Practical Alchemy: A Guide to the Great Work

«The work will provide some basic, but essential, theory. It presents a framework that should be developed (or discarded) as your own work on the alchemical path develops.» — [prefacio] Cotnoir presenta su teoría como andamio provisional: el lector puede desarrollarla o descartarla conforme avance su propio trabajo.

«To actually practice alchemy, the techniques encountered in cooking, brewing, and building fires are all that are really necessary at first, and much of alchemy can be done using only these techniques.» — [prefacio] Cotnoir baja el umbral de entrada al taller: cocinar, fermentar y hacer fuego bastan para el principio.

«Some of the more advanced work requires knowledge and experience with high temperatures and some very toxic and caustic materials, and to this end I would highly recommend a few practical chemistry classes and perhaps some metalworking classes in order to learn safe techniques and handling of materials.» — [prefacio] el límite que Cotnoir le pone a esa entrada: el trabajo avanzado exige clases de química práctica y de metalistería.

«In the worldview of alchemy, each thing in all of creation is a dynamic mix of body, spirit, and soul. A thing's physicality is only one aspect of that thing. The heart, for instance, is not only the physical pump in our chest but a living symbol of spirituality in a variety of aspects, all simultaneous with one another. For an alchemist, the heart is the physical, mental, and spiritual center of the person. Through the study of nature, which is a divine expression of God, also referred to as a theophany of God, one can discover God.» — [prefacio] Cotnoir sostiene que toda cosa es mezcla dinámica de cuerpo, espíritu y alma, y que sus sentidos son simultáneos, no sucesivos; de ahí que estudiar la naturaleza sea vía de conocimiento de Dios.

«By opening up dense matter, obstructions are loosened and light begins to stream through. The ascent to God through God's creation is accomplished by understanding and working; step by step, rung by rung, the ladder is ascended.» — [prefacio] Cotnoir enuncia la escala como figura del método: abrir la materia densa deja pasar la luz, y el ascenso se hace entendiendo y trabajando.

«Once matter is purified and open to the intent of the alchemist and to the grace of God, transmutation can take place.» — [prefacio] la condición doble que Cotnoir le pone a la transmutación: intención del operador y gracia.

«In fact, some views hold that the transmutation of base metals into gold is a reflection of the inner state of the alchemist. Others hold that it is the grace of God alone that allows transmutation to take place. Even so, the will of man, as St. Macarius of Egypt noted, “is an essential condition, for without it God does nothing.” It is we who must move first.» — [prefacio] Cotnoir consigna las dos posiciones sin arbitrar entre ellas y le añade la voluntad humana como condición, con la fórmula que atribuye a san Macario de Egipto.

«And so, in working with matter, in reaching deep into its heart and changing it into a liquid, mirror-like, reflective state, alchemists work in the same way on themselves. Alchemy is much like iconography. An icon can be seen as a window showing the other, inner aspect of one's self. In creating an icon one is simultaneously working on the inner self, the inner icon.» — [prefacio] la analogía con la iconografía que Cotnoir usa para juntar operación material y trabajo interior; la plana lleva llamada a nota tras *icon*.

«Both alchemy and iconography are techniques of gnosis» — [prefacio] Cotnoir clasifica ambas artes bajo el mismo género; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota que sigue en la plana.

«they are stages and steps on the ladder of ascent. They are both paths for the artist.» — [prefacio] continuación de la misma frase, ya pasada la llamada a nota: las dos artes como peldaños y como oficio de artista.

«In Greek, poesis means “to make.” Alchemy was called chrysopoeia by the Greeks; literally, “gold-making.” “Making” in this sense is the act of composition, the arrangement of elements, as in music. Perhaps a better translation of poesis would be “to compose” so that chrysopoeia becomes “gold-composing.”» — [prefacio] Cotnoir propone leer *chrysopoeia* como composición y no como fabricación, y lo apoya en la etimología griega de *poesis*.

«One might consider the composition of words, that is, poetry, as an alchemical process. The poet takes the words (i.e., the material) from the dictionary, the rules (i.e., the techniques) from a book on grammar, and the poetic form (i.e., the process), and creates his work of art.» — [prefacio] Cotnoir desglosa la analogía poética en materia, técnica y proceso, que son los tres términos con que describe el trabajo de taller.

«Though it may seem to begin with the inanimate, alchemy is a living process and is always working with living substances. Realize that what you are working with is alive and vibrant, and begin the work from there.» — [prefacio] Cotnoir niega que la materia del trabajo sea inanimada y pone esa premisa como punto de partida operativo.

«As in most arts, the quality of the raw materials counts for a good deal of the rich and nuanced results to be had at the end of the various processes. Nonetheless, without the genius and effort of the alchemist/ poet, we would still have nothing. The inner development of the alchemist is one of the fundamental keys to the process.» — [prefacio] Cotnoir reparte el resultado entre calidad de la materia prima y desarrollo interior del operador, y no subordina el segundo al primero.

«What follows is the beginning of the work. It is all process.» — [prefacio] la línea con que Cotnoir cierra el prefacio y define el libro entero como proceso.

«Mutus liber. Altus, 1677.» — [pie de lámina] el crédito de la lámina que cierra el prefacio, atribuida al *Mutus liber* firmado Altus.

«There should be the invocation of God, flowing from the depth of a pure and sincere heart, and a conscience which should be free from all ambition, hypocrisy, and vice.» — [Ora, epígrafe] el epígrafe del capítulo, que el volumen atribuye a Basilio Valentín: la invocación como requisito moral previo al trabajo.

«Let constant prayer, to impart to you this Blessing, be the beginning of your work.» — [Ora, epígrafe] cierre del mismo epígrafe de Basilio Valentín, con llamada a nota al pie tras la frase.

«Prayer (ora) is a key to the practice. It is not the prayer of asking, “Please let it happen,” but the prayer of aspiration, of opening oneself up to Divinity and letting the light begin to shine through the cracks. It is mindful recitation; it is dhikr or recollection; it is the prayer of the heart.» — [Ora] Cotnoir deslinda la plegaria de petición de la de aspiración, y equipara esta última con el *dhikr* islámico y con la oración del corazón.

«Here is the prayer with which St. Albertus Magnus begins his Libellus de alchimia» — [Ora] Cotnoir introduce como modelo la plegaria de apertura que adjudica al *Libellus de alchimia* de Alberto Magno; sigue llamada a nota.

«“All wisdom is from the Lord God and hath been always with Him, and is before all time.» — [Ora, Alberto Magno] primera línea de la plegaria transcrita, que el propio texto marca con comillas por ser cita bíblica dentro de la cita.

«Let whoever loves wisdom seek it in Him and ask it of Him, “who gives abundantly to all men, and does not reproach.”» — [Ora, Alberto Magno] continuación de la plegaria, con la segunda cita escrituraria embutida.

«For He is the height and the depth of all knowledge and the treasure houses of all wisdom, “since from Him and through Him and unto Him are all things”: without Him nothing can be done; to Him be honor and glory forever. Amen.» — [Ora, Alberto Magno] cierre de la plegaria, con la cláusula que hace de la gracia condición sin la cual nada se obra.

«All should commence with prayer, invocation, and a dedication to the larger good. All should commence with good intent. From there, invoke the grace of God, and dedicate the fruit of your labor.» — [Ora] la norma operativa con que Cotnoir cierra el capítulo: toda obra empieza con plegaria, buena intención y dedicatoria del fruto.

«But there is another science which is about the generation of things from the elements, and from all inanimate things. . . . This science is called “theoretical alchemy,” which theorizes about all inanimate things and about the generation of things from the elements. There is in addition an operative and practical alchemy, which teaches how to make noble metals, colours, and many other things—better and more plentifully by art than they are produced by nature.» — [Overview, epígrafe] el epígrafe del panorama, que parte la disciplina en teórica y operativa; los puntos suspensivos son del propio volumen.

«—OPUS TERTIUM OF ROGER BACON (1214–1294)» — [Overview, epígrafe] la atribución del epígrafe: el *Opus tertium* de Roger Bacon, con sus fechas.

«It is true that many historical alchemists have pursued this goal, each with a different motivation. For some, transmutation was an outward sign—dramatic, yet only a sign of inner attainment; for others, it was a demonstration of profound insight into nature. For quite a few others, it was the dream of fast money. And for some, it was a way to bring about peace and prosperity for the many poor and sick.» — [Overview] Cotnoir reparte las motivaciones históricas de la transmutación en cuatro, y no jerarquiza entre ellas.

«This science treats of the imperfect bodies of minerals, and teacheth how to perfect them.» — [Overview, Geber] la primera de las definiciones que el volumen recopila, atribuida en la misma plana a Geber, siglo XIII.

«Alchemy means: to carry to its end something that has not yet been completed.» — [Overview, Paracelso] la segunda definición recopilada, adjudicada a Paracelso y fechada en 1540.

«Alchemy is a science and art of making a fermentative powder, which transmutes the imperfect metals into gold, and which is a useful universal remedy for all the natural illnesses of man, of animals and of plants.» — [Overview, Pernety] la tercera definición recopilada, que junta transmutación metálica y remedio universal para hombres, animales y plantas.

«—ANTOINE-JOSEPH PERNETY, 1758» — [Overview] la firma de esa tercera definición, con su fecha.

«The contemporary alchemist, Frater Albertus (1911–1984), spoke of alchemy as the “raising of vibrations,”» — [Overview] Cotnoir añade la definición de Frater Albertus; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«reflecting the view of Paracelsus that alchemy can transmute something “into its final substance and ultimate essence.”» — [Overview] continuación de la misma frase: Cotnoir empareja la fórmula de Frater Albertus con la de Paracelso.

«The idea of transmutation goes back a long way in our history, starting with early metallurgy and craft initiation. Alchemy developed in a wide range of cultures, geographies, and times; like astrology, it grew out of a variety of factors coming together over time.» — [Overview] Cotnoir data el origen de la idea en la metalurgia temprana y la iniciación de oficio, y niega origen único.

«We see these influences in the writings of the Greek Zosimos of Panopoli (ca. 300 A.D.), for example. Alchemy then flowed from Hellenistic Egypt with the Greeks, via Orthodox monks, throughout such places as Egypt and Syria.» — [Overview] Cotnoir toma a Zósimo de Panópolis como testigo del cruce alejandrino y traza la vía monástica de la transmisión.

«These monks were key in the transmission of Greek science and philosophy to Islam, translating texts from Greek into Arabic. One alchemical text, Risalat Mariyanus al-Rahib al-hakim li-l-amir Khalid ibn Yazid, is an account of just such a transmission of the wisdom of the Greek alchemists from a Syrian monk to Khalid ibn Yazid,» — [Overview] Cotnoir nombra la risala de Mariyanus como relato de la propia transmisión que describe; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«This work (whose English title is translated as The Epistle of Maryanus (Morienus), the Hermit and Philosopher to Prince Khalid ibn Yazid) describes the teaching Morienus gave to Khalid concerning the elixir—that is, the Philosopher's Stone, the aim of the Great Work, that which can cure the illnesses of matter and men.» — [Overview] Cotnoir identifica elixir, Piedra Filosofal y fin de la Gran Obra como un solo objeto, y le adjudica cura de la materia y del hombre.

«The art and science of alchemy rapidly advanced within the Islamic context, nurtured by Islam's embrace of both the natural sciences and gnosis. It was Jabir ibn Hayyan (721–815 A.D.) who developed Aristotle's idea of the formation of metals and minerals into a theory of Mercury and Sulphur, essential to understanding alchemy.» — [Overview] Cotnoir adjudica a Yabir ibn Hayyan el paso de las exhalaciones aristotélicas a la teoría de Mercurio y Azufre.

«The physician Ar-Razi (865– 925 A.D.) developed an empirical system of classification for the materials used in alchemy that presaged modern chemistry.» — [Overview] Cotnoir le atribuye a Ar-Razi la clasificación empírica de materiales; el espacio dentro de la fecha es del troceo.

«From the Islamic realms, alchemy came to Western Europe in February of 1144 with the translation of the Risalat Mariyanus from Arabic into Latin as Liber de compositione alchimiae. This was the beginning of the» — [Overview] Cotnoir fecha la entrada de la alquimia en Europa occidental en febrero de 1144; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *translation of many Arabic treatises into Latin*.

«The thirteenth-century European scholars Roger Bacon (1214–1294) and St. Albertus Magnus (1193–1280) are just two of the writers who reflect the next generation of alchemists— those who were working with and interpreting the translated Arabic texts.» — [Overview] Cotnoir sitúa a Bacon y a Alberto Magno como lectores de la traducción árabe, no como origen.

«And so alchemy flowed through Europe. The most famous names of alchemists, real and imaginary, were Sir George Ripley, Paracelsus, Nicholas Flamel, Basil Valentine, Michael Maier, and Isaac of Holland.» — [Overview] la nómina que Cotnoir da del canon europeo, con la salvedad de que incluye nombres reales e imaginarios sin separarlos.

«This marriage of philosophy and technology continued to develop until alchemy reached its peak in the mid-seventeenth century with Eirenaeus Philalethes. Sir Isaac Newton, himself a practicing alchemist, pointing his mind into matter as he had done with space, was perhaps both the last alchemist and the first physicist.» — [Overview] Cotnoir pone la cima del arte a mediados del siglo XVII con Filaleteo y presenta a Newton como bisagra, con un *perhaps* que no retira.

«By the end of the seventeenth century, alchemy had been entirely discredited. It wasn't until the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that alchemy experienced a revival of interest in its more spiritual, psychological, and healing aspects. The physical aspect, when presented at all, was strongly positioned within the context of either medicine or mystical initiation.» — [Overview] Cotnoir traza el desprestigio de fines del XVII y el retorno de fines del XIX, y anota que el retorno privilegió lo espiritual y curativo sobre lo físico.

«However, alchemy has always consisted of two aspects: the physical and the spiritual. Some early alchemists had a very strong orientation to the chemical aspects of the work, while others later took an almost purely mystical orientation. But both aspects were always present.» — [Overview] Cotnoir niega que la partición entre alquimia física y espiritual reparta épocas, y sostiene la copresencia de las dos.

«Alchemy's journey is so varied that a definitive history has yet to be written. Familiarizing yourself with the history of alchemy will not be time wasted. If you pursue the alchemical path, you will find yourself at one time or another directly in front of a text whose process you would like to know, and whose insights you would like to understand. In the broadest terms, history can provide the keys to understanding.» — [Overview] Cotnoir declara que la historia definitiva del arte está por escribirse y justifica el estudio histórico por su rendimiento operativo.

«In approaching the study and practice of alchemy, it is important to remember that there are as many alchemies as there are alchemists. Yes, they can be grouped by period, geographic region, philosophy, and religion, but at the heart of alchemy is the individual alchemist, his individual practice, and his particular writings.» — [Overview] la regla de lectura que Cotnoir pone por delante de toda clasificación: la unidad del arte es el alquimista singular.

«Which alchemist is speaking, and the context in which the text or practice exists, must be kept» — [Overview] corolario de esa regla; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *in mind while considering any text. Speaking even more broadly, context is everything*.

«For example, one alchemist will use the term “Green Lion” to mean stibnite, the mineral ore of the metal antimony, while another says that it is vitriol, a metallic sulphate salt. In his own context, each is correct.» — [Overview] el caso con que Cotnoir muestra la dependencia del contexto: el León Verde vale estibina en un autor y vitriolo en otro, y no arbitra entre ambos.

«Do not assume that a term or symbol means the same thing from writer to writer, from period to period, or even in the works of a single writer.» — [Overview] la prohibición metodológica que Cotnoir extiende hasta dentro de la obra de un mismo autor.

«When looking at a symbol across a variety of languages, countries, and cultures, we can perhaps at times see the symbol's more luminous center. And with this luminous center in mind, we can reapproach the symbol in its particular context and from there begin to see a deeper meaning for that term or symbol.» — [Overview] el movimiento de vuelta que Cotnoir propone: del cotejo entre culturas al centro luminoso, y de ahí otra vez al contexto propio.

«“Liber enim librum aperit.” (One book opens another.) —RHAZES (AR-RAZI)» — [Overview] la máxima latina y su traducción, que el volumen atribuye a Rhazes, es decir Ar-Razi.

«A more narrow interpretation of the phrase “one book opens another” is that one book is literally a key to another book. For instance, terms or materials used in one book to describe a process are defined and scattered throughout several books.» — [Overview] Cotnoir lee la máxima en clave técnica: los términos de un proceso están repartidos a propósito entre varios libros.

«For example, suppose it was a bread recipe that was being dispersed through three texts. In the first text the ingredients may be, “wheat, salt, the powder of expansion, and the crystals of the Sun.” The second text may say, “The fruit of Ceres, a sweet solar powder, and salt.” The third and final text may say, “the only thing necessary for the completion of the work is a water strengthened by the expansive dust collected from the grape and fed by the Sun.” These three texts could be used together to interpret one another. We can interpret the ingredients to be wheat (Fruit of Ceres), salt, possibly yeast (powder of expansion/dust from the grape), possibly sugar (crystals of the Sun/sweet solar powder), and water.» — [Overview] la receta de pan inventada con que Cotnoir ejemplifica la lectura cruzada; el *possibly* repetido marca que el resultado queda en conjetura.

«This was a way of concealing from fools the precious knowledge of transmutation, but concealing it in a way that with some effort in reading and study, a process was given that even a fool could begin to understand.» — [Overview] Cotnoir describe el ocultamiento como filtro graduado, no como cierre: cede al estudio.

«Typically the ingredients are not given fully or clearly in any one text— and, when finally worked out, there are still usually one or two questions remaining that only the actual attempt at the process will answer.» — [Overview] el límite que Cotnoir le pone a la lectura cruzada: siempre queda un resto que solo contesta el intento en el taller.

«To truly glean the meaning from a particular work, you need to read a wide cross section of texts, and then go back to the original text and reread it. Each time this is done, a richer, deeper understanding is reached and, in conjunction with practice, the heart of alchemy begins to reveal itself.» — [Overview] el método de lectura en espiral que Cotnoir prescribe, atado a la práctica de taller.

«Alchemical Signs. John Worlidge, sixteenth century» — [pie de lámina] el crédito de la tabla de signos alquímicos, que el volumen fecha en el siglo XVI; el nombre va tal cual lo imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«Other methods were used to conceal alchemy's secrets from fools. One was to use many names for one material—thus effectively burying its meaning in redundant noise. Another method was to repeat one or two of the materials over and over camouflaged in a variety of terms, so that a process that seems to need nine to ten materials really needs only three or four.» — [Overview] los dos primeros procedimientos de ocultamiento que Cotnoir inventaría: la multiplicación de nombres y la repetición camuflada de un mismo material.

«Yet another way of disguising a true statement is to deny its truth after stating it. When a person blurts out some brutally honest but truthful comment to someone, one of the most common reactions of the speaker, on seeing the hurtful result of his words, will be to quickly try to ease, if not erase, their impact with assurances such as, “just kidding, I didn't mean it.” The same is true in alchemical texts. When a writer declares that he will show the true way, then quickly follows up with a denial or disclaimer, such as “the mercury is not ordinary mercury but the mercury of the sages,” implying something distinct from the usual meaning of the term, you must consider both meanings.» — [Overview] el tercer procedimiento: la negación posterior al enunciado verdadero, que Cotnoir manda leer en los dos sentidos a la vez.

«At times you will see that in one text the confession is correct, while in a completely different text it is the denial that is correct.» — [Overview] la consecuencia práctica: la elección entre confesión y desmentido no se decide por regla general, sino texto por texto.

«Signs are really a kind of shorthand since they point clearly and directly to what they mean. They need to be learned. Signs have also been used to hide meaning, and unless one has the key, the text is impossible to understand. The fifteenth-century Voynich Manuscript is an extreme example. Encrypted with images and signs, the manuscript remains silent to this day; none of our top cryptologists have been able to decode it.» — [Overview] Cotnoir define el signo como taquigrafía que se aprende, y pone el manuscrito Voynich —que fecha en el siglo XV— como caso extremo de cifra no resuelta.

«A symbol, on the other hand, has a more spontaneous feeling and, when viewed or considered properly, tends to reveal rather than conceal. In fact, a symbol's purpose is to reveal meaning, not to conceal it. It is only a fog of our own making that obscures the symbol's light. A symbol is open to a more intuitive approach to understanding its meaning, and in alchemy it will often reveal the material or a method.» — [Overview] el deslinde entre signo y símbolo con que Cotnoir cierra: el signo esconde por convención, el símbolo muestra, y la niebla la pone el lector.

«In particular, study the depictions of myths, biblical stories, allegories, emblems, and heraldry, from which much alchemical imagery has its origins. This will also help you sift through some of the nonalchemical imagery and to realize that sometimes an elk is just an elk.» — [Overview] Cotnoir remite la iconografía alquímica al mito, la Biblia, la emblemática y la heráldica, y advierte contra leer como alquímica toda imagen del período.

«An excellent method of study is to reproduce the alchemical images by hand, whether by drawing, copying, or tracing. This forces you to make a careful study of the composition of the symbol as your eye takes in the detail and your hand gives it expression. As you do this, meditate on the various meanings and functions the symbol has and allow it to open to you.» — [Overview] el ejercicio que Cotnoir prescribe para el estudio de las imágenes: copiarlas a mano, y meditar sobre ellas mientras se copian.

«I cannot emphasize enough the absolute necessity to read and re-read, contemplate, consider, and work in order to move along on the alchemical path.» — [Overview] Cotnoir repite en el cierre del panorama la divisa del prefacio, ahora sin latín.

«The first gateway into the work is theory. Without theory, without our minds fully engaged in the work, the work just collapses into a pointless exercise, painting by numbers if you will—pretty in a kitschy sort of way, but of no real import. The alchemical theory to follow is an overview, but with enough detail to allow you to understand an alchemical text and to begin actual alchemical work.» — [Overview] Cotnoir hace de la teoría la primera puerta y acota de antemano el alcance de la que va a exponer: panorama, no sistema.

«Empedocles says: “Nothing that is has a nature, but only mixing and parting of the mixed, and nature is but a name given them by men.”» — [cap. 1, epígrafe] el epígrafe del primer capítulo, que el volumen adjudica a Aristóteles citando a Empédocles; sigue llamada a nota.

«Before beginning any action one should have a clear mental picture of it, the intent behind it, and how it will flow. This is what is meant by theory. The word theory comes from the Greek theoria, meaning “contemplation,” or more exactly, “divine vision.” Theory is a mental laying-out of the view and process.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir define teoría por su etimología griega y la vuelve un ejercicio previo de visualización, no un cuerpo de doctrina.

«Alchemical theory is actually a cosmology, a system for understanding how elements, events, and phenomena evolve, interact, and dissolve—in short, how our universe works. The cosmos or universe depicted by alchemical theory is a rich one, with all aspects of creation interlinked.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir identifica teoría alquímica con cosmología y pone el enlace universal como su rasgo.

«All cosmology hinges on the level of focus and resolution. It is a question of how much detail and precision we use to describe whatever it is we are attempting to understand.» — [cap. 1] la cláusula de resolución con que Cotnoir relativiza toda cosmología, la suya incluida.

«For example, say our universe is an island and we wish to measure its circumference. Are we measuring the coastline in meters or centimeters, yards or inches? What exactly do the numbers mean? A coastline measured by centimeter is longer than the same coastline measured by meter. How can this be? Well, the centimeter can measure more of the coastline detail than can a meter. So when the meter measurement is converted to centimeters, the measurement made by the centimeter is» — [cap. 1] el ejemplo de la costa medida en distintas unidades; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *longer. Same coastline, different numbers, but both are correct, within their own context*.

«Historical alchemists were trying to resolve the question of how our universe operates through a variety of worldviews, from Islamic mysticism to the supremacy of reason in Enlightenment Europe. Alchemists/ philosophers, in their contemplation of the world of form, looked to the idea of elements—basic units from which the rest of the world was composed and built. Understanding what these elements are, how they behave, and how they can be manipulated, shifted, rotated, and changed, has been the driving force behind much of alchemy through the ages.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir sitúa la doctrina de los elementos como motor del arte a lo largo de cosmovisiones incompatibles entre sí.

«As Werner Heisenberg, one of the developers of quantum theory, noted: “What we observe is not nature in itself but nature exposed to our method of questioning.”» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir trae a Heisenberg para emparejar la dependencia del marco en la física contemporánea con la de la teoría alquímica; sigue llamada a nota.

«Aristotle (384–322 B.C.), in his Metaphysics, Book V, defined an element as “that out of which a thing is primarily composed, which is immanent in the thing and which is indivisible according to form.”» — [cap. 1] la definición de elemento que Cotnoir toma del libro V de la *Metafísica*.

«He initially held that there were four elements: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. Plato (427–347 B.C.) in reference to the fifth geometric solid, the dodecahedron, “. . . the god used for arranging the constellations on the whole heaven,”» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir adjudica a Platón la sugerencia del quinto elemento por vía del dodecaedro; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota, y la frase remata *suggested a fifth element*.

«Aristotle also elaborated upon a fifth element—aither, (aether in Latin). In English it is “ether,” or “quintessence,” and represents space. Most commonly, even the five elements are referred to in discussions as the Four Elements.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir traza la serie *aither*-éter-quintaesencia y anota que la nomenclatura corriente sigue diciendo cuatro aunque cuente cinco.

«It was not only the Greeks who used this idea of four or five elements. As early as 1500 B.C. we see the idea of four elements in India. We also see the five elements in India, Tibet, and China, but with some variations. In India and Tibet there are fire, air, earth, water, and space. In China there are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir niega la exclusividad griega de la doctrina y da las listas india, tibetana y china sin homologarlas.

«In some philosophies in the East, the concept of space is seen as a “material” thing, a particle like the other four, as indicated in the Kalachakra tantra. In Western thought, Aristotle conceives of space as more a place in which something can occur.» — [cap. 1] la divergencia que Cotnoir consigna sin armonizar: el espacio como partícula en el *Kalachakra tantra*, como lugar en Aristóteles.

«Aristotle's Four Element theory was dominant throughout most of the history of alchemy. His On the Heavens, Metaphysics, Physics, and On» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir enumera los tratados aristotélicos de fondo; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *Generation and Corruption and the thirteenth-century explication of these works by scholastics such as St. Thomas Aquinas*.

«Aristotle and the scholastics were eventually put aside in a favor of a philosophy that looked to direct experience for answers rather than the statements of ancient authorities and their commentators.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir data el desplazamiento de la autoridad antigua por la experiencia directa; el *in a favor* es del troceo.

«An expression of this movement can be seen in the sixteenth century with the shift away from the Four Elements theory to one developed by the Swiss-German alchemist Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, more commonly known as Paracelsus, who placed greater emphasis on what he termed the Three Principles, rather than the Aristotelian elements.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir fecha en el siglo XVI el paso de los cuatro elementos a los Tres Principios de Paracelso, y da el nombre completo.

