CHAPTER 1

ON THE ORIGIN OF COMMON SALT

PART 1

One can only marvel at how many opinions have been rendered on the origin and first production of salt (that is, common kitchen salt, which is the true source of all other salts, whatever their name). Such opinions are offered by scholars as well as laymen. There has been much thought on this matter, which is certainly not unimportant in itself, insofar as it concerns the very origins of natural things. In fact, we might say that it is the first and most noble question in the ordering of the entire world, and thus worthy of more considered reflection. We should set aside all preconceived notions thereof, as well as any speculations that scholars may have drawn from their learned reflections, for these were arrived at in the comfort of their rooms, without the benefit of true experimentation and the difficult process of thorough research. Instead, one should engage in genuine and natural observation in order to determine the true origin and material production of salt, as we touch it, feel it and enjoy it in our food and drink. One can certainly not determine the true origins and essence of salt by distilling one salt or another from spirits, and this says nothing of the fact that it was first given its shape and form by God the Almighty and then placed in the waters of the seas, that great depository of treasures. From there it is distributed over the entire earth by means of underground channels, as if through the veins of the body, coming to the surface here and there in springs where the salt is then separated from the water by fire and made available to us.

PART 2

No reasonable person would deny that salt, as we know it, comes to us from the great oceans by way of underground channels and fissures and is drawn from its liquid state through the application of heat. However, this alone does not prove at all its true origin.

PART 3

In order to refute all other opinions on this matter and to open the way to the truth based on nature, we want first of all to consider the material form and shape of salt, just as it appears to us. Of these, there are three comrnon categories of salt, which are, however, essentially the same: spring-, rock-and sea salt. All three are in effect similar in nature and shape, even if they differ a little in form from one another due to the foreign particles they contain. A fourth category could also justifiably be introduced here, namely the salt found in common earth or soil, called . Yet, even this salt can be purified without much difficulty, such that it would perfectly resemble the spring-and other aforementioned salts in its shape, form and properties. In all three aspects they are of one essence, nature and characteristic. Salt has a cubic shape, which is a sign of earthly bodies and of gravity, and shows that it has mixed with earthly qualities as it passed thr9ugh the earth. With regard to its form, it is essentially transparent and the more it is purified of extraneous particles, the more it reveals of its heavenly transparent form. It is so fluid and plastic that it can very easily pass through all other bodies. Its taste is acidic and a bit astringent and possesses a desiccating property and nature. At the same time, it is by nature cooling, although its core is composed of nothing other than pure fire, as we shall show later in this text. We have now briefly considered salt, as it commonly appears to us.

PART 4

We now want to identify its true father and mother, and especially raise in more detail the question of its origin and essence, so that we might more thoroughly understand it.

PART 5

In the first chapter of Genesis, where the creation of the entire world, or of our solar system, is described, Moses teaches us that in the beginning Almighty God created the Shamajim veeth haarez, that is, the heavens, or the original water, and the earth. Moses mentions the heavens first, the spiritual fiery waters, and not without good cause, for they are the beginning of all things, created first by the Lord God. Or rather they are the beginning of the beginning, which according to its true essence is almost entirely unknowable, as we can clearly see from its wondrous name. Moses, or rather the Holy Spirit working through Moses, calls this expansion Schamajim, a composite name described by the earliest rabbis who were experienced and expert in the true Cabbala. They note that it is a composite of Æsch and Majim, fire and water. This word, according to its literal meaning, is truly a strange and wonderful mixture, for how is it possible to combine two such opposite things? And yet it represents an eternal truth, despite the fact that this fiery water, or watery fire, without which no creature can live and be maintained, is sought after with great effort by many men, yet found by so few. It is not our intention here to describe it in terms of its entire domain, for the explanation of such divine secrets would require a much more experienced writer than the author of this book. However, we will not conceal even the smallest detail that has been passed on to us by the Eternal Light, in order that we may successfully achieve our desired purpose and goal, namely to describe the first production of common cooking salt, be it sea-, spring-, or rock-salt, or even the wild earth-salt. All other salts, as well as the Vitriola Alumen, and , do not belong here, since the Vitriola and the alums are tainted by small metallic particles. However, is a composite of uric acid and common salt. In the same way, saltpeter is a composite of volatile acidic and stabile alkaline particles, as will be shown in subsequent chapters. The alkalines are closest to our cooking salt, as will also be shown later.

PART 6

We mentioned above that Almighty God first created the heavens, Schamajim, as the beginning of all beginnings, or as the element of all elements: the fiery waters. Moses continues and adds the words veeth haarez, “and the earth,” which is a secondary element (qualitas secundaria), for here the symbols and are understood as we will subsequently explain. The line dividing a from b in the was at first not yet present. That is, after the separation of both parts (commonly referred to as the elements), the Schamajim immediately assumed the form of a physical body or object in which it could reveal its power and effect. In the sixth and ninth verses Moses goes on to describe the separation of both of the other secondary qualities, air and water, from the earth, or rather, the earth from the water. Thus, water was the first of these qualities (qualitas secundaria), as we will soon show. While the fiery water, or pure fire, as the lightest of all things, maintained its place in the domain of the Schamajim, the more common elemental fire took its place in the middle of the earth, whereby the division or separation of the so-called elements from their original source, Schamajim, was completed. That everything, as we mentioned earlier, has its life, essence and sustenance from Schamajim is shown in the eleventh verse of the third day of creation. Here, by divine command and through the power of this fiery water, which even the earliest philosophers called common mercury (Mercurius), the earth brought forth all kinds of grasses, herbs and fruit-bearing trees, etc., even before the sun and moon and some of the stars had been created to feed and nourish all the living creatures that would first be created on the fifth and sixth days. Almighty God allows us to see here the wisdom of his order, whereby the living creatures he would create later would find food and sustenance right away. Not until the fourth day were the sun, moon and all the stars created; they were to function in the order of this great world as sources of this divine power, life and emanation, Schamajim, for every creature, according to its needs. Now the sun, with the full power of its atoms, which were nothing but fire, together with the watery atoms of the began to fill the air and pass on this heavenly seed to the sea, and they continue to fill it to the present day. However, it was not only the sea that was filled with this seed, but also the entire earth, which is shown not only by the ubiquitous presence of earth-salt, but also by the dew, frost, rain and snow, all of which are full of this seed. From the treasure trove of the sea it was carried throughout the entire earth through underground channels and fissures for the preservation and sustenance of all creatures. It was shown above that Schamajim is a composite name, drawn from Æsch and Majim , and so it remains.

Now the sun is a cruder part of Æsch, the heavenly fire, just as the moon and all other stars are a cruder part of Majim, the heavenly water. The first beginning, Schamajim, still continuously flows into them, and they continue to partake of the Divine Power and Effluence from the wondrous river that has its source in Eden, that is, from the great sea of the calm and peaceful divine essence, that waters the Garden of Wonders, or Paradise, there, as few people know. Through this contact, the atoms of the sun and moon, united in the , then make their way into the sea, from where the atoms are carried throughout the entire earth for the fruitfulness and preservation of all creatures.

PART 7

No one, whom the Lord God has enlightened, will deny that salt is the effluence of the sun, moon and all the stars, of their fire and water, or Schamajim, (generally called by the philosophers). It is now quite undeniable that the closer the sea is to the equator, the saltier it is. As experience shows, four pounds of seawater produces a bit more than one pound of good salt. Similarly, the sun cooks the foaming seawater on sandy beaches to produce salt. However, the closer the sea is to the poles, the less salt it produces, as is well known to anyone residing in northern lands. Everyone knows how little useful salt is produced by boiling saltwater from those regions, for even though the water there is salty, the sun's rays strike the water at too shallow an angle to have as powerful an effect as at the equator and in nearby regions, where the sun's rays fall more directly upon the water.

PART 8

True philosophers will also confirm with incontrovertible arguments that the air itself is everywhere filled with a mild salty balm of the heavens. Through the use of a certain type of magnet, or other means of attraction, they can collect and produce considerable amounts of this fiery water or wondrous salt. And if anyone should think that such a magnet were itself saline, which is certainly not the case with anyone practiced in the study of nature, then he should understand that we are familiar with various simple devices that can attract from the saline heavenly Schamajim significant quantities of watery fire, or fiery waters, which are essentially nothing other than salt, the fire-filled air. Through a special procedure the fluid can be removed, thus producing this marvelous salt, known to so few, just as its higher usage is known to even fewer. Furthermore, how many people have claimed that dew (not to mention rain, snow and frost, to which it equally applies) is filled with this heavenly balm of life, or salt, as even the simplest of minds can discover through a process of simple extraction and further purification.

PART 9

However, if the air is not sufficiently saturated with this heavenly salt, whether it is caused by divine intervention due to human sinfulness, or because of a lengthy absence of sunshine, or by any other circumstances, then the air is completely spoiled and soon deteriorates. As a result, all of nature suffers: humans and animals suffer contagious pestilence, and all plant life withers and dies. Famine, affliction and general destruction follow, as we have known well enough from the beginning of time to the present day. On the other hand, we also know that even with continuous sunshine and the absence of rain, a strong dew can produce the most magnificent, fruitful and healthiest of times, for the air is saturated with this life-giving balm, or heavenly salt.

At this point, we could certainly ramble on a bit about the Secret of all Secrets, and at the same time draw attention to what the philosophers call their common , and how obviously—and even tangibly—(although recognized by so few people) Almighty God has laid out before our eyes on an almost daily basis the manifestations of his power, although he allows few men to recognize these because of their contrived wisdom and the ungratefulness that results from it. Thus, they cannot see how all things are “spiced” with divine fire, or salt, and thus protected from present and eternal destruction for the sake of eternal glory. Likewise, they do not see how Christ, our savior and mediator, himself the divine eternal , Fiat, or Word, eternally begotten and born from the divine fire of love for our eternal salvation. Unless we really and truly partake of this salt, we can never withstand, either in this world or the next, the cleansing fire of his majesty, nor can we be preserved for his glorious eternal rest, as can be shown and proven by countless examples from the Holy Scriptures. See Genesis 5, verse 24; Exodus 3, verse 2 or 5; Exodus 19, verse 18; Exodus 24, verse 18; Exodus 32, verse 29; Leviticus 9, verse 24; Leviticus 10, verses 1 and 2; Numbers 16, verse 35; 1 Kings 18, verse 38; 2 Kings 1; 2 Kings 20, verses 9 to 15; 2 Kings 13, verses 20 and 21; Isaiah 6, verses 6 and 7; 1 Corinthians 3, verses 12 to 15 and many other passages that in general have been poorly understood. Through the lesser world of men not even the smallest part of this monumental secret can be proven, as all true philosophers have sufficiently noted.

