Alchemy, Magic, and the Hidden Wisdom of Plants: A Journey into Spagyrics

When you hear the word alchemy, what comes to mind? Perhaps medieval alchemists hunched over smoky cauldrons, desperately trying to turn lead into gold. Or maybe the legendary Philosopher’s Stone - yes, the one that probably made you think of Harry Potter.

But alchemy is far more than a relic of fantasy or a failed science. It is an ancient, profound system of transformation, of matter, yes, but more importantly, of consciousness. And if you’re curious about magic, mysticism, or simply the deeper layers of life, I invite you to read on.

Magic: More Than TV Fantasy

Modern culture tends to dismiss magic as something fictional, reserved for novels and Netflix. It’s joked about, trivialised, and rarely taken seriously, unless, like me, you’ve always felt drawn to its quiet pulse beneath the surface of everyday life.

My own journey began at 14, when I discovered the art of “reading” playing cards and stumbled upon my first set of runes. While my peers were out partying, I was immersed in the works of esoteric giants: Aleister Crowley, Dion Fortune, Israel Regardie, and Manly P. Hall. This path led me deep into Hermetics and Alchemy - the sacred sciences of transformation.

The Roots of Alchemy

The word alchemy shares its root with chemistry: “Chem,” from Khem, the ancient name for Egypt “the black land.” Al-Khemia was the secret art of transformation practiced in that mystical cradle of civilization.

In Ancient Egypt, magic and healing were not fringe ideas; they were central to life, overseen by the god Heka, the personification of creative magic. Magic was a legitimate science, intertwined with medicine, aiming to restore balance by harnessing the forces of creation. Later, alchemy became associated with Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom, mirrored in the Greek Hermes Trismegistus “Thrice Great.” These figures embody the Hermetic principle that underpins all alchemical work: as above, so below.

Gold and Consciousness

The famed quest to turn base metals into gold was never just about wealth. It symbolized the purification and elevation of consciousness - the transmutation of the “base” aspects of the self into spiritual gold.

Alchemy is not mere philosophy; it is a practical science. Its operations are grounded in three principles present in all matter:

• Mercury – Spirit

• Sulphur – Soul

• Salt – Body

Every plant, mineral, and living being contains these three elements. And this brings us to the fascinating world of Spagyrics.

What Are Spagyrics?

In conventional herbal medicine, we extract a plant’s healing properties through tinctures, teas, or oils—then discard the leftover matter. Think of a teabag: the infusion is kept, the herbs thrown away.

Spagyrics, however, are herbal alchemy. They differ in two profound ways:

1. They use the whole plant - nothing is wasted.

2. They harness both plant power and planetary energy, aligning with cosmic rhythms.

The word spagyric means “to separate and recombine.” The process involves breaking the plant into its three principles—Mercury (spirit), Sulphur (soul), and Salt (body)—purifying each, and then reuniting them.

Unlike standard tinctures, which keep only Mercury and Sulphur, spagyrics reincorporate the purified Salt - the mineral essence - creating a preparation that is complete, elevated, and alive.

Where Earth Meets Sky

This is where the Hermetic axiom “As above, so below” comes alive. Everything in existence reflects and corresponds with everything else; the microcosm mirrors the macrocosm.

And here’s a thought I love: notice how the words plant and planet differ by just one letter an “e”. For me, that “e” stands for energy. In spagyric work, planetary energy is not a poetic idea; it is actively woven into the preparation process. The plant is not isolated, it is part of a cosmic design, a living thread in the fabric of creation.

As Above, So Below: Plants and Planets

Every plant resonates with both earthly and celestial forces. For example:

• St. John’s Wort – Sun

• Passionflower – Moon

• Blue Vervain – Venus

Even the days of the week echo planetary correspondences:

• Sunday – Sun

• Monday – Moon

• Tuesday – Mars

• Wednesday – Mercury

• Thursday – Jupiter

• Friday – Venus

• Saturday – Saturn

  
  

In spagyric work, every step - from harvesting to bottling - is timed according to these correspondences. For instance, St. John’s Wort is best worked on Sundays at sunrise, during the hour of the Sun, to infuse it with solar vitality.

The Spagyric Process: Separation, Purification, and Embodiment

Creating a spagyric - or alchemical tincture - is not a simple extraction; it is a sacred operation of transformation. The plant is first broken down into its three essential principles, which, in more practical terms:

• The spirit of the plant

• Its volatile oils

• Its physical matter

Most herbal tinctures you’ll find on a shelf use only Mercury and Sulphur - the spirit and soul- while discarding the Salt, the body, as if it were useless. But in alchemy, the body is never an afterthought. It is incinerated, calcined, and purified until it yields its crystalline mineral essence. This purified Salt is then reunited with Mercury and Sulphur, completing the triad and restoring wholeness.

This principle echoes the Hermetic axiom “As above, so below.” Just as modern herbalism often separates mind and body - mirroring a worldview where spirit is elevated and the body dismissed - spagyric work insists on integration. The body is not the enemy of spirit; it is its vessel, its partner in transformation.

And this is where Somatic Resonance Alchemy comes in. My practice places profound emphasis on embodiment not just awakening the mind or spirit, but anchoring that transformation into the physical body. When we ingest a spagyric preparation, we are not merely taking in plant medicine; we are inviting a resonance between our own body and the purified body of the plant. This is alchemy as a lived, felt experience, where consciousness does not float above matter but vibrates through it.

Through this process of separation, purification, and recombination, the plant is reborn and so are we. Elevated beyond its natural state, infused with both earthly and celestial energies, the spagyric becomes a bridge between the subtle and the tangible, the cosmic and the somatic.

A Path Honed Through Darkness and Light

This is not something I stumbled upon overnight. It is the result of years of study, exploration, and integration, an ongoing journey that began in my teens and has deepened over time through me and my own passage through darkness. Those shadowed places taught me resilience, humility, and the necessity of embodiment, the truth that transformation must be lived, not just imagined.

Over the years, I have honed my array practical skills with focused intensity, refining and distilling the these sacred arts. This work has been supported by having undergone specific initiations with Hermetics and metaphysics, and more recently enriched by the wisdom of Shamanism and plant medicine, traditions that embrace the interconnectedness of all life and welcome the teachings of the ancients.

For me, this is not just about tinctures or theory; it is about embodiment - anchoring transformation into the body, where it can be lived and felt. This is the essence of Somatic Resonance Alchemy: creating harmony between spirit and matter, awakening consciousness not as an abstract idea but as a resonant, embodied experience.

And now, I invite you to step into this journey with me, where plants, planets, and people converge in the timeless dance of alchemy.

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