«However, let us start at the beginning with the Great Elements, since this was the underlying dominant framework and mindset within which the alchemists, physicians, and philosophers all operated from 500 B.C.–1700 A.D.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir acota el marco de los Grandes Elementos entre el 500 a.C. y el 1700 d.C. y lo hace común a alquimistas, médicos y filósofos.

«FIRE (First posited by Heraclitus). Empedocles—Hades (Typhon). Red. Feeling. Aquinas defines Fire as a simple, that is, indivisible, body. It is hot and dry.» — [cap. 1] la entrada del Fuego en el repertorio de elementos, con su primer proponente, su dios en Empédocles, su color, su función psíquica y su definición tomista.

«Avicenna (Ibn Sina). Its natural position is above all the other elements and is located in the region of the sublunary world—all that is beneath the Moon, in other words, our world.» — [cap. 1, Avicena] la posición del Fuego según Avicena, dentro de la misma entrada.

«It matures, rarefies, refines, and intermingles with all things. Its penetrative power enables it to traverse Air; with this power it subsumes the two heavy cold elements; by this power it keeps the elementary properties in harmony.» — [cap. 1, Avicena] las operaciones que Avicena le atribuye al Fuego, con la armonía elemental como efecto; sigue llamada a nota.

«AIR (First posited by Anaximenes). Empedocles—Zeus (Osiris). Yellow. Thinking. Aquinas defines Air as a simple body. It is wet and hot.» — [cap. 1] la entrada del Aire, con la misma rejilla de datos.

«WATER (First posited by Thales). Empedocles—Persephone (Nephthys). Blue. Intuition. Aquinas defines Water as a simple body. It is cold and wet.» — [cap. 1] la entrada del Agua.

«EARTH (First posited by Xenophanes). Empedocles—Hera (Isis). Green. Solidity, Persistence. Aquinas defines Earth as a simple body. It is dry and cold.» — [cap. 1] la entrada de la Tierra, que cierra los cuatro.

«QUINTESSENCE, also called the Ether. This is the fifth element. It has no qualities and is the field, that is the source, of all matter and the space in which it exists.» — [cap. 1] la quintaesencia, que Cotnoir describe sin cualidades y como campo del que sale toda materia.

«Aristotle described the formation of the Four Elements as the interplay between two qualities—active and passive. He described the active as “hot-cold,” which causes bodies to coalesce. The passive is “dry-moist” which causes bodies to dissolve. The interplay of these two binaries gives rise to the Four Elements. In this system Fire is hot and dry; Air is hot and wet; Water is cold and wet; and Earth is cold and dry.» — [cap. 1] la derivación de los cuatro elementos a partir de dos binarios de cualidades, con el reparto completo.

«The order of the elements is, from the center out, Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Space. Of the elemental qualities, two are found in each element. However, in each element, one quality is primary and one quality is secondary.» — [cap. 1] el orden concéntrico de los elementos y la jerarquía interna de sus cualidades.

«Fire: Hot—primary. This is the higher of the active qualities or principles. Dry—secondary. All moisture is consumed by the heat.» — [cap. 1] el desglose de las cualidades del Fuego, primera fila de la serie.

«Earth: Dry—primary. It is as though it had not been resolved into humidity because of its great distance from Fire. It is most dense. Cold—secondary. This is due to its closeness to Water.» — [cap. 1] el desglose de la Tierra, que cierra la serie y explica cada cualidad por distancia o cercanía a otro elemento.

«We can clearly see how the elements are interlinked through a sharing of one of the two qualities that make up the element. The rotation of the elements is the change of one into another. Changing one of the qualities causes the rotation.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir define la rotación de elementos como cambio de una sola cualidad.

«More poetically expressed by Heraclitus (sixth century B.C.), “Fire lives the death of earth, and air lives the death of fire, water lives the death of air, earth that of water.”» — [cap. 1, Heráclito] la fórmula de Heráclito con que Cotnoir dice lo mismo en clave poética.

«Take for example, actual water —cold and wet. If we add heat we change the cold to hot, thereby actually transforming Water into Air—hot and wet, from water to steam. This is the principle, according to Aristotle, that allows the elements in nature to change, and it is heat that drives the rotation of elements in nature.» — [cap. 1] el ejemplo de laboratorio con que Cotnoir baja la rotación a la práctica, y el calor como su motor.

«Aristotle: “It is clear that generation of the elements will be circular.” Earth to Water, Water to Air, Air to Fire, Fire to Earth.» — [cap. 1, Aristóteles] la circularidad de la generación elemental, con la serie desplegada por Cotnoir.

«We make use of the rotation of the elements in the practice of alchemy. We see Earth to Water in the melting of solids or their dissolution in water; Water to Air in the boiling of water or other solutions; Air to Water in distillation; Air to Fire in combustion or calcinations and so on.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir traduce cada paso de la rotación a una operación de taller.

«There is a dry “earthy smoke” made of small particles of Earth on their way to becoming Fire and a second wet “watery vapor” made up of small particles of Water on their way to becoming Air.» — [cap. 1] las dos exhalaciones aristotélicas, definidas como elementos en tránsito.

«Stones, minerals, and metals are formed when the exhalations are trapped in the earth. When the dry “earthy smoke” dominates, stones and minerals are formed, and when the wet “watery vapor” dominates, metals are formed.» — [cap. 1] la regla de formación por predominio de exhalación que Cotnoir toma de Aristóteles.

«The Sufi alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan developed this theory further. He states that the two exhalations are not changed directly into metals or minerals but go through an intermediary stage. The “earthy smoke” is first converted into Sulphur and the “watery vapor” is converted into Mercury.» — [cap. 1] el paso intermedio que Cotnoir adjudica a Yabir ibn Hayyan, a quien llama alquimista sufí.

«It is the combination of Sulphur and Mercury in various proportions and purity, as well as the duration of gestation or coction in the earth, that gives rise to the varieties of metals and minerals. When they are pure and in equilibrium, gold is formed; when impure and imbalanced, lead, iron, copper, tin, silver, and so on are formed.» — [cap. 1] la teoría Azufre-Mercurio como explicación de la variedad de metales por proporción, pureza y tiempo de cocción.

«We see here a theoretical basis for transmutation that can be put into practice. Since all metals are composed of the same materials, it is only a question of purifying and balancing the Sulphur and Mercury within the metal to transform it to its highest state, i.e., gold.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir señala que la unidad de materia de los metales es lo que hace pensable la transmutación como operación.

«The terms “Mercury” and “Sulphur” used here are to be considered in the abstract; they are not the actual element mercury (Hg) or the actual element sulphur (S).» — [cap. 1] la advertencia terminológica con que Cotnoir separa los principios de los cuerpos químicos homónimos.

«When pure red sulphur comes into contact with quicksilver in the earth, gold is made in a short or long time, either through the persistence (of the contact) or through decoction of the nature subservient to them. When pure and white sulphur comes into contact with quicksilver in pure earth, then silver is made, which differs from gold in this, that sulphur in gold will be red, whereas in silver it will be white.» — [cap. 1, Alberto Magno] el pasaje del *Libellus de alchimia* que Cotnoir transcribe: el color y la pureza del azufre deciden el metal.

«When, on the other hand, red sulphur, corrupt and burning, comes into contact with quicksilver in the earth, then copper is made» — [cap. 1, Alberto Magno] continuación de la misma serie, ya con azufre corrompido; los puntos suspensivos que la siguen son del volumen.

«When white sulphur, corrupt and burning, comes into contact with quicksilver, in foetid earth, iron is made. When sulphur, black and corrupt, comes into contact with quicksilver, lead is made.» — [cap. 1, Alberto Magno] cierre de la serie, con el hierro y el plomo en el extremo de la corrupción; sigue llamada a nota.

«From this we see the role that sulphur and mercury (quicksilver) play. Quicksilver is unchanging, regardless of what is formed, while the Sulphur tinges and gives form or character to the mix.» — [cap. 1] la lectura que Cotnoir hace del pasaje: el mercurio es el término invariante y el azufre el que da carácter.

«Rather than being just a neutral matrix within which the Sulphur and Mercury can react, we see that the quality of the earth has a part to play in determining what metal will form. As you can see, we start with pure earth, go to earth, and then finally to foetid earth, and with each step, we move further from gold.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir señala la tierra como tercer término activo, no como recipiente, y ordena sus tres grados.

«This question of earth, or the body, or salt, was addressed here and there by individual alchemists, but it really wasn't “codified” into alchemical theory until the early sixteenth century by the Swiss-German physician and surgeon Paracelsus.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir data en Paracelso la codificación de la tierra como Sal, y la distingue de los tratamientos previos, sueltos.

«Paracelsus added Salt to the two principles of Sulphur and Mercury to achieve the Three Principles, representing Body, Soul, and Spirit. This theory had a major impact on alchemy, with much of the subsequent work and writing of the alchemists speaking in terms of the Three Principles rather than the Four Elements.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir enuncia el paso a los Tres Principios y su correspondencia con cuerpo, alma y espíritu.

«In Paracelsus’ theory of Three Principles, Mercury signifies the quality of volatility, Sulphur signifies the quality of unctuousness, and Salt, the new addition, signifies solidity. Paracelsus defines the “Three prime Essences”: Sulphur, he says, is whatever boils, an oil; Mercury is whatever rises as fumes, a liquor; and Salt is what remains in the ashes, an alkali.» — [cap. 1] las dos definiciones que Cotnoir da de los Tres Principios: por cualidad y por conducta observable en el fuego.

«The terms indicate actual materials that make up a thing. Each thing can be broken down into its Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, and this holds not just for the realm of metals and minerals but for all flora and fauna.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir extiende los principios a todos los reinos y les da referente material, no solo simbólico.

«As Paracelsus noted, “there are as many sulphurs, salts and mercuries as there are objects.”» — [cap. 1, Paracelso] la fórmula con que Cotnoir cierra esa extensión; sigue llamada a nota.

«The Three Principles also resonated with Christian symbolism, primarily with the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. The two gnostic traditions of alchemy and Christian mysticism were used to interpret each other in light of the newest development in alchemical theory. For example, the Philosopher's Stone and the way to it are a metaphor for Christ and the way to Christ. We see this in the writings of Jacob Boehme and in the early Rosicrucian texts.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir llama gnósticas a la alquimia y a la mística cristiana y las presenta interpretándose entre sí, con Böhme y los textos rosacruces como testigos.

«All the above theories—the theory of elements; and of qualities; the theory of two principles or three principles—recognize that all come from one. The Materia Prima—The First Matter.» — [cap. 1] el punto común que Cotnoir le encuentra a todas las teorías expuestas: la derivación desde una materia única.

«The theory of materia prima and forma substantia—prime matter and substantial form, developed by Aristotle, states that it is from the interplay of prime matter and form that the elements, or principles, and subsequently, the whole of the material world, arise.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir adjudica a Aristóteles la pareja materia prima-forma sustancial como origen del mundo material.

«Materia prima is the “matter” that precedes actual substantial existence; it is formless “matter.” It is pure potentiality of being. It is also called “hyle.” Forma substantia is substantial form; it is that which gives existence to matter.» — [cap. 1] las dos definiciones, con el nombre griego *hyle* para la primera.

«Prime matter is pure potentiality and so it is dimensionless. It remains so until substantial form, also dimensionless, joins with it (prime matter); and from this union of the dimensionless rises the three dimensions and the beginnings of matter as we sense it. It then expands into three dimensions.» — [cap. 1] la génesis de la extensión a partir de dos términos sin dimensión, tal como Cotnoir la describe.

«Aristotle believed prime matter and form, once joined, to be inseparable. But, like all theories, this changed and evolved as it was translated and commented upon by others—until we get to Paracelsus who asserted that “an object can be separated from its matter and continue to exist as a pure form which is transferable to matter.”» — [cap. 1] el desacuerdo que Cotnoir consigna entre Aristóteles y Paracelso sobre si materia y forma se separan, sin resolverlo.

«To take matter and reduce it to its prime matter is one of the steps necessary for transmutation. Alchemically speaking, prime matter is that state to which all can be» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir hace de la reducción a materia prima un paso operativo; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *reduced*.

«We also find, throughout the body of alchemical writings, a different use of the term materia prima or prime matter. At times it is used to mean the actual material that one begins to work upon. Be aware of which meaning is being used when confronted with it in an alchemical text.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir señala la anfibología del término en la literatura y manda decidirla por contexto.

«We can begin to see how alchemical theory shows a way into matter. The idea that there is a basic level of existence that, once understood, could be manipulated and transformed, guided the work of the alchemists.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir resume el rendimiento de la teoría: da un nivel básico sobre el que operar.

«The latest count is well over 109 elements, counting the fleeting manifestations created in the physics laboratory. Below or within the elemental level lie the deeper worlds of atomic and subatomic particles. What began as two elements has become a menagerie. And where will it stop?» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir lee la proliferación de elementos de la química como continuación del mismo movimiento de división.

«In 1919, Sir Ernest Rutherford showed through experiments with nitrogen that actual transmutation is possible. He was leery of the word “transmutation,” fearing the ridicule of» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir data en 1919 la transmutación de laboratorio y anota el recelo de Rutherford ante la palabra; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *his fellow scientists*.

«In the 1970s, in Darmstadt, Germany, the Society of Heavy Ion Research (GSI) used a heavy ion accelerator to successfully “punch out” proton-electron pairs from uranium. Matter that began with ninety-two protons and ninety- two electrons was eventually left with seventy-nine of each. Uranium had been effectively transmuted into gold.» — [cap. 1] el segundo caso que Cotnoir trae, con uranio llevado a oro en un acelerador de iones pesados.

«I am not suggesting that this is what the alchemists were trying to do. Antoine-Joseph Pernety, in his definition of alchemy stated that true alchemy “employs the agency of Nature and imitates her operations” while false alchemy “works on erroneous principles and employs the tyrant and the destroyer of Nature for agency.”» — [cap. 1] el límite que Cotnoir le pone a su propia analogía, apoyado en el deslinde de Pernety entre alquimia verdadera y falsa; sigue llamada a nota.

«I am only suggesting that their framework was not that far removed from the framework of contemporary physics. It is a question of the energies involved as well as the detail of the theoretical framework used.» — [cap. 1] la afirmación acotada que Cotnoir sí sostiene: proximidad de marcos, no identidad de propósitos.

«Gold, to the alchemists, was perfection. It is a metal that is incorruptible. Nothing corrodes it; nothing harms it, save Aqua Regia, the King's Water, a mix of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid. Gold, because of its perfection, rareness, and beauty, is highly valued. The metals were seen to be on a spectrum from impure and corruptible to pure and incorruptible —that is, from lead to gold. Some alchemists described gold as a perfect blend and balance of the Three Principles: pure Mercury, pure Sulphur, and pure Salt. Lead was seen as an overabundance of impure, raw Mercury, a little Sulphur, and a heavy yet porous Salt. Lead is thus an unripe immature gold.» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir ordena los metales en un espectro de corruptibilidad y describe el plomo como oro inmaduro.

«Indeed, any aspect of creation can be moved from imperfection to perfection; as Paracelsus stated, alchemy can “carry to its end something that has not yet been completed.”» — [cap. 1] Cotnoir generaliza la transmutación más allá de los metales, repitiendo la definición de Paracelso que ya había traído el panorama.

«The first major link is expressed best by the phrase from Tabula smaragdina, The Emerald Tablet (see chapter six), “as above, so below.” This link is the link between the macrocosmos, that is, the heavens, stars, Sun, Moon, and planets, and the microcosmos, that is, life here on Earth. This link shows that changes in the macrocosmos cause or reflect the changes in the microcosmos.» — [cap. 2] Cotnoir funda el enlace macrocosmos-microcosmos en la Tabla Esmeralda, y deja abierto si el vínculo es causal o reflejo.

«The architectural blueprint of the cosmos used in alchemy is the Ptolemaic system, a modified form of Aristotle's cosmology which places the earth in the center of the universe. The Four Elements—Earth, Water, Air, and Fire—tend to fall in order from the center out, and generally fit our experience of the physical world. Beyond these four is the Ether, which is divided into shells. Each shell revolves and carries a planet.» — [cap. 2] Cotnoir declara ptolemaico el plano cósmico del arte y describe las esferas etéreas que llevan los planetas.

«In the past the planets weren't seen as orbiting balls of matter as we conceive of them today, but were seen by some as either a luminous spot on the otherwise transparent shell, or as a hole in the shell through which energy or “fire” from higher up, blasted through. There was no space between the transparent planetary shells, so as they moved they were thought to create a kind of music full of harmony and discord, described as the “music of the spheres” by Pythagoras (580–500 B.C.) and his followers.» — [cap. 2] Cotnoir describe las dos lecturas antiguas del planeta —punto luminoso u orificio— y deriva de la contigüidad de las esferas la música pitagórica.

«Working our way up from Earth, Water, Air, Fire, we come to the Sphere of the Moon—the first shell, the first division of the Ether, of the unchanging perfection, incorruptible as opposed to the world beneath the Moon, the sublunary realm, the world of change. The Sphere of the Moon is the boundary between this world of change and the realm of unchanging perfection, and so begins the ascent.» — [cap. 2] la esfera lunar como frontera entre lo mudable y lo incorruptible, y como primer peldaño del ascenso.

«Ptolemaic universe From Johannes Hevelius’ Selenographia.» — [pie de lámina] el crédito de la lámina del universo ptolemaico, tomada de la *Selenographia* de Hevelius.

«The Moon is cold and moist, most of its power is humidifying, and it softens and causes putrefaction. What small amount of heat it does give comes from the Sun. Feminine. The Moon is associated with emotions, instincts, and motherhood. Subconscious. Memory. The Realm of Dreams.» — [cap. 2] la primera entrada del repertorio planetario, con sus cualidades físicas y sus adjudicaciones psíquicas juntas.

«Mercury is cold and dry when masculine, cold and moist when feminine, androgynous. It is drying and absorptive of moisture and at times humidifying, it quickly changes between the two. It takes on the quality of the sign it is in. Mind. Communication. Principle of Intellect. Body: arms, hands, shoulders, lungs, solar plexus, abdomen, intestines, nervous and respiratory systems. Quicksilver (mercury). Wednesday. Zodiac: Third and Sixth Houses, Gemini and Virgo. Deities: Mercury, Hermes, and Thoth.» — [cap. 2] la entrada de Mercurio, ejemplo del molde con que Cotnoir describe cada planeta: cualidades, principio, órganos, metal, día, casas y dioses.

«The Sun is hot and dry, its essential nature is heating and to a lesser degree, drying. Masculine. Vitality, ego, individuality. Principle of Fatherhood. Authority. Body: heart, back, spine and spinal cord, the right side. Gold. Sunday. Zodiac: Fifth House, Leo. Deities: Sol, Apollo, Helios, and Ra.» — [cap. 2] la entrada del Sol, con el oro como su metal y el corazón como su órgano.

«Saturn is cold and dry, its nature is to cool and moderately to dry. Masculine. Principle of Contraction and Restriction. Discipline, responsibility. Body: bones, joints, knees, spleen, skin and teeth. Discipline and restriction. Lead. Saturday. Zodiac: Tenth and Eleventh Houses, Capricorn and Aquarius. Deities: Saturn, Kronos, and Nephthys.» — [cap. 2] la entrada de Saturno, que cierra la serie planetaria con el plomo.

«We come next to the Sphere of the Fixed Stars against which the planets move. The narrow band of sky that the Sun appears to travel through is called the ecliptic. The constellations along the ecliptic are called the signs of Zodiac, which begins with Aries and ends with Pisces.» — [cap. 2] Cotnoir define eclíptica y zodíaco dentro del mismo plano de esferas.

«The spring equinox, the beginning of the astrological year, is called the first point of Aries and is defined as 0° Aries. This holds true regardless of the actual astronomical constellation now at the first point of Aries.» — [cap. 2] Cotnoir separa el punto vernal astrológico de la constelación astronómica y mantiene la definición pese al desfase; sigue llamada a nota.

«The spring equinox is the center of practice. It is a seasonal relationship that determines the positions of the Zodiacal signs in the heavens, not the position of the fixed stars that make up those constellations astronomically.» — [cap. 2] la consecuencia operativa: el marco es estacional, no estelar.

«By understanding the concepts and definitions of the Four Elements, their two qualities, and most important, materia prima and forma substantia, we can see how this system informs all areas of exploration: astronomy, astrology, and medicine. This elemental interlinking of the outer world with the inner world makes for a very powerful and potent mandala.» — [cap. 2] Cotnoir llama mandala al entramado elemental que une mundo exterior e interior.

«Later philosophers, mystics, and theologians divided the Ether beyond the Sphere of the Fixed Stars even further. They created or expressed a realm of Intelligences and Angels before arriving at the source of creation's emanation—God. They did this to reconcile the Aristotelian Ptolemaic view, that matches up very well with the observable world and sky, and with the Bible, particularly Genesis.» — [cap. 2] Cotnoir atribuye la ampliación angélica del esquema a la necesidad de conciliarlo con el Génesis.

«Robert Fludd. Tomus Secundus de Supernaturali . . . 1619.» — [pie de lámina] el crédito de la lámina cosmológica, tomada del segundo tomo de Fludd, 1619.

«Imagine this luminous sphere suspended in what St. Dionysus the Areopagite described as “the brilliant darkness of a hidden silence.”» — [cap. 2] Cotnoir cierra el ejercicio de visualización con la fórmula que atribuye al Areopagita; el nombre va tal cual lo imprime el troceo.

«This is essentially a map of how the energy of creation moves from impulse to its ultimate end in the world of matter. What God does at creation, the alchemist attempts to replicate in the laboratory.» — [cap. 2] la equivalencia con que Cotnoir justifica el laboratorio: repetir en pequeño el acto de creación.

«The energy of the cosmos flows from the Creator through the planets to the sublunary world, each sphere transmitting as well as adding its own imprint as the impulse moves from beyond the fixed stars toward manifestation. All parts have a role to play in creation, and each created thing bears the stamp of the forces at play in its particular birth.» — [cap. 2] el descenso emanativo por esferas, con cada una añadiendo su impronta al impulso.

«Knowing how the cosmos is structured allows us to work “according to the celestial opportunity,” that is, when the planetary forces are at their optimum.» — [cap. 2] Cotnoir traduce el conocimiento cosmológico en criterio de oportunidad para el taller.

«However, work can be done at any time, just as you can go to the beach anytime you care to go. A weather report, however, knowing the disposition of the play of the elements, will help to decide the best time to go to the beach, whether it's to swim, surf, or photograph the incoming winter storm.» — [cap. 2] el límite que Cotnoir le pone a esa regla: la oportunidad celeste optimiza, no condiciona.

«Whosoever will work according to the celestial opportunity, ought to observe both or one of them, namely the motion of the stars, or their times» — [cap. 3, epígrafe] el epígrafe del capítulo del tiempo; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota, y los puntos suspensivos que la preceden son del volumen.

«—HENRY CORNELIEUS AGRIPPA OF NETTESHEIM» — [cap. 3, epígrafe] la atribución del epígrafe; la grafía *CORNELIEUS* es la que imprime el troceo, sin cotejo con otra edición.

«In the creative process, knowing when to do something is just as important as knowing how to do it. Things arise, unfold, and decay— interacting throughout. We must learn how to ride the currents. What follow are some charts and diagrams of how this all connects, how energy ebbs and flows in this pulsing, evolving, ever-changing cosmos.» — [cap. 3] Cotnoir iguala el cuándo al cómo y presenta el capítulo como repertorio de tablas.

«The outgoing phase, from Aries through Virgo, the beginning of spring to the end of summer, is the period in which plants sprout, flower, fruit, and go to seed. Mythologically, this is the time during which Pluto allowed his wife Persephone, to visit the earth's surface as part of the marriage arrangement. The ingoing phase, from Libra through Pisces, the beginning of fall to the end of winter, the time when Persephone returned to the underworld to be with Pluto, is the period in which plants go dormant or die entirely.» — [cap. 3] la primera partición del año solar en dos fases, leída a la vez por el ciclo vegetal y por el mito de Perséfone.

«The other way of dividing the year in two is by way of the Sun and the Moon. The first half, the Solar half, starts with a Fire sign, Leo, and ends» — [cap. 3] la segunda partición, solar y lunar; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *with an Earth sign, Capricorn*.

«Following what was established earlier regarding the rotation of the elements and the two qualities of warm-cold and dry-wet, we see that by starting with Fire and ending with Earth we essentially have a dry path, in that Fire dries and separates the other elements. The second half, the Lunar half, starts with an Air sign, Aquarius, and ends with a Water sign, Cancer, and shows us essentially a wet way.» — [cap. 3] Cotnoir deriva de esa partición una vía seca y una vía húmeda, apoyándose en la rotación de elementos ya expuesta.

«We can use these cycles to harmonize timings with the work at hand. Processes that have as a result a solid, condensed material should be worked on within the dry half of the cycle. And likewise, those that have a liquid result should be done within the wet half.» — [cap. 3] la regla práctica que sale de esa vía doble: emparejar el estado del producto con la mitad del año.

«These three phases—arising, enduring, decaying—can be associated with the Three Principles of Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, respectively.» — [cap. 3] la partición del año en tres, emparejada con los Tres Principios.

«Dividing the year by the Four Elements gives us the four seasons, each an expression of one of the Elements. The year starts with spring. Exceeding in moisture, spring is the expression of the element of Air—wet and warm. From Aries to Gemini we feel the initial burst of solar energy that will course its way through the Zodiac. It is a time of the first stirrings of life to its flower. Summer, exceeding in heat, follows. It is Fire—warm and dry. What flowered in spring comes to fruition from Cancer to Virgo. As the heat of summer leads to dryness, we come to autumn that exceeds in dryness. It is the season of the element Earth—dry and cold. As the Sun moves through Libra to Sagittarius, the plants in their fruition go to seed. From Capricorn to Pisces, the year comes to end with Water—cold and wet. Winter exceeds in cold, the energy that began the year withdraws, seeds become dormant, and roots gather energy for the coming year.» — [cap. 3] la partición del año en cuatro, con un elemento por estación y el ciclo vegetal como hilo.

«Aries—Mars, beginnings. Cardinal, Fire, Positive, Action, Most associations shared with Mars. Taurus—Venus, determined effort. Fixed, Earth, Negative, endurance, Most associations shared with Venus.» — [cap. 3] las dos primeras entradas de la partición por doce; el resto de los signos sigue el mismo molde de regente, cualidad, elemento y signo.

«A planet rules each of these signs, and, depending on the position within the zodiac of a particular planet, the planet's function is either enhanced or diminished. If the planet is in a sign friendly to it, such as the Sun is to Leo, its function and power is enhanced. Conversely, if the planet is found in a sign unfriendly to it, such as the Moon in Leo, its function and power is diminished. The full relationships between planets and signs may be found in any book on astrology.» — [cap. 3] Cotnoir enuncia la regla de dignidad planetaria y remite el detalle a la literatura astrológica, fuera de su volumen.