PART 10

Not wishing to dwell too much here at the beginning on these monumental secrets, until the Lord God grants us more illumination and grace, let us return then to the first proof: that salt, coming from the sun, moon and stars, is produced in the sea and finds its way to us. We say it comes from the sun, moon and stars because they are all repositories (as shown above) of the divine emanation, Schamajim, which pours itself out as the heavenly Æsch, or fire, into the sun, and as the heavenly Majim, or water, into the moon and other stars of the heavens. This is noted in Genesis 1, verse 14 or 18, where it says concerning the fourth day of creation that there should be two great lights, etc.: one to illuminate the day and the other the night, etc., and to distinguish the years and the seasons, etc., such that the sun spreads its fiery heavenly seed into the air throughout the day. All the stars draw this seed to themselves (each in the manner specified by divine will for the common good) and each transforms it in its own way and characteristic manner. At night, however, the stars send to the moon the heavenly seeds that they have received from the father of suns and which they have modified, each in its own way. (For more on the effects of the moon and its powerful rays, see the Psalm 121, verse 6: “the sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.” Here, the use of the words “will not strike you” attributes to the rays of both the sun and the moon the same effect and power.) The moon, as the lesser light and regent of the night, further alters the seeds it receives into cold watery seeds and disperses them into the air, thereby reuniting once again the Æsch and the Majim (namely the Schamajim) in the air as a matrix. And with it comes once again a rebirth of the Æsch Majim or Schamajim, the seed and origin of all creatures under the light of the moon, as well as their source of preservation and sustenance. It comes with the air in the form of a gentle, misty water and runs off into the sea or into the earth, where the sun or the central fire in the earth bring about its transformation into salt. It is then distributed over the entire earth by the waters of the seas through underground channels and fissures, so as to seed the earth and make it fruitful. And it reveals itself now and then through channels and fissures and creates our salt springs and wells. This water also falls into great, broad fissures, where it is altered and desiccated by the underground fire, causing the fissures eventually to be filled with the rock salt that is produced in the process. And although it is mined in many places, it is replaced quite quickly from the air, by force of its own internal fiery magnet. If, during its migration underground, it comes to a particular spot, it produces, together with the central or underground fire, or sulfur, both metals and minerals, depending on the purity of the or . And so it remains that our salt, namely common cooking salt, is the beginning and the end of all things. It was also well proven earlier that this is both and , or and , or , namely the universal which is so often spoken about, but so little understood.

PART 11

At this point we have to speak at some greater length about the production and birth of the metals, and also to search in the most detailed fashion for their matrices as well as the production and origin of these sources. For that purpose, we will once again have to turn our attention to the beginning of creation in general, in order to demonstrate and completely prove what was mentioned in part 3, namely that in its innermost nature salt is a pure fire. It has been noted in part 5 above that in the beginning the Lord God created the heavens and the earth, or the waters and the earth, and that Schamajim, the heavens, is the beginning of all beginnings. In part 6 we have said that Arez, the earth is the second qualitas secundaria. In part 10 it was stated that the sun is a pure fire, separated from the Schamajim, just as the moon and stars were separated from the of the same.

PART 12

Now we must also speak in greater detail about the earth and its actual form, so that what follows may be better understood. For this purpose an outline of the entire solar system (see page 10), will serve us best. We do not wish to argue here with the followers of Copernicus, or other sectarians of astronomy, about the truth of their systems, since we are dealing here rather with those who love the magic arts and the divine truth, as everyone will agree who considers the following Schema Magicum. In this outline the region A-B Schamajim, which in Genesis 1, verse 5 is called “light,” just as its lower part is called “night”; and both the day and the night are two essential things, as is particularly noted in the Systemate Magico Universi No. 1. The area B-C is the Regio Astrorum, the starry heavens; C-D is the region of the air, which is the third qualitas secundaria. D-E encompasses the globe and the surface of the earth and the sea. E-F represents the lower region, or the confluence of the waters and the virginal earth, or Arez, created therein, of which we spoke in part 6 of this chapter, and which we want to identify here by its familiar name of bedrock sand. We had previously named this region the true confluence or birthplace of sand-and stone-producing waters, as we shall subsequently show. This point is of particular note, since our proof will greatly rely on it. We should first lay out here, how it is possible that Genesis 1, verse 1 says Arez was the first thing to separate from Schamajim, while we maintain here that this virginal earth, Arez, is the product of the waters of the region E-F, which, as sand- and stone-producing waters, must have necessarily existed before the earth, and thus could more justifiably be called the first of the qualitas secundaria. In order to respond to the objection that the virginal earth, according to its literal meaning of its name, cannot be the first qualitas secundaria, we must go back and see what Sacred Scripture says in Genesis 1, verse 1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The passage continues in verse 2: “The earth was without form and void, and it was dark over the face of the abyss, and the Spirit of God swept over the waters.” In this passage it is undeniable that the heavens and the waters are mentioned before the earth. Thus, from this and from the words of the ninth verse, what was said earlier in this part now becomes perfectly clear: the waters mentioned in verse 2 are in fact the sand-and stone-producing waters from which the virginal earth, and subsequently the inhabited earth of stone, sand and soil (region D-E) was created. That is why here in our text the terms earth and water are often taken as one and the same, so that one could justifiably assert on the basis of our usage here that both water and earth are the first qualitas secundaria.

PART 13

We want to prove, however, that the material water (which is the first emanation or product of the cold night, i.e., of the waters of the moon) is actually the first of the qualitas secundaria. (It should be pointed out here that we have not counted the sun, moon and all the other stars among these four material essences, or so-called elements, for as was noted in parts 10 and 11, the sun is an extraction of the Schamajim, or a concentration of the same, just as the moon and other stars are an extraction of the Schamajim and both are differentiated only by their effects.) Therefore, we must take special care to conduct only those experiments whose validity no sane person would ever question. First, we want to cite Holy Scripture as the most secure and inviolate basis of truth, and begin with the strongest and most thought-provoking passages, as for example in the Second Letter of Peter, chapter 3, verses 5-7, in which it is written, “In taking this view they lose sight of the fact that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth, created by God's word out of water and with water; and by water that first world was covered and destroyed.” Verse 7 says, “And the present heaven and earth, again by God's word, have been kept in store for burning; they are being reserved until the day of judgment, when the godless will be destroyed,” etc. These words are offered here for the pleasure of the wise, and not the foolish. Further, it is undeniable that the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1, verses 1 and 2 gives a very general depiction of creation, namely of the Schamajim, from which all things were brought forth according to the intent and will of God. Verse 3 takes brief notice of the most wondrous and elemental things, namely light and darkness (or, as they are later called, “day” and “night”). We shall prove later in this text that both the light and the darkness, or the day and the night, are two distinct, spiritual, elemental things. Verse 4 speaks of the separation of the light and the darkness, as a result of which water and earth were brought forth. From the darkness or night, i.e., from the moon, came the waters; and from the day, or light, came the earth, when the light, the sun, concentrated itself in the water that issued from the moon, thus giving birth to the virginal earth, as is recorded in Scripture: “And so evening came, and after that the morning.” Thus, the essential characteristic or element of the darkness or the night and what came forth from them, were the waters which first issued forth from the fiery water or light-water Schamajim, as mentioned in part 10 of this chapter. In the fifth verse these essential characteristics of the light and the darkness are given their true names, “day” and “night.” The sixth verse tells of the creation or separation of the third qualitas secundaria, the air, as a more subtle part of water. The ninth verse, however, describes the separation of the foundations of the world, the waters of the sea, rivers, etc., and the occupied surface of the earth, on which the power of the Spirit of God directly worked at that time through its fiat, as previously noted in the second verse of Genesis: “and the Spirit of God swept over the waters.” After this, on the fourth day, the sun, moon and all the stars were created. This power created the sand-making waters and from them at the same time the virginal earth. From the waters mentioned in this verse the rough sand was created (generally called the soil or earth), together with all the mountains, rocks, fissures and underground channels. The earth's remaining waters were then brought together and called the seas. All of this is made perfectly clear in verses 6 and 9 of Genesis 1, just as it was in the passage cited earlier, where Peter said in such a clear and thought-provoking manner that water was the first of the qualitas secundaria. In addition to this the twenty-fourth Psalm, verses 1 and 2, records, “The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, I the world and those who dwell therein. / For it was he who founded it upon the seas / and planted it firm upon the waters beneath.” (See also Psalm 136, verse 6.) With this passage we have sufficiently proven, as mentioned earlier, that water is the prima qualitas secundaria and may be best understood as described in Genesis 7, verse 11: “on that very day, all the springs of the great abyss broke through and the windows of the heavens were opened.” We could give still more evidence for this and clearly show how these springs of the great abyss often gushed forth with unusual vehemence through the retribution of the Living God as a general punishment on mankind because of its evil. But enough of this; we want to now demonstrate what we noted at the beginning of this part of the text.

