40. Nature completes the operation, not
manually
…… Statistical Significance ……… Supporting sources: 11 Contradicting sources: 0 Statistical significance: 0.9999998
This premise is statistically significant
…… Supporting Quotations ……… [181] the Artist has only to look on while Nature gradually matures
his substance.
~ Philalethes, Eirenaeus. A Brief Guide to the Celestial Ruby. 1694 AD. Alchemical Tract
[641] Then, again, thou sayest that the Stone is prepared of one thing,
of one substance, in one vessel, the four (elements) composing one essence in which is one agent which begins and completes the work; man, thou sayest, need do nothing but add a little heat, and leave the rest to thy wisdom. For all that is needed is already contained in the substance, in perfection, beginning, middle, and end, as the whole man, the whole animal, the whole flower is contained each in its proper seed. Now, in the human seed the human specific-substance is also included, as flesh, blood, hair, &c.; and thus every seed contains all the peculiar properties of its species. In the whole world men spring from human seed, plants from plants, animals from animals. Now I know that when once the seed is enclosed in the female vessel, no further trouble or work of any kind is required - everything is brought to perfection by thy gradual and silent working. And the generation of the Stone, thou sayest, is performed in a similar manner. Only one substance is required, which contains within itself air, water, and fire - in short, everything that is needed for the completion of this work. No further handling of any kind is necessary, and a gentle fire is sufficient to rouse the internal warmth, just as an infant in the womb is cherished by natural heat. The only thing in which man must aid thee, is, by preparing the substance, removing all that is superfluous, enclosing this simple earth, which is combined with its water, in a vessel, and subjecting it to the action of gentle heat in a suitable alembic. ~ Mehung, John A. A Demonstration of Nature. 16-17th Cen. Alchemical Tract
[40] The dissolution of Sol should be effected by Nature, not by
40. Nature completes the operation, not manually p.141
~ Figulus, Benedictus. A Golden and Blessed Casket of Nature's Marvels. 1607 AD. Alchemical Tract
[600] this water is to be prepared with no foreign matter in the world,
but alone by Nature, with Nature, and out of Nature.
~ Anonymous. An Anonymous Treatise Concerning the Philosopher's Stone. 17th Cen. (?). Alchemical Tract
[873] He coagulates himself and dissolves himself, and passes all the
color - and this by virtue of its own inward sulphur or fire, which wants nothing but excitation, or, to speak plainly, a simple, natural coction. ~ Vaughan, Thomas. Aula Lucis, or, The House of Light. 1651 AD. Alchemical Tract
[117] The white and the red spring from one root without any
intermediary. It is dissolved by itself, it copulates by itself, grows white, grows red, is made crocus-coloured and black by itself, marries itself and conceives in itself. It is therefore to be decocted, to be baked, to be fused; it ascends, and it descends. All these operations are a single operation and produced by the fire alone.
[555] From the fact that the philosophers make mention of certain
preparations, such as putrefaction, distillation, sublimation, calcination, coagulation, dealbation, rubification, ceration, fixation, and the like, you should understand that in their universal substance, Nature herself fulfils all the operations in the matter spoken of, and not the operator
[556] Nature herself has within herself the proper separator, who
again joins together what he has put asunder, without the aid of man. She knows best the proportion of every element, which man does not know, however misleading writers romance in their frivolous and false recipes about this volatile gold.
~ Paracelsus, Theophrastus. The Aurora of the Philosophers. 1575 AD. Alchemical Tract
[597] Our Fountain dissolves, coagulates, and makes itself, without
addition of any thing: None of which can common mercury do, neither can it be coagulated without addition of other species.
~ Nollius, Henry. The Chemists Key. 1617 AD. Alchemical Tract
[85] You should also know that in our Art we distinguish two things;
the body and the spirit: the former being constant, or fixed, while the other is volatile. These two must be changed, the one into the other: the body must become water, and the water body. Then again the body becomes water by its own internal operation, and the two, i.e., the dry and the liquid, must once more be joined together in an inseparable union. This conjunction could not take place if the two had not been obtained from one thing; for an abiding union is possible only between things of the same nature. Of this kind is the union which takes place in our Art; for the
p.142 40. Nature completes the operation, not manually
constituent parts of the Matter are joined together by the operation of nature, and not by any human hand.
[633] The Sages say that the Stone dissolves itself, coagulates itself,
mortifies itself, and is quickened by its own inherent power, and that it changes itself to black, white, and red
~ Anonymous. The Glory of the World, Or, Table of Paradise. 1526 AD. Alchemical Tract
[80] it dissolves itself, it coagulates itself, it putrifies itself, it colors
itself, it mortifies itself, it quickens itself it makes itself black, it makes itself white, it makes itself red.
~ Bacon, Roger. The Mirror of Alchemy. 13th Cen. Alchemical Tract
[582] Thus the wise man does that by art in a short time, which nature
cannot perform in less than the revolution of a thousand years. Yet notwithstanding, it is not we that make the metal, but nature herself that does it. --- Nor do or can we change one thing into another; but it is nature that changes them. We are no more than mere servants in the work. ~ Bacon, Roger (Pseudo). The Root of the World. 13-7th Cen. Alchemical Tract
[223] the part which is light and spiritual rises to the top, but that
which is thick and heavy remains below in the vessel. Now this is the contrition of the Philosophers, namely, that which is not sublimated sinks down, but that which becomes a spiritual powder rises to the top of the vessel, and this is the contrition of decoction, not of the hands.
~ Anonymous. The Turba Philosophorum. Alchemical Tract
…… Commentary ……… The operations in alchemy are performed by nature. The alchemist only ensures the conditions are right so that nature can operate effectively.