«The Moon is a factor in alchemical work, particularly in working with plants, due to the Moon's rule over the Plant Kingdom. The work should ideally follow and move with the phases of the Moon. The lunar cycle may be divided by two, by four, by seven, by twelve, and by twenty-eight, as well as into a diurnal cycle related to the tides.» — [cap. 3] Cotnoir adjudica a la Luna el reino vegetal y abre las particiones del mes lunar.

«In fact, to work with the Moon, one should first conceive of an action or process in terms of a plant's life cycle—of its qualities as the plant goes from seed, to sprout, to bloom, to fruit, to seeds—and then relate each to the phases of the Moon. When you can understand what part or aspect of the process represents what part or aspect of the life cycle, you can then harmonize your work with the Moon as it moves from New Moon seed to Full Moon bloom to seed again.» — [cap. 3] el método que Cotnoir prescribe para sincronizar con la Luna: traducir primero el proceso al ciclo de la planta.

«New Moon to First Quarter is productive of moisture. It represents the seed to sprout, the inception of an action and its initial growth. First Quarter to Full Moon is productive of heat. It represents the sprout to the bloom. Full Moon to Last Quarter is productive of dryness. It represents the bloom to its fruit. The completion and realization of the New Moon: the quality of the New Moon becomes concrete at the full Moon. It is the beginning of the crystallization and later disintegration. Last Quarter to New Moon is productive of cold. It represents the fruit to the seeds. The action is now completed. Dormancy or decomposition begins along with the dissemination of the seeds.» — [cap. 3] los cuatro cuartos lunares con su cualidad elemental y su tramo del ciclo vegetal.

«The alchemical processes, symbolized by the Signs of the Zodiac, are strengthened by the presence of the Full Moon in the respective sign. Sublimation, for example, is boosted by the presence of the Full Moon in Libra.» — [cap. 3] la regla de refuerzo por luna llena en el signo del proceso, con la sublimación en Libra como ejemplo.

«In general, the completion of the work should coincide with the Moon's return to the Sun. The key point is when the Moon is one minute from the Sun. This has been compared to the joy a returning traveler feels as she approaches the very door to her home.» — [cap. 3] el momento de cierre que Cotnoir señala —la conjunción a un minuto— y el símil del viajero que vuelve.

«Planetary time is the time—that is, the day and the hours—distributed to the planets’ dominions. The Lunar Month is divided by the Four Elements, giving a cycle of seven days. Each day of the cycle is ruled by one of the seven planets. The Sun rules Sunday; The Moon, Monday; Mars, Tuesday; Mercury, Wednesday; Jupiter, Thursday; Venus, Friday; and Saturn, Saturday.» — [cap. 3] Cotnoir deriva la semana de la división del mes lunar por los cuatro elementos y da el reparto de días.

«The system that was most used in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries was recorded by Cornelius Agrippa (1486–1535), and it holds that the planet that rules the day rules the first hour of the day. The next hour is ruled by the next planet according to the following order: Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars.» — [cap. 3] Cotnoir adjudica a Agrippa el registro del sistema de horas planetarias que adopta, y no lo declara invención suya.

«The first hour of the day is the hour of sunrise; the hour of sunset is the first hour of night. Night and day are divided evenly by twelve, giving unequal “hours.” So an “hour” of daylight during summer would be longer than sixty minutes and an “hour” of daylight during winter could be as short as forty-five minutes.» — [cap. 3] la hora desigual, medida por el reparto del día y la noche en doce partes cada uno.

«All of this would be used to determine the best time to do something. For instance, if one was to work with iron one might, in order to harmonize the action better with the cosmos, time the key parts of the work to occur when Mars is well aspected or rules the hour for the work at hand.» — [cap. 3] el ejemplo con que Cotnoir baja el aparato horario a una decisión de taller: el hierro bajo Marte.

«Most important, however, is to work with a sense of harmony and not slavishly follow the rules. Understand the work that is being done. Get inside of it and create a unified work of the inner and outer elements. Poetry involves the following of the rules, but the best poets play with the rules to create surprising juxtapositions and beauty, not only in form and content but also in the ultimate meanings. Alchemy brings this sense of a living art to all its operations.» — [cap. 3] Cotnoir objeta el seguimiento servil de las reglas de tiempo y vuelve a la analogía poética para decir cómo se usan.

«The body is a dynamic blend of elements as well as its own celestial system, which can be expressed in terms of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars. The Four Elements are expressed in the body as humors: Fire— Blood, Air—Yellow Bile, Water—Phlegm, and Earth—Black Bile. Each humor has a function in and of itself, in addition to keeping the other humors in balance.» — [cap. 4] la traducción de los cuatro elementos a los cuatro humores, con el cuerpo como sistema celeste propio.

«The four humors in turn give rise to the four temperaments: Blood— Sanguine, Yellow Bile—Choleric, Phlegm—Phlegmatic, and Black Bile— Melancholic. Like the Elements, they are all present, but usually it is one or two of the temperaments that dominate the picture and express themselves more strongly and clearly, showing in the appearance, character, and manner of the individual. The Sanguine individual is typically happy, optimistic, passionate, proud, and fiery. The Choleric is more practical and rational, impatient, angry, and irritable. The Phlegmatic reflects the qualities of water, sensitive, peaceful, soft, brooding, and sad. The Melancholic is generally intelligent, cultured, restless, and depressive.» — [cap. 4] los cuatro temperamentos con su humor y su retrato, y la salvedad de que todos están presentes y solo uno o dos dominan.

«It is the particular individual's balance of the elements/ humors that determines the health of that individual. Much of early European medicine is based on the four humors, with the healing process focused on returning the humors to their former balance through a variety of therapeutic techniques, such as drugs, purgations, and bleeding.» — [cap. 4] la salud como equilibrio humoral individual, y la terapéutica europea temprana como restitución de ese equilibrio.

«Since the body is a microcosm, we find the planets and the stars represented there too. We see that a planetary rulership is ascribed to various organs, and there is a zodiacal correspondence to the body also.» — [cap. 4] la doble adscripción del cuerpo, por planeta y por signo, que Cotnoir deriva de la premisa microcósmica.

«The point of all this is to show how this interlocking worldview is the framework of the practice. All these pieces come out of the arrangement» — [cap. 4] Cotnoir declara que la cosmovisión entera es el marco de la práctica; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *and expression of the elements in time and space*.

«Take time to work out a diagram of your own, which you will build upon and modify as you develop it. Use this diagram as the basis of visualization. Learn it so well you can actually see it. See it so well you can actually move about in it.» — [cap. 4] el ejercicio que Cotnoir manda hacer con el esquema: construirlo uno mismo y habitarlo por visualización.

«The intersection of Heaven and Earth is reflected in the celestial anatomy of the human body. From Athanasius Kircher's Oedipus Aegyptiacus, 1653.» — [pie de lámina] el crédito de la lámina de anatomía celeste, tomada del *Oedipus Aegyptiacus* de Kircher.

«The Greeks developed a system of memory for oratory. It entails visualizing a building and associating the different rooms and contents with different parts of the speech. The more unusual the object in the room,» — [cap. 4] el arte de la memoria antiguo como precedente del ejercicio; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *the stronger is the memory link*.

«From Museum Hermeticum Reformatum et Amplificatum, 1678.» — [pie de lámina] el crédito de una de las láminas tomadas del *Museum Hermeticum* de 1678.

«Giordano Bruno, Raymond Lull, and others developed this further with a more hermetic intent.» — [cap. 4] Cotnoir adjudica a Bruno y a Llull la vuelta hermética del arte de la memoria; el tramo se corta antes de una palabra que el troceo parte con guion de fin de renglón.

«they integrate all aspects of existence into one encompassing blueprint to be used as a tool for gnosis.» — [cap. 4] continuación de esa misma frase: los sistemas de memoria como planos totales al servicio de la gnosis.

«These systems are very similar to many of the Buddhist mandalas, if not in the specific details of their architecture, certainly in the overall sense of interlocking associations of both micro- and macrocosmic phenomena and, perhaps, shared intent. These blueprints, these mandalas, are» — [cap. 4] Cotnoir empareja esos sistemas con los mandalas budistas, y acota la semejanza con un *perhaps* sobre la intención; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«memorized and visualized in three dimensions. It is highly desirable to develop the ability to visualize the microcosm and macrocosm as clearly as possible. The ability to do so is a foundation of the work.» — [cap. 4] continuación en la plana siguiente: la visualización tridimensional como fundamento del trabajo.

«When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, and when you make the male and the female one and the same» — [cap. 5, epígrafe] el epígrafe del capítulo de práctica interior, que el volumen atribuye al Evangelio de Tomás; el tramo se corta antes de los puntos suspensivos del volumen y de la llamada a nota, y remata *then you will enter the Kingdom*.

«Alchemy is a technique or path of gnosis. Gnosis, which comes from the Greek gnosis meaning “knowledge,” is a belief in just that—direct knowledge of God.» — [cap. 5] Cotnoir clasifica el arte como vía de gnosis y define el término por su etimología.

«In general, gnostic faiths hold that the soul is trapped in matter, imperfect, and impure, but that through certain practices one can free oneself from the habitual prison of matter and achieve a unio mystica, a “mystical union” with God.» — [cap. 5] el rasgo común que Cotnoir le atribuye a las fes gnósticas: alma presa en la materia y práctica liberadora.

«In the first few centuries of our era, many of the religions and philosophies were gnostic in their intent. They varied widely, however, in their dogmas, cosmology, origins, views on the material world and body, ritual, and the path and stages to union with God. There were Jewish gnostics, Christian gnostics, Manicheans, hermeticists, the actual Gnostic religion, and later Moslem gnostics, all of whom had a hand in forming alchemy.» — [cap. 5] Cotnoir insiste en la divergencia entre corrientes gnósticas y aun así les adjudica a todas parte en la formación del arte.

«The alchemical view holds that essence is trapped in matter, our inner light imprisoned by matter or obscured by our material fog. Alchemy shows a way of ascent, the return to God. It is through matter itself that we may find our way. It is an approach to the divine through matter.» — [cap. 5] el rasgo con que Cotnoir separa la alquimia de las demás vías gnósticas: sube por la materia, no contra ella.

«Alchemy can be aligned with each tradition and its mystical practices. To properly do the inner work with alchemy, it is highly advisable to work within a particular tradition. It is also good to examine the other traditions, as doing so can help to inform your own. But keep your actual practices to one tradition and work there.» — [cap. 5] Cotnoir recomienda estudiar varias tradiciones y practicar en una sola, y no propone síntesis entre ellas.

«One can use alchemy as a ladder of ascent by finding the symbolism within the materials and processes and working without as within using the materials and processes as a support for the inner work. This may seem like nothing until you feel the movements and shifts in the material in the creative process.» — [cap. 5] la operación material como soporte del trabajo interior, con la reserva de que el argumento solo convence al haberlo hecho.

«Alchemy holds that matter, the body, is not in itself bad and can actually be used as an aid in the unio mystica, the Opus Magnum or Great Work. The material world is appropriated toward an inner, more spiritual world. So to this end the material world or the human body is not denied, tortured, or abused.» — [cap. 5] Cotnoir niega el ascetismo contra el cuerpo y hace de la salud corporal parte del método.

«This is also a role of alchemy—the creation of medicines to keep the body healthy and to preserve life. The point is not to amass more gold, more things, but to have more time and energy to pursue the inner work and to benefit others.» — [cap. 5] Cotnoir desplaza el fin del arte del oro a la salud y al tiempo disponible para el trabajo interior.

«There is one thing necessary for inner work, or for any work: a steady mind. It is of the utmost importance that the mind be strong, supple, and focused; that it is able to stay where you place it, and isn't knocked about by the incessant chatter and noise of your thoughts. Without a steady mind, no real progress can be made.» — [cap. 5] la condición única que Cotnoir pone al trabajo interior, y de la que hace depender todo progreso.

«In actual meditation the only thing that changes is the object of meditation. It can be a visualization or an analysis of an object's composition, a recitation, or a review of a process. The technique of holding the mind to the object remains the same.» — [cap. 5] Cotnoir separa técnica de objeto: la primera no cambia, el segundo sí.

«To visualize something is, ideally, to see it in your mind's eye as clearly as you see the world. That ideal is something to work toward. It is a learnable skill that develops, like any other skill, with steady practice.» — [cap. 5] Cotnoir presenta la visualización como destreza aprendible y pone el ideal como horizonte, no como requisito.

«With complex images it is best to start with the broadest outlines and then bring into focus and fill in the details, generally working from the center out or from the most symbolically significant. Keep a consistent practice, and in time you will be able to visualize as clearly as you see the world.» — [cap. 5] el orden de construcción de una imagen compleja: del contorno al detalle, del centro o de lo más significativo hacia fuera.

«With these powerful tools and knowledge of the materials and processes that follow, there is great potential for either good things or bad things to happen. Alchemists warn about certain knowledge in the hands of evil, greedy people and the harm it can bring—and so urge secrecy and discretion. This is important to both protect the work and as a means of keeping the noise down, since much of the alchemical work must be done undisturbed. So silence becomes yet another key.» — [cap. 5] Cotnoir le da al secreto dos razones distintas —proteger el saber y bajar el ruido— y no las jerarquiza.

«In fact, one should strive to remove or at least reduce all sources of conflict and disruption around the work in particular and in one's life in general, reducing further the level of noise. Create only good, and only good will come.» — [cap. 5] la extensión de esa regla de silencio a la vida entera del operador.

«It is also part of the tradition that, with one's success with the Opus Magnum, the “Great Work,” one should care for the poor and sick.» — [cap. 5] la obligación que Cotnoir adjudica a la tradición para quien logra la Gran Obra.

«The legendary French alchemist Nicholas Flamel and his soror mystica, (“mystical sister,”) Perenelle, succeeded in the Great Work, not just once, but three times, and on April 25, 1382, at five o'clock in the evening, transmuted a half a pound of mercury into pure gold of the highest quality.» — [cap. 5] Cotnoir refiere la transmutación de Flamel con fecha y hora, y llama legendario al propio alquimista.

«Flamel notes in his Exposition of the Hieroglyphical Figures that by the year 1413 they had “already founded, and endued with revenues, 14 Hospitals in this City of Paris, we had now built from the ground three Chapels. . . I will not speak of the good which both of us have done to particular poor folks, principally to widows and poor orphans.”» — [cap. 5, Flamel] la obra de caridad que Cotnoir cita del *Exposition of the Hieroglyphical Figures*; los puntos suspensivos son del volumen y sigue llamada a nota.

«The beginning of all alchemical action should be dedicated to the alleviation of suffering, and any results should be given over to the alleviation of suffering.» — [cap. 5] la norma con que Cotnoir cierra el capítulo, que pone el alivio del sufrimiento al principio y al final de toda operación.

«Alchemy is the union of the Sun and the Moon. From Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum, 1652.» — [pie de lámina] el crédito de la lámina del *Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum* de 1652, con la glosa que le pone el volumen.

«The Tabula smaragdina (“The Emerald Tablet”) is the very heart of alchemy. It is considered to be one of the oldest alchemical texts. Legend has it that it was found near Hebron in a cave that was the tomb of Hermes, called Thoth by the Egyptians. Hermes/Thoth is the god of writing, science, and math.» — [cap. 6] Cotnoir pone la Tabla Esmeralda en el centro del arte y da su leyenda de hallazgo como leyenda, no como dato.

«Depending on the version, the tomb was discovered by Zara (Sarah) wife of Abraham, Alexander the Great, or Apollonius of Tyanna. The Emerald Tablet is just that, a tablet of emer-ald upon which, engraved in Phoenician, is a teaching on alchemy by Hermes.» — [cap. 6] las tres versiones del hallazgo, consignadas sin elegir entre ellas; el troceo imprime *emer-ald* con guion dentro de renglón.

«After its discovery it is thought to have made its way from the Greeks into Islam via Syria. An Arabic version appears in Jabir ibn Hayyan's Second Book of the Elements of the Foundation, and another Arabic version is to be found in The Secret of Creation by Apollonius (813–887 A.D.), which places the earliest documented text around 800 A.D., although it is believed that the text is based on an earlier Greek document.» — [cap. 6] Cotnoir data el testimonio más antiguo hacia el 800 y deja en creencia el original griego.

«From Islam the Tabula smaragdina entered Europe in the twelfth century, translated from Arabic into Latin by Hugo of Satalla in Tarazona. Mention of it is made by Albertus Magnus in his De rebus metallicis et mineralibus.» — [cap. 6] la vía latina del texto, con traductor, lugar y primer testimonio europeo.

«There were various translations and versions of the Emerald Tablet, but it was the one printed in 1541 that became the most widely known. That is the one I reproduce here. I also include the emblem that has been traditionally associated with the Emerald Tablet since 1588, and that was joined to the text to elucidate or depict the teaching engraved on the Tabula smaragdina.» — [cap. 6] Cotnoir declara cuál versión reproduce —la impresa en 1541— y fecha en 1588 la unión del emblema al texto.

«The Tabula smaragdina is one of the roots of alchemy. Read it, study it, track down its various sources, read it again, then meditate on it. Memorize it, and you will always have it with you to refer to as the work progresses. At the very least, a copy of the Tabula smaragdina should be tacked above your workbench and read and contemplated before working.» — [cap. 6] el régimen de lectura que Cotnoir prescribe para la Tabla, con su versión mínima: clavarla sobre el banco de trabajo.

«Meditate on it, line by line, word by word, and it will gradually open itself to you as you gain understanding from the actual work.» — [cap. 6] Cotnoir ata la apertura del texto al avance del trabajo material, no al estudio solo.

«Pater eius est Sol, mater eius Luna. Portavit illud ventus in ventre suo. Nutrix eius terra est. Pater omnis telesmi totius mundi est hic. Vis eius integra est, si versa fuerit in terram. Separabis terram ab igne, subtile ab spisso, suaviter, cum magno ingenio.» — [cap. 6, Tabula smaragdina] segunda sección del latín que el volumen reproduce, con la separación de la tierra y el fuego.

«Ascendit ab terra in coelum, iterumque descendit in terram, et recipit vim superiorum et inferiorum. Sic habebis gloriam totius mundi. Ideo fugiet ab te omnis obscuritas. Hic est totius fortitudinis fortitudo fortis, quia vincet omnem rem subtilem, omnemque solidam penetrabit.» — [cap. 6, Tabula smaragdina] tercera sección del latín: el ascenso y el descenso, y la fuerza que penetra todo sólido.

«Sic mundus creatus est. Hinc erunt adaptationes mirabiles, quarum modus hic est. Itaque vocatus sum Hermes Tris-megistus, habens tres partes philosophiae totius mundi. Completum est quod dixi de operatione Solis.» — [cap. 6, Tabula smaragdina] cierre del latín, con la firma de Hermes; el troceo imprime *Tris-megistus* con guion dentro de renglón.

«True, without lie, certain and most true. That which is below is as that which is above, and that which is above is as that which is below, to accomplish the miracles of the One. And as all things came from the One by the contemplation of the One, thus all things arise from this one thing by adaptation. Its father is the Sun, its mother is the Moon. The wind carried it in its belly. Its nurse is the earth.» — [cap. 6, versión inglesa] la traducción inglesa que el propio volumen imprime a continuación del latín, primera sección.

«The Father of every miracle in the whole world is here.» — [cap. 6, versión inglesa] la línea del *telesma* en la versión inglesa del volumen.

«You shall separate earth from fire, the subtle from the gross, gently and with great ingenuity.» — [cap. 6, versión inglesa] la instrucción operativa de la Tabla; sigue llamada a nota, y la línea anterior lleva otra dentro de la frase.

«It ascends from earth to heaven, and again descends into the earth, and receives the powers of the things above and below. Thus you shall have the glory of the whole world. All obscurity shall fly from you. This is the strength of every strength, for it overcomes every subtle thing and shall penetrate every solid thing.» — [cap. 6, versión inglesa] el ascenso y descenso en inglés, con el reparto de líneas que da el volumen.

«Thus the world was created. From this shall come marvelous adaptations, of which this is the method. Therefore I am called Hermes Trismegistus, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world. It is completed that which I had to say about the operation of the Sun.» — [cap. 6, versión inglesa] el cierre inglés, donde el nombre sale sin el guion que el latín de la plana imprime.

«Nature must serve as the basis and model of science, and Art must work according to Nature as far as possible, therefore, the Artist must observe Nature and operate how she operates.» — [cap. 7, epígrafe] el epígrafe con que abre la parte práctica, adjudicado a Alberto Magno; sigue llamada a nota.

«Here we enter into the body of alchemy—the physical process. Nature must lead both in material and in method. Nature is your true book. Study it well.» — [cap. 7] Cotnoir hace de la naturaleza el libro de referencia por encima de los textos, ya entrado en la práctica.

«Start with the raw materials as close to the source as possible. All raw materials should be considered as living and should be processed and worked with clear intent.» — [cap. 7] la regla de materia prima que Cotnoir pone al principio del taller.

«One can of course use the chemical equivalents of the raw materials: diluted acetic acid as opposed to distilled red wine vinegar, for example, but recognize that this is not alchemy.» — [cap. 7] Cotnoir niega el estatuto de alquimia al trabajo con reactivos comerciales, aunque no lo prohíbe.

«It can, however, be used to practice and study the techniques of alchemy without wasting some very precious material. It is somewhat like a doing a small color study for a larger painting and saving the lapis lazuli and gold for the painting.» — [cap. 7] el uso que sí le concede a los reactivos, con el símil del estudio de color previo al cuadro.

«Atalanta fugiens. Emblem 42. Michael Maier, 1604.» — [pie de lámina] el crédito del emblema 42 de la *Atalanta fugiens*, que el volumen fecha en 1604.

«Jabir ibn Hayyan identified four basic techniques necessary for the practice of alchemy: purification, solution, coagulation, and combination. Purification involves the separation of the impure from the pure and is done either by fire—calcinations or sublimation; or by water—distillation or filtration. Solution is accomplished through maceration and dissolution. Coagulation can be done by crystallization, congelation, or evaporation. Combination is achieved by circulation, cohobation, digestion, crystallization, or fixation.» — [cap. 7] las cuatro técnicas básicas que Cotnoir adjudica a Yabir ibn Hayyan, con las operaciones que caen bajo cada una.

«Calcination is the burning of anything to ashes. It is the burning off of all combustible impurities. It can mean to melt a metal in the presence of air while stirring it, oxidizing the metal and forming a calx.» — [cap. 7] la primera entrada del glosario de operaciones, con sus dos acepciones.

«Cohobation is the taking of a distillate and pouring it back over what-ever remains of the material from which it was distilled.» — [cap. 7] la cohobación, operación que reaparece en toda la parte práctica; el troceo imprime *what-ever* con guion dentro de renglón.

«Digestion is a slow, gentle “cooking.” It helps break down some things so that they will have a better, more intimate mix with other things. Generally the mixture is placed in a flask and sealed. This flask is then put in a warm and dark place and kept at around 40°C.» — [cap. 7] la digestión, con su temperatura de trabajo declarada.

«Putrefaction is the decomposition of the impurities of the body, the ephemeral parts. It is a form of purification, all in preparation for the opening of the body.» — [cap. 7] Cotnoir clasifica la putrefacción como purificación y la ordena a la apertura del cuerpo.

«Sublimation is the purification of certain salts or minerals that exhibit the ability, when heated sufficiently, to change from solid to gas and back to solid without going through the liquid phase. Sal ammoniac is a good and useful example of a salt that is purified in this manner.» — [cap. 7] la sublimación, con la sal amoníaco como caso que el volumen retoma en la parte práctica.

«Multiplication is a process in the Great Work where the strength of the Philosopher's Stone is augmented. Projection is a process in the Great Work where the Philosopher's Stone is tested by changing lead or mercury into gold or silver.» — [cap. 7] las dos operaciones que Cotnoir reserva a la Gran Obra; la proyección queda definida como prueba de la Piedra, no como su fin.

«These are the techniques used in the manipulation of matter, in the rotation of the elements. And, as you may remember, it is heat that drives the rotation of the elements both in nature and in art, making the management of fire extremely important. Alchemical practice recognizes Four Degrees of Fire:» — [cap. 7] Cotnoir ata el glosario de operaciones a la rotación de elementos y de ahí pasa al gobierno del fuego.

«The First Degree is a soft and gentle heat accomplished through a Balneum vaporis, a steam bath in which the flask is heated by suspending it over the steam of boiling water.» — [cap. 7] el primer grado de fuego, por baño de vapor.

«The Second Degree is a hotter temperature provided traditionally by an ash bath in which a pot of ashes is heated much like a pot of water. The flask to be heated is immersed up to the height of the material it contains. The Third Degree is hotter still and is achieved with a sand or iron dust bath which is the same as the ash bath but uses sand or iron dust.» — [cap. 7] el segundo y el tercer grado, por baño de ceniza y de arena o limadura de hierro.

«The Fourth Degree of Fire is the hottest that can be provided by a bare flame. A type of open flame is a “reverberating” flame, where the flame is reflected directly onto the matter being heated. The fire was traditionally a charcoal fire that was in a special furnace called an athanor.» — [cap. 7] el cuarto grado, a llama desnuda o reverberante en el atanor.

«Figure 3: An athanor from Mutus Liber. Altus. 1677.» — [pie de lámina] el crédito de la figura del atanor, tomada del *Mutus Liber*.

«The athanor is the centerpiece of the alchemical laboratory, comparable to the heart and hearth of a home. It represents the central fire. The athanor, from the Arabic al-tannur (oven), was a simple brick or clay furnace shaped like a tower.» — [cap. 7] Cotnoir da la etimología árabe del atanor y lo pone como centro del laboratorio.

«Today heat is provided by electric hotplates and gas burners. True alchemical work can be done without a traditional athanor. But one should have one in one's heart and mind as heating and digestion go on.» — [cap. 7] Cotnoir dispensa del atanor material y conserva su función simbólica.

«1. Copper alembic. 2. Glass alembic. 3. Long-necked alembic. 4. One piece alembic. 5. Pelican. 6. Chain of aludels. 7 and 8. Retorts. From Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 2, 1771.» — [pie de lámina] la leyenda de la lámina de instrumentos, tomada del segundo volumen de la *Encyclopaedia Britannica* de 1771.

«The alchemical still was made of two parts: the alembic, the part of the still that condenses vapor into a liquid, and the curcurbite, the lower part of the still that holds the liquid to be distilled.» — [cap. 7] las dos partes del alambique tradicional.

«The aludel, an oval-shaped flask open at both ends was used in distillation to allow a more precise or “accurate” separation. It was placed between the curcurbite and the alembic to expand the vapors and to further separate the more volatile from the less volatile. The Pelican is a circulatory vessel. It has two side tubes that feed the condensed vapors back into the body.» — [cap. 7] el aludel y el pelícano, con su función en la separación y en la circulación.