PART 14

We maintain that all —of whichever type one chooses—(however, from this point on we are speaking about the so-called sweet ), is accompanied by sand, or contains the power to make sand, even if it is filtered a thousand times. Even a simpleminded person can try the following experiment: take rain-, spring- or river-water and put it into a glass container. Seal it off, but leave some air in it. Then put it in the sunlight or in a warm place. You will find that after a certain time in this heat, the begins to decay and creates a precipitate, which in truth is nothing other than a small bit of earth or sand. And whoever knows it by its innermost qualities, rather than its superficial appearance, will perhaps recognize something more there. He would recognize what Genesis 2, verse 7 means when it states, “And the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground.” We will reveal more about this secret later, that is, as much as we are permitted to reveal. But at this point we have to mention something else, so that our proof does not become invalid: if one correctly distills the water that has begun to spoil, it will produce a wonderfully light and clear oil, very fiery and burning, which is pursued by few men and recognized by even fewer. For that reason, we will not speak about it any further here.

Observers have noted from sea voyages that when a ship needs to stop in Europe to take on drinking water and then travels to the equator, where the sun's rays shine down in a straight line and are thus stronger, that the water then becomes thick, gummy and also full of particulates. When such water is then returned to Europe, it once again becomes thin and burns after distillation like a brandy. Both of these experiments have not been presented to the foolish and weak-minded in order that they might marvel at them, as a cow does at a new gate. Rather, they are shown to clearly prove that the light (here, the sun) is something essential, and takes on physical qualities in , as was mentioned in part 13. In the same manner, we are familiar with a certain inexpensive device by which one can concentrate, and present as , the powers or emanations of the night or the moon (in which the emanations of all the stars are concentrated), by means of a highly polished metal mirror. This water has more to it than the ignorant imagine, for with this concentrate all lunar illnesses can be completely cured. This proves as well that the darkness, or the cold night, is also something essential, as stated in part 12. And although this is ethereal, we can clearly prove with this example our earlier contention that a sand- and stone-producing energy exists in all waters. It is not the case, however, as some might imagine, that those things which have been told to the wise in this text, can be duplicated with ease. Rather, such things require skilled hands and the guidance of Almighty God, which, we believe, cannot be experienced by anyone who does not have a great longing for the source of the river in Eden.

What we have maintained in part 14 has now been sufficiently proven and demonstrated, namely that any that one might choose, with no exceptions, possesses a sand- and stone-producing force. This applies not only to , but also to air, as was announced earlier in this part.

PART 15

We wish to also show that the virginal earth, or base-sand, created from the first element, is represented by the region E-F (see Schem. Univers., part 12), the so-called foundation of the inhabited earth, which was, as noted in the twenty-fourth Psalm, verse 2, “founded upon the seas and planted firm upon the rivers,” etc. It is well known that no one can dig any deeper into the earth than to the level of the base-sand. And those who have been able to travel beyond their local borders have seen and know all too well that the people of Brabant and other similar landscapes cannot dig deeper than four, five, or six feet at most before coming upon this foundation of the earth, i.e., base-sand. In other locations as well, no well can be dug, nor can a shaft be sunk deeper into the mountains, nor can the mountains themselves be more deeply mined, than to the depth of the aforementioned base-sand. It is also well known that in various locales of the Dutch provinces cited above there are very high church steeples built directly upon it, without any other foundation. Nevertheless, these have stood for several centuries without tilting or sinking. A layer of wood or strong boards, which resist rotting in , is laid upon the exposed base-sand, and on top of this wooden foundation they construct their intended building without any other difficulties. At the same time, one might notice that no wells, ponds, etc., are dug within several hundred—or even a thousand—paces of such buildings, and that no one may remove any base-sand in the hope of digging deeper. Otherwise, the buildings would unmistakably lean and sink to that side, because the base-sand was removed from the foundation on that side. Such construction cannot be done on any other type of sand, earth or swamp. Rather, to build a foundation on such surfaces, they would first have to be drained, after which long posts would have to be rammed into the ground and set fast or in some other way secured, for the firmness and immovable foundation of base-sand can be attributed to the fact that water and base-sand, as previously mentioned and demonstrated, are closely related to one another, in that the latter is created out of the former, and as such they do not tolerate being mixed or compressed. This is because bodies of dissimilar qualities may not pass through one another, unless one or both of them were made spiritual (i.e., lost their physical qualities). Bodies of a similar quality consistently maintain their form and size. But even if one were greater than the other, their power and force would nevertheless not be affected in the least. Thus, what we noted at the beginning of this part has now been sufficiently demonstrated, namely that just as these individual buildings, towers, etc., stand fast and immovable on the bedrock or base-sand, so too, all mountains and rocks stand in a similar manner, as does the entire inhabited surface of the earth, resting on this bedrock or base-sand, on the very roots from which all these things arose. Any reasonable person can recognize this in every mountain and rock and can clearly see, how even the base-sand, sometimes reaching quite close to the uppermost surface of the earth, is found in clay or other soils to be very dry and snowy white, just as it reveals itself in the veins of all stones or now and then appears within the hardest rock structures like the marrow in a bone. Furthermore, our everyday experiences teach us—for more proof, see what was presented in part 14 above—that in cliffs and mountains water continuously rises up from region E-F (see part 12, Schem. Univers.), changing itself into various types of sand and stone. The results of this phenomenon can be seen very clearly in any quarry. Indeed, who does not know that in the Harz Mountains, as well as in other regions of Europe, there are frightful caves in which water constantly drips and solidifies into wondrous stone, in the shape of large columns and other marvelous forms, or as the skeletons of horrible animals and men of varied and terrifying sizes. These figures were shaped and formed by the air-spirit of these waters, according to the forms and ideas that fill the entire air. We will say more about this in later parts. Mining histories also tell us that whenever miners, working on even the most solid mountains and underground rock formations, forcefully broke through these with their tools or with explosives, they encountered within these stones a water that sometimes passed through the rock and had been its nourishment and food. From similar stones and minerals such water may also be collected through distillation. For this reason, one should closely examine all stones and pebbles that are marbled with many veins of different colors. In so doing one will notice that, if these veins are artificially removed from the stone, nothing will remain of them other than the pieces of the original stone itself, the source of the veins. One will also certainly find that the pieces of the stone, from between which the veins were removed, fit together perfectly, as if there had never been anything else between them, but rather as if they had been simply split from one another and then put back together. One can clearly recognize from this that these stones or pebbles without any doubt must have had water or fluid within them, which suddenly split and penetrated the stone, coming forth to settle in between the parts, thus holding these sides apart from one another while growing within them and enlarging itself. These thoughts are presented here in detailed form for further reflection by the enthusiast, for there is truly something special concealed here, that will occasionally recur in the remainder of this text, and which has now fully proven what was mentioned only briefly in part 13.

PART 16

By means of irrefutable evidence we have proven and demonstrated: first, that is the first qualitas secundaria, or the first material mother from which all other tangible bodies, whatever their name, were created and brought forth. Secondly, we have shown that base-sand, or virginal earth, is the other mother, created solely and singly from the first one, so that it can rightly say of itself, “I am the earth, made from the heavens.” Truly, we are dealing here with a material about which many wonderful things could be said. However, certain circumstances lead us to refrain from saying more at this point.

Other characteristics of base-sand have been derived from its external appearance, namely that it is composed of the smallest, glassy type of grains. If these grains are observed through a good microscope, one can determine that all of them are different in shape and form and that no two of them are similar. It can be no other way, since they were created from water, as we previously mentioned, and even the smallest components of water possess inside them the powers and emanations of the sun, moon and all the stars, that is, their seeds, in countless types and forms. For every star, as well as the sun and moon, received from Schamajim (mentioned frequently above) its own specific qualities or heavenly seed, which, nurtured by water, brought about the countless varieties of stones, rocks and mountains, and from them the plants, bushes and trees, as recorded in Genesis 1, verses 11 and 12.

This point can be demonstrated with an experiment: take a thousand pounds of purified mercury and spread it over a large field, so that it covers it in one mass. You will be able to see the entire horizon in all its detail perfectly and completely in its reflection, as if looking in a mirror. Then, take this and through , or some other way, divide it into a countless number of small globules. If we then view them through a magnifying glass, we will find that we can still see the entire horizon in all its detail reflected in each tiny globule, as we did in the larger mass of mercury. Water, even down to its smallest drops, also possesses similar qualities. Thus, this experiment with shows that even the most imperceptible particles of , as well as in larger quantities, all have within them the entire Schamajim as it is found and differentiated in the stars. Similarly, every body—even the smallest—in the virginal earth, as products of water, have within them the entire heavenly seed of the sun, moon and stars. Those experienced in the true art of experimentation know quite well that even a grain of sand, be it as small as a particle of sunlight, has at least some spiritual and within it, and is thus also a true product of the light and the night, or the sun, moon and stars. For the first material mother is, as recently mentioned above, water, which originated in the core of all higher things. From this water there arose then the other general mother, the virginal earth (base-sand)-which is entirely of one nature with water—and from whose simple dust man was formed, and which also represents the eternal world in the living and (Aphar).

This is the limit of our discussion beyond which our far too diffuse thoughts dare not go. Therefore, we must break off at this point and be silent for a while on this matter, lest we sink or stumble into the abyss over which the Spirit of the Lord hovers, as described in Genesis 1, verse 2. In so doing, we have not entirely fulfilled the promise we made in part 14. But because of this, the knowledgeable reader can elevate his own thoughts to consider a bit more closely the microcosm, or lesser world. In so doing, he may perhaps learn more completely to recognize his indestructible and eternal spiritual body.

PART 17

We have now thoroughly proven and demonstrated that water is the first qualitas secundaria, or the first element, and that all bodies (Corpora) issued forth from it and are contained in it. We have also shown that the virginal earth, the base-sand, is the second element (secunda qualitas secundaria), yet at the same time one with the first. From this we can see how this world and all its created parts are composed of water. So too, we would like to remind the reader in passing (but without denigrating its importance), that from everything we have noted thus far, one can recognize quite precisely the origin, essence, color and content of all kinds of ores that have been exposed for our eyes, namely ore-bearing stones whose discovery always affords miners a cause for joy.

