out of it again with diligent and laborious art anyway. For the art cleans through a damping fire the paths that lead to the chamber and the prison. And so what nature could not do itself, it can do with the help of the art, whilst our mercury tears apart the bonding that bound it [the mercury]. And in this mercury, gold and silver are united philosophically in a way that it is the true seed of common gold and silver. But no seed is useful for anything if it doesn't putrefy. For the putrefaction must precede the procreation. But the putrefaction consists of blackness. So if we don't blacken before we whiten, we won't bring forth anything but many unripe births and all work will be in vain. Those who work differently, flutter like butterflies around the light. Hermes doesn't use no glowing coals. Everyone has this matter in front of his eyes. It is the slightest one, so that even the poor can get it. In itself there is sun and moon in a philosophical way, but valuably it contains common gold and silver. Be that enough about the matter. Next time more about the philosophical water.

Nuremberg, the 17th January 1710.

Antonius a Terra.

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Second letter

In the first letter I have written to you something about the first matter. If you would not have understood my words, I could have gone on straightway and would not dunk my feather into ink, but into the philosophical water. But it seems to be necessary, that I send you another letter about the first matter, sir. There is a matter that is indeed everywhere, though particular, from which it is possible to prepare the universal tincture (Tinctura universalissima). Both matters are possible to get everywhere, but more in an area than in another and more at a time than another.

You should indeed get letters regularly from me, dear sir. But in two years I hope to be in Vienna, because I (hoping that there will be piece) want to travel to Hungary and visit that famous fatherland, in which the archeaus is said to be the strongest, because of the amount of minerals, quality of the wine, fertility of the soil. The particular matter is specified, but the the universal matter is not specified, but is a kind without a kind of its own, that means it is generic or universal. With one word: both matters behave like sunrays. Because NB. as long as these are in the air, they are universal and not specified.

But when these rays fall into the mother (matrix) or ferment of the vine, they let the vine grow, and these rays are particularized or specified thereafter. If they fall into the majoram, they become majoram and let majoram grow, without further animating another plant. If those rays fall into a goldmine, they are gold-like, but specified. If they fall into the Saturnus, they are antimony-like.

In the air those rays are universal and a child of the sun. In the air there is, after Sendivogius, the spirit that rules in the air, which after its coagulation is more valuable than all treasures of the world. The fruit of the moon is universal as well. From these both there arises the mercury of the wise[philosophical mercury]. I know how to draw both from the air in a threefold way. This is the double animated mercury. A philosopher doesn't need to know the methods of these preparations of magnets to attract this double spirit. It is already enough when a philosopher knows that natural magnet, that magnetic principle, that adamic earth from garden eden, that is not gold-, not silver-like, not antimony-like, not vegetable, not specified, but universal.

Then a philosopher will know how to draw out this double common mercury out of this common matter very easily, unspecified and universal. From the perspective of the astrological chemistry, this process will be clear because of the following: God created the whole world out of the chaos within six days in a commonly acting manner. Within six days the planets and on the seventh day he rested. Nevertheless you actually can't ascribe to god neither work nor rest. How is this to understand then? We need to explain the divine universal work with the work of the chemical particularists. Their chaos is antimony, from which they prepare a regulus, that has a certain metal seed and is not universal, but specified. There are feces produced automatically. But giving the name "feces" is a pity.

The particularists and the philosophers in their particular or universal work, should not call these feces feces but flowers, or quintessence of the regulus. Just like that what is swimming on top of the milk is called flower of the milk (flos lactis). The particularists have learned these kinds of expressions from the pharmacists, which are calling the concentrated and crystallized substance of the wine "yeast of wine". What an indecorous designation! I wonder that they don't call the rock candy "yeast of sugar" too. If therefore god has created the six planets in six days, he rested at the seventh because the feces (to use such an indecorous designation) emerged from themselves [automatically]. Or the seventh planet that contains the unspecified universal seed. Out of this planet the philosopher will allure and get a double mercurial spirit. That one characteristic sign of this magnetic principle behavior or seventh planet is this: that after its dissolution in the most common spirit Azoth, it visibly displays the six days of genesis in the first solution.

Another characteristic sign is, that the stone that is prepared this universal way, when a few grans from it are tossed on one of the seven metal's melted regulus, it lets appear all the stars of all the sky in the upper part of the crucibles, whose appearance vanishes again after midnight. There are other countless signs of the true universal matter too. Those who don't use this seventh planet, begin their work specified or particular. But those, who use this magnetic principle imitate the example of the almighty creator of the world. He who begins his work with this universal matter, doesn't tinge right after the first processing, or one part of his tincture does only tinge fourteen parts.