«In contemporary alchemy, ordinary laboratory glassware is used to achieve the same ends as these early tools. These pieces are listed in Appendix 1 along with a partial list of useful laboratory equipment.» — [cap. 7] Cotnoir sustituye el instrumental antiguo por vidrio de laboratorio corriente y remite al apéndice.

«Before proceeding to the work, there is a checklist of sorts. The first» — [cap. 7] la lista de comprobación previa al taller; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *item is your motivation, or intention*.

«item is your motivation, or intention, then your understanding of the theories and goals of alchemy. And then there are the physical requirements of the practice as described by St. Albertus Magnus in his Libellus de Alchimia:» — [cap. 7] continuación en la plana siguiente: motivación, teoría y luego los ocho requisitos que Cotnoir toma del *Libellus*.

«1. Silence. “The worker in this art must be silent and secretive.” This is necessary to protect the Art from errors that can creep into the practice, the result being that “the secret will be lost and the work remain imperfect.”» — [cap. 7, Alberto Magno] el primer requisito, con la razón que Cotnoir le pone: el error, no la envidia.

«2. Place. The worker “should have a place and a special house, hidden from men,” in which to do the work. 3. Time. “Observe the time in which the work must be done.” He notes that, “sublimations are of little value in the winter.”» — [cap. 7, Alberto Magno] los requisitos segundo y tercero, lugar y tiempo, con la nota estacional sobre las sublimaciones.

«4. Perseverance. “The worker in this art should be careful, and assiduous in his efforts . . . if he begins and does not persevere, he will lose both materials and time.” 5. Rght Use. “It should be done according to the usage of art.” 6. Glass. “All vessels in which medicines may be put . . . should be of glass or glazed.”» — [cap. 7, Alberto Magno] los requisitos cuarto a sexto; el troceo imprime *Rght Use* y los puntos suspensivos son del volumen.

«7. Caution. “Be on one's guard before all else against associating oneself with princes or potentates.” Albertus warns against associating one's work with “princes” because if you are not successful you will suffer, and if you are successful you will be detained, “ensnared by your own words and caught by your own discourses.”» — [cap. 7, Alberto Magno] el séptimo requisito, con la trampa doble del patrocinio principesco: castigo si fracasas, cautiverio si aciertas.

«8. Funding. “No one should begin operations without plenty of funds,” to complete the work, for with the work incomplete, time, material, everything, has been wasted.» — [cap. 7, Alberto Magno] el octavo y último requisito, que pone el financiamiento como condición de terminar.

«Be very sure of them all. This path is an extremely demanding one and is not for the faint of heart, nor for those in search of spiritual fast food or spoon bending. It is a deep path, a challenging path, perhaps a bit foolish, and at times full of doubt.» — [cap. 7] la advertencia con que Cotnoir cierra la lista, sin prometer resultado.

«Where Nature ends, there the Art of man begins, for Nature's ultimate matter is man's primal matter.» — [cap. 8, epígrafe] el epígrafe del trabajo preparatorio, adjudicado a Paracelso; sigue llamada a nota.

«All water should be distilled before being used in alchemical work unless otherwise noted. Water may be collected from springs, rain, snow, or dew. Of these, dew, especially dew collected in spring, and rain, especially rain collected during a thunderstorm, are particularly valued due to the amount of “fire” they hold. To collect the rain, place nonmetal buckets outside during a heavy thunderstorm. Filter this water. Save some undistilled for future use and distill the rest. It is best stored in glass bottles.» — [cap. 8] la regla del agua, con la jerarquía de procedencias y la razón que da para preferir rocío y lluvia de tormenta.

«The root of alchemy is the grapevine. Without wine, vinegar, and Salt of Tartar, all obtained from this noble plant, there would be no alchemy. Much of alchemy stems from these three.» — [cap. 8] Cotnoir pone la vid en la raíz del arte por los tres productos que da.

«Here is a brief overview of the wine-making process. It is not very difficult and can be used to produce alcohol from any plant. With a little care, study, and practice, one could actually end up with something quite good and drinkable.» — [cap. 8] Cotnoir abre la vinificación como técnica extensible a cualquier planta, no solo a la uva.

«Prepare the juice from pressed grapes, or if using plants, macerate them in water for a couple of days. The temperature should be 27°C. Sugar can be added to augment the naturally occurring sugars in the plant or the grape mash. The yeast is then added, and the temperature is maintained between 21°C and 24°C. Primary fermentation now takes place.» — [cap. 8] el arranque de la fermentación primaria, con sus temperaturas.

«To get the most alcohol, this process can be repeated two more times with three-month intervals and then a final time with a sixmonth fermentation period.» — [cap. 8] los tiempos de las fermentaciones sucesivas; el troceo imprime *sixmonth* en una sola palabra (sic), no es unión del extractor.

«To make vinegar is a very simple thing. Just set up some very simple conditions and Nature does the rest.» — [cap. 8] Cotnoir describe el vinagre como caso en que el operador solo pone las condiciones.

«A film will form on top of the liquid. This is the “mother.” At 24°C–27°C it will take approximately six to eight weeks for conversion to vinegar.» — [cap. 8] la madre del vinagre y el plazo de conversión; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«New wine should be added to the culture every four to eight weeks depending on the conversion rate. Add new alcohol below the “mother.” It is important not to disturb this layer.» — [cap. 8] el mantenimiento del cultivo, con la regla de no tocar la capa superficial.

«Salt of Tartar, also known as potash or pearl ash, is potassium carbonate. It is the most common salt in land plants.» — [cap. 8] la identificación química de la Sal de Tártaro y su ubicuidad vegetal.

«The Salt of Tartar opens many doors in alchemy and is prepared by taking dried grapevine or oak wood, or even better, raw tartar» — [cap. 8] Cotnoir declara la Sal de Tártaro llave de muchas operaciones; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota y sigue *from oak wine barrels*.

«The ash is mixed with distilled rainwater dissolving the Salt of Tartar. Heating the solution and stirring ensures that as much of the salt as possible is dissolved. This is also called leaching.» — [cap. 8] el lixiviado, primer paso de la purificación de la sal.

«Repeat until all the salts are pure and then calcine one final time to drive off all excess water. Be careful not to melt the salts. You should have at this point a very white or even bluish salt. This is the Salt of Tartar, and it is very hydroscopic. Store it in an airtight and moisture-proof container. Salt of Tartar attacks glass, so try using glazed ceramic containers to store it.» — [cap. 8] el cierre del procedimiento, con la señal de pureza —sal blanca o azulada— y la advertencia sobre el vidrio.

«Let us take what we have so far—water, wine, vinegar, and Salt of Tartar—and move them up a notch, so to speak, and from them prepare distilled water, Spirit of Wine, distilled vinegar and finish the rest of the preparation for alchemical work. The main technique used to this end is distillation.» — [cap. 9] Cotnoir encadena el capítulo con el anterior y pone la destilación como técnica del tramo.

«This distillation is a good illustration of the rotation of the elements. We take Water, cold and wet, increase the heat, changing it to hot and wet, or steam vapor, that is, Air. We then transfer the heat from the Air to the cold water in (E) causing Air: hot and wet, to condense into Water: cold and wet, leaving any Earth behind.» — [cap. 9] Cotnoir lee la destilación de agua como caso de la rotación de elementos expuesta en la teoría.

«Distillation is also used to separate mixed liquids from each other, exploiting the difference in boiling points between liquids. For example, distilling alcohol from wine takes advantage of the fact that water boils at 100°C while alcohol boils at 78.5°C. By keeping the temperature at around 80°C–85°C, we are able to separate the alcohol from the water.» — [cap. 9] la separación por punto de ebullición, con las cifras del alcohol y el agua.

«This was first discovered by the Arab alchemists and mentioned by such alchemists as al-Kindi (ninth century A.D.). This alcohol solution was called aqua ardens and aqua vitae by Arnold Villanova around 1300 A.D.» — [cap. 9] Cotnoir adjudica el hallazgo a los alquimistas árabes y los nombres latinos a Arnaldo de Vilanova.

«Plant fermentation produces two kinds of alcohols, ethanol and methanol. Methanol is a very poisonous compound, but because of its low boiling point (64°C) and the fact that it does not “blend” with the ethanol, it can be eliminated by discarding all liquid that distills under 76°C.» — [cap. 9] la razón química del descarte de cabezas, que Cotnoir da como medida de seguridad.

«The first distillation of the wine may be done at a temperature of 80°C. This yields a distillate that is 50 to 60 percent alcohol. This is the aqua vitae of Villanova and can be used in the preparation of herbal tinctures. Subsequent distillations done more precisely at a temperature of 78.5°C (the boiling point of ethanol) will yield the sharp spirit called the “Spirit of Wine.”» — [cap. 9] los dos escalones de la destilación del vino, con el nombre que recibe cada producto.

«The highest concentration you can achieve is 95 percent, due to the hydroscopic nature of alcohol. If you did achieve a concentration higher than this, the alcohol would very quickly suck water vapor from the air until it was at a 95 percent concentration.» — [cap. 9] el techo físico de la rectificación por destilación sola.

«To rectify the Spirit of Wine, take Spirit of Wine and Salt of Tartar that has been calcined for at least one hour at 350°C. This heating can be done in an ordinary oven; drying the Salt of Tartar allows it to absorb the remaining water in the Spirit of Wine. Mix one part of the Salt of Tartar with four parts of the Spirit of Wine and let it macerate for one day, allowing the potassium carbonate to draw the water to itself. Shake from time to time, but keep it closed so that water vapor from the atmosphere doesn't enter the flask. Then distill. The final distillate is the Rectified Spirit of Wine.» — [cap. 9] la receta del Espíritu de Vino rectificado, con proporciones y tiempos.

«With the use of moisture traps, the percentage of alcohol can get as high as 99.5 percent. Storage at this level of purity is extremely difficult due to the hydroscopic nature of alcohol, so Spirit of Wine rectified to this point should be used immediately.» — [cap. 9] el límite práctico de la rectificación extrema: no se guarda, se usa.

«The purification of vinegar, the making of a concentrated acetic acid, may be done through both congelation (freezing) and distillation. We shall focus on distillation. Ventilation is very important as you will be distilling an acid.» — [cap. 9] las dos vías de concentración del vinagre y la advertencia de ventilación.

«Acetic acid boils at 118°C and water at 100°C, so in this distillation, water, and water with varying amounts of acetic acid, will come over first as the temperature increases. The first fraction to come over at 100°C is mostly water. The second fraction comes over starting at 103°C peaking at 105°C. Save the first and second fractions and keep separately. These have acetic acid in them that can be recovered with subsequent distillation. Switch receivers when the temperature is around 105°C. The third fraction comes over between 105°C and 118°C and is mostly acetic acid. Distill carefully.» — [cap. 9] el fraccionamiento de la destilación del vinagre, con las tres fracciones y sus temperaturas.

«Do not burn and do not distill to dryness but keep distilling until what is left behind has the consistency of honey. The distillate is the distilled vinegar.» — [cap. 9] la señal de parada de la destilación, dada por consistencia y no por temperatura.

«Since vinegar is 5 percent acetic acid, to obtain 1 liter of 80 percent acetic acid you will need to start with 16 liters of red wine vinegar. This is almost 4 gallons of liquid to distill, with 95 percent of it water. An easy way to remove the bulk of the water is to freeze the vinegar before distillation, thus concentrating it to a smaller more manageable volume.» — [cap. 9] el cálculo de rendimiento que justifica congelar antes de destilar.

«To concentrate the vinegar by freezing, take red wine vinegar and fill a bottle halfway. Lay the bottle on its side so the mouth of the container is clear of any liquid. Let it freeze (vinegar at 5 percent acetic acid freezes at -3°C). Freezing the vinegar at this angle allows better drainage for the melting acetic acid. Once the entire liquid is frozen solid, take the bottle and tip it upside down into a collection flask or bottle. The acetic acid will melt first (melting point: 16.7°C) and run red into the flask or bottle. Collect this runoff in several fractions until the block of ice in the original bottle is white and colorless. This shows that only water remains.» — [cap. 9] la concentración por congelación paso a paso, con la señal visual del hielo incoloro como fin.

«yields a solution; too little water leaves a brittle material. With the right proportion of water, the salt and water lock up and a crystal is formed. This water, necessary for crystallization, is often referred to as the “water of crystallization.” With the application of heat to the crystal, the water is turned to air, drying the crystal, collapsing it into dust. Again we see an example of the rotation of the elements.» — [cap. 10] Cotnoir define la cristalización como equilibrio entre sólido y líquido y lee el secado del cristal como otro caso de la rotación de elementos; el tramo arranca pasada la marca de plana que el troceo reemite a media frase, cuyo comienzo dice *Crystallization is a balance between solid and liquid. Too much water*.

«To crystallize any soluble salt, first dissolve the salt to be crystallized in distilled water. Heat to 45–50°C and make a saturated solution by adding more of the salt, shaking and stirring, until no more will dissolve. Let it sit for an hour or so then decant into another flask and keep heating. When small crystals begin to form, remove the solution from the heat and cool.» — [cap. 10] el procedimiento general de cristalización, con la temperatura y la señal de parada.

«To grow beautiful crystals, take a portion of the prepared solution and pour it into a beaker to about 3 cm deep. Cover it loosely with foil or a paper towel and set it aside until the crystals have grown to around 2 cm to 5 cm long. Add more solution as needed. Once the crystals are at the desired size, decant the solution back into the stock saturated solution. Select the best-looking crystals and put each one in its own beaker of solution 3 cm deep. Once a day, carefully and gently turn over the crystal. If other crystals start to form, decant the smaller crystals and the solution back into the stock solution. Isolate the large crystal and add more solution to cover the crystal.» — [cap. 10] la variante de cultivo de cristales grandes, con la rutina diaria de voltearlos.

«Some salts, when heated, do not pass through a liquid phase but turn directly to gas, leaving whatever impurities behind. When this gas is cooled, it condenses directly into a solid. By repeating this process several times, a salt with this property, such as sal ammoniac (NH4Cl), is purified.» — [cap. 10] Cotnoir explica la sublimación por el salto de sólido a gas sin fase líquida, y la da como vía de purificación por repetición.

«To sublimate sal ammoniac, first make sure you have adequate ventilation. The gas produced is very toxic. Do not breathe the vapors.» — [cap. 10] la advertencia de toxicidad que Cotnoir antepone a la receta de sublimación.

«Take the sal ammoniac and crush it finely. Place an even layer (no more than 2 cm thick) of the powder in a Pyrex dish and cover it with the glass cover. Heat the salt (sal ammoniac sublimates at 520°C) until it sublimates on the bottom of the lid, leaving a deposit about 1 inch thick. This sublimate is the purified sal ammoniac. Scrape this off and sublimate it again. Once more, take what sublimated on the lid and repeat until there is no black residue and all the salt sublimes. To purify sal ammoniac, it is necessary to sublimate the salt at least three times. If the salt is yellow, it is a good sign. This is then triple-sublimed sal ammoniac and will be used throughout the work.» — [cap. 10] la receta completa del sal amoníaco triple sublimado, con el número mínimo de pases y las señales de pureza —sin residuo negro, y el amarillo como buen augurio—.

«Archaeus, from the Greek archeios, a ruler, is a term coined by Paracelsus to denote the sense of a vital force and an agent of direction. The Archaeus of Water is this vital force and agency of water.» — [cap. 11] Cotnoir adjudica a Paracelso el término *Archaeus* y lo traduce por fuerza vital y agencia de dirección.

«It is made manifest or freed through the separation and purification of the Four Elements and the subsequent separation and purification of their Three Principles, followed by the recombination of the principles and then the elements.» — [cap. 11] la fórmula en dos escalones con que Cotnoir describe la liberación del Archaeus: primero los cuatro elementos, después los tres principios de cada uno, y la recombinación en sentido inverso.

«Creating the Archaeus of Water is a very good introduction to the Four Elements and the practice of purification through the art of distillation while producing a very active and potent form of water.» — [cap. 11] Cotnoir propone la operación como ejercicio de aprendizaje, no solo como producto.

«Take two liters of rainwater collected during a thunderstorm or dew. Put it into a flask and cover the mouth of the flask with filter paper to allow it to breathe while keeping dust out. Put the flask in a warm place for one month, allowing it to putrefy. Set up the distillation apparatus. Distill in 500 ml portions using an aludel to allow for maximum expansion of the elements. The first 500 ml portion to come over is the element Fire, followed by Air, then by Water, and the last 500 ml to come over is Earth.» — [cap. 11] la materia prima —agua de tormenta o rocío, putrefacta un mes— y el orden en que Cotnoir adjudica los cuatro elementos a las fracciones de la destilación.

«The residue left behind in the distillation flask will look like a spongy, slimy mass. Save this and gently dry it. It has been called the “true universal gur.”» — [cap. 11] el residuo de la destilación y el nombre que Cotnoir dice que se le ha dado; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«It allegedly has some health benefits, but these need to be investigated.» — [cap. 11] Cotnoir consigna la virtud medicinal atribuida al gur en voz ajena y la deja sin respaldo propio.

«Each of the four Elemental portions is then further distilled into three fractions (166.66 ml each) for each of the Three Principles. The principles come over in order of their volatility, first Mercury, then Sulfur, and finally Salt. At the end of the distillation, you will have twelve, 166.66 ml portions of distilled water. You will have Mercury of Fire, Sulphur of Fire, Salt of Fire; Mercury of Air, Sulphur of Air, Salt of Air, and so on.» — [cap. 11] la segunda destilación que da doce fracciones, con el orden de volatilidad de los tres principios como criterio de corte.

«The twelve portions are now recombined by principles of a particular» — [cap. 11] el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *element to recreate the original Element*.

«element to recreate the original Element. For example, pour the Mercury of Earth into the Salt of Earth then add the Sulfur of Earth. This is then the Earth element reconstituted. Reconstitute all the Elements in this manner.» — [cap. 11] continuación en la plana siguiente: el orden de mezcla —Mercurio en Sal, luego Azufre— con que Cotnoir reconstituye cada elemento.

«Then take the Elements and mix first Earth, Water, Air, then Fire. Once fully reconstituted it is now the Archaeus of Water. This is a highly potentized water.» — [cap. 11] el orden final de recombinación de los cuatro elementos; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«Although we started with putrefied rainwater, any water will be greatly improved with this process.» — [cap. 11] Cotnoir extiende el procedimiento a cualquier agua, no solo a la de tormenta putrefacta.

«Place Salt of Tartar well calcined in a nonmetallic bowl; glazed ceramic is best. Place the bowl at least 1 foot off the ground in a cellar or some other moist place until it is resolved into an oil (this is preferably done in the spring). Filter and store in a nonmetallic, nonglass container. This is the Oil of Tartar and is used in making the primum ens of herbs.» — [cap. 11] la receta del *oleum tartari per deliquium* por delicuescencia en sótano, con la estación recomendada y el uso al que se destina.

«If this oil is then filtered and distilled, one can obtain Angel Water, which can be used in the extraction of essences.» — [cap. 11] el derivado que Cotnoir nombra *Angel Water* y su empleo como disolvente de esencias.

«To make this spirit, according to a 1655 work diary of Sir Robert Boyle, one should “Take spirit of wine & Salt armoniacke finely powder'd drive them over in a Retort till the Spirit (by some Cohobations) be sufficiently impregnated with the Salt.”» — [cap. 11, cita de Boyle] la receta que Cotnoir atribuye al diario de trabajo de 1655 de Robert Boyle, con su ortografía de época; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«Dr. Theodore Kerckringius, in his 1678 translation of The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony,» — [cap. 11] Cotnoir nombra la segunda fuente de la receta; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota y sigue *gives the following specifications*.

«gives the following specifications: Mix four ounces of sublimed sal ammoniac, into ten ounces of rectified spirits of wine. Digest in a flask until the Spirit of Wine is filled with the “fire or sulphur of the salt of ammonia.” Check for color changes during the two phases of the lunar cycle. Cohobate three times. This is the Spirit of Wine of the Sages.» — [cap. 11, según Kerckringius] las proporciones y el número de cohobaciones del Espíritu de Vino de los Sabios, con el ciclo lunar como reloj de la digestión.

«Frater Albertus called it Kerckringius Menstruum, in honor of Dr. Kerckringius.» — [cap. 11] Cotnoir consigna el nombre alterno que le puso Frater Albertus al mismo menstruo.

«It is a wise thing to begin our work by starting with herbs for several reasons. Aside from the obvious reason of wanting to make some very potent alchemical herbal preparations, there is the reason of experience and understanding gained in working with materials that are more forgiving. This experience and a deeper understanding of alchemical theory is an essential foundation for further more intricate work.» — [cap. 12] la razón pedagógica con que Cotnoir pone el trabajo vegetal antes del mineral: la materia vegetal perdona más los errores.

«Like all things, plants can be analyzed in terms of the Three Principles of Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir traslada al reino vegetal la doctrina de los tres principios expuesta en la parte teórica.

«Obtained through the fermentation of the plant's sugars by yeast. The Mercury is the same throughout the plant kingdom, since all sugars are converted to alcohol through the fermentation process. Mercury is a subtle matrix within which reside Sulphur and Salt.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir identifica el Mercurio vegetal con el alcohol de fermentación y sostiene que es el mismo en todo el reino.

«Obtained through the distillation or the pressing of a plant. The Sulphur is unique to the particular species of plant. Sulphur is the matrix within which the Mercury resides.» — [cap. 12] el Azufre vegetal como aceite esencial, y lo que lo separa del Mercurio: es propio de cada especie.

«Obtained through the calcinations of the plant matter. The Salts are made up of various mineral salts in varying proportions, with potassium carbonate in the greatest proportion. The Salt is the matrix within which the Sulphur resides.» — [cap. 12] la Sal vegetal como ceniza calcinada, con el carbonato de potasio como componente mayoritario.

«Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt are three interpenetrating matrices. Each is dependent on the others in creating and maintaining the plant.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir enuncia la relación entre los tres principios como interpenetración y dependencia recíproca, no como jerarquía.

«The herbal work consists of separating the Principles, purifying them, and then recombining them.» — [cap. 12] la definición en tres tiempos del trabajo vegetal.

«This is done through a variety of means, each producing a different end product. You can use these preparations much as you would the herb it was produced from. These alchemical products are much more potent and intensified, so care should be taken in their use.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir señala que el producto espagírico se usa como la hierba de origen, pero advierte de su potencia mayor.

«A spagyric tincture is an alcohol extract of a plant that utilizes all three of the plant's purified Principles, that is: the Mercury, Sulphur and Salt.» — [cap. 12] la definición de tintura espagírica por lo que la separa de la tintura herbolaria corriente: incorpora los tres principios purificados.

«Here are two methods to make the spagyric tincture of an herb. The first is based on a standard procedure for making herbal tinctures. The other is adapted from the Art of Distillation» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir declara las dos genealogías de sus recetas; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota y sigue *by John French*.

«Take an herb and macerate it in a 50:50 alcohol:water solution for two weeks. This alcohol solution can be aqua vitae, distilled from wine or, more readily, vodka. Filter, press the mass to squeeze every last drop out of the herb, and save the solution. Calcine the remaining vegetable solids until they are an ash. Next either add the ash to the solution, circulate for a week, and then filter; or take the ash and extract and purify its Salt of Tartar, then add this to the tincture. This second level of purification for this type of tincture is not necessary as long as the ash is adequately filtered from the tincture.» — [cap. 12] la primera receta de tintura espagírica, por maceración; Cotnoir admite el vodka como sustituto del *aqua vitae*.

«Take a fresh herb and chop it up. Add water, yeast, and sugar (not necessary but it will give a higher alcohol content) to the freshly chopped herb and set it to ferment. When no more gas is produced, the fermentation is over. Using an aludel, distill very gently. Distill until there are two parts distillate for every part of fresh herb used. To the distillate add enough pure Mercury to bring the concentration up to at least 15 percent. Take the remaining vegetable matter and calcine it. Purify the salts and add them to the tincture. Since this is a more refined spagyric tincture, it is best to purify the salts first, before adding them to the tincture.» — [cap. 12] la segunda receta, por fermentación de la hierba fresca, que Cotnoir tiene por más refinada.

«A spagyric tincture differs from the usual herbal tincture in that the» — [cap. 12] el deslinde frente a la tintura herbolaria corriente; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *spagyric tinctures contain the plant salts*.

«spagyric tinctures contain the plant salts that complete the full therapeutic profile of the plant in question.» — [cap. 12] continuación en la plana siguiente: lo que aportan las sales, según Cotnoir, es el perfil terapéutico completo.

«Tinctures should be made from herbs for each of the seven planets. In Appendix 2 there is a brief list of some of the more useful and interesting herbs and their planetary rulership to help select an appropriate herb.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir organiza el surtido de tinturas por los siete planetas y remite al apéndice de regencias vegetales.

«A Magistry is the medicinal virtue of a substance, in this case an herb, preserved in a vehicle.» — [cap. 12] la definición de magisterio, que Cotnoir da por el par virtud–vehículo.

«Take 0.5 kg of the herb and macerate in 2 liters of water for 1–3 days. Maceration helps to break down the plant and releases the oils. When ready to distill off the essential oil, add more water to bring the volume up to the desired level (2 liters). Distill the oil. See Appendix 1 for the techniques and equipment needed for distillation. Separate the oil and keep it in a dark glass bottle. Letting the distillation flask and the remaining material cool down and “rest” for twelve to twenty-four hours and then continuing distillation, more of the Sulphur can be extracted. Note that the bulk of the Sulphur comes over in the first distillation, so it becomes a question of time and efficiency whether to continue distilling. Collect all the bottles and put them together in one. This is the Sulphur.» — [cap. 12] la extracción del Azufre del magisterio, con el descanso de la retorta entre destilaciones y el criterio de rendimiento con que Cotnoir decide dónde parar.

«Take the remaining mixture and adjust the temperature to 27°C. Add the yeast starter and sugar and let it ferment. When fermentation is» — [cap. 12] arranca la obtención del Mercurio; el tramo se corta en la marca de plana que el troceo reemite a media frase y sigue *complete, strain the mixture*.

«complete, strain the mixture and put the mass aside for calcinations. Take the liquid and distill out the Spirit. Rectify the Spirit and keep it in a glass bottle. This is the Mercury.» — [cap. 12] continuación del mismo paso: el Mercurio del magisterio es el espíritu rectificado de la fermentación.

«Take the remaining liquid and solids and calcine them to ash. They can be calcined separately or together. The remaining liquid when evaporated and calcined will yield the Salt of Sulphur. The solids when calcined will give the Salt of Salt. Since the two salts will ultimately be mixed together, I take the whole mix of liquid and solid and calcine them together. Take the ash from this calcination and dissolve, filter, and evaporate it; repeat this until the salts are as pure as possible. If you processed the two salts separately, they should be recombined at this point. This is the Salt.» — [cap. 12] la obtención de la Sal, donde Cotnoir declara en primera persona su propio atajo: calcinar líquido y sólido juntos.