At this point, we want to take up the thought that we had to break off in part 12 and continue with the description of the Systematis Magici. We noted that the circle or region F-G represents the underground in which is the essential characteristic of the cold night, congeals into the material sand-producing water E-F, after it has settled, through the effect of the rays of the stars or the moon. (This air F-G is cruder than the C-D, in which the emanations of the sun, moon and stars come together and form physical spirits, as noted in part 10.) Our daily experience with rain, snow, frost, dew and hail teaches us that this indeed occurs in the upper C-D. That there is also an underground air-region is quite well known by anyone familiar with mountains because of the storms in the underground caverns and fissures. Indeed, it has long been thought that the sad history of terrible earthquakes in the past as well as in the present was sufficient evidence of this and left no doubt as to the existence of this underground region of air. It was thought that this must be the case, according to the natural order mentioned above, and indeed there is much that speaks for this point of view.

Now we come to the innermost central region, namely that of the underground fire, whereas the living watery fire, Schamajim, occupies the highest of all regions of the world, the crude earthly fire of these great cauldrons resides in the lowermost region in the middle of the earth. Thus, the region of the Schamajim, A-B, stands in contrast to the material, fiery globe G; the region B-C in contrast to the underground region of air, F-G, the region of the upper air or more ethereal waters, C-D, in contrast to the sand-and stone-producing waters E-F. However, the seas and the circle of the earth are common to both the upper and lower regions mentioned above as the sites of their activity. For just as the higher powers unite in the air, as shown above, and through the light, fire or the rays of the sun are brought down to us, so too, the underground fire drives the powers of the stars that are emanated into the underground air into the region where the waters are collected, that is, the sand-producing waters E-F, and where, through the effect of the fire, they are completely transformed into physical bodies, as we have shown earlier in some detail. That such an underground fire exists cannot be denied by anyone familiar with the elemental forces of nature, and is certainly very well known to miners. The history of the world has sadly taught us this through the many fiery eruptions of the earth. From time to time earthquakes have also forced us to recognize this as well. And what should a reasonable person think of the fiery pit in Japan, about which travelers to the East have reported? Certainly, many similar examples of incontrovertible evidence could be produced. However, we will let our daily experience in mines and caverns suffice to show that such an underground and central fire exists and that it shows its powers most clearly to the seekers of truth in the depths of the hardest winter. For in the winter the air is filled with many crude forms of moisture, which have been impregnated with the heavenly seed. (In the summer, when the sun is at its highest point, the moon and stars produce this seed, but it does not mix well with the thin, light summer air.) Because of its heaviness, and because of the weaker sun at this time of year, this moisture precipitates as rain or snow, and is captured in the earth, until the sun has retreated far enough that the earth is covered over with frost like a strong armor. In this way, the powers that have come down to the earth in this form do not evaporate, thus leaving the earth unwatered. Instead, these powers of the heavens are heated by the underground fire and turned into a viscous fluid (which differs according to the type and characteristic of each seed), which as spring approaches is then forced by the fire as spring approaches into the trees and plants. We have all observed God's wonderful and wise law in the manner in which frost functions in our land, for it arrives and remains until the appropriate moment, when we can then look forward to good and fruitful times for the reasons mentioned above. If, on the other hand, the Lord sends us a dry winter, there is then a severe shortage of this heavenly life-fluid, which is entirely consumed by the underground and driven back into a vapor, such that nothing remains for us other than a crude material water from the circle D-E (see page 10), and through whose abundant watery particles all manner of maladies and illnesses are produced in the summer. Thus, the truth of Psalm 104, verse 24 is clear: “He has ordered all things wisely, / The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord,” etc. And so, as promised in part 12, we have here fully proven and described the Systema magicum for all lovers of the truth and of divine secrets.

PART 18

We could provide even stronger evidence for what was stated in part 11, namely that salt contains in it innermost core an essential fire, etc. We have already sufficiently proven that salt from the sea, as well as the salt in the earth, are produced by the sun, moon and stars. Similarly, we have demonstrated that the emanations of the sun, moon and stars are in fact nothing other than salt itself. We will elaborate further on these points, but first we must remind the reader, that the closer the sea or any other waters are to the poles, the more lunar are their waters. Conversely, the closer they are to the equator, the more solar, or masculine, they are, as can be shown through the following experiments. First, it is well known throughout the world that the seawater at the poles, although certainly salty, cannot be boiled down—at least, not easily—to a decent , because of a lack of masculine solar seed. Or we could take a piece of fresh meat and lay it in a sieve or other perforated container on the side with the outer skin facing down. If the cut side of the meat is then strewn with , the will dissolve and run off the meat into a container below. If we continue this process until the meat has taken on enough salt so as to be thoroughly conserved, then any additional salt will remain dry on the meat and no longer dissolve. If we then take the salt runoff below and dry it, it once again becomes , but it is no longer useful for conserving meat, because its fiery masculine parts have left it and leeched into the meat. Thus, nothing remains but a feminine watery seed, which, were it once again revitalized through the sun or fire, would again be a good salt. The fact that the last strewn on the meat did not dissolve, but rather remained dry, because the meat had absorbed enough for its conservation, demonstrates that the meat could draw off no more of the salt's fiery parts. Thus, we should recognize the truth of what Christ, our Savior, thoughtfully said in Luke 14, verses 34 and 35, “Salt is a good thing; but if salt itself becomes tasteless, what will you use to season it? It is useless either on the land or on the dung-heap; it can only be thrown away. If you have ears to hear, then hear.” We remarked above how water from our northern climes which is taken on ships to the equator becomes thick and cloudy. But when it returns to the northern lands, it once again becomes clear and sharp, like a brandy, which proves what we have just said, namely, that the closer water lies to the poles, the more lunar it is and lacking in the masculine solar seed, with which it is, however, richly filled at the equator. On the other hand, waters from Batavia and other places in the far East Indies, when loaded onto ships and transported over the equator and back here, remain good. This is a powerful confirmation of what we have said above, namely, the nearer the equator, the more solar the water, and vice versa.

Before we take leave of this discussion, we want to take a closer look at the passage in Luke cited above, and ask what our Savior meant with the words, “…but if salt itself becomes tasteless, what will you use to season it?” or in Mark 9, verse 49, where Christ says, “Salt is a good thing; but if the salt loses its saltiness, what will you season it with?” How can salt lose its taste? And what kind of a substance does it then become? Or we might ask what kind of substance is it, that it can be re-seasoned and made potent once again? It was also said in that passage that salt would be of no use on the land or on a dung-heap. What use could salt be on the land or on a dung-heap? From these words of Christ we could conclude that the earthly realm is dead and contains no salt. Whoever recognizes and understands this secret, we ask him to conceal it and keep it secret from those who dabble in experiments with coal, metals, and minerals, and ruin them in the process. The modest knowledge that we possess of these things we will keep to ourselves. Since the passages we cited speak of dung and other scurrilous things, it would be inappropriate here to try to describe such divine secrets. Thus, we will seal these secrets with the profound words of our Savior, who says, “Salt is a good thing,” etc. and “No one is good, save for the one God,” etc. For everyone must be salted with fire and all sacrifices will be salted with salt. Mark 9, verses 48 and 49 says, “Have salt in yourselves; and be at peace with one another.”

PART 19

Thus these things confirm that the essential effects and emanations of both the light and the night, as well as the sun, moon and stars, are nothing other than salt, a watery fire or fiery water, begotten by the sun, the father of the stars, and the moon, their mother. And what the sun produces is nothing but salt, as we have shown from the beginning. That this salt is an essential fire, indeed the most wonderful and potent fire beyond all reason, we can prove with the following incontrovertible principle: If essential light (the rays of the sun) is concentrated with a good concave mirror, it will soon be evident just how quickly this light can go through the thickest objects in but a few minutes, reducing the object first to salty ashes, and then finally to glass. This process is truly more worthy of study than many uninformed observers might imagine.

We have now sufficiently proven and demonstrated for all reasonable people that the essential light, as well as the essential night, is a pure salt. Even the prime emanation of the living God is nothing other than that (something which is known to all philosophers and theologians, but not to dilettantes and amateur chemists). And who can deny, after learning of the experiment described above, that salt is not an essential fire? This can be demonstrated by two further experiments: first, how the light of the sun concentrates itself in water into a sulfurous oil and secondly, how such an oil can be transformed into salt. Both processes are well known to the true chemist. So too, all plant life, which is nothing other than a product of the sun, moon and stars, attests to the fact that salt in general is a fire, as is thoroughly and incontrovertibly taught to us in Genesis 1. We can burn some plant material, for example, with a small fire and reduce it such that nothing is left behind other than a little bit of fixed salt. This salt can in turn be vaporized in a natural process by anyone who is experienced with such things. From this vapor it can then be returned to its first essence, i.e., returned to its original nature and form, which is that of mercurial salt

This is quite enough on this point. It is well known to those who have traveled around a bit that in those places, where base-sand is most exposed, as in the Netherlands and in bordering areas, there is considerable peat, which is nothing other than a product of the sun. The rays of the sun form in the water as a precipitate and give birth to this sulfurous earth. Regardless of whether it is harvested or not, it continuously grows in quantity, as is known at those locations. This can be said to be true not only about peat, but also about hard coal, although not in all localities, which the people of Lueckerland know all too well. This unique type of coal, and the ground in which it is found, is very different than the hard coal of other lands. Curious observers have noticed that the sun concentrates in shallow waters that have little soil beneath them—and thus cannot easily seep away—and which are located near base-sand deposits. If this water stagnates and finally dries out, a brownish material is left behind which burns like sulfur. This and many other observations all powerfully confirm our point. The evidence we have produced in demonstrating the point of parts 3 and 11 should suffice for the wise reader.