Though the particularists can heal themselves from many serious diseases , the universalists can actually make themselves young again. The universalists know from their stone, how to prepare the electrum, that is animated by their stone, which is a work of the light and the center of the all. Therefore they can learn all sciences very easily at will, which the particularists possibly must let be. Next time about the philosophical water. I received your letters to me to Nuremberg in Augsburg, where I write to you right now.

The 14th of May 1712

Antonius a Terra.

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Third letter

Inspruck [Innsbruck], 9th of June 1712.

I have delayed writing letters because before I write something more clear, I wanted to know through the kabala, if you maybe share my letters with someone? You have shown my letters to one single doctor, who read them with disgust and reluctance, because he considers making gold as being impossible, preparing only remedies and despising and neglecting metallic works. If this doctor knew something about the lucky aspect of his planets, he would change his sense pretty soon. I met this doctor in Hamburg, but I never told him anything.

You have given copies of my letters to the honorable D. Plebanus, who read them with desire and only wished that they would have been written more clearly. Just like I would have to write for pharmacists and not for sons of the art, though he is one himself. But he doesn't catch the birds of Hermes by the head, the wings, or the feet, but by the tail, which those birds leave behind in the hand. But they themselves (Diana's doves) fly away. I will speak to one of these two sirs when I will have arrived in Vienna. But the other one of them will be lying down because of a major illness after my arrival in Vienna.

But I will give him a remedy unrecognized. Both were born under Jupiter. But you, dear sir, I am willing to take with me to Hungary as my accompaniment, with the help of the blessed stone which is a work of light. If you should not find pleasure in chemistry, I will show you the richest, for the time being untouched and unknown mines of Hungary and teach you how to process it with small effort and big advantage. But I am willing to make the stone for the seventh time when in Hungary, for I already made it six times. Because Hungary is ,when looking at the wines and minerals, the most fertile country.

Therefore the spirit of the world itself must be found in abundance there. Because the more the countries differ and are remote to the tempered zones, the more rare and poorer is the archaeus. I had not been able to coagulate an archaeus in Egypt. In Spain a small amount, in Italy and in France too a little more. At two places in Germany a sufficient amount, but the most in Switzerland. But I am very eager to see Hungary because of the freshly dug minerals of the mountains which NB. have not endured fire. I will do marvelous things, which the world would never want to believe. I wanted to carry one hundred urnes full of Tokaji wine after its concentration with me in my bag.

But the biggest pleasure I will have with the coagulation of the archaeus, that is attracted out of the air to prepare the tincture. With the tincture I prolonged my life and protected it against the violence and influences of the elements, because I am several hundred years old. But the tincture can't stop and diminish the influence of the stars. Therefore, because after thirty five years the power and effect of the elements will have weakened (see Jac[ob]. Böhm[e]), there will, because of my planets' run have come to an end, my three basic forces will be dissoluted by the divine Chemikus. The body will rot in the earth, the spirit will return to the stars and the immortal soul will approach the deity. In this observation, to not bury everything into the earth, I will reveal a lot to three sons of the art, when I am going to come to Vienna.

But after the successful preparation of the stone, I am going to visit the remaining parts of the kingdom of Hungary, until I am dissoluted and with Christo. D. Medicus should engage to prepare the animal alkahest out of the microcosmic sea, with which alone he will cure all diseases -even the plague. Or he should try to prepare the vegetable alkahest out of three different salts of Tartarus, with which he also not only can cure all diseases, but with this alkahest he can gradate the power of all his medicines up until the highest grade. For example: He should solute Krebsaugen [eyes of cancer - probably means limy mineral crusts formed in the inside of crustaceans] with the vegetable alkahest and he will dissolute all stones inside the human body.

If he solutes the Castoreum of beavers in the vegetable alkahest, he will cure all cold strokes and paralysis with it. But should D. Parochus should have prepared one of the above mentioned alkahests, he has to make it mineral-, or metal-like. Or he prepares himself immediately a metallic or at the least a mineral alkahest and then he will be able to solute the matter of the stone in its three beginnings, out of whose the universal tincture will emerge. But there are two matters for the stone: a particular, which will never tinge more than fourteen parts its weight. But the second is the most universal one. This tinges, after the first operation, a thousand times its own weight.