«Take the 500 ml Mercury, all the Sulphur, and all the Salt and mix them. Add some of the Mercury to the Salts, just enough to dissolve them, then add all the Sulphur. Add more Mercury if it seems necessary to keep the Salt and the Sulphur in solution. Seal them in a flask and let them digest for one month at 40°C and then circulate for an additional one» — [cap. 12] la recombinación de los tres principios, con orden y temperatura; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *month*.

«month. Add more Mercury if necessary to keep the Salt and the Sulphur in solution. This is the Magistry of the selected herb, i.e., the medicinal virtue of the particular herb in a particular vehicle, that is, the Mercury, alcohol. It has all the virtues of the plant purified and intensified. It is a 1:1 tincture by weight:volume. In this case it is 500 grams of dried herb to 500 ml of solvent.» — [cap. 12] continuación en la plana siguiente: Cotnoir cierra el magisterio dando su proporción exacta, uno a uno en peso y volumen.

«Alternatively one could work with Mercury distilled from wine instead of going through the fermentation process, as well as work with commercially distilled essential oils (as long as they are steam distilled and no other extraction method has been used).» — [cap. 12] la variante con insumos comerciales que Cotnoir admite, con la condición de que el aceite venga destilado al vapor.

«Like the tinctures, Magistries for each of the seven planets should be made up.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir repite para los magisterios la regla de completar la serie de los siete planetas.

«The Three Principles can be combined so that the Salt and the Sulphur predominate to give rise to the spagyric plant stone. This Vegetable Stone is a hard wax-like substance that is the result of the successful separation, purification, combination, and digestion of the Three Principles. The Stone cannot form a separation like the circulatum minus can effect (see page 80), but it has all the virtues of the plant from which it was made. And it is far more energetic and efficacious than the raw herb, having been freed from superfluous and impure material.» — [cap. 12] la definición de la Piedra Vegetal por predominio de Sal y Azufre, y el límite que Cotnoir le pone frente al *circulatum minus*.

«The Vegetable Stone can take on an appearance from an almost tarlike substance to a fully digested, hard wax-like, translucent stone. Regardless of its outward form, if it has been properly combined, the virtues of the plant, whether medicinal, initiatic, or other, will be intensified.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir desliga la virtud del producto de su apariencia, que admite un rango ancho.

«To make the Vegetable Stone, take the Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury of a plant as prepared in the Magistry (or commercially obtained). Combine and digest them. There are several ways to achieve this.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir enuncia que hay varias vías y no una sola receta canónica.

«One way is the Salts are added to the Mercury and circulated and digested at 40°C. This is then the matrix to which the Sulphur is added, circulated, and digested. It is then gently distilled. Repeat this process of adding Mercury and Sulphur until the Salt has absorbed all the Sulphur and Mercury it can.» — [cap. 12] la primera secuencia de combinación, con la Sal como matriz que se satura.

«The other, and I think better, order of combination is to add the Sulphur to the Salt first. This allows for volatilization of some of the Salt before being absorbed and dispersed throughout the Mercury. The Salt should also be very well calcined and heated for an hour before use to» — [cap. 12] la segunda secuencia, que Cotnoir prefiere en primera persona; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *ensure all the water has been driven off*.

«ensure all the water has been driven off. Remember, oil and water do not mix. Water will prevent an intimate mix from occurring.» — [cap. 12] continuación en la plana siguiente: la razón del secado previo, dada en términos de la incompatibilidad entre aceite y agua.

«Place the heated Salt evenly in a flask and add the Sulphur to cover the Salt in slight excess. Seal the flask and incubate at 40°C for one week. If the Salt is dry, add more Sulphur. When the amount of Sulphur floating on top of the Salt is the same as what has been put in, the Salt has taken all the Sulphur it can and will take on a waxy, slimy appearance.» — [cap. 12] la señal de saturación de la Sal, que Cotnoir da por medida del Azufre sobrante y por el aspecto ceroso.

«A third method is to make a mixture of one part Mercury and one part Sulphur. This mixture is then added to the purified Salt so that a thin layer (one centimeter high) floats above the Salt. Digest and circulate this for one week. This is repeated until, during calcinations, the Salt melts like wax without smoking.» — [cap. 12] la tercera secuencia, con la fusión sin humo como prueba de término.

«If any of these methods produces a waxy substance that appears to be a “stone,” take a piece of it and test it by seeing if it can be dissolved in water. If it dissolves in water, use a higher proportion of Sulphur to Mercury, and cycle through two or three more calcinations and imbibitions, circulations and digestions until the substance does not dissolve in water. It is the Sulphur that holds the stone together. It is the Soul that allows for the union of Spirit and Body.» — [cap. 12] la prueba de agua como criterio de piedra lograda, y la lectura doctrinal que Cotnoir le encima: el Azufre es el Alma que une Espíritu y Cuerpo.

«Grinding and calcining the Stone gently, and repeating the process with more of the Sulphur and Mercury, can increase its virtue. The more this is repeated, the more potent the Stone becomes. This Stone has all the virtues of the plant but at a more energetic level.» — [cap. 12] la multiplicación de la Piedra Vegetal por repetición de imbibiciones.

«Regardless of the order that the three Principles were combined, place the Stone in an incubator and digest for six months to a year until it is solid. This is the Vegetable Stone.» — [cap. 12] el plazo largo de la digestión final, que Cotnoir da entre seis meses y un año.

«If the plant in question has little or no volatile oil, a tincture is extracted by macerating the plant in Rectified Spirit of Wine. The liquid extracted is a mixture of the Sulphur and the Mercury. Distill off the Mercury that has now become “determined” through its intimate contact with the plant. This is saved for use in the recombination of the principles.» — [cap. 12] la variante para plantas sin aceite volátil, con el Mercurio *determinado* por contacto como pieza guardada.

«Distilled water is added to the remaining greenish liquid and is then digested in a water bath at about 80°C until the water becomes a very intense red. Let the solution cool and then filter. The water contains the organic salts of the plant. Evaporate it very slowly; it will either turn into a honey-like syrup or it will crystallize. Dissolve and recrystallize to purify» — [cap. 12] la extracción acuosa de las sales orgánicas, con el rojo intenso como señal; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *the Salt of Sulphur*.

«the Salt of Sulphur. If the Salt of Sulphur has formed crystals, then take equal weights of Salt of Sulphur and Salt and mix them well, then imbibe with the determined Mercury. If the Salt of Sulphur is a honey-like consistency, then dissolve the Salt of Sulphur with the determined Mercury and then imbibe the Salt with this mixture. Follow the above procedures for finishing the Stone.» — [cap. 12] continuación en la plana siguiente: Cotnoir bifurca el procedimiento según la Sal de Azufre cristalice o quede en jarabe.

«Another method of working with plants with little Sulphur is by way of Oil of Tartar. Paracelsus referred to extracts made in this way as being the ens. The ens is the essential healing aspect of a plant—its virtue. One famous ens is the primum ens Melissae, the ens of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis). Lemon Balm is an herb with very little Sulphur.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir adjudica a Paracelso el término *ens* y lo define como el aspecto curativo esencial de la planta.

«Primum ens—the first extract of mineral natures is the Primum ens. It is the first matter, the seat of life and motion. With a fresh infusion of vitality provided by the ens, the human body can be rejuvenated.» — [cap. 12] la definición del *primum ens* como materia primera y asiento de vida y movimiento, con la promesa de rejuvenecimiento anexa.

«In his biography of Paracelsus, Franz Hartman quotes Paracelsus on the creation of the primum ens Melissae, a very potent and rejuvenating material derived from the herb Lemon Balm, an herb with very little essential oil. Hartman quotes Lesebure, a physician of Louis XIV of France, who gives the following report as to the use and effect of the primum ens Melissae:» — [cap. 12] la cadena de fuentes que Cotnoir declara para el testimonio que sigue: Hartman cita a Paracelso, y de ahí a Lesebure, médico de Luis XIV; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo con otra fuente.

«First he took, every morning at sunrise, a glass of white wine that was tinctured with this remedy, and after using it for fourteen days his finger- and toenails began to fall out, without however, causing any pain. He was not courageous enough to continue the experiment, but gave the same remedy to the old female servant. She took it every morning for about ten days, when she began to menstruate again as in former days. At this she was very much surprised, because she did not know that she had been taking a medicine. She became frightened, and refused to continue the experiment. My friend took, therefore, some grain, soaked it in that wine, and gave it to the old hen to eat, and on the sixth day that bird began to lose its feathers, and kept losing them until it was perfectly nude, but before two weeks had passed, new feathers grew, which were much more beautifully colored; her comb stood up again, and she began again to lay eggs.» — [cap. 12, testimonio de Lesebure] el relato de rejuvenecimiento que el volumen reproduce en bloque: uñas caídas, menstruación reanudada y gallina emplumada de nuevo; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«Here is the description of the process. This procedure may be used in general to extract the ens from any herb. It is particularly useful in plants with little essential oil.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir generaliza el procedimiento del *ens* a cualquier hierba pobre en aceite.

«Cover fresh Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) leaves with the Oil of Tartar (see page 66). Seal the flask and digest. In twenty-four to forty-eight hours, the Oil of Tartar will have extracted a tincture from the herb. Draw off this tincture from the leaves and discard the leaves.» — [cap. 12] el primer paso del *primum ens Melissae*, con el Aceite de Tártaro como disolvente.

«On top of this liquid pour very sharp Mercury so that it covers the liquid 2–5 cm deep. When the Mercury becomes intensely tinged, take it away, save it, and put fresh Mercury upon the alkaline liquid. Repeat until the Mercury absorbs all the color. This may take one to three months.» — [cap. 12] el paso de trasiego del color al Mercurio, con el plazo que Cotnoir le adjudica.

«This tincture is then gently distilled until the tincture in the flask begins to thicken. Stop the distillation at this point. Pour the thickening tincture into an evaporation dish and allow the remaining alcohol to evaporate, until it becomes the thickness of syrup. This is the primum ens Melissae. The distilled alcohol can be reused. Alternatively the tincture can be left as is after it is drawn off, and this is then the Tincture of primum ens Melissae.» — [cap. 12] el acabado del *ens*, con la variante en tintura que Cotnoir deja abierta.

«The ens should be prepared for each planet. The following is a good selection of herbs to work with. Most of these herbs, like Lemon Balm, have a very low Sulphur content. They are also all rather friendly and healthful. But before use, make sure you know the use and benefits of the herbs as well as your own physical state.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir extiende también al *ens* la serie planetaria y antepone la advertencia de conocer hierba y estado propio.

«The Moon—Hyssop Mercury—Savory Venus—Lady's mantle The Sun—Rose damask Mars—Basil Jupiter—Lemon balm Saturn—Horsetail» — [cap. 12] la tabla de siete hierbas por planeta que Cotnoir propone para los *ens*; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo botánico.

«The volatilization of Salt was one of the major problems of the alchemists —how to make the fixed fly. The fixed, the Salt in this case, is almost always the Salt of Tartar.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir enuncia la volatilización de la Sal como uno de los problemas mayores del oficio, en la fórmula de hacer volar lo fijo.

«Instead of just presenting the procedure, I will use this as an example of a way to approach a question. The question here is not only “how is the Salt of Tartar volatized?” but also, perhaps more» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir declara que usará el caso como método de investigación y no solo como receta; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue con la segunda mitad de la pregunta, ya en la plana siguiente.

«To begin to open this question, first collect into one place all mentions of the process under investigation—here it is the volatilization of Salt. At the same time discover the emblems, images, and metaphors the alchemists used for the volatilization of the fixed. Read across the processes and look for what they hold in common. Look for what the overall shape and flow of the process is. Begin to reproduce some of the visual images you have found. Use these images as a support for your meditations on the process. Find the inner resonances with whatever spiritual tradition you are working within. Each aspect begins to reinforce the other, and slowly, the contradictions are resolved, and the path becomes clear. I will give here only the physical processes, leaving the more subtle inner work to you.» — [cap. 12] el método de investigación que Cotnoir propone: reunir menciones, cruzar emblemas, reproducir imágenes y meditarlas; y el reparto que declara, quedándose él con lo físico y dejando al lector lo interior.

«Johann van Helmont, Ortus Medicinae. 1648.» — [cap. 12, pie de bloque] el crédito de la primera de las cuatro fórmulas de volatilización que el volumen transcribe; el nombre va tal cual lo imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«Dissolve Salt of Tartar in warm wine vinegar and set it to digest in a warm place for 40 days. Remove the vinegar and a clear crystalline salt will remain. Dissolve this salt in distilled rainwater and filter several times. Evaporate the water and a clear snow-white salt remains. From this salt distill by water water-bath a spirit. Once the spirit has been removed, let the salt sit for another month in a sand bath. The salt will sublime and fix itself to the sides of the glass. This is the Volatilized Salt of Tartar.» — [cap. 12, según van Helmont] la receta por vinagre y digestión de cuarenta días que el volumen adjudica al *Ortus Medicinae*; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«Sir Robert Boyle. Work Note Books 1655 BP 8 fol 141v. Item 20.» — [cap. 12, pie de bloque] la signatura archivística con que el volumen cita el cuaderno de trabajo de Boyle.

«To make Elixir Salis volatilis, Rx Essentiall oyle 2. Parts, pure Salt of tartar one part (Stirke» — [cap. 12, según Boyle] arranca la receta del *Elixir Salis volatilis* con su ortografía de época; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota metida a media frase y sigue *sometimes told me he tooke 3 parts of oyl*.

«sometimes told me he tooke 3 parts of oyl & two of salt) & let them circulate with a Bottome heat 3 or 4 months. The salt will be like sugar-candy & somewhat tincted by the oyle, & will sticke to the sides of the Glasse (which must be large & strong, & exquisitely stopt with Helmont's Lute ex cera & colephonia) at the Bottom of which not withstanding som liquor will remaine. Stirkius.» — [cap. 12, según Boyle] continuación de la misma entrada, pasada la llamada a nota: la proporción alterna que Boyle atribuye a Stirke y el lute de cera y colofonia que adjudica a Helmont.

«Take Sal tartari very moist but not enough to be a Lixivium & imbibe it by degrees with a chymicall oyle, beating & working them very well together in a fit Mortar; then spread them thinly in a Platter, & leave them sub dio. And in few (3, 4, or most commonly 7 or 8) dayes it will be a candy, which may be afterwards imbibed with new oyle (& handled as before) till it be satiated.» — [cap. 12, según Boyle] el ítem 89 del mismo cuaderno: la vía por imbibición al aire libre, *sub dio*, hasta saturar la sal.

«Dr St. tooke a pound of oyle of Mint (Speake-mint) as much Salt of Mint» — [cap. 12, según Boyle] la nota que Boyle añade al ítem, con el ensayo de menta que atribuye a Dr St.; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *& as much of the herbe it selfe*.

«& as much of the herbe it selfe & beate them into lozenges (broade & thin) which by degrees sub dio turned altogether into Candy. 2. These Candys by cohobations with pure spirit of wine will passe thorough the Retort, leaving only behind a resinous substance liquable in Water &c.» — [cap. 12, según Boyle] continuación en la plana siguiente: las pastillas puestas al aire y el paso por retorta con espíritu de vino.

«Encyclopedia Brittanica. 1771. Vol. 2, p. 154. To Combine Essential Oils with Fixed Alkalis.» — [cap. 12, pie de bloque] el crédito de la cuarta fórmula, tomada de la enciclopedia; el título va tal cual lo imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«Take salt of tartar, or any other alkali; thoroughly calcined. Heat it in a crucible till it be red, and in that condition throw it into a hot iron mortar: rub it quickly with a very hot iron pestle; and as soon as it is powdered, pour on it, little by little, nearly an equal quantity of oil of turpentine. The oil will enter into the salt, and unite intimately with it, so as to form a hard paste. Continue rubbing this composition with a pestle, in order to complete the union of the two substances; and, as your oil of turpentine disappears, add more, which will unite in the same manner, and give a softer consistency to the soapy mass.» — [cap. 12, según la enciclopedia de 1771] la vía rápida por mortero al rojo y aceite de trementina.

«Starkey's method of mixing and waiting was more tedious. This faster method is accredited to a Dr. Geoffroy.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir contrasta las dos vías y adjudica la rápida a un Dr. Geoffroy; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«In examining these formulae we find that the main thing they hold in common is that some liquid acts on the Salt of Tartar. The liquids are either distilled vinegar or an essential oil, both of which are comprised of organic acids.» — [cap. 12] el resultado del cruce de las cuatro fórmulas: lo común es un ácido orgánico actuando sobre la sal.

«In general, to volatilize alkaline mineral salts, use organic acids, either acetic acid or the organic acids found in resins or volatile oils. Essential oil, simply added to Salt of Tartar and digested, volatilizes the salt. Improvements to the process include heating the salt to assure its dryness and keeping it hot while adding the Sulphur.» — [cap. 12] la regla general que Cotnoir saca del cotejo, con las mejoras de procedimiento anexas.

«Tartar is also volatilized through cohobation with distilled vinegar. Add distilled vinegar to the Salt of Tartar, and the tartar will effervesce. Keep adding vinegar until the salt is saturated and the fizzing has stopped. Place this mixture in a flask and prepare for a distillation by sand bath. Distill with a gentle heat very slowly until nothing remains but a dry matter. Add a little of the vinegar until the salt is saturated and distill again to dryness.» — [cap. 12] la vía por cohobación con vinagre destilado, con el cese de la efervescencia como señal de saturación; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«The remaining solid is semivolatile. Sublime the salts. This sublimated salt is the Volatile Salt of Tartar.» — [cap. 12] el paso final de sublimación que da la Sal Volátil de Tártaro.

«Knowing this, go back over the processes and start to determine a work plan. And then actually do the work. As you work, bring to mind the» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir cierra el ejercicio devolviendo al lector a los textos; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *various images you've been working with*.

«various images you've been working with and see how they relate to the process in front of you and to each other. Then compare your results to the original texts from which this process was drawn. How does it compare to your experiment? Was something missed? Experience with volatilizing salts is valuable in understanding alchemy, and it is key to the next work, the circulatum minus—a truly alchemical creature.» — [cap. 12] continuación en la plana siguiente: el vaivén entre imagen, experimento y texto que Cotnoir propone como forma de estudio.

«A circulatum is simply any medium or solvent that can be used and recovered to be used again. Paracelsus wrote about these throughout his work. But it is a short tract by Baro Urbigerus, written in 1691, that draws our attention. In this brief work he gives very explicit directions in the composition of just such a circulatum, which he calls the circulatum minus —the lesser circulation. This circulatum is able to quickly extract the Three Principles from a fresh plant immersed in it. Within moments of being immersed in this liquid, the Sulphur, along with some of the Salt, begins to bubble up and float to the surface. Here, concentrated, are all the medicinal virtues of the immersed plant.» — [cap. 12] la definición de *circulatum* y la fuente que Cotnoir declara para el menor: el tratado de Baro Urbigerus de 1691.

«The methods differ really only in how the starting materials, the Three Principles, were arrived at—the first is done “philosophically” without “addition”; the second, by way of the grape, “a Plant of the noblest Degree”; the third and the one I outline here, is with commercially prepared material. But the process they are put through is the same for each.» — [cap. 12] los tres caminos de Urbigerus según Cotnoir, y su elección declarada del tercero, el de materiales comerciales.

«The overall process is as follows: The Sulphur is blended with the Salt to volatilize it. More Sulphur is added until the Salt is saturated. This mixture is then circulated with highly rectified spirits of wine and digested. It is then distilled and cohobated at least seven times. The final distillation yields the circulatum minus.» — [cap. 12] el resumen en cinco tiempos del procedimiento, con las siete cohobaciones como mínimo.

«VII. The proper Medium, requisite for the indissoluble Union of these two Subjects, is only a sulphureous and bituminous Matter, issuing out of a plant, living or dead, which is to be found in several parts of the World, and is known to all manner of sea fishermen (the Copavian we find to be the best, and after that the Italian), by which, after it has been separated from its feculent parts through our Universal Menstruum, all the Pores and Atoms of the fixt Vegetable Salt, which is extremely fortified by it, being dilated, it is made capable of receiving its own Spirit, and uniting itself with it.» — [cap. 12, según Urbigerus] el aforismo VII que el volumen transcribe: el medio sulfúreo y bituminoso conocido de los pescadores de mar; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«Let us consider the term “sea fishermen.” Not just a sea-goer but a fisherman, one who fishes by the sea. There is a tree that grows along the southern European seashores known variously by its common names as maritime pine, sea pine, or ocean pine.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir desarma la perífrasis de Urbigerus leyéndola al pie de la letra y llega por ahí al pino marítimo.

«It is this oil that George Starkey found to be the most effective essential oil with which to volatilize the Salt of Tartar. Urbigerus mentions that Copavia balsam is the best followed by the Italian pine.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir enfrenta la preferencia que atribuye a George Starkey con la que atribuye a Urbigerus, y las deja una junto a la otra.

«Practically speaking, any balsam should be able to be used, and in fact success has been had using Canada balsam, the oleoresin obtained from Abies balsamea, Cypress, and others. The important thing is that the resin used has its naturally occurring organic acids still present, for it is these acids that allow the Salt to volatilize.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir abre la lista de bálsamos admisibles y pone la única condición en los ácidos orgánicos conservados.

«For 500 ml of circulatum minus you need about 20 grams of the Salt, 25 ml of the Sulphur, 35 ml of balsam, and 500 ml of Mercury. This is only a rough guide as to how much of the material you should have at» — [cap. 12] las cantidades del *circulatum minus*, que Cotnoir da como guía gruesa; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *hand*.

«Moisten the Salt with the Sulphur until it is just wet. Then, little by little, add the balsam, grinding and mixing it all to a honey-like consistency. Do this at 40°C. I find that using a mortar and pestle under a bell jar allows easy access for grinding and stirring. Use all the Sulphur and all the Salts, and then add a bit more of the resin. It should have the consistency of honey. Digest the mixture at 40°C. When the mixture becomes dry, reimbibe with more resin. Stir frequently nine to ten times a day. Exposure to air seems to be helpful in the volatilization of the Salt, so do the imbibition and digestion in a rather large stoppered flask. In three to four weeks, the Salt should be fully saturated and should have a slimy, glassy appearance and feel soapy to the touch. This is the most important part of the process. This is when the volatilization of the Salt takes place.» — [cap. 12] el paso que Cotnoir señala como el central de todo el capítulo, con su montaje de campana y su frecuencia de agitación en primera persona.

«When the Salt is ready, eight parts of the rectified Mercury are added to one part of the Salt/Sulphur/balsam mixture. Let the mix putrefy for eight to ten days; stir it daily. You should notice a change of color, and the Salt will appear like slime at the bottom of the flask. Circulate for one week. Distill carefully—do not let the resin come over or allow it to burn. Cohobate, i.e., pour the distillate back over the remaining mixture in the flask. Additional digestions may be useful. Repeat this cycle of distillation and cohobation for a total of seven times. Then do the final distillation. This distillate has a very sharp odor. It is the circulatum minus.» — [cap. 12] la segunda mitad del procedimiento, con la proporción ocho a uno y las siete cohobaciones.

«To test it, take a few leaves from a fresh plant and immerse it in your solution. A proper circulatum will separate out the Three Principles in less than fifteen minutes depending on the strength.» — [cap. 12] la prueba de rendimiento del producto, cronometrada en quince minutos; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«After reading through this procedure, go back and review the section on the volatilization of Salts. You will notice that Sir Robert Boyle in item 89 is describing a similar process of using the essential oil to volatilize the Salt and using the Spirit of Wine to carry it over.» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir cierra el circuito de lectura remitiendo el procedimiento propio al ítem 89 de Boyle transcrito páginas antes.

«It is important to try to understand the underlying processes and not just slavishly follow recipes. The mastery of the circulatum minus is the basis for future work. There is no pretending at success, no possibility of self-delusion about success. What you end up with at the end of the» — [cap. 12] Cotnoir objeta el seguimiento mecánico de recetas y pone el *circulatum minus* como prueba que no admite autoengaño; el tramo se corta en la marca de plana que el troceo reemite a media frase y sigue *process either works or it doesn't*.

«process either works or it doesn't. What one learns and gains in the process is a foundation much in the way the circulatum itself is a foundation for the work.» — [cap. 12] continuación de la misma frase: el doble sentido de fundamento que Cotnoir le da al producto y al aprendizaje.

«One final note: This process is very simple but rather tricky. Be prepared for several attempts before succeeding. But realize that even in failure, experience is gained. Furthermore, while the distillate may not be» — [cap. 12] la advertencia final sobre los intentos fallidos; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *the circulatum minus*.

«the circulatum minus, it is still a wonderful and refined spagyric tincture.» — [cap. 12] continuación en la plana siguiente: lo que queda cuando la operación no sale, según Cotnoir, es una tintura espagírica refinada.

«All things are poisons, and nothing is without poison. Only the dose makes a thing not a poison. —PARACELSUS» — [cap. 13, epígrafe] el epígrafe del capítulo de medicinas, que el volumen atribuye a Paracelso: la dosis como criterio único del veneno.

«We now have several types of potent alchemical medicines: tinctures, magistries, ens, and stones. They are taken according to planetary rulership of the plant, the day, and the hour. The full use of these herbal preparations as medicines is a topic far beyond the scope of this book.» — [cap. 13] Cotnoir recapitula los cuatro productos del trabajo vegetal, fija la regla de toma por regencia planetaria y declara el límite de su libro.

«The proper use can be studied in the works of Nicholas Culpeper (1616–1654). A close and careful study of Culpeper's A Physical Directory, or a Translation of the London Dispensary, his 1649 English translation of the Pharmacopoeia Londonesis, as well as his 1653 herbal The English Physitian, will provide a good background within which to study alchemical medicines, their preparation, and use.» — [cap. 13] Cotnoir remite la práctica médica a Nicholas Culpeper y nombra tres títulos suyos con año; los títulos van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«He provides some rules of thumb in choosing which herbs are most useful by considering the patient's astrological chart.» — [cap. 13] Cotnoir introduce las reglas de Culpeper como criterio astrológico de elección de hierba.

«1. Fortifie the Body with Herbs of the Nature of the lord of the Ascendent, ‘tis no matter whether he be a Fortune or an Infortune in this case. 2. Let your Medicine be somthing Antipathetical to the lord of the sixth. 3. Let your Medicine be somthing of the Nature of the Sign ascending. 4. If the lord of the Tenth be strong, make use of his Medicines. 5. If this cannot well be, make use of the Medicines of the light of time. 6. Be sure alwaies fortifie the grieved part of the body by Sympathetical Remedies.» — [cap. 13, según Culpeper] las seis primeras reglas, transcritas con la ortografía de época del original.