PART 20

So now we come to the rocks and cliffs where many of the wise are often shipwrecked without reaching their intended goal, namely the study of the true origin and production of metals and minerals in nature (see part 11). However, we do not wish to tread upon the path here that so many have followed in their descriptions of the metals and minerals and their origins. Rather, we intend only to follow the principles outlined earlier and the path down which the spirit of the living God leads us, assuring ourselves in the process that by following this lead we will have the good fortune to reach the right port. It has been noted before and its truth is certainly well known, that every grain of sand, even if it were as small as a particle of sunlight, has spiritual gold or silver in it, as well as the red masculine solar seed or the white feminine lunar seed. At this point we should also remember what was said above in part 10, and in all of part 16, namely, that every planet and all the other heavenly bodies in their separation from Schamajim during creation received their own characteristics and essence. They powerfully draw the heavenly solar seed to themselves during the day, which they then modify according to their own qualities, giving it off again at night to the moon. This seed then congeals and is passed on further into the air and it is from this that the mercurial water comes down to us. Thus, even the smallest particles of this have the entire heavenly essence in them and possess the same qualities as the smallest and finest grains of sand. Experts know well enough, that every metal or mineral, whatever name you may give it, conceals within its innermost core something of this spiritual red and white sulfur, or solar and lunar seeds. The same applies to the salts, however they are named.

NB, we could certainly say much more and speak more clearly about this red and white sulfur or spiritual gold and silver, so that we would not have to fear the ridicule of the accursed world. Later in this text we will work in as much of this as we can. In the meantime, the lover of truth will have understood our meaning well enough from what has gone before, and already know where this spiritual gold and silver, or red and white sulfur, can be found and acquired in abundance. It should be noted here that when we speak of the red and white sulfur, the solar and lunar seed, we do not wish to take anything away from our statement in part 7 that the emanations of the sun, moon and stars are salt. Rather, when we call these heavenly emanations or seeds red and white sulfur, scholars will understand all of these things, such as when these heavenly spiritual essences, light and darkness, have taken on physical properties in the virginal earth, or when from the original essence, the base-sand in its original state (as has been stated above more than clearly), is poured out through certain known processes into all creatures and things.

PART 21

Before moving on we must make a certain note here concerning the metals, minerals and all other bodies, namely that they are specialized bodies from Almighty God determined by their essence and given to us for the predetermined harmonious purpose of benefiting the entire world. This can especially be found in part 16 and will also be shown later in this text.

PART 22

Before we continue, we should say a few words about how metals are mined, since this knowledge and proof will be important. To this end, we can cite the example of craftsmen. First, we see in the work of craftsmen who weave fabrics out of linen, silk, wool and hair, that the longer and more delicate the fibers and threads are, the better made and stronger their products, while the shorter threads of wool, silk, etc., are of use only in making felt. As a second example, we see with the papermakers that after they have sorted their cloth material and worked each type with the stamping machines, so that they become as soft and downlike as the softest goose feathers, and wash them with an adhesive water, they produce from each type of rag cloth a good and solid paper. However, if they work the cloth too hard, so that the fibers break and even tear under the stamping process, and turn themselves into little balls, just like a bead of that was formed by fire, then the paper will be fragile and useless. The same applies to the metals and minerals, for just as the papermakers and felt-workers treat the rags and wool with water and make them less brittle with special adhesive-water, so too, the red and white of the metals are drawn out by a fine, special salt (which takes the place of water in this process) into almost similar metallic threads, each according to the type of metal being worked, since each one has a different level of refinement, as the work of craftsmen clearly show us, especially that of the blacksmiths and wire-makers. The better the two sulfurs are integrated in the metals, the better and more lasting these metals can be worked and stretched, as we can especially see with gold and silver, in their thin and fine leaf, as well as in gold and silver wire. Good God! A small quantity of either of these metals can be stretched to an almost immeasurable and incomprehensible fineness, almost to transparency, as evident from the qualities mentioned above. From our experience with everyday items and with craftwork we can clearly recognize that copper and iron are made more workable and durable for working and other necessities by (their binding-water) than lead and tin. Although tin and lead are soft and malleable and can be drawn into wire and beaten into thin leaves, they will often quickly tear during these processes. From this we can conclude that their texture or weave is like a spoiled or rough piece of paper, because the effect of the underground fire on them was too strong or too weak (as mentioned above). Thus, their composition most closely resembles an undeveloped metal, or metallic water, namely . And just as this consists of an unimaginable number of the smallest globules that can neither resist fire nor be hammered nor worked at all, because the little globules, like water, lack living ; so too, tin and lead do not bind together well and cannot be stretched or hammered, like the four woven metals , , or . These two metals similarly consist of little globules, albeit cruder ones, whereby their reduction to a living can easily be proven and demonstrated. All true chemists know this well enough. When these metals are separated from their foreign particles, namely burning , nothing but remains. That there must be little living in them is confirmed by our incontrovertible experience, whereby we are able to separate more than eleven ounces of good from a pound of lead by means of alkalines. And we know of a master chemist who in this way—but over a longer period of time and with different procedures—rendered almost fourteen ounces of mercury out of a pound of lead. All this clearly demonstrates what we said above, namely that these metals are composed primarily of and have little living in them.

We have another opportunity here to digress and raise a point of contention for the so-called experts by asking them how that which we just demonstrated can be reconciled with the fact that one can transform almost the entire mass of and (not to mention ) to and that hardly a quarter of the mass is lost (this part being the naturally burning and a little earth). We can further ask how it is possible that through a process of separation these masses of lead and tin can be transformed entirely to salt, such that little or nothing is lost (for here the burning sulfur is also transformed and turned into salt). The answer is readily evident. But first allow me to say that we are not referring here to a type of , and which can easily be made with + or other acidic Ω by any laboratory novice, amateur chemist or apothecary apprentice, and which can be reconverted back into their original form with oils and other means. No, we are not referring to such things. And since they know of no other type, we say quite frankly that they have not yet arrived at the true source of the sweet sea, nor have they been washed in the waters of this power. We also do not mean some higher philosophical salt, prepared with natural +, since it has been reduced to its first saline mercurial essence, or to its original state. Our concern is rather with a true metal or spiritual vitriol, as opposed to common vitriol, from which a metal can also be separated. Such a salt is easy to produce for those who know the correct, simple and inexpensive solvent and how to correctly calcinate the material, which is the case with all true chemists. It is also important at this point to ask how we can reconcile what the forensic scientists teach us, namely that the metals have three sources or principles, , and , in light of the fact that the elements and (not to mention the other metals) are almost entirely composed of and, at the same time, almost entirely of salt? And how can these learned men continue to maintain their position in the face of our true and clear evidence? Who can now prove that there are three essential sources for the metals, and that they are composed of these same three principles? Those who listen to our words will in the end be able to untie this knot and find their way out of this labyrinth. And those who are familiar with the two natural s mentioned above, the red and the white, (and how in this earthly realm they are adapted in every specific element to the shape of that body), they will easily be able to answer the question of how it could be that the elements and are almost entirely composed of and at the same time almost entirely salt, and also what the significance is of the three principles, salt, sulfur and being the sources of the metals. This will all be made clear later in this text.

PART 23

Let us continue with our description of the texture or weave of the metals which must be elaborated upon before we can continue. We showed above that gold and silver are completely workable, and that and can also be stretched and extended and yet hold together fairly well. The more the latter are separated from their combustible sulfur, (which both of these metals contain in abundance), the better and more useful they are for stretching and making into leaf. This in turn proves what was said above concerning their texture. The weave of and has also been sufficiently proven for knowledgeable observers. Although these metals hold together better than and they can withstand fire to a certain extent, their texture is nevertheless similar to a strongly pressed paper pulp that produces nothing other than a type of fragile paper that doesn't hold together well, and therefore tears easily. And so we come to the seventh metal, or rather metallic water, namely mercury, which has produced more fools than wine or love ever have. We should certainly be cautious when dealing with this bird, for it loses its feathers easily. On the other hand, we need not actually be afraid of this bird, since we never had the intention of capturing it or keeping it, but only of observing its miraculous birth. Nor do we intend to argue with anyone about our previously expressed opinion concerning its essence and origin. Rather, we are happy to allow each person his own ideas about this, on the condition that he allows us in turn to maintain our own thoughts on this without undue confrontation. But no one should presume that in this discourse on the weave and texture of metals we will pay much close and detailed attention to this bird. Rather, let us repeat once again that its texture or weave are still imperfect, as it is without that binding-water of the metals, namely salt (not material cooking salt), as well as their cohesiveness, and the underground fire, that is, sulfur. Therefore, the living is in truth nothing other than the red solar and lunar white sulfur or general in metallic form that is, however, not entirely forged in its bed by the underground fire or altered into this or that metal, but rather left unrefined, because of a lack of metallic binding-waters.

Without wishing to belabor our point, but nevertheless wanting it to be sufficiently understood, it is necessary here to read closely and reflect upon what was said in part 17, that the spiritual heavenly gold and silver, the oft-mentioned red and white sulfur (otherwise called common ) in or with the binding-water of metals is forged by the underground fire into this or that type of metal. The emanation of this underground fire is the earthly burning sulfur. As we have shown previously, all the rays or emanations of the sun, as well as of fire, are a salt, which is in turn a fire. Now, the rays of this material fire join with the sand-making waters E-F (see page 10) and produce a slimy, viscous burning substance, earthly sulfur, which is nothing other than a salt, as all true chemists know. And this sulfur, or slimy, fiery, saline substance produces in the earth the matrix of a particular metal. This can be clearly seen in gravel and rocks that produce sulfurous fire when they are struck with an iron or another stone. The purer the birth of this earthen material, when it arose out of the virginal earth, and the more impregnated it was with the heavenly seed (see part 16 and the passages cited there), then the purer the matrix is as well as the metals that were conceived and produced in it, each according to its own specific essence.