The first matter can also be dissoluted with those indicated alkahests. The latter matter, when dissoluted with the metallic alkahest of its nature, can tinge a thousand times its own weight. But if one sets all these alkahests aside and dissolutes the latter matter with the Azoth itself, then you will see god's wonderful works in this dissolution. Namely the work of the six creation days of the world, like I have noted recently in my letter. This work is by far stranger than the stone itself. D. Parochus pretends to know this Azoth. More I can't say and write even less than this: There is a spirit in the air, that after its coagulation is more valuable than all the treasures in the world. That's what Sendivogius is claiming.

But in Hungary I wanted to coagulate ten cans of this spirit. And what would I do from it? Nothing more than a good medicine against consumption [tuberculosis]. I never revealed anything in an oral way of what I now even entrust to the innocent paper. This coagulated spirit must before all things, because it is created in the air, because the winds have carried it in their belly and it originates from the stars, must, I say, be cleansed seven times to get the powers of all seven planets and thereafter it will excel all treasures of the world. Not before. That's a characteristic of this Azoth which no one, without divine revelation, or message from an adept will get to know. Next time I will either write about more characteristics of this Azoth, or talk more about it when you are present.

Yours sincerely Antonius a Terra ad Terram et in Terra.

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Fourth letter

From the neighborhood.

You have been brought to read many books about chemistry because of my letters, without having put hand on the work yourself in the least, or on the plow. Therefore I won't write more about chemical things, but more about the Kabala to you. This word Cabala, קבל means as much like: "He has heard." Because this science had never been compiled and passed on in a written way, but always been told by the father into the ear of that one of his sons, to whom he gave his blessing. With this science Moses has brought forth water out of the rock and separated the seas. Gideon overthrew his enemies with it.

Because therefore the faith of the Hebrews was just a natural one, it did not deserve several supernatural wonderworks . But to support the natural faith, they used only natural cabalistic secrets. Because therefore the Hebrews, who lived in the shadow and under idols, had this Kabala, how much more can we, who live under the grace of god, who have the grain, while the Hebrews only got the stubble and the chaff, get to this [Kabala]?

He who wants to get first knowledge about this science should buy himself the Hamburg edition of Basilius Valentinus and read the content of (if I'm not wrong) page 173, about the secret philosophy, but with the most observant mind and ponder and consider all the golden words repeatedly. Also beware not to mingle this text by Basilius with foisted ones by the wrong philosophers: that soul and spirit would be the same. The spirit is mercury, the soul is sulphur.

The spirit stems from the stars, the immortal soul is a particle of the deity. Therefore Basilius says at the cited place: the dissoluted and freed spirit can be of service to another, the dissoluted soul goes to god and is of no one's service. Why said Christ at the cross: Father, into your hands I order my spirit. He did not recommend the soul that is united with the deity. There was a chimera with Aristotle: a foxgoose, the goatstag. It's impossible that a fox can be a goose at the same time. Our theologians, having been taught by the faith, claim there is a god-man and a man-god in Christo.

After Aristotle it would have been a much bigger chimera, if there would exist a god-man, than a foxgoose. Our theologians claim, out of a certain conviction of faith, that there would exist a god-man. Actually this would happen and be possible because of the subsistence. Would one ask them what the subsistence is, so they would answer, mislead by Aristotle's errors: the subsistence would be a quality. But I say: but what is a quality? That is the unknown animal of Aristotle. I really wished that all theologians would learn and remember that the qualities are all several coincidences of destroyable mixed bodies.

How can they therefore impute a quality of themselves to god, the infinite being? But given, that the spirit is something else, and something else is the soul, then one will be able to explain with true clear mind what the subsistence is. Furthermore read Jacob Böhme and you will find there not only what the Kabala is, but all the dispositions and qualities that are necessary to perform [the Kabala] too. Who this understood by few and despised by many Jacob Böhme is? I will tell you: He was a Lutheran and also a baptized shoemaker . At baptism all graces of mercy were poured out to him as well and stayed with him all his life as a persistent property, like it is illuminated by his works and in his Apologie most clearly.

He never stained his soul with a committed sin against the laws of nature. Why should god the lord not supply a baptized Lutheran, that is living in correspondence with nature's laws, with such kinds of graces of mercy, with which he even reprieved the pagan, unbaptized Sybils just because of their virginity and chastity which they got and kept? The insufficiency of the paper and the short of time force me to close. You can learn this science without much work and effort, only with diligence and godly life, with which you can become the monarch of the whole world. I, being an inhabitant of heaven, member of angels and citizen of the heaven, am

Ew. [yours] x.
Ant. a Terra.