«7. Regard the Heart, keep that upon the Wheels because the Sun is the Fountain of Life, and therefore those Universal Remedies Aurum potabile, and the Phylosophers Stone, cure all Diseases by only fortifying the Heart.» — [cap. 13, según Culpeper] la séptima regla, que pasa a la plana siguiente y remite los dos remedios universales al corazón como sede solar.

«The effects of these alchemical preparations are the effects of the herb itself on the physical body, on the organs ruled by the planet that rules the herb in question. In these cases a few drops are taken in water as needed, or on the first hour of the day of the planet in question. For example, solar plants are taken on Sunday at sunrise (remember the first hour of the day is ruled by the planet ruling that day), lunar plants are taken on Monday at sunrise.» — [cap. 13] la posología por hora planetaria, con el ejemplo del domingo solar y el lunes lunar.

«These tinctures and other preparations also have effects on more subtle levels of the body and can be used in more initiatory ways. For example, the herbal preparations of the planets, whether tinctures or magistries, may be taken in progressively increased doses starting with two drops daily in water, and building, over a course of a year, to ten drops a day. They are taken every day, cycling through the seven planets' tinctures once a week. It is important that one chooses healthful and friendly plants for this purpose. Choose herbs that will not build up toxins but instead help release the impurities and balance out those organs represented by the planets. Since these preparations used in this manner have very subtle effects, a careful recording and consideration of your dreams during this period are important.» — [cap. 13] el uso iniciático de las preparaciones, con su calendario de un año, su rotación semanal por los siete planetas y el registro de sueños como instrumento de medida.

«Beyond these herbal preparations, the use of any alchemical preparation made of minerals or metals should be done with the supervision and consultation of a fully qualified doctor of medicine.» — [cap. 13] el límite que Cotnoir le pone a la automedicación: lo mineral y lo metálico, solo con médico titulado.

«If Heaven will it, thou shalt know that Nature, Alike in everything, is the same in every place. —GOLDEN VERSES OF PYTHAGORAS» — [cap. 14, epígrafe] el epígrafe del capítulo mineral, que el volumen atribuye a los Versos Áureos de Pitágoras: la uniformidad de la naturaleza como premisa del trabajo.

«Alchemy has been referred to in places as terrestrial astronomy, as in Edward Kelly's Theatre of Terrestrial Astronomy. It is the study of the “terrestrial planets,” that is, the seven metals. Much of alchemy especially from the mid-sixteenth century on was preoccupied with the concept of Three Principles and the seven “powers,” i.e., the planets.» — [cap. 14] Cotnoir toma de Edward Kelly la fórmula de astronomía terrestre y la aplica a los siete metales; el nombre y el título van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«The mineral kingdom can be analyzed in terms of the Three Principles as was done with plants. Paracelsus stated, “Know that all the seven metals are born from a threefold matter, namely, Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, but with distinct and peculiar colorings. . . . Mercury is the Spirit, Sulphur is the Soul, and Salt is the body.”» — [cap. 14, cita de Paracelso] la extensión al reino mineral de los tres principios, apoyada en la fórmula que Cotnoir atribuye a Paracelso; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«The initial work is opening the metal and preparing it for marriage into the plant world (the intermediary to the animal world) thereby transmuting it for human use.» — [cap. 14] Cotnoir enuncia el escalonamiento de reinos: el metal se abre para casarse con lo vegetal y de ahí llegar a lo animal.

«The first step in this process is the calcination of the metal. Calcination is the roasting of the crushed ore just below its melting point, exposing it to air to create the oxide of the metal (also a salt of the metal). The calcination of gold, however, is done by another method.» — [cap. 14] la definición operativa de calcinación mineral, con la excepción del oro apuntada al paso.

«Once the metal is calcined and turned into its calx, it is then ready to be opened further. John French, in his Art of Distillation, states that, “they must first be reduced into salts, for then they are no more dead bodies, but by this preparation have obtained a new life, and are the metals of Philosophers.”» — [cap. 14, cita de John French] la fórmula que Cotnoir toma del *Art of Distillation*: reducidos a sales, los metales dejan de ser cuerpos muertos; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«This is achieved through what have been called the stone dragons, that is, the spirits of mineral salts.» — [cap. 14] Cotnoir consigna el nombre de dragones de piedra para los espíritus de sales minerales.

«The mineral salts that are of interest to us here are sea salt (sodium chloride), sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride), saltpeter (potassium nitrate), and vitriols (sulphates).» — [cap. 14] las cuatro sales de partida del trabajo mineral, con su identificación química; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota metida a media frase y sigue *are the sulphate salts of, most commonly, copper, iron, aluminum, and zinc*.

«are the sulphate salts of, most commonly, copper, iron, aluminum, and zinc. The most common are blue, green, alum, and white vitriol respectively. Like sea salt and saltpeter, they exist as naturally occurring minerals.» — [cap. 14] continuación, pasada la llamada a nota: los cuatro vitriolos por color y su origen mineral.

«When these stones, such as vitriol, for example, are heated, first water, sometimes referred to as the flood or as phlegm, is given off, then an oily sharp liquid comes over. This is called oil of vitriol, known today as dilute sulphuric acid.» — [cap. 14] Cotnoir empareja el vocabulario alquímico con el químico: *flood* o *phlegm* para el agua, aceite de vitriolo para el ácido sulfúrico diluido.

«Although oil of vitriol refers to something specific, the term “vitriol” was expanded to include other acids drawn from other mineral salts. Distilling sea salt or sal ammoniac will yield a Spirit or Oil of Salt (hydrochloric acid); saltpeter will produce a Spirit of Nitre (nitric acid); aqua fortis (strong water) is distilled from saltpeter and vitriol; and Aqua Regia is distilled from a mix of sea salt or sal ammoniac and saltpeter.» — [cap. 14] la tabla de correspondencias entre nombre alquímico y ácido moderno, y la advertencia de que *vitriolo* se usó en sentido ancho; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«These mineral acids were obtained by distilling a salt or a mixture of salts blended with inert matter like potters clay or guilders bole. The salt and clay are first formed into small pellets then placed in a retort and heated with a fire of the highest degree. The spirit is then forced over.» — [cap. 14] el método histórico de obtención de los ácidos, con la materia inerte como soporte y el fuego del grado más alto.

«The work with metals does, at one point or another, involve these very caustic and toxic spirits, and mention is often made of them. I can only recommend attempting to distill these spirits to those with adequate training and equipment to deal with boiling and vaporizing acids. First perfect your technique and work with plants, wine, and water before considering moving on.» — [cap. 14] Cotnoir restringe en primera persona la destilación de ácidos a quien tenga formación y equipo, y ordena el aprendizaje por reinos.

«To obtain the salt of a metal, the metal or oxide of the metal is placed into one of the above spirits. The spirit dissolves the metal. This solution is then filtered» — [cap. 14] arranca el procedimiento general de obtención de sales metálicas; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota y sigue *and allowed to crystallize*.

«and allowed to crystallize. When crystallization is complete, take the crystals and wash them with water. If the result is soluble, filter again and evaporate. If it is insoluble, wash, filter, and dry the crystals.» — [cap. 14] continuación, pasada la llamada a nota: la bifurcación del lavado según la sal resulte soluble o insoluble.

«You now have the particular salts of the metal you are working with. Each acid forms its own type of salt. Acetic acid yields acetates. Hydrochloric acid yields chlorides. Nitric acid yields nitrates and nitrites. Sulphuric acid yields sulphates. Aqua Regia tends to yield chlorides due to the presence of hydrochloric acid, a component of Aqua Regia. With this salt, one is now ready to begin the alchemical work. The proper preparation of the salt is where true alchemy abides.» — [cap. 14] la tabla ácido–sal y la línea con que Cotnoir sitúa la alquimia verdadera en la preparación de la sal, no en la reacción.

«This engraving from the seventeenth-century Museum Hermeticum Reformatum et Amplificatum depicts the idea of “as above, so below.” We see beneath the Earth Apollo and the six muses each representing one of the planets, that is, metals.» — [pie de lámina] la lectura que el volumen da del grabado del *Museum Hermeticum*: Apolo y seis musas bajo tierra por los siete planetas-metales.

«Let us consider some alchemical work that can be done with Venus. What is done with Venus can be done, with some modifications, with the other metals. Venus is good to work with both because of the relatively low level of toxicity involved and also because of the beauty of the results.» — [cap. 14] las dos razones por las que Cotnoir elige el cobre como metal de ejemplo: baja toxicidad y belleza del resultado.

«The salts of Venus are mostly greens and blues. Blue vitriol is copper sulphate and occurs naturally as the mineral bluestone. This is an excellent mineral with which to explore the techniques of crystallization. Much can be learned and realized in doing only that.» — [cap. 14] Cotnoir propone el vitriolo azul como material de escuela para la cristalización.

«another lovely mineral that is almost moss-like in color and appearance. When ground finely, it makes a green pigment. Malachite is also used in jewelry due to its beauty. Verdigris, the “green of the Greeks” is a third. It is copper acetate, a rust that forms on copper plates when they are suspended over vinegar. When its crystals are large and coarse it has a deep dark green color that lightens and shifts to blue on grinding.» — [cap. 14] los otros dos minerales de Venus, malaquita y cardenillo; el tramo arranca en el cambio de plana a media frase, cuyo comienzo dice *Malachite, copper carbonate,* con llamada a nota de por medio.

«What we will do here is take copper, open it, and move it up, so to speak, from metal to mineral, through the vegetable, thus making it accessible to the animal realm for use perhaps as a medicine or as a precursor for a medicine.» — [cap. 14] Cotnoir enuncia el plan del ejercicio del cobre como ascenso por los reinos hasta lo animal.

«and immerse it in Oil of Vitriol, diluted sulphuric acid. This will dissolve the copper, making a blue solution of copper sulphate, moving Venus from metal to mineral. The change is very dramatic. One can also start with blue vitriol itself, since it is easier to begin the work with the mineral. If you can find it as its natural mineral bluestone, this is by far the best way to work. This is, however, one of those cases in which you can use the chemical copper sulphate to study the process and theory while you are hunting down some bluestone.» — [cap. 14] los tres puntos de partida posibles y la jerarquía que Cotnoir les da: mineral natural, mineral, reactivo comercial; el tramo arranca pasada la llamada a nota, cuyo comienzo dice *One can start with copper metal*.

«Take bluestone or copper sulphate and dissolve it in heated distilled water, as much as the water will take. Prepare a separate solution of Salt of Tartar by taking approximately an equal amount of Salt of Tartar and dissolving it in the same volume of water needed for the copper sulphate solution. Then add, little by little, the copper sulphate solution to the tartar solution, stirring constantly. A green-blue precipitate appears immediately, forming a sponge-like mass. This is green verditer, or copper carbonate, the man-made form of malachite developed in the fifteenth century.» — [cap. 14] la obtención del *verditer* verde, que Cotnoir data como malaquita artificial del siglo XV.

«Keep stirring and adding the copper solution to the tartar solution. Filter and wash the precipitate until the runoff is neutral and shows a pH of 7 on a pH paper strip. This may take four to six washings. The longer you wait to wash the filtrate, the darker the verditer becomes. Sometimes temperature also influences the final color. The color varies from green to blue. It is very easy to get some form of green, but to get it to form the blue verditer (man-made azurite) is very tricky.» — [cap. 14] el lavado hasta pH neutro y las variables —tiempo y temperatura— de las que Cotnoir hace depender el color final.

«We now have moved the copper from the mineral to the first stage of the vegetable kingdom, via its salt, to the carbonate. This can be used as a pigment, or we can continue to move up the ladder. Take this green-blue powder and slowly add distilled vinegar. It will fizz as the acid reacts with the carbonate, quickly releasing carbon dioxide. This will make a very deep green solution of verdigris (copper acetate). Crystallize the solution to get verdigris.» — [cap. 14] el paso del carbonato al acetato, que Cotnoir lee como un escalón más de la escala de reinos.

«Verdigris may also be made by suspending copper plates over warm» — [cap. 14] la vía corta al cardenillo; el tramo se corta en la marca de plana que el troceo reemite a media frase, y sigue *distilled vinegar*, con llamada a nota.

«This method opens copper up directly into the animal realm. This is perfectly fine. However, making verdigris from the carbonate of copper (malachite or verditer) allows one to move copper from the realm of metals through the mineral realm and finally into the vegetable realm. In this method, with each jump and crystallization or formation, the copper is purified and opened more and more. This process does not so much transmute copper, as it does transfigure it, creating a channel through which the energies of copper may flow from the realm of metals into the vegetable realm, and in this way making it accessible to the animal realm.» — [cap. 14] Cotnoir deslinda transmutar de transfigurar, y describe el resultado como canal por donde fluye la energía del cobre entre reinos.

«From here, with direct practice enlivening theory, you can see that by using natural malachite and a properly prepared wine vinegar acetic acid, one could make a very rich verdigris—that is, a living energetic copper whose body has been thoroughly opened and ready for further work.» — [cap. 14] el cierre del ejercicio, con la práctica devolviendo vida a la teoría según la fórmula de Cotnoir.

«The aurum potabile was another of the major challenges faced by the alchemists. The aurum potabile is a drinkable liquid form of gold. It possesses very potent healing qualities that touch the very heart of a person, effecting a cure from there. There are as many aurum potabiles as there are alchemists and physicians.» — [cap. 15] la definición del oro potable y el reconocimiento de que no hay una receta sino tantas como operadores.

«To make the aurum potabile, the first question is, how does one open gold? How do you break through its shell and release its essence, its soul? This is what was attempted with the use of mineral and organic acids and other solvents. What was actually made was a very fine colloidal suspension of gold.» — [cap. 15] Cotnoir plantea el problema como apertura del oro y señala qué se obtuvo de hecho: una suspensión coloidal.

«Colloidal suspensions of gold and of silver have noted health benefits. Silver, for example, is an excellent antibacterial. It was used as such up until the 1930s, when the development of other more organic antibacterial agents, such as penicillin, became the therapy of choice. Silver is now often used in intravenous needles, where the need to suppress bacteria is high. There was also a custom among the early American settlers of putting a silver coin in a canteen of water to help keep it fresh. Colloidal gold is used in much the same way.» — [cap. 15] Cotnoir apoya la virtud del coloide en usos documentados de la plata, incluida la moneda en la cantimplora de los colonos.

«Aurum potabile is, according to the actual work of the alchemists, colloidal gold. But this, in the opinion of some alchemists, is not “true” alchemical aurum potabile. The gold has not truly been opened and its essence has not truly been released. The gold has only been divided very finely and has, as already noted, health benefits in and of itself, but is not a» — [cap. 15] Cotnoir consigna el desacuerdo del oficio sobre si el coloide es o no oro potable, y no arbitra; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *true aurum potabile*.

«true aurum potabile. The process in general is that a solvent is used to dissolve and hopefully open gold. Solvents such as Aqua Regia or metallic mercury, as is applied in wet gilding, are used to this end. Then a medium is used to extract, or lift, the gold or soul of gold, out of the toxic matrix of the solution. Some processes then use yet another more palatable medium into which they extract the gold once more in preparation for human consumption. This then is the aurum potabile.» — [cap. 15] continuación en la plana siguiente: los tres tiempos del procedimiento —disolver, levantar, trasvasar— que Cotnoir da en términos generales.

«The Opus Magnum is the Great Work. I will keep my comments on this topic brief, not having attempted this work myself. Some aspects of it, yes, I've done. But the work itself? No. However, I will present a brief overview of two methods that look very interesting.» — [cap. 16] Cotnoir declara en primera persona que no ha hecho la Gran Obra y acota por eso el alcance del capítulo.

«They have come to be known as the wet way and the dry way.» — [cap. 16] la partición en vía húmeda y vía seca; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«The wet way works with solutions and the soluble salts of the metals and was described by Sir George Ripley in his Bosom Book of Sir George Ripley. The dry way is the method used and described by Nicholas Flamel and clearly explicated by Eireneaus Philalethes in his An Open Entrance to the Closed Palace of the King and was worked with a great deal of transparency and intellectual rigor by both Sir Robert Boyle and Sir Isaac Newton.» — [cap. 16] Cotnoir adjudica cada vía a sus autores y suma a Boyle y a Newton como practicantes de la seca; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo, y aquí se lee *Eireneaus* donde la plana siguiente imprime *Eirenaeus*.

«From Museum Hermeticum Reformatum et Amplificatum. 1678.» — [pie de lámina] el crédito de la segunda lámina tomada del *Museum Hermeticum*, con su año.

«The method laid out by Sir George Ripley follows this broadest outline. Antimony or lead is prepared and then made into an acetate salt with distilled vinegar. This salt is then dry distilled. A volatile white vapor comes over and condenses into a very volatile liquid. This is the Mercury. Distillation continues and a reddish oil comes over. This is the Sulphur. The Salt remains behind. The Salt is calcined and purified, and the other principles are joined to the Salt. It is then sealed in a flask and heated. This then goes through various stages, the end result of which is the Philosopher's Stone, which is able to transmute base metals into gold and can cure all diseases.» — [cap. 16] el resumen de la vía húmeda que Cotnoir adjudica a Ripley, con el antimonio o el plomo como materia y la separación de los tres principios por destilación seca.

«In the method developed by Eirenaeus Philalethes, antimony again plays a central role, but in the metallic form this time. Regulus of antimony is extracted from stibnite, an antimony ore, and purified to form a Star Regulus. This Regulus is then joined with copper or silver to further purify the Regulus, as well as to impart a part of their character to the “water” that is antimony. This highly purified antimony is then used to cleanse ordinary mercury and to make it philosophical. Ferment of gold is added to this philosophical Mercury which is then sealed into a thick flask and heated. The matter goes through various color changes and states. The end result is, like the above process, the Philosopher's Stone, or more accurately, the red powder of projection which is the form it takes in most of the transmutation stories.» — [cap. 16] el resumen de la vía seca, con el Régulo Estrellado del antimonio y el polvo rojo de proyección como término.

«To accomplish this Great Work, so much depends on the alchemist and each individual's inner preparation. There is little that I can add except that you should work within the tradition in which you are most at home, find its esoteric heart, and the points of contact it makes with alchemy, and start there.» — [cap. 16] la única indicación que Cotnoir añade a las dos vías: trabajar desde la tradición propia y buscarle el corazón esotérico.

«With your mind steadily and calmly focused, divide matter using whatever system is the most familiar, whether contemporary physics or the elements of the Greeks. Take an object and divide it. Keep dividing it with your mind until you cannot divide anymore. Enter there, rest your mind there, and begin to explore. Staying there, look around for the object with which you began. Does it really exist? Once you have brought the object to a point where it has been broken apart one step too many and been “lost,” you have arrived at the point at which transmutation becomes a possibility. Is this the prima materia?» — [cap. 17] la contemplación final sobre la transmutación, que Cotnoir plantea como división mental hasta el punto de pérdida del objeto, y que deja en pregunta abierta sobre la *prima materia*.

«“exeunt omnium in mysterium”» — [cap. 17] la divisa latina con que Cotnoir cierra la contemplación; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«What I have presented is a very brief condensed outline of the alchemical path. Many gates and side paths have been pointed out, and some names have been dropped. There are many possibilities for further work. The alchemical path is an extremely demanding yet fruitful endeavor able to give something to everyone—the mystic, the scholar, the philosopher, the artist, the madman, and, of course, the beloved fool. It is now time to reread and pick up some of the threads that will guide you through this labyrinth. It is important to examine the world with your own eyes, verify things with your own experience. Persist and follow the dictum ora, lege, lege, lege, relege, labora et invenies. It truly is the method of alchemy. But most important to make progress on the alchemical path is your motivation for pursuing alchemy. Aim it toward the benefit of others. Aim toward anything else and you run the risk of becoming seriously lost.» — [cap. 17] el balance con que Cotnoir cierra el cuerpo del libro, con la divisa latina repetida y la motivación —el beneficio de otros— puesta por encima de la técnica.

«I include here a fragment from the Tarjuman al-ashwaq, a collection of mystical Odes by the great Islamic theosophist ibn al-‘Arabi, as something» — [cap. 17] Cotnoir presenta la fuente del poema final; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *to aspire to and necessary to the Great Work*. El nombre va tal cual lo imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«to aspire to and necessary to the Great Work:» — [cap. 17] continuación en la plana siguiente: Cotnoir declara el poema no como adorno sino como requisito de la Gran Obra.

«O marvel! a garden amidst fires! My heart has become capable of every form: It is a pasture for gazelles And a convent for Christian monks, And a temple for idols and the pilgrims Ka'ba And the tables of the Torah and the book of the Koran. I follow the religion of Love: Whatever way Love's camels take, That is my religion and my faith.» — [cap. 17, según ibn al-‘Arabi] el fragmento del *Tarjuman al-ashwaq* con que se cierra el cuerpo del volumen: el corazón capaz de toda forma y la religión del Amor; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«Not revealed in the books, but in the practice.» — [cap. 17] la última línea del cuerpo, con que Cotnoir devuelve el peso del libro al taller.

«It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. —MOM» — [apéndice 1, epígrafe] el epígrafe del apéndice de seguridad, que el volumen atribuye a *MOM* y no a autoridad alguna del oficio.

«Two general rules of safety: Know the theory before attempting the practice.» — [apéndice 1] la primera de las dos reglas generales, que repite en clave de seguridad la prioridad de la teoría sostenida en el cuerpo del libro.

«Before beginning any experiment it is of the utmost importance to know thoroughly what we are going to do, how we plan to do it, and what results we are expecting. The experiment should be able to be performed mentally from the beginning to its completion. This practice not only produces a safer laboratory and more efficient operation but also strengthens and develops the ability to visualize and concentrate.» — [apéndice 1] Cotnoir junta seguridad y disciplina interior: ensayar el experimento con la mente entrena a la vez la visualización del capítulo cinco.

«When in doubt, do not do it. There is a degree of risk in any experimental undertaking; it is the nature of experiment. But it is the purpose of experimental technique not only to give “a way into” an unknown substance, situation, or event but also to minimize the hazards that may be involved with or result from the experiment.» — [apéndice 1] la segunda regla general, con la definición de técnica experimental como puerta de entrada y como reductora de riesgo a la vez.

«1. Prepare in depth before starting any experiment. 2. Know the properties of the substances being worked with. An excellent source of this information is The Merck Index or CRC of Chemistry and Physics. 3. Never mix substances “just to see what happens.” It can be a very dangerous practice, or, at the least, a waste of materials. 4. Safety or prescription glasses should be worn at all times to protect the» — [apéndice 1] las cuatro primeras reglas de seguridad, con las dos obras de referencia química que Cotnoir nombra; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *eyes; contact lenses are inadequate*.

«eyes; contact lenses are inadequate. 5. Adequate footwear should be worn and long hair confined. A pair of gloves is also recommended when working with acids, bases, or toxic substances that can be absorbed through the skin, such as antimony. 6. Never eat, drink, or smoke while working in the lab. 7. When noting the odor of anything, do not stick your nose over it and sniff, but rather waft the odors to your nose with your hand. 8. When diluting acids or bases, the acid or base should always be added to the water. This reduces the risk of chemical burns from splashing.» — [apéndice 1] continuación en la plana siguiente: las reglas cinco a ocho, con el antimonio nombrado como tóxico de absorción cutánea.

«9. Use a towel when inserting or removing glass tubing or thermometers into or out of rubber stoppers or rubber tubing. Also use water to lubricate the rubber. 10. Never heat flammable liquids with an open flame, or when any open flame is near. 11. Check and recheck all connections of a setup. 12. Always keep a charged all-purpose fire extinguisher handy in the laboratory or workplace.» — [apéndice 1] las reglas nueve a doce, de manipulación de vidrio y de fuego.

«13. Always have a source of fresh cold running water available in case of burns (both chemical and heat). To flush the eyes, slightly warm water is preferred. It is also a good idea to have a first aid kit available. 14. Be careful with hot glassware and metal rings—sometimes they appear the same as when cold. 15. Label things clearly with indelible ink. 16. Keep the laboratory or workplace well ventilated at all times.» — [apéndice 1] las reglas trece a dieciséis, de primeros auxilios, vidrio caliente, etiquetado y ventilación.

«17. Do not work on days when you are in a “bad mood,” not feeling well, etc. Try not to push things when you feel yourself becoming fatigued. Months of work could be lost in a matter of seconds due to one small accident. 18. Think and use your common sense.» — [apéndice 1] las dos últimas reglas, donde Cotnoir hace del estado de ánimo del operador una variable de seguridad. La lista impresa termina en dieciocho.

«In the begining work, such as the preparation of spagyric tinctures, a lot of these rules are not strictly applicable. However, it is very important to make a habit of observing safety procedures so that they become second nature to us, and a part of our experimental repertoire.» — [apéndice 1] Cotnoir admite que las reglas sobran en el trabajo inicial y las pide igual, como hábito; el troceo imprime *begining* por *beginning*.

«This is a basic list of what is needed; as you work you will add to it.» — [apéndice 1] Cotnoir declara la lista de equipo abierta y no cerrada.

«For distillation: Flasks Adapters Condensors Thermometer Oil separator Aludel Clamps Stands Rubber tubing Electric heat source» — [apéndice 1] el equipo de destilación, con el aludel medieval en la misma lista que la fuente de calor eléctrica; el troceo imprime *Condensors*.

«For calcination: Stainless steel pans Ceramic casserole dishes Screens Crucibles Any heat source» — [apéndice 1] el equipo de calcinación, todo él de cocina salvo el crisol.

«For measurement: Scales—mass Graduated cylinders—volume Thermometers—temperature Hydrometer—liquid density pH paper—acidity» — [apéndice 1] los cinco instrumentos de medida, cada uno con la magnitud que le corresponde.

«Safety: Gloves Fire extinguisher Eye protection Proper disposal system First aid kit» — [apéndice 1] el equipo de seguridad mínimo, con el sistema de desecho incluido.

«Heat sources: Sun» — [apéndice 1] Cotnoir encabeza la lista de fuentes de calor con el sol; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *Dung*.

«Dung Incubator Hot plate Heating mantle Bunsen burner Stove Oven Open charcoal fire» — [apéndice 1] continuación en la plana siguiente: el resto de las fuentes de calor, del estiércol del oficio antiguo al mechero y la parrilla.

«For more on laboratory techniques consult an organic chemistry laboratory manual.» — [apéndice 1] Cotnoir remite la técnica de laboratorio a la manualística química corriente.

«The glassware used in distillation and in other applications are basically two types: one is a glassware that uses glass tubing, rubber stoppers, and rubber hosing for connections; the other has ground glass-joints, and everything fits together very easily.» — [apéndice 1] los dos tipos de cristalería de destilación que Cotnoir distingue.