PART 24

We have now depicted for all lovers of the truth in a succinct and more than sufficient manner the true birth of metals and their matrices, as we promised in part 11. We have shown that a specific metal can be produced from the oft-mentioned heavenly seed within a matrix, which is altered by the emanations of the underground fire and the sand-making waters. We must expand on this and say that this matrix alters the seed that it receives (as mentioned above) according to its own type, purity and consistency, as well as its own origin, for even the emanations of the underground fire can be different in their effect, as we shall see. As we have demonstrated above, every stone has its own quality and essence and alters the light of the sun and the seed sown by the sun, according to this quality and essence, then sending it on to the moon, the source of the great collection of sand- and stone-making waters (in the region E-F; see page 10). From there, the seed goes into the sea and is led, together with the fine , through the permeable earth into its matrix. It was also noted above that even the smallest grain of sand, be it base-sand or any other kind, has this heavenly seed in it. However, since the rays of the stars pass through the region or sphere of the moon with differing strengths, and because of the movement of the earth and stars and the interchange of light and darkness, these things all cause the light of the sun's rays to strike the earth with inconsistent force. It must therefore necessarily follow that the effect of these rays in the deep wells of the abyss in the great region E-F (see page 10) cannot be the same throughout. The same applies to the seas, as was shown in part 18 above. Thus, it follows that base-sand, created out of by the underground from common sandstone and rocks, and brought about by the emanations of the underground fire, i.e., sulfur, must similarly be of unequal quality, producing the difference in the matrices of the metals and the minerals. The purer and more perfect the saline sand-making is, as well as the soil of the earth, the basic foundation of stones and rocks, then the purer the concentration of the underground fire's emanations in them. In this way, the perfection or imperfection of the matrix of a particular perfect or imperfect metal is produced. And in this matrix, through the enriching influence of the lunar in general (as the solvent of the matrix), the germination or ripening of the heavenly seed (the red and white sulfur of the entire earth) results in a specific metal or mineral, depending on how pure the source of the enrichment was. That this is undeniably true can be seen in all types of ores, which are the matrices and sources of the metals and minerals. This is true even of the most perfect gold and silver ore, for the purer and more perfect it is with regard to their metal content, the purer and more perfect its rock-bed or matrix is, free of all crude, slimy, sulfurous and vitriolic impurities, as can be clearly seen in a wide variety of ore types. And, to use the idiom of miners, their “Berg,” or ore, is of higher quality and purer than the lesser ores and doesn't contain as much corrupting sulfur, arsenic and vitriolic essence. The opposite is the case with ores that have a lesser content of gold and silver. If we consider the and ores, we would not need to consult experts, since even common miners could tell us plaintively how such ores are full of impure sulfur and vitriol and how so little can be done with them. However, if an experienced smelter knows how to remove these foreign particles, a purer, more perfect and durable metal reveals itself in its preordained form. True chemists can demonstrate with iron, how when its processed ore is exposed to the and moistened with , it is reduced through corruption and rust to a yellowish material, which one finds in great quantities in deposits of iron and in caves. If this yellow material, called ochre, is added back into the iron, the latter becomes stronger yet more pliable and durable than it ever was. The reason for this is that its crude combustible sulfur had been counteracted by its own vitriolic in the process of rusting or corruption. On the other hand, it is now more difficult to smelt, since its crude but easy-flowing sulfur has been altered and transformed into a more perfect shape and form by its own binding-water. (We offer these thoughts to the lovers of truth, not to fools, so that they may reflect on them.) The same is true of copper, for if it is surrounded in its matrix by abundant impure sulfur and vitriol, then the more it is separated from these corrupting particles by the hand of an expert, the more lasting and more perfect, but less malleable it becomes. However, since the expert can alter this destructive sulfur and lend it stability through its own metallic binding-water, after which it can then be added back to the metal, he can achieve a masterpiece of smelting that is known by no one other than those few versed in the arts of nature. And since he knows how to perform this purification with all four of the lesser metals , , , , he can boldly aspire to find the path to even greater things. But he must first become familiar with that noncorrosive to which we refer at various places above as the binding-water of the metals.

PART 25

With regard to and , one can conclude from observing their matrices that the rays of the underground fire were not successful in concentrating and uniting the sulfur with the saline binding-water and the earthen material of the matrix. Therefore, the effect of the underground fire can produce no other grade of metal, other than what was preordained. This impurity or porosity of the matrix is the reason why in the one metal more than in the other (and in one type, such as , more than in another) more spiritual and are found. What occurs is that the underground fire, instead of leading to the perfect birth of this heavenly red and white sulfur or seeds, corrupts them instead because of a lack of the pure saline fluid of enrichment, which cannot be found in such an impure matrix. With the seventh metal, or rather metal-water, i.e., , the same is true, for the red color of its matrix allows us to clearly recognize that the latter consists almost entirely of sulfur, that is, of unstable rays from the underground fire, and very little earth, and further that it lacks the saline binding-water that stabilizes the sulfur. Therefore, the heavenly lunar seed in the watery form of its first coagulation is left lying without effect. If, however, the matrix has another color, such as gray, then the expert would be obliged to make a different judgment in this regard, namely that the living shows us here its first stage of natural development, or its first fixed end-product. And thus, the mercurial alchemists can now see what kind of bird they are dealing with here and what kind of fire they require in order to singe its wings and to transform it, because of its homogenous nature, into a fixed and stable form of gold. What is required here is precisely that which is missing from its matrix, as can be easily discerned from the preceding discussion. Since the crude earthly sulfur has no effect on it, and in particular since it is lacking in salt, it must have the appropriate proportion of sulfur and salt, or a fixed sulfurous salt that will remain stable and fluid in all types of fire, and that can permeate all fixed bodies.

PART 26

What we have said here about the metals should also be understood in terms of the minerals, each according to its type and classification. Certainly, if the reader has understood the above, he will not require any further clarification in this section. A knowledgeable reader will, for example, easily comprehend from all that has been stated above, what a “Gur” is, namely the premature birth of a metal that is unripe, because its had withstood a higher level of heating and taken from the metal any superfluous wateriness. The formation of the metal was hindered, however, by an untimely birth, whereby the underground fire prevented it from achieving complete solidification. We can say with certainty that the “Gur” is as varied as the of the metals and minerals, as knowledgeable observers will agree on the basis of what we have related above. They are mistaken, however, if they believe the “Gur” to be a prime material, and thus seek to create the Philosopher's Stone from it, for it is as much a prime material as is a child in its mother's womb.

PART 27

Thus, the birth of all the realgars—antimony, all the arsenics, bismuth, marcasite, zinc, etc.—is now easy to comprehend, in that they are nothing other than simple in a dry form. This mercury, with only saltwater in lieu of the necessary pure sulfur, is dried out by the underground and converted into a particular predetermined element, such as cobalt, antimony, bismuth, zinc, etc. And those least touched by the fire are converted into a form of arsenic. This is because the one had too much of the red sulfur, while the other had too much of the white lunar sulfur. Therefore, neither one could develop as stable gold or silver. All of the realgars are the almost homogeneous products of the sun and the moon, but were stuck in a secondary degree of solidification, because of a lack of either the right type of salt, or of the right type of sulfur. Nevertheless, they still fulfilled their predetermined purpose, for their degree of development is also part of the overall order of things, since without God's will nothing can happen. Thus, what happens according to his holy will, achieves its final purpose.

PART 28

Before we go any further we must speak a bit about that wondrous mineral water, namely hard or anthracite coal. This can be found in three types: day-coal, roof-coal and pitch-coal. The oily coal in Lueckerland is of an entirely different type, as this type burns like a heated pitch, and whenever it has been mined out in a particular locale {such that a small portion remains behind), it grows back and fills in the mined area entirely after only a few years. Its own magnet in the remnant left in the mine entirely replaces all the removed portions from the emanations of the stars, or the upper air. This is because its origin lies in the precipitation of the sun's rays as a pure lunar salt within the constantly vaporizing sand-and stone-making waters of region E-F(see page 10), whereby this latter element produces the hardness of the coal. These, then, are the best known of the coal types, of which the first type is nothing other than a sulfurous salt, or a sulfur congealed by a crude vitriolic salt (see part 23), more subtle than that of roof-and pitch-coal, which are mixed with a crude turflike earth, which makes it erode when exposed to the air and disintegrate like a duff. For smith-work or other such tasks requiring a strong , these are not very useful, unless one strengthens it with a salty earth. Salt here would bind the sulfur, making it more useful, as the following will show. The other types of roof-coal contain a cruder sulfur, that can be better solidified by salt, and which are mixed with a purer clay. This is why they last longer and hold together better. They vary according to the type of clay they contain. If it is yellowish, the coal will be brown and resemble wood that has aged in the ground. That is why they are also called wood-coal. The bluish and whitish clay produces a type of coal that is much deeper brown in color, almost black. But if the clay is black or iron-colored, the coal will be black. These roof-coals are quite good for smith-work and most other needs, although a clay impregnated with the right salt can be improved in quality, so that the coal burns longer and more efficiently. Their base is usually a broad layer of clay or something solid, at times even a sandy stone layer, produced from weathered rock. The roof-coals in the mountains often develop a higher quality, becoming a good oil-or pitch-coal.

The third category, pitch-coal, consists of a cruder, almost metallic sulfur and a finer clay, similar to base-sand, because its soil base is fine and pure and thoroughly mixed with sulfur, which is bound and shaped by saltwater. Thus, this type is harder and can last longer in fire. Anyone who would deny what we say here must not be very knowledgeable about the earth. We know that in those areas where hard coal is found in the greatest abundance, one will find in its deposit, as well as along the edge of the deposit a fine, greasy clay mixed with base-sand. You will sometimes even find the sand covering the clay, which clearly accounts for the hardness and solidity of the coal. The reader will find recounted below that sulfur, this slimy burning substance, is an emanation of the subterranean , and how it is produced in that fire. The reader can also see in figure 1 how this sulfur moves out of region E-F through fissures and channels into region D-E, where it finds and penetrates the same claylike material and is bound in this substance by saltwater. Here the sulfur is transformed into a rock-hard burning substance by the subterranean fire with the help of the saltwater mentioned above. Sometimes in the earth one finds an already weathered matrix (miners call it “Nesterweise” or “Nierenweise”) that is not as porous as the soil around it and thus cannot absorb anything but the purest and most solid parts of the sulfur. This produces a sulfur-bearing gravel that one finds now and then in hard coal. This sulfur-bearing gravel can also usually be found in most places where there is clay, which confirms our assertion here, that clay is the basis of all hard coal. Whenever this sulfur-bearing gravel appears in the hard coal, it is a sign of particular quality, for the more it is present, the more it shows that the sulfur that produced this coal is more solid and more fixed than if it had not been present. This sulfur-bearing gravel contains Sol and Luna, for we are dealing here with a particularly ripe matrix in which the emanations of the heavens, of the sun, moon and stars, have been cooked to near perfection. The sun is, in truth, nothing other than an essential, thoroughly refined, spiritual gold that is alluded to in Revelation 3, verse 18. This gold (or emanation of the sun) is itself nothing other than salt. This is truly an area of great confusion for all those who are content with their mere speculations and who make no real effort to recognize the underlying basis of all nature.

PART 29

We have successfully demonstrated that the sun, moon and stars are an emanation of the Schamajim, the first-created of the Lord God, flowing out of his majesty. We say that this Schamajim was produced by the incomprehensible and unknowable, calm, peaceful waters of God's immeasurable majesty, which the wise man should reflect upon rather than describe in words. We have also proven and demonstrated above that the emanations of all these bodies (which are the mediators of Schamajim) are nothing other than salt, and that this salt is an essential fire, and further, that this fire or salt is the red and white sulfur of nature, namely the spiritual gold and silver, from which all other essences live and are produced, and which is found in all bodies, even down to the smallest grain of sand or particle of sunlight. And so it follows with the greatest certainty and without rancor for those practiced in the study of nature that fire, salt and are at their very root both one and the same. It also follows that the red and white sulfur in their essence and origin are one and the same, namely spiritual and silver, or salt and fire. He who knows how to find both of these types of sulfur and to mix them in the correct proportion, to manipulate and to shape them, he will soon see the glorious, glowing, indestructible and immortal body of the man Adam, for man (the microcosm) is the tangible endpoint of all creatures, in whom all the seeds of the universe are present and perfected in him and which cannot be destroyed, as our words above made clear. Indeed, he who reflects on and understands these words will also comprehend what we said in part 9 above: how fallen man, created from the sweet fixed salt of the calm, peaceful eternity of Jesus Christ, experienced sin and ruination, rot and decay, and how man will be saved from complete corruption and ruin to God's eternal glory in the calm, peaceful sea of the unfathomable mercy of God, the eternal Father, and also how man will be spared the sulfurous fire of retribution of God's glorious majesty. Such a person will also understand what we intended in part 20, where we spoke of the red and white sulfur of nature, or of the wise, and why Christ, our Savior, at his most holy Last Supper, took essential bread and wine, the solar and lunar elements, which are in essence one and the same thing (as we showed) for the consumption of his blessed body and blood, the fixed indestructible loving salt of the endless compassion of God (the holy spiritual gold and silver mentioned in Revelation 3, verse 18). It is important here that we not become too wordy about the secrets of God, but rather approach them responsibly, for it is better to find nourishment with a quiet spirit at these sources of incomprehensible wisdom and to see our reflection therein, than to speak volumes and ramble on about the cursed, evil and lying world. Thus, the wise man and the lover of the truth will not expect us to continue in that manner. We say only this: in the City of God no earthly sun or moon shines (see Revelation 21) and no gold can be found, because the sun, salt and gold of the eternal divine essence are themselves present. In that City our bodies, marked by the living salt, Jesus Christ, and immersed once again in the quiet, calm sea of the divine water (see Revelation 21, verse 6 and Revelation 22, verse 1) will be eternally refreshed and satisfied, so that they might bring their monthly fruits to the heavenly streams and brooks for the praise of his eternal glory. And so with this we will stop here and say no more, lest we should stray from this astonishing truth.

PART 30

We can now return to the topic from which we had digressed a bit: sulfur-bearing gravel and hard coal. We noted about the former that it contains some gold and silver. However, this gold and silver is somewhat volatile because its matrix is so porous, and because an appropriate level of saline binding-water is lacking. Those versed in the art of separation must know how to fix this by cooking the material with the correct level of heat, and with water, so that the volatility is stabilized and the distillation is successful. Needless to say, he must know how to work with fire. We are certain that its binding-water is not an acidic cooking salt, since it doesn't share the same characteristics necessary for this process. The skilled separator, before he can begin this work, must also be familiar with natural alkaline materials and how they can be strengthened by the sun's rays. For truly, those who do not know this lovely salt have not yet seen the fullest variety of salts, for the saline binding-waters of metallic, animal and vegetable bodies are different from acidic cooking salt, which is found in seawater, springs, mountains and the earth. The reader should not think, however, that these words contradict what we said in part 10, where we noted that common cooking salt is the beginning and end of all things. Rather, we wish to confirm what we said there, that this natural salt (the root of all the common acidic salts) is not refined before our eyes, but rather by the subterranean fire in the great oven within the earth, where it gets its acidity from the rays of the fire or from the sulfurous vapors there, which are themselves nothing but salt. For the lover of truth and wisdom this explanation will suffice. However, fools can interpret this as they will. It is enough that we have spoken about the binding-water or the saltwater that can dissolve all bodies, and about salt as we can see it, touch it and taste it, and which the expert can transform into a higher salt at any time. It is the same salt as that produced by the sun, moon and stars, of which we extensively spoke earlier. Thus, the experts will find nothing further lacking in our presentation.

PART 31

We mentioned above that the acidic quality of common salt was brought about by the sulfurous vapors of the subterranean fires within the earth, as well as by the sea, which is itself not exempt from the effects of the subterranean fire. That this is true can be proven by looking in particular at hard coal. Anyone who would assert that there are no salt springs where there is hard coal, or no hard coal where there are salt-springs, will appear ridiculous and not well versed or experienced in dealing with nature. This is a fact and does not need to be proven. It is also true that because salt-veins run deep in the earth and because day-and roof-coal are less stable and useful than hard coal, oil-coal or pitch-coal, in which the available sulfur is better stabilized and bound by the salt deposit, and in turn the salt deposit assimilates the acidity of the sulfur more and more and becomes stronger. This is the true reason why springs in one location are weaker than those at another, as will be shown in chapter 2 on the nature of salt. Wherever one finds high quality hard coal in large quantities underground, the nearby salt-springs are much more magnificent and stronger than those located where the coal is found in lesser quantities and is of poor quality, such as day-and roof-coal. Those practiced in true chemistry know well enough how to separate acidic salt from its coincidental acidity and to give it back the original mildness and sweetness, which it will inherently possess, if it can be returned to its pure, unadulterated state, which not everyone is capable of doing. The acidity of salt is a characteristic caused by sulfur or subterranean fire, because it can be separated from this trait, whereby the salt can thus return to its original essence. All acidity is the result of sulfur, and sulfur can easily be reduced to a strongly acidic solution and then transformed into a salt, which can in turn be purified to its original state. Whoever understands this will take note of how alkaline materials (see part 5) are easily transformed into a pleasant acidic cooking salt. Thus, we have sufficiently proven that acidity is something derivative of sulfur. Any knowledgeable observer can readily see how erroneous it is to consider vitriol and sulfur to be two very closely related things, indeed almost one thing. (We will elaborate more on this in part 10 of the next chapter.)

We have dealt enough with hard coal at this point and shown that salt is a true fire and . We have also shown that all things consist of three elements in one: salt, sulfur and , which are in turn, really just one thing: fire. We still have to prove that fire is water, which is not unimportant. And we must show that salt is the beginning and end of all things, namely water, which is fire, the emanation of divine majesty, namely Schamajim.

PART 32

First, we must prove that salt is the beginning and end of all things, indeed, that the end of all perfection is nothing other than salt. This, of course, does not need to be proven to the wise. In all that we have presented thus far, it has been shown that everything arose and was born of Schamajim and beyond that, of the sun, the father, and the moon and stars, the mother of all sublunar bodies. These bodies or stars are nothing other than Schamajim, collected together into spirit-bodies (parallel to their sublunar bodies). Their own emanations can be nothing other than what they are themselves, namely salt or fire, or or , or whatever else the wise man wishes, such as common . It has been sufficiently shown that all these emanations in all three realms come together and grow through the effect of the subterranean fire into a particular body in this sublunar clump called the earth. Working with fire also teaches us concretely that one will not find any body in nature that cannot be reduced to salt. This includes even the most perfect bodies, such as gold and silver. But alas, we can anticipate a hailstorm and terrible flood of criticism directed at these words by sophistic scholars. However, we will not be intimidated, because the truth is our shield and God will give us refuge in his shelter during such terrible times. Indeed, he will secure us in his keep and hold us under the protection of his holy hand on the rock of security, etc. (see Psalm 27). Therefore, we are consoled rather than distracted by the riotous and howling storm of criticism. And we will seek our refreshment and pleasure in the calm peaceful drink of the sweet waters of peaceful eternity.

At this point, we should continue our proof, although fools would have us move on to other topics. We will begin with the plant kingdom, since the animal kingdom would be too obvious a case. But we must ask all lazy rascals and stubborn fools to refrain from doing the following experiment, since it is not intended for them: Take several thousand pounds of wood and burn it in such a way that all the smoke and moisture is captured without any loss. Once it is entirely burned, even the smallest part will be ashes that contain a fixed sulfurous salt. Leech this salt out of the ashes, put it in an appropriate container and pour into it as much of the captured evaporated essence, so that it becomes moist. Seal the container and let it sit and ferment for a while. The moisture will then solidify and fix the salt. That is, it will also become salt. Patiently let this process continue and you will soon see that all of the captured vapors have been shaped and solidified into salt without much difficulty. This is the first step. At this point we must be cautious and resist the mob of sophists and the dirty coal-butchers and other destroyers of God's work, who all like to point out—or rather scream and rant incessantly about—the unresponsive, dead and exhausted ashes—they call them Terra damnata. They ask where the ashes have gone and whether they also turned into salt, although this is contrary to their expectations. The answer is: Yes, you fools! For if you knew nature and its ways, you would have known what your Terra damnata originally was, and that all things can be brought back to their original essence. Then you wouldn't rage so terribly against nature and destroy it. You should learn to recognize that the development of all bodies from their beginnings to their mature form follows the same path and can lead back to their beginnings and first origin. This is, in truth, the jewel sought by the wise. Gold cannot become lead, for that would mean going against God and nature. No perfect body can be transformed into a lesser body against its specific nature. However, gold, as well as lead, can in its own way be brought back to its beginnings and origin, which can be comparatively seen in this reduction of the so-called damnata, or dead ashes. Take these exhausted ashes and put them in a -proof container and calcinate them by means of a strong in the closed-off container. After a while, open the container and you will find that your ashes have turned to salt. Then, dissolve out the soluble parts and you will get a small quantity of salt. Weigh the ashes. They will be lighter than when you first began to oxidize them. Continue patiently in this way and you will completely reduce them to . This reduction presents the seeker of divine secrets with an analogy of how, at some point after the ages of eternity, the fire of just retribution of the Living God will consume and calcinate all damnation and the infernal dark slag, as well as the dark fire of hell itself, and return it to a shining, living salt that will appear in its original glow and glory. Would the wise man know of an easier way in nature to perform such a process like that described above? We doubt it.