«The heat source should be an electric hot plate or heating mantle where you are distilling alcohol or other flammables. Never use an open flame or have one nearby when distilling flammables.» — [apéndice 1] la prohibición de llama abierta con inflamables, repetida dos veces en la misma línea.

«• Round distilling flask • Vacuum adapter • Distilling head • Round bottom flask • Thermometer adapter • Clamps • Stands • Thermometer • Condenser and tubes • Heat source» — [apéndice 1] la lista de piezas del montaje con juntas esmeriladas.

«Standard glassware equipment: • Rubber stoppers and glass tubing • Distilling flask and one-holed rubber stopper (for thermometer), or • Distilling flask and a two-holed rubber stopper (for thermometer and bent glass tube) • Thermometer • Receiving flask • Heat source • Condenser, hoses, and a one-holed rubber stopper • Clamps and stands» — [apéndice 1] la lista equivalente para cristalería corriente, con tapones perforados en lugar de juntas.

«Assemble the apparatus as shown in Figure 6a, 6b, or 6c on the following page. The distillation flask, condenser, and the vacuum adapter should all be clamped to stands. If using ground glass joints, lightly coat the joints with stopcock grease» — [apéndice 1] el armado del aparato de destilación simple; el tramo se corta antes de la llamada a nota.

«The joints should be clear and transparent and without any bubbles. They should be checked occasionally for tightness during the distillation to prevent loss of vapor. The flask should be filled no more than two-thirds. More than this and the liquid may splash into the condenser. Less than two-thirds and too much vapor must fill the flask first before it is forced through the condenser. Insert the thermometer so that the bulb or the immersion line etched on the thermometer is just below the side arm of the distilling head (or the side arm of the distilling flask). The bulb must be in the vapor stream in order to have a correct temperature reading.» — [apéndice 1] la regla de los dos tercios de llenado y la colocación del bulbo del termómetro en la corriente de vapor.

«Connect the water lines so that the water flows in at the bottom and exits at the top, allowing the condenser to fill with water. Put one or two boiling chips into the liquid before heating —this will prevent superheating and “bumping.” Do not add the boiling» — [apéndice 1] el sentido del flujo de agua en el refrigerante y la función de los trocitos de ebullición; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *chips after you have begun heating*.

«chips after you have begun heating because the liquid may be superheated and to add a boiling chip too may cause the liquid to boil all at once, causing an explosion or, at the very least, violent frothing. Each time you stop boiling, you must add a new boiling chip.» — [apéndice 1] continuación en la plana siguiente: por qué no se añaden trocitos con el líquido ya caliente.

«When the boiling point of the liquid is reached, a ring of condensate will move up through the apparatus. When it contacts the thermometer, there will be a rapid rise in temperature. The condensate will then pass through the condenser and into the receiver. At this point the distillation begins.» — [apéndice 1] la señal visible con que Cotnoir marca el arranque real de la destilación: el anillo de condensado subiendo.

«Adjust the heat to a proper take-off rate—about one drop per second is good.» — [apéndice 1] la regla de la gota por segundo.

«Too large a take-off and equilibrium is not established and the separation will be poor. Too slow, and the temperature is not maintained by a constant vapor flow, and the temperature reading of the boiling temperature will be too low.» — [apéndice 1] los dos errores simétricos de la velocidad de salida, con su efecto sobre la separación y sobre la lectura de temperatura.

«Traditionally, the time between drops was the time it took to say one Pater noster, the Lord's Prayer.» — [apéndice 1] Cotnoir consigna el reloj tradicional del oficio: el intervalo entre gotas medido por un padrenuestro.

«Once the temperature is adjusted, the distillation can be allowed to happen. Keep an eye on the temperature; it will indicate when the next component of the solution is about to come over. The temperature will rise quickly when this starts to happen.» — [apéndice 1] la temperatura como aviso del cambio de fracción.

«Figure 6a Figure 6b» — [apéndice 1, pies de lámina] los dos únicos textos de la plana, que rotulan los esquemas del aparato de destilación.

«Change receivers. And either continue to distill if necessary or start to shut down the distillation. Turn off the heat and let the cold water continue to run through the condenser as the system cools down. Once it is cool enough, turn off the water and carefully begin to disassemble the setup.» — [apéndice 1] el orden de apagado del montaje, con el agua corriendo después del calor.

«One last note: Never distill to dryness because the dry residue may explode or the flask may melt or crack since heat is not being carried away.» — [apéndice 1] la prohibición de destilar a sequedad, con las dos razones que Cotnoir le da.

«One can use the above setups to distill the essential oil from dried herbs. The only thing that would be needed is a way to replenish the water in the distillation flask.» — [apéndice 1] la adaptación del mismo montaje a la destilación de aceites esenciales.

«Water and the herb to be distilled are placed into the flask and allowed to macerate for a few days. More water is added just before the distillation to bring the volume up to it previous level. The setup is assembled. The» — [apéndice 1] la carga del matraz para aceite esencial, con la maceración previa; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *cold water is turned on*.

«cold water is turned on and then the heat. As the herb and solution begin to boil, the steam vapor carries off the essential oil of the plant. A good way to collect this is to collect the water and oil into a separation funnel. As it fills, one can drain off the water from below, leaving the oil behind.» — [apéndice 1] continuación en la plana siguiente: el arrastre por vapor y la recolección por embudo de separación.

«Alternatively one can use an oil separator, which, by a system of valves, allows the water to siphon back into the flask or the oil to be drained off. It is very easy and convenient to use.» — [apéndice 1] la alternativa del separador de aceite, con que Cotnoir cierra el apéndice técnico.

«THE PLANT KINGDOM IS ALSO related to the heavens, with each plant having a planetary ruler. In general, there are three basic systems to determine planetary rulership. They can be called: the mythic, the functional, and the doctrine of signatures.» — [apéndice 2] Cotnoir abre el apéndice botánico enunciando los tres sistemas de regencia planetaria, sin elegir entre ellos.

«The Mythic: plants as they relate to the gods of Roman and Greek mythology as well as folklore. The Functional: the effects plants have on the body and the planetary rulership of the part of the body affected. The Doctrine of Signatures: the form, color, and/or habitat of the plant as related to the planets.» — [apéndice 2] las tres definiciones, cada una con su criterio: la fábula, el efecto fisiológico y la firma visible.

«The following tables of rulership, drawn from Nicholas Culpeper and William Lilly (1602–1681), are not to be followed slavishly, but with thought and consideration as to the ultimate use of the plant.» — [apéndice 2] Cotnoir declara la fuente de sus tablas y les quita autoridad mecánica; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«Saturn NAME LATIN NAME Amaranth Amaranthus hypochondriacas Angelica Angelica archangelica Black elder Sambucus nigra Blackthorn, Sloe, White plum Prunus spinosa Box Buxus sempervirens Buckthorn Rhamnus catharticus, Rhamnus frangula Corn Zea mays Cornflower, Blue bottle Centaurea cyanus Cypress tree Cypressus Fenugreek, Bird's foot Foenum graecum» — [apéndice 2] la primera mitad de la tabla de Saturno, con nombre común y latino; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo botánico.

«Flax Linum usitatissimum Hemp Cannabis sativa Horsetail Equisetum arvense Mandrake Mandragora officinarum Nightshade, Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara Nightshade, Black Solanum nigrum Nightshade, Deadly Atropa belladonna Quince tree Cydonia vulgaris Solomon's seal Polygonatm multiflorum Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens Woad Isatis tinctoria Yew Taxus baccata» — [apéndice 2] la segunda mitad de Saturno, donde se concentran las solanáceas tóxicas, la mandrágora y el tejo.

«Jupiter NAME LATIN NAME Arnica Arnica Montana Ash Fraxinus excelsior Balm, Lemon Melissa officinalis Betony, Wood Betonica officinalis Bilberry Vaccinum myrtillus Borage Borago officinalis Comfrey Symphytum officinale Dandelion Taraxacum officinalis Dock, Yellow Rumex crispus Fig tree Figus carica Flax Linum usitatissimum Ginseng Panax ginseng Hyssop Hysopus officinale Jasmine Jasminum officinale Jimsonweed Datura stramonium Juniper Juniperus communis Laurel, Bay Laurus nobilis Mistletoe Viscum album Mullein, White Verbasum thapisforme» — [apéndice 2] la tabla de Júpiter, donde reaparece el lino ya listado bajo Saturno; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«Myrrh Commiphora myrrha Oak Quecus robur Oats Avena sativa Olive Olea europaea Oregano Origanum vulgare Sage Salvia officinalis» — [apéndice 2] el cierre de Júpiter.

«Mars NAME LATIN NAME Aloe Aloe spp Barberry Berberis vulgaris Basil Ociniam basilicum Box Buxus sempervirens Bryony, Red Bryonia dioica Buttercup Ranuculus bulbosus Catnip Nepeta cataria Cayenne, Peppers Capisicum frutescens Chive Allium schoenoprasum Coriander Coriandrum sativum Dwarf elder Sambucus ebulus Flax, Linseed Linum usitatissimum Garlic Allium sativum Hawthorn Crataegus oxyacanthus Honeysuckle Lonicera caprifolium Hops Humulus lupulus Horseradish Arnoracia lapathefolis Madder Rubia tinctoum Mustard Brassica nigra Mustard, all Sinapis Nettle Uratica dioica Oak Quercus robur Onion Allium cepa Parsley Petroselinum crispum» — [apéndice 2] la tabla de Marte, poblada de picantes y punzantes; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«Radish Raphanus sativus Thistles Cirsium spp Tobacco Nicotiana tabacum Wild lettuce Lactuca virosa» — [apéndice 2] el cierre de Marte.

«Sun NAME LATIN NAME Calamus Calamus aromaticus Cedar Cedrus deodara,Cedrus libani Celandine, Greater Chelidonium majus Centaury, Small Centaurium cyanus, Erythrea centaurium Chamomile, Roman Anthemis nobilis, Matricaria chamomile Chamomille, German Matricaria chamomilla Cinnamon Cinnamonum ceylanicum Elecampane Inula helenium Eyebright Euphrasia officinalis Frankincense Boswellia sacra Ginger Zingiber officinale Grapevine Vitis vinifera Juniper Juniperus communis Laurel Laurus nobilis Lemon balm Melissa officinalis Marigold Calendula officinalis Mistletoe Viscum album Passionflower Passiflora incarnata Peony Paeonia officinalis Plantain Plantago major Rose damask Rosa damascena Rosemary Rosemarius officinalis Rue Ruta graveolens Saffron Crocus sativus St. John's wort Hypericum perforatum» — [apéndice 2] la tabla del Sol, que repite bajo este regente el toronjil y el enebro ya listados bajo Júpiter; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«Sundew Drosera rotundifolia Sunflower Helianthus anuus» — [apéndice 2] el cierre del Sol.

«Venus NAME LATIN NAME Almonds Prunus dulcis Birch Betula alba Blackberry Rubus villosus Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum Buckthorn Rhanus frangula Bugloss Anchusa officinalis Burdock Arctium lappa Catnip Nepeta cataria Elder Sambucus nigra Feverfew Chrysanthenum parthenium Figwort Scrophularia nodosa Foxglove, Digitalis Digitalis purpurea Lady's mantle Alchimilla vulgaris Marshmallow Althea officinalis Mint, all Mentae spp. Mugwort Artemisia vulgaris Rose Rosa damascena Sanicle Sanicula, spp. Thyme Thymus vulgaris Valerian Valeriana officinalis Vervain Verbena officinalis Violet Viola odorata Yarrow Alchilea millefolium» — [apéndice 2] la tabla de Venus, que abre con el alquimila nombrado antes en la lista de *ens*; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«Mercury NAME LATIN NAME Byrony Bryonia alba» — [apéndice 2] la cabecera de la tabla de Mercurio, que arranca al pie de la plana.

«Calamint Calamintha officinalis or arvenis Caraway Carum carvi Carrot Daucus carota Celery Apium graveolens Cubeb pepper Piper cubeba Dill Anethum graveolens Elecampane Inula hellenium Endive, Chicory Chicorium endiva Fennel Foeniculum vulgare Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-grecum Flax Linum usitatissimum Foxglove Digitalis purpurea Hazelnut Corylus, spp. Honeysuckle Lonicera caprifolium Lavender Lavendula officinalis or vera Licorice Glycyrrahiza glnbra Marjoram, Sweet Majorana hortensis Mulberry, White and Black Morus, spp. Alba and nigra Myrtle Myrtus communis Oats Avena sativa Oregano Origanum vulgare Parsley Petroselinum hortense Savory Satureia hortensis Valerian Valeriana officinalis Vervain Verbena simplex Wormwood Artemisia absinthium» — [apéndice 2] el cuerpo de la tabla de Mercurio, con las umbelíferas y la ajedrea que la lista de *ens* asigna al mismo planeta; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«Moon NAME LATIN NAME Acanthus Acanthus mollis Adder's tongue Erthronium americanum Clary sage Salvia sclarea Cleavers Galium aparine» — [apéndice 2] la cabecera de la tabla de la Luna.

«Daisy Bellis perennis Hyssop Hyssopus officinalis Iris, var Iris var. Lettuce, Common Lactuca sativa Lime tree or Linden tree Tilia cordata Mandrake Mandragora officinalis Mushrooms Myrtle, Periwinkle Vinca minor Nutmeg Myristica fragans Poppy, Corn Papaver rhoeas Poppy, Opium Papaver somniferum Pumpkin Cucurbita Pepo Sassafras Sassafras albidum Saxifrage Saxifraga tridactyles Turmeric Curcuma longa Veronica, Speedwell Veronica officinalis Water lily Nymphaea alba Watercress Nasturtium officinalis White lily Lilium candicum or album Willows Salix. Alba, nigra, caprea» — [apéndice 2] el cuerpo de la tabla de la Luna, que cierra el apéndice; el hisopo aparece aquí bajo la Luna, como en la lista de *ens*, y bajo Júpiter en su propia tabla. Los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«Alchemy and iconography have similar origins. Both practices have roots in Egypt (ca. 500 B.C.) and were developed and used by Christianized Greeks in Alexandria. Icons were initially sarcophagus paintings, that is, the painting of the deceased's portrait on the coffin itself. Icon writing developed from there. However, instead of idealized portraits of the deceased, we have idealized symbolic portraits of Jesus, the Holy Family, saints, angels, and events of the Bible.» — [notas al texto, prefacio] la nota donde Cotnoir funda históricamente la analogía entre alquimia e iconografía: ambas nacidas del Egipto helenizado y del retrato funerario.

«The materials used in iconography are a wood base, cloth, marble gesso, tempera, and mineral pigments. The process of painting is done in stages beginning with an empty field of white. The image is built up, layer upon layer, first of chaos, and then, with use of lighter and lighter pigments, a form rises and takes shape out of the chaos. The finished icon is then sanctified and used as an object of prayer and meditation.» — [notas al texto, prefacio] la descripción del oficio del iconógrafo en términos que Cotnoir usa también para el taller: caos primero, forma después, y consagración final.

«is a belief that the direct knowledge of or union with God is possible.» — [notas al texto, prefacio] la definición corta de gnosis que Cotnoir da en nota; el tramo arranca pasado el encabezado del término, que dice *Gnosis, which comes from the Greek gnosis meaning “knowledge,”*, y ese arranque se repite en el cuerpo, en la plana 58.

«Basil Valentine. The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 1962. Vincent Stuart Ltd. p. 12.» — [notas al texto, Ora] la nota da la procedencia del epígrafe del capítulo de la plegaria: la traducción de 1962 del *Triumphal Chariot*.

«Albertus Magnus. Libellus de alchimia. Translated by Sister Virginia Heines. University of California Press. 1958. p. 1.» — [notas al texto, Ora] la edición del *Libellus de alchimia* de la que Cotnoir toma la plegaria de Alberto Magno.

«Khalid ibn Yazid ibn Mu'awiya (ca. 668–ca.704 or 708) was a son of the» — [notas al texto, Overview] la nota biográfica del príncipe omeya al que se dirige la epístola de Mariano; el tramo se corta antes del punto donde el troceo parte la palabra siguiente con guion de renglón.

«Plato. Timaeus 55. Plato's theory of the elements was drawn from the Pythagoreans. In Timaeus, Plato describes the four elements in terms of the five regular geometric solids that now bear his name, the Platonic Solids. The triangle is the fundamental building block of these solids, which are: the Tetrahedron— Fire, built of three triangles; the Octahedron—Air, made of eight triangles; the Icosahedron—Water, made of twenty triangles; the Cube— Earth, made of twelve triangles or twenty-four triangles; and the Dodecahedron— Space or the Quintessence, made of sixty triangles.» — [notas al texto, cap. 1] la nota que adjudica a los pitagóricos la teoría platónica de los elementos y desglosa los cinco sólidos con su número de triángulos.

«Today the first point of Aries is located at 24° Pisces and moves at the rate of 50.3 arc seconds per year. This is due to the fact that the Earth, in addition to its rotation on its axis, has an additional movement in which the actual axis rotates very slowly, much like a spinning top does. It completes a full cycle in about 25,800 years, moving through one sign of the Zodiac in about 2,150 years. This is known as the precession of the equinoxes. The first point of Aries will soon align with the constellation of Aquarius, ending the Age of Pisces and bringing the dawn of the Age of Aquarius.» — [notas al texto, cap. 1] la nota sobre la precesión de los equinoccios, con las cifras del ciclo y el paso a la era de Acuario.

«One could argue that in working with nuclear forces one is indeed working as nature works; the same forces are at work here as they are in the stars, the source, according to contemporary cosmology and physics, of our elements.» — [notas al texto, cap. 1] Cotnoir enuncia en nota el puente entre la transmutación alquímica y la nuclear, y lo deja en condicional.

«The Gospel of Thomas. The Nag Hammadi Library 37. Ed. James M. Robinson. Harper. pp. 20–35.» — [notas al texto, cap. 5] la fuente gnóstica que Cotnoir cita en el capítulo de práctica interior.

«This has the sense of “turned toward earth,” that is, the power is being turned toward and into earth.» — [notas al texto, cap. 6] una de las dos glosas con que Cotnoir precisa su lectura de la *Tabula Smaragdina*.

«This has the sense of full intellect and superior mind, not just clever manipulation.» — [notas al texto, cap. 6] la segunda glosa a la *Tabula Smaragdina*, que deslinda entendimiento de destreza.

«Named after its inventor, the alchemist Maria Prophetess or Maria the Jewess, third century A.D.» — [notas al texto, cap. 7] la nota que adjudica el baño maría a María la Judía y la data en el siglo III; el nombre va tal cual lo imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«A hydrometer is used to determine the concentration. This is a very simple device that looks like a short squat thermometer with a scale of densities on the side. When immersed in a solution, it sinks to a certain level and one can read the density of the liquid from the scale. When this number is checked against a chart of compounds, such as alcohol or acetic acid, you can determine the concentration as percentage.» — [notas al texto, cap. 8] la explicación del hidrómetro, que el cuerpo del libro da por sabida.

«At 29°C to 32°C conversion takes four to six weeks; above 60°C the vinegar bacteria die.» — [notas al texto, cap. 8] la ventana térmica de la acetificación, con el techo que mata al cultivo.

«Raw tartar is becoming more and more difficult to find due to the use of automated cleaning and flushing technologies to remove the residues from fermentation tanks.» — [notas al texto, cap. 8] Cotnoir señala en nota que la tecnología vinícola moderna está secando la fuente de su materia prima preferida.

«Another method to test the concentration is to take a piece of good marble and suspend it a known volume of vinegar to be tested. When the reaction is finished and the vinegar no longer tastes sour, take the marble chip, wash, dry, and weigh it. Subtract the end weight from the starting weight of the marble. The amount of pure acetic acid in the solution is 5/6 of the weight the marble lost in the reaction.» — [notas al texto, cap. 9] el método gravimétrico con mármol para medir el ácido acético, alternativa al hidrómetro.

«“Gur” is an essence, and since it was drawn from water, a universal substance; it is a universal essence.» — [notas al texto, cap. 11] la nota que explica el nombre del residuo de la destilación del Archaeus.

«Stirke is George Starkey who wrote under the name of Eireneaus Philalethes. Eireneaus Philalethes, considered to be one of the greatest alchemical adepts, was a teacher to Sir Robert Boyle, one of the fathers of modern chemistry.» — [notas al texto, cap. 12] la nota que amarra los tres nombres que el cuerpo maneja por separado: Stirke, Starkey y Philalethes son uno solo, y maestro de Boyle.

«Franz Hartmann. The Life of Philippus Theophrastus, Bombast of Hohenheim. 1887. G. Redway. London. p. 210.» — [notas al texto, cap. 12] la procedencia exacta del testimonio del *primum ens Melissae*; aquí el apellido se imprime *Hartmann*, y en la plana 91 *Hartman*.

«Resins are the insoluble secretions of trees; from these resins balsams may be obtained.» — [notas al texto, cap. 12] la definición de resina y bálsamo que sostiene la receta del *circulatum minus*.

«Also known as pinus maritime.» — [notas al texto, cap. 12] la nota al nombre botánico del pino marítimo; el troceo imprime *maritime* donde el cuerpo dice *pinus pilaster*.

«The essential oil of the plant is “weakened” during commercial distillation, so resin is used is to augment the strength of the oil. What is likely happening is that the resin is providing the acids that were lost in the distillation of the essential oil.» — [notas al texto, cap. 12] la hipótesis con que Cotnoir explica por qué hace falta el bálsamo, y que enuncia como probable y no como sabida.

«To make a Stone seal the circulatum in a flask and set it to digest. Start at a low heat (40°C) and then increase the heat slowly for one philosophical month (i.e., 40 days).» — [notas al texto, cap. 12] la nota traduce el mes filosófico del oficio a cuarenta días de calendario.

«The vitriols are also known as “atraments” from the Greek atramentum meaning shoe black, referring to its use in dyeing leather.» — [notas al texto, cap. 14] la etimología de *atramento* que Cotnoir da para los vitriolos, con su oficio curtidor de origen.

«Alternatively, three parts of Spirit of Salt and one part of Spirit of Saltpeter can also be mixed to obtain Aqua Regia.» — [notas al texto, cap. 14] la proporción alterna del agua regia, dada en nota.

«Copper is one of the metals that can be found in its pure metallic form and is usually called “native copper.”» — [notas al texto, cap. 14] la nota sobre el cobre nativo, que sostiene la preferencia por el mineral natural del cuerpo.

«Another method of preparing verdigris is to use native copper and acetic acid. When suspending sheets of copper over the acid, a green “rust” forms which is then scraped off and purified by simply redissolving it in distilled vinegar and crystallizing it. This is “distilled verdigris,” or “verde eterno”» — [notas al texto, cap. 14] la vía del *verde eterno* por vapores de ácido sobre láminas de cobre nativo.

«The terms were originally used to describe two methods of purifying gold.» — [notas al texto, cap. 16] la nota que devuelve vía húmeda y vía seca a su sentido primero, técnico y no doctrinal.

«“Everything flows out into mystery.”» — [notas al texto, cap. 17] la traducción que Cotnoir da de la divisa latina con que cierra la contemplación final; el tramo se corta antes de la referencia bibliográfica que sigue en la misma nota.

«The zodiac with its planetary and elemental attributions.» — [cap. 2, pie de lámina] el rótulo de la rueda zodiacal del capítulo de cosmología; la plana quedó sin cita en la primera pasada del recorrido y se cierra aquí, fuera del orden de planas de la sección.

«Gemini—Mercury, diversified action, intellectual drive. Air, Positive, Most associations shared with Mercury. Cancer—Moon, emotional drive, changeable. Water, Negative, Most associations shared with the Moon. Leo—Sun, authoritative action, noble effort. Fire, Positive, Most associations shared with the Sun. Virgo—Mercury, methodical action, discriminating. Earth, Negative, Most associations shared with Mercury. Libra—Venus, cooperative action, harmony. Air, Positive, Most associations shared with Venus. Scorpio—Mars, intense action, passionate drive. Water, Negative, Most associations shared with Mars. Sagittarius—Jupiter, zealous action, idealistic drive. Fire, Positive, Most associations shared with Jupiter.» — [cap. 2] siete de los doce signos con su regente, su elemento y su polaridad, en la tabla que continúa desde la plana anterior; entrada fuera del orden de planas, añadida al cerrar el censo.

«philosophically, “how is the fixed made to fly?”» — [cap. 12] continuación en la plana siguiente: la forma filosófica de la pregunta, que Cotnoir pone por encima de la técnica. Entrada fuera del orden de planas, añadida al corregir el verificador.

«This edition first published in 2021 by Weiser Books, an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC» — [derechos] el pie editorial de la plana de derechos: Weiser Books como sello de Red Wheel/Weiser, con oficinas en 65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA.

«Copyright © 2006, 2021 by Brian Cotnoir Introduction copyright © 2006, 2021 by James Wasserman Foreword copyright © 2021 by Robert Allen Bartlett» — [derechos] la plana reparte el copyright en tres: el cuerpo y la introducción datan de 2006 y se reeditan en 2021; el foreword es solo de 2021. De ahí sale la adjudicación de voces de esta ficha.

«ISBN: 978-1-57863-747-8. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.» — [derechos] el ISBN de la edición de 2021, impreso a renglón seguido del de 2006, y la línea de catalogación.

«The practice of alchemy involves working with chemical supplies and techniques that may be dangerous or fatal if done improperly.» — [disclaimer] el aviso legal del volumen abre midiendo el riesgo del oficio que el libro enseña.

«Every effort has been made in the text to encourage the practitioner both to use proper safety precautions in the experiments suggested and to equip him- or herself with additional formal training in laboratory procedures.» — [disclaimer] el mismo aviso remite al lector a formación de laboratorio fuera del libro.

«The author, editor, and publisher disclaim any and all responsibility for accidents or problems resulting from improper use of this material.» — [disclaimer] el deslinde de responsabilidad, que la plana extiende a autor, editor y editorial por igual.

«Cover art: The true principles of all things, from “The works of Jacob Behmen, the Teutonic theosophe,” by William Law, 1764/Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, USA/Bridgeman Images Interior photos/images by Sesthasak Boonchai and Susan McCann» — [créditos] la plana da la procedencia de la imagen de portada —la edición de Law de Böhme, 1764— y nombra a los autores de las fotografías interiores.

«If the fool would persist in his folly, he would become wise. PROVERBS OF HELL, WILLIAM BLAKE» — [dedicatoria] el epígrafe con que Cotnoir abre la dedicatoria, atribuido en la misma plana a los *Proverbios del Infierno* de Blake.

«To RC, who taught me to read and that curiosity may have killed the cat but, “satisfaction brought him back.”» — [dedicatoria] la primera de las dedicatorias por iniciales; Cotnoir no da nombres completos en ninguna.

«To FC, who taught me that there is nothing supernatural, only natural laws we don't understand.» — [dedicatoria] la segunda dedicatoria enuncia el naturalismo con que Cotnoir encuadra el libro: no hay sobrenatural, sino ley natural aún no entendida.

«To all those who have gone before. and To the one who comes after. It is my hope that only good may come of this.» — [dedicatoria] el cierre de la dedicatoria, que sitúa el volumen en una cadena de transmisión sin nombrar eslabones.

«I would like to thank: James Wasserman for the opportunity to present this “report from the front” and for his patience and faith in me;» — [agradecimientos] Cotnoir acredita a Wasserman el encargo del volumen y lo describe con la fórmula que le da su género: parte desde el frente.

«Sandra Feist, Ina L.Chow, and Maria Levitsky, for their corrections and suggestions; Lucille Carra, Ellen Wood, and Lenka Vařekova for their general feedback and encouragement; Sesthasak Boonchai and Susan McCann for the book's illustrations;» — [agradecimientos] la lista de colaboradores; los nombres van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo con otra fuente.

«Foreword by Robert Allen Bartlett Introduction by James Wasserman Preface Ora Overview of Alchemy» — [índice] el índice ordena el aparato antepuesto: dos textos ajenos firmados, el prefacio del autor, la plegaria y el panorama histórico.

«Part One: THEORY 1 The Aspects of Alchemy 2 Cosmology 3 Time 4 Microcosm: The Body and Its Composition 5 Inner Practice 6 Tabula Smaragdina» — [índice] los seis capítulos de la primera parte, que van de la doctrina de los elementos al texto hermético fundacional.

«Part Two: PRACTICE 7 The Basics of Alchemy 8 The Preparatory Work 9 The Art of Distillation 10 The Purification of Salts: Calcination, Crystallization, and Sublimation 11 Further Work with Water and Alcohol» — [índice] la primera mitad de la parte práctica, ordenada por operaciones de taller.

«12 The Herbal Work 13 Plants as Medicines and Initiatory Substances 14 The Mineral Work 15 The Aurum Potabile 16 Opus Magnum» — [índice] la segunda mitad práctica sube por reinos, del vegetal al mineral y de ahí al oro potable y a la Gran Obra.

«17 A Parting Contemplation Appendix One: Technique and Equipment Appendix Two: Plants and Planets Bibliography Notes to the Text» — [índice] el cierre y los cuatro bloques de aparato final.

«If you are new to the study of alchemy, or even if you've been around it for awhile and need some additional guidance or inspiration, this is the book for you.» — [Bartlett] la primera línea del foreword de 2021 fija el destinatario que Robert Allen Bartlett le adjudica al volumen: el que empieza y el que ya anda en ello.

«You see, that has always been a problem with the study of alchemy; it has a long history of being presented through a unique terminology (like any other science or art), which is cryptic and obscure if you don't possess certain keys.» — [Bartlett] Bartlett señala que la oscuridad del arte es cuestión de terminología técnica sin claves, y la equipara con la de cualquier otra ciencia.

«Now, here's the rub; with alchemy being so mysterious and obscure, there are many who use the “wondrous secrets of alchemy” to present their version of the story, and suddenly, we are beset with pet theories, aliens, Atlanteans, dangerous chemistry, and government conspiracies.» — [Bartlett] Bartlett objeta el uso del misterio del arte como coartada para teorías privadas, y las enumera: extraterrestres, atlantes, química peligrosa y conspiraciones de gobierno.

«It is easy to get pulled into a labyrinth from which it may take considerable time to “unlearn” and in some cases, survive.» — [Bartlett] la consecuencia que Bartlett le atribuye a esa literatura: desaprender cuesta tiempo y a veces se trata de sobrevivir.

«The famous Swiss physician and alchemist, Paracelsus, said that alchemy is the art of separating the pure from the impure, the true from the false, and that is what my friend and author of this book, Brian Cotnoir, has done for us concisely.» — [Bartlett] Bartlett le aplica al libro la definición que atribuye a Paracelso: separar lo puro de lo impuro, lo verdadero de lo falso.

«Within the pages of this book you will find a reliable guide on who and what to study and where to delve even deeper if you are truly interested in understanding the Sacred Art that is alchemy, not just from a theoretical and philosophic viewpoint but from its practical applications as well.» — [Bartlett] lo que Bartlett dice que el volumen entrega: un mapa de a quién y qué leer, en la teoría y en el taller.

«I have personally explored alchemy for the past fifty years (yes, there's that much to explore) starting in a time when information about alchemy, especially of a practical nature, was hard to find.» — [Bartlett] la credencial con que Bartlett funda su juicio: cincuenta años de práctica, empezados cuando la información práctica escaseaba.

«I would have known to study such things as Aristotle's Physics and Metaphysics because these ideas held sway all through the “Golden Age of Alchemy,” and the terminology and concepts presented are what the ancient writers of alchemy were referring to.» — [Bartlett] Bartlett remite la terminología alquímica a la física y la metafísica de Aristóteles como lengua de fondo.

«So when the alchemist Petrus Bonus of Ferrara, in his work New Pearl of Great Price, says, “The Philosopher's Stone is the Form of Gold,” it takes on a whole new sense considering Aristotle's ideas on Matter and Form.» — [Bartlett] el ejemplo con que Bartlett muestra el rendimiento de esa clave: la fórmula de Petrus Bonus de Ferrara leída con la pareja materia-forma.

«Our author and guide presents us with another important subject for close scrutiny: Humoral Medicine, the medicine of Roman physician Galen and later expanded by Avicenna. Again, these are the concepts and language the early alchemists thought in.» — [Bartlett] la segunda clave que Bartlett señala en el volumen: la medicina humoral de Galeno y Avicena como marco mental de los primeros alquimistas.

«Now, if I come across an alchemical formula that says, “This medicine excites the Animal Spirit,” I will know that it is not a super aphrodisiac or that I may change into a werewolf, but that it is a liver tonic.» — [Bartlett] Bartlett traduce una fórmula humoral a su referente médico para mostrar el costo de leerla sin la clave.

«As a professional chemist, this has been my own area of investigation over the years, and I can tell you flat out that the instructions given in this book are clear and true and can lead you safely into the incredible world of Spagyric and Alchemical Medicines.» — [Bartlett] Bartlett avala las recetas del volumen desde su oficio de químico profesional.

«Many people think they can't do this kind of work because they don't have a laboratory and chemical glassware. Setting up an alchemical lab in your house can be a little scary, if you are new to it, but this author offers a very reasonable list of equipment to gather and sound advice on setup, care, and maintenance. Start off slow and gather your “tools” as needed; many can be found inexpensively in thrift stores.» — [Bartlett] Bartlett niega que el laboratorio sea barrera de entrada y remite al apéndice de equipo del volumen.

«Finally, we come to the bibliography; this is excellent. If you are serious about the study of alchemy in all of its aspects, I would recommend looking into each of the references provided with great care. Most are readily available from the internet and will lead you to find other related works. As the alchemists would say, “One book opens another.”» — [Bartlett] Bartlett le da a la bibliografía función de puerta, con la máxima que atribuye a los alquimistas.

«I wish I had such a guide fifty years ago; I heartily recommend that you buy this book and use it as a true and faithful guide through the labyrinth» — [Bartlett] la recomendación con que cierra el foreword; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, *of alchemy*.

«—ROBERT ALLEN BARTLETT author of Real Alchemy: A Primer of Practical Alchemy» — [Bartlett] la firma del foreword, que se acredita con el título de su propio manual.

«It is a distinct pleasure to introduce this brilliant book on alchemy by my friend Brian Cotnoir. Well over thirty years ago, Brian walked into Samuel Weiser's Bookstore in New York City where I then worked. I was twenty-four, Brian seventeen. His utter seriousness of purpose struck me then and remains my assessment of him to this day.» — [Wasserman] James Wasserman data en la librería de Samuel Weiser de Nueva York el trato con el autor, y fecha el encuentro más de treinta años antes de escribir.

«Brian describes this book as the one he wishes had been available when he began his lifelong study of alchemy. I challenge any reader to find a more succinct and clear guide to this science and art.» — [Wasserman] Wasserman repite la fórmula con que el prefacio describe el propósito del libro y le añade su propio juicio.

«Brian begins with the Work. Totally eschewing what I have long considered to be the superficial psychological interpretation of modern deconstructionists driven to trivialize anything beyond their own limited view of reality, this book begins by defining exactly what alchemy is, and how it can best be approached by one who seeks to learn its secrets.» — [Wasserman] Wasserman objeta la lectura psicológica de la alquimia y lee el volumen como deslinde frente a ella.

«Laboratory techniques and equipment are then discussed in an earnest and serious manner that only highlights the intensity of the historical overview he next provides.» — [Wasserman] Wasserman describe el orden del volumen, del taller al panorama histórico.

«The reader becomes immediately aware that we are tracing the footsteps of historical heroes who risked life and limb to plumb the secret depths of Sacred Nature. And who did so while enflamed in prayer.» — [Wasserman] Wasserman lee la historia del arte como linaje de operadores que trabajaban rezando.

«Thereby did these giants give rise to modern chemistry and physics. Yet something was lost in the process. The failing of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment movement was its embrace of hyperrationalism. The empirical imperative turned True Science on its head. The scientist/adept was forced to deny the sense of humility and wonder that his research engendered. The love for the Creator who fashioned the miracle of matter was relegated to the superstitions of the past.» — [Wasserman] la tesis de pérdida que Wasserman le imputa a la Ilustración: la química y la física modernas nacen de la alquimia y pagan el precio de expulsar la humildad y el asombro.

«The author proceeds to a thorough overview of the theoretical universe of the practicing alchemist. Why should a process performed on matter redound to the spiritual benefit of the operator? And how does an action performed on one thing transform it into another thing entirely? Can someone really turn lead into gold?» — [Wasserman] las tres preguntas con que Wasserman resume lo que la parte teórica del volumen tiene que contestar.

«As Brian writes: By finishing what nature had started by separating, purifying, and» — [Wasserman cita a Cotnoir] Wasserman introduce en su texto una cita del cuerpo del volumen; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *balancing the three principles and recombining them*.

«balancing the three principles and recombining them, lead could be completed and perfected, transmuted into gold.» — [Wasserman cita a Cotnoir] continuación de esa cita en la plana siguiente: la transmutación como acabamiento de lo que la naturaleza dejó a medias.

«With little delay, Brian plunges the reader into the actual alchemical work itself. Beginning with the Herbal Work, you will be working with formulas and heat sources, chemicals and labware. Instead of the instantaneous gratification our culture expects from television and email, you will be directed to undertake works of the alchemical art whose stages are measured in months.» — [Wasserman] Wasserman opone la escala temporal del trabajo —meses por etapa— a la gratificación inmediata que atribuye a la cultura corriente.

«You will be ever reminded that prayer and mantra, meditation and spiritual integrity, along with grace, will be the necessary concomitants of your work.» — [Wasserman] Wasserman señala que el volumen no separa el taller de la disciplina interior.

«For this book now takes the reader directly into the more complex and dangerous Mineral Work. The author suggests you consider attending a class in laboratory techniques at a local college if you wish to gain the most benefit from his writings.» — [Wasserman] Wasserman marca el escalón del trabajo mineral y repite la recomendación de formación química que trae el prefacio.

«Will you personally manage to transform lead into gold? If such a thing is possible (and I believe it is) and if you are willing to invest the effort required to succeed in such work, I can think of no better book to send you on your way.» — [Wasserman] Wasserman declara su propia creencia en la transmutación metálica, entre paréntesis y en primera persona.

«And if you have already read other books on alchemy and been mystified, confused, or disappointed, get ready for a transformative experience. For here you will encounter a masterful guide to the Path of the Wise. And its excellent bibliography will provide valuable direction for your continued journey.» — [Wasserman] el cierre de la introducción, firmada *—JAMES WASSERMAN* al pie de la misma plana.

«THE FOLLOWING IS A SHORT LIST of useful texts for those who wish to go further with the work. Many of the primary texts are now available online, and a simple search on the name of the author or title will lead you to some remarkable resources. I highly recommend The Alchemy website www.levity.com/alchemy/home.html. It has a vast wealth of information and primary sources.» — [bibliografía] la nota con que Cotnoir encabeza su bibliografía, con el sitio web que recomienda por nombre.

«History al-Hasan, Ahmad. Islamic Technology. 1986. Cambridge University Press. London. Burckhardt, Titus. Alchemy: Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul. 1967. Stuart & Watkins. London. Dobbs, Betty Jo Teeter. The Foundations of Newton's Alchemy. 1983. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.» — [bibliografía] la sección de historia abre con la técnica islámica, Burckhardt y la Newton de Dobbs; los nombres y títulos van tal cual los imprime el troceo, sin cotejo.

«Hartmann, Franz. The Life of Philippus Theophrastus, Bombast of Hohenheim. 1887. G. Redway. London.» — [bibliografía] la entrada de la biografía de Paracelso que el capítulo doce cita; aquí el apellido se imprime *Hartmann* y en la plana 91 *Hartman*.

«Wasserman, James. Art and Symbols of the Occult. 1993. Revised and expanded edition retitled The Mystery Traditions. 2005. Destiny Books. Vermont.» — [bibliografía] la bibliografía lista un libro del autor de la introducción del propio volumen.

«Alchemy Agrippa, Henry Cornelius. The Books of Occult Philosophy. Book II. 1998. Ed. Donald Tyson. Llewellyn Publications. Minnesota. Albertus, Frater. 1975. The Alchemist's Handbook. 1974. Samuel Weiser, Inc. New York.» — [bibliografía] la sección de alquimia abre con Agrippa y con Frater Albertus, uno de los alquimistas contemporáneos que el prefacio declara como filiación.

«Albertus Magnus. The Compound of Compounds. 2003. Trans. Luc Villeneuve. Hermetic Research Series No. 14. Glasgow. ———Libellus de alchimia. 1958. Trans. Sister Virginia Heines, S.C.N. University of California Press.» — [bibliografía] las dos entradas de Alberto Magno, con la edición del *Libellus de alchimia* cuya plegaria abre el capítulo *Ora*.

«Ashmole, Elias. Theatrum chemicum Britannicum. 1968. Georg Olms» — [bibliografía] la entrada del *Theatrum chemicum Britannicum*; el tramo se corta antes del nombre de la editorial, que el troceo parte con guion.

«Boyle, Robert. The Work Diary of Robert Boyle. 1655. Published at www.bbk.ac.uk/boyle/workdiaries/» — [bibliografía] la fuente en línea del cuaderno de Boyle que el capítulo doce transcribe.

«French, John. The Art of Distillation. 1651. Richard Cotes. London. Geber. The Alchemical Works of Geber. 1994. Trans. Richard Russel. Samuel Weiser, Inc. Maine.» — [bibliografía] las entradas de French y de Geber, ambos citados en el cuerpo.

«Helmont, Johann van. Ortus Medicinae. 1952. Amsterdam. Hermetic Museum, The. Two volumes in one. 1999. Edited and trans. A. E. Waite. Samuel Weiser, Inc. Maine.» — [bibliografía] las entradas del *Ortus Medicinae* y del *Hermetic Museum* en la edición de Waite, de donde salen las dos láminas del volumen.

«Junius, Manfred M. Practical Handbook of Plant Alchemy. 1985. Inner Traditions International. New York.» — [bibliografía] la entrada del manual de Junius, otro de los alquimistas contemporáneos que el prefacio nombra como filiación.

«Morienus. The Book of the Composition of Alchemy. 2002. Hermetic Research Series No. 10. Glasgow. A 17th century English translation of Liber de compositione alchimiae. A translation of The Epistle of Maryanus, the Hermit and Philosopher to Prince Khalid ibn Yazid. ———A Testament of Alchemy. 1974. Trans. Lee Stavenhagen. Brandeis University Press.» — [bibliografía] las dos entradas de Morieno, con la nota que explica que ambas traducen la epístola a Khalid ibn Yazid.

«Pancaldi, Augusto. Alchimia Pratica. 1997. Atanor. Rome. Paracelsus. The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Aureolus Philippus Theophrastus Bombast, of Hohenheim, called Paracelsus the Great. 2 Vols. 1967. Edited and trans. A. E. Waite. University Books Inc. New York.» — [bibliografía] Pancaldi, tercer contemporáneo de la filiación del prefacio, y los escritos de Paracelso en la edición de Waite.

«Pernety, Antoine-Joseph. Dictionnaire Mytho-Hermetique. 1758. 1980 reprint. Arche Milano, Paris. Petrus of Ferrara Bonus. The New Pearl of Great Price. 1974. Arno Press. New York.» — [bibliografía] el diccionario de Pernety y la *New Pearl of Great Price* que el foreword de Bartlett cita.

«Ripley, George. The Compound of Alchymy. 1977. Walter J. Johnson, Inc. New Jersey.» — [bibliografía] la entrada de Ripley; la bibliografía lista el *Compound of Alchymy* y no el *Bosom Book* que el capítulo dieciséis nombra.

«Urbigerus, Baro. Circulatum minus Urbigeranum. 1690. 1973 reprint. Golden Manuscripts Para Publishing Co. Inc. Salt Lake City, Utah.» — [bibliografía] la entrada del tratado del *circulatum minus*, fechada aquí en 1690 y en 1691 en la plana 95.

«Valentine, Basil. Last Will and Testament. 1993. English Grand Lodge AMORC. California. ———The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. 1962. Vincent Stuart Ltd. London.» — [bibliografía] las dos entradas de Basilio Valentín, incluida la del *Triumphal Chariot* cuya traducción de Kerckringius cita el capítulo once.

«Zosimos. Les Alchimistes Grecs. Zosime de Panopolis. 1995. Ed. and trans. Michele Mertens. Les Belles Lettres. Paris.» — [bibliografía] la entrada de Zósimo cierra la sección de alquimia, y es de las pocas en lengua distinta del inglés.

«Astrology Barton, Tamsyn. Ancient Astrology. 1995. Routledge, New York. Lilly, William. Christian Astrology. 2005. Ed. David R. Roell. Astrology Classics. Maryland.» — [bibliografía] la sección de astrología, con la *Christian Astrology* de Lilly que sostiene las tablas del apéndice dos.

«Medicine Avicenna. The Canon of Medicine. 1999. Adapted by Laleh Bakhtiar. Great Books of the Islamic World. Chicago. Culpeper, Nicholas. Culpeper's Complete Herbal.» — [bibliografía] la sección de medicina abre con Avicena y Culpeper, los dos nombres que el foreword de Bartlett y el capítulo trece ponen como claves de lectura; el tramo se corta antes del año entre corchetes.

«Philosophy and Theology Aristotle. De Generatione et Corruptione. 1982. Trans. with notes C. J. F. Williams. Clarendon Press. Oxford. ———Metaphysics. 1960. Trans. Richard Hope. University of Michigan Press. ———Meteorology. 1987. Trans. H.D.P. Lee. Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press. ———On The Heavens. 2000. Trans. W.K.C. Gutherie. Loeb Classical» — [bibliografía] la sección de filosofía abre con cuatro títulos de Aristóteles, los que el foreword de Bartlett señala como lengua de fondo del oficio; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue *Library, Harvard University Press*.

«Library, Harvard University Press. ———Physics. 1999. Trans. Robin Waterfield. Oxford University Press. Oxford.» — [bibliografía] continuación en la plana siguiente: la *Física*, quinto título aristotélico de la lista.

«Nag Hammadi Library, The. 1990. Ed. James M. Robinson. Harper. San Francisco. Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines. 1993. SUNY Press. Albany. Nikodimos, St.: St. Makarios. The Philokalia. 1983. Trans. G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, Kallistos Ware. Faber and Faber. London.» — [bibliografía] la vecindad que la lista arma sin comentario: la biblioteca de Nag Hammadi, la cosmología islámica de Nasr y la *Filocalia* ortodoxa.

«Technical Manuals and Reference CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. [n.d.] CRC Press. Cleveland. Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 2 1771.» — [bibliografía] la última sección lista los manuales técnicos, entre ellos el tomo de 1771 del que sale la cuarta fórmula de volatilización.

«Merrifield, Mary P. Medieval and Renaissance Treatises on the Arts of Painting. 1999. Dover Publications. New York.» — [bibliografía] entre los manuales técnicos entran dos tratados de pintura, que responden a la analogía del prefacio entre alquimia e iconografía.

«Brian Cotnoir is an alchemist, artist and award-winning filmmaker. He is a contributor to Parachemy: Journal of Hermetic Arts and Sciences, the alchemical bulletin of Frater Albertus, and the author of the recently published Emerald Tablet, which includes his translations of and commentary on the earliest Arabic and Latin versions of this seminal alchemical text. His films have been screened at MoMA, Sundance Film Festival, HBO, PBS and other international venues.» — [nota biográfica] la nota del volumen sobre su autor: alquimista, artista y cineasta, colaborador del boletín de Frater Albertus y autor de un libro posterior sobre la *Tabula Smaragdina*.

«Weiser Books, an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, publishes books across the entire spectrum of occult, esoteric, speculative, and New Age subjects. Our mission is to publish quality books that will make a difference in people's lives without advocating any one particular path or field of study. We value the integrity, originality, and depth of knowledge of our authors.» — [nota del editor] la nota *TO OUR READERS* declara la política editorial de Weiser: publicar de todo el espectro sin abogar por una vía.

«Our readers are our most important resource, and we appreciate your input, suggestions, and ideas about what you would like to see published.» — [nota del editor] la misma nota pide devolución al lector.

«You can also contact us at info@rwwbooks.com or at Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC 65 Parker Street, Suite 7 Newburyport, MA 01950» — [nota del editor] el domicilio del sello, que coincide con el impreso en la plana de derechos.

«Part One THEORY» — [portadilla] el único texto de la plana, que abre la primera parte del volumen. Entrada fuera del orden de planas, añadida al cerrar el censo.

«Part Two PRACTICE» — [portadilla] el único texto de la plana, que abre la segunda parte. Entrada fuera del orden de planas, añadida al cerrar el censo.

«APPENDICES» — [portadilla] el único texto de la plana, que abre el bloque de apéndices. Entrada fuera del orden de planas, añadida al cerrar el censo.

Cuatro elementos (fuego, aire, agua, tierra) — Eje de toda la parte teórica: Fuego, Aire, Agua y Tierra definidos por sus dos cualidades —caliente/frío y seco/húmedo—, con la rotación de un elemento a otro por intercambio de una sola cualidad, que Cotnoir lee después en la destilación del agua y en la cristalización. La lista de Platón les añade los sólidos regulares y la quintaesencia.

Materia prima — La define como pura potencialidad sin dimensión, la llama también *hyle*, y la empareja con la *forma substantia* aristotélica; señala además la anfibología del término en la literatura del oficio, donde a veces designa la materia con que se arranca el trabajo. El capítulo final vuelve sobre ella como pregunta abierta.

Piedra filosofal (lapis philosophorum) — Término del Opus Magnum en las dos vías que expone: la húmeda de Ripley da la Piedra que transmuta y cura toda enfermedad, y la seca de Philalethes el polvo rojo de proyección. Culpeper la lista junto al *aurum potabile* entre los remedios universales que curan fortaleciendo el corazón.

Mercurio de los filósofos (Mercurius) — En la vía seca, el mercurio ordinario se limpia con antimonio muy purificado y se «hace filosófico» antes de recibir el fermento de oro. En el trabajo vegetal, el Mercurio es el alcohol de fermentación, matriz sutil donde residen Azufre y Sal.

Azufre (principio sulfúreo) — Segundo de los tres principios: el alma, el aceite esencial en el reino vegetal, propio de cada especie, y la matriz donde reside el Mercurio. En la Piedra Vegetal es lo que sostiene unida la piedra —«It is the Soul that allows for the union of Spirit and Body»—, y en el *circulatum minus* es lo que volatiliza la Sal.

Quintaesencia (quinta essentia) — Aparece en la lista platónica de los sólidos regulares como el quinto término, adjudicado al Dodecaedro y llamado Espacio o Quintaesencia.

Putrefacción (putrefactio) — Operación del repertorio del capítulo séptimo y paso obligado de dos recetas: el agua de lluvia se deja putrefacer un mes antes de destilar el Archaeus, y la mezcla del *circulatum minus* putrefacta de ocho a diez días antes de circular.

Microcosmos (el hombre-mundo) — El capítulo cuarto lleva el título y desarrolla la premisa: el cuerpo lleva dentro planetas y signos, con regencia planetaria por órgano y correspondencia zodiacal, y la visualización tridimensional de micro y macrocosmos se declara fundamento del trabajo.

Horas planetarias — La toma de las preparaciones se ordena por regencia planetaria de planta, día y hora: las plantas solares al alba del domingo, las lunares al del lunes, porque la primera hora del día la rige el planeta del día.

Gnosis (conocimiento salvífico) — La define en nota como la creencia en que es posible el conocimiento directo de Dios o la unión con Él, y clasifica alquimia e iconografía como técnicas de gnosis; el panorama histórico pone el gnosticismo entre los ingredientes alejandrinos del arte.

Secreto (lo que se jura no fijar por escrito) — El capítulo quinto advierte sobre la divulgación y pide silencio; la sección práctica insiste en que el *circulatum minus* no admite fingimiento ni autoengaño, porque el resultado funciona o no funciona.

Iniciación (recepción por grados / metamorfosis del ser) — El capítulo trece trata las plantas como sustancias iniciáticas además de medicinales: dosis crecientes durante un año, rotación semanal por los siete planetas y registro de sueños como instrumento de medida.

Atanor (el horno de fuego constante) — Da la etimología árabe *al-tannur*, horno, lo pone como pieza central del laboratorio comparable al corazón y al hogar de una casa, y luego dispensa del atanor material conservando su función simbólica.

León verde (leo viridis) — Caso con que muestra la dependencia del contexto: un alquimista llama León Verde a la estibina y otro al vitriolo, y Cotnoir no arbitra entre ambos.

Decknamen (nombres cubiertos) — La ocultación se declara deliberada y se enseña a leerla: signos y perífrasis que hay que cruzar entre textos, y el ejercicio de desarmar los «sea fishermen» de Urbigerus hasta llegar al pino marítimo.

Cadena de transmisión (quién tomó de quién) — El panorama traza la genealogía: Egipto y Alejandría en el cruce de técnica egipcia con filosofía griega, gnosticismo y hermetismo; transmisión islámica y paso al latín; auge en el siglo XVII con Newton; y declive posterior.

Crítica de fuentes (criterios de inclusión y descarte) — El método explícito del volumen: reunir en un solo lugar todas las menciones del proceso investigado, leer a través de las fórmulas buscando lo que tienen en común, y comparar después el resultado del taller con los textos de donde salió.

Imaginación (phantasia) — La visualización se enseña como técnica graduada —recorrer mentalmente rutas conocidas, describir objetos— hasta alcanzar claridad comparable a la percepción; el apéndice de seguridad pide además ejecutar el experimento entero con la mente antes de tocar nada.