We could have provided the reader a clear demonstration using charcoal to show that it is a completely pure sulfur and also a pure salt, but we considered this unnecessary, for anyone familiar with the watery fire, or fiery water, in which all things dissolve into their inherent original essence, that person also knows that this is all completely true. What we have proven here regarding the plant kingdom is also valid for the animal kingdom. That brings us to a most difficult problem which has dulled the teeth of many who have tried to chew on it, namely the mineral kingdom. In order to avoid becoming too wordy, we will look at that perfect and best of all substances: the element gold. But beware, all of you who have never seen or done anything significant in this regard! Even though you have seen this described clearly and truthfully enough, you will not be able to imitate it so easily. Our directions: amalgamate the with well-purified , then gently remove the mercury. Then, mildly calcinate the over a covered fire. Then, amalgamate it again with fresh mercury and remove the mercury as before. Then, amalgamate it once more with a distilled mercury and grind it as finely as possible in a mortar. Let it sit for twenty-four hours before distilling the mixture. Then, gently draw off the mercury again. This is how you must conduct the process and complete the concealed calcination, until the has not only been converted into the finest powder, but has also been made irreducible. Thus, it has achieved a form closest to salt. If the reader is familiar with a particular tonic that has been strengthened through the addition of its own salt—a most marvelous and heart-strengthening and enlivening drink—then he has seen this gold-powder or salt in its real and essential form as salt. This process is quite valid, as anyone can see who has ever recognized the truth. And it has been described here in its entirety, although not all the necessary components have been described in all their details. Knowledgeable observers would have thought us foolish to have spelled out everything so obviously.

With regard to the minerals, this process can be repeated through a simple calcination that not everyone can perform. Anyone who has understood what we have said thus far will certainly agree. If we hold common salt for the particular length of time in a smelting fire and know how to vaporize it in the way of nature by means of seawater—in which it was originally produced and which it actually is by its nature—then we have truly accomplished something praiseworthy. We will have water, but also no water; salt, but also no salt; both of them are and with taste. But we must now leave this topic and save it for the next chapter. We will, however, still have a few things to say about this in passing.

A few words remain to be said about stone and how it is treated and its soluble parts extracted through calcination, as mentioned earlier in this chapter. Anyone familiar with the sweet saltwater that we referred to earlier will easily understand these thoughts. Similarly, those who understand our words about the weave and texture of metals will also be able to more easily comprehend what follows. The knowledgeable observer and the seeker of divine truth will also be inclined to understand (as we discussed briefly in part 29), how and in what manner through the ages of eternity the infernal -slag and the glimmering fire of hell (not to be confused here with the glowing subterranean fire) and all its legions and spirits, this horde of hell, death and damnation, including their lair, that dead and horrible place, how all these will be dissolved, purified and transformed by the of the sparkling and clear waters of the sweet sea of calm, peaceful eternity, so that the spiritual gold and silver, that is, the wonderful, indestructible, shining body of the sparkling first sunrise, may once again shine forth. But wait! We have again digressed from our purpose to something which not every mind and viewpoint will find satisfying and will understand. Therefore, let us return to the issue from which we digressed and ask ourselves—before some fool does—whether, since all bodies can be turned back into a salt, even beautiful gemstones with their great hardness can also be converted back into a salt. We must answer here that even if it is not readily evident, it is nevertheless an eternal truth and is most certainly so. One need only consider the glassy quality of the gems. If a person knows anything about glass and what it is made of, that person will be content with our observations. The question of how to proceed with their reduction into salt, however, would not be especially difficult for those who are familiar with the power, capabilities and strength of the sun, fire, salt and water. These gemstones are structured like all other bodies, with the sole difference being that they were formed with an original purity, unmixed with other things. Those stones that are as clear as water are lunar by their nature; the colored ones are creations, which we discussed extensively enough earlier. At the same time, it should be remembered that breaking down the most durable and hardest bodies, such as gold or diamonds, into salt by means of a special process of dissolving the and could be taught more clearly than it is. We do not want to justify this reticence with such excuses common to all sophists, as if we wanted to conceal this information from the unworthy observer. No, this is truly not our intent. Rather, this is our reason: our experience has taught us that through such experiments especially bad things could occur. This, then, should conclude our discussion of this point.

PART 33

We now come to the last point, that truly is and that is truly fire. Whoever understands this previously demonstrated principle will be able to comprehend what we say here without need of further proof Even the most simpleminded person knows well enough that all salts in stone can be dissolved into a liquid. But this will not suffice for the experts, for this resulting saltwater is still reducible. Thus, a different example is needed. We will have to show that salt in all its variations can be returned into its own original saltwater. It was from this original solution that a cooking fire extracted the salt. The manner of heating employed by amateurs will not produce from the solution, although a true chemist can do this with ease by calcinating any salt in just the right manner so as to produce vapors of its lunar water. To reduce these vapors then into salt is not possible for just anyone. But we have achieved this more than once and this simple (though trying) process produces a saline solvent that is truly more worthy of investigation than some fools would acknowledge. More will be said about this in greater detail in the next chapter. Who can deny then that is , or that is a and that the same applies to gold and silver, as well as to common ? With this, we have satisfied the discussions of part 6 and part 11.

The knowledgeable observer will readily admit that the beginning and end of all things is salt, and that the mother of this salt is water. It then logically follows from this, that the first essence created by the Lord God was essentially water, which is a fire in its innermost essence, i.e., salt. Much nonsense has been written about these three origins, of salt, sulfur and . It is so difficult to discern the true opinion of the authors of such drivel, or what they actually understand of this matter, that even Evandri's mother would not be able to guess, particularly since she herself doesn't know. We remind the reader here about that which we spoke of above in some detail and length, namely the emanations of this heavenly essence, or red and white sulfur. The celestial spiritual and , or seeds from which all created things are born and grow, are made perfect in man, such that man (the microcosm) is the focal point of the entire universe (the macrocosm), in which all of its progeny in their countless shapes and figures come together once again. Through the waters of the bottomless sea of the peaceful and calm mercy of the unchanging Triune God man was purified for the first time in Sacred Baptism in Christ, the source of all life, and liberated from the deadly filth of the darkness (the corrupted, unsalted terra damnata of mortal flesh). Man is purified a second time through the Most Holy Flesh and Blood in the Sacred Eucharist, the divine love-salt, created in the wonderful fire of God's mercy. And this still combustible and volatile sulfur (which, without this salt, is still corrupted) must be reunited with the peaceful waters of eternity. Just as salt is the agent through which water can be united with oily fire, i.e., sulfur, so too, our Savior is the wondrous fire or salt of life, the binding agent between us men (i.e., the destructive, stinking sulfur) and the immeasurable Godhead (i.e., the unfathomable and unknowable sea of the life of all lives). This occurs so that the spiritual and , the indestructible body, the true essence of Schamajim will be ever revealed in us. This essence is the product of the unfathomable sea of eternal Godliness. At this point we cannot continue, but rather have to stand in delighted awe at this holy and astonishing profundity; and we must pause to reflect, rather than speak. These calm, peaceful, refreshing and bottomless waters that have no beginning and no end, are without limits, exist both within and outside of themselves, and move of their own accord. We are not able to offer a reason, meaning or name for this, but since it encompasses all things and is the starting point of all creation, we humble ourselves in deepest gratitude before this most holy of beings, Jehovah, and offer up to him the sacrifice of our words with the holiest reverence, illuminated by his most holy light, and with a most willing soul and spirit. When we are called home at our appointed time, we will see this Being of Beings—insofar as a mortal creature is permitted and able to do so—in its original emanation, Schamajim, which is salt, fire or water. In so doing we will move closer to the knowledge and understanding of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), a singular unity according to the words of Zechariah 14, verse 9. We will see that this Schamajim is an essential fire, but also an essential water and lastly, also an essential salt, not separated into three distinct parts, but rather each one essential in itself and, at the same time, for all three together, without distinction. Water is, at the same time, both fire and salt, while fire is both salt and water, just as salt is both water and fire, none of them distinct in their essence from the others and each one at the same time essentially the others. And yet all three are essentially different things as well.

O Lord, who can compare with you, who has ordered all things wisely? Heaven and earth are full of your goodness, etc. If this light had shone in the synagogue of old, we believe that Nicodemus and many people today would have more clearly understood Christ, the Savior of the World, as noted in John 3, verse 5, where Christ says, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless you are born again of water and the spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God,” etc. O Lord, let us and all who thirst after your mercy and peace share in this wonderful and holy rebirth, so that our otherwise mortal being may be preserved in eternal glory. May we stand at the end of days at the pure river of living water, clear as crystal, which flows out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. And may we be adorned with the holy and precious gold of the heavenly Hevila, watered by the miraculous stream of Paradise, Pishon. And may we stand with harps of praise at the glassy sea that is one with fire, in order to praise and glorify him, who is eternal and without end.

Hallelujah!