Materia Prima: the Alchemical Quest for Supreme Knowledge
Do you know what Materia Prima is?
Just by saying these words you can already know what we are talking about. Indeed, when you say it, something resonates in you as “raw material”.
However, here we are not talking about physical matter but rather spiritual matter, a divine and sacred principle linked to the notions of mysteries, transcendence, perfection, illumination... In short, we are talking about an alchemical concept present in many areas of esotericism.
The Materia Prima has thus been the subject of constant research by alchemists and occultists wishing to have better knowledge of themselves or the world, better knowledge of the hidden or even greater spiritual powers.
Since you're here right now, you probably also want to know what it's all about. So, read on and enter the wonderful world of alchemy and its mysterious secrets.
Contents :
The search for the Materia Prima
The right laboratory to discover the Materia Prima
What is Materia Prima?
In alchemy, the “Materia Prima” is the primordial matter before matter ; the little something that the simple material lacks to make it perfect. The Materia Prima is in a way a higher principle.
Many people have heard the phrase: alchemy transforms lead into gold. If you analyze this sentence, it means that an alchemist can transform lead into gold from a flower, from crystals.
The truth is that the support that will be used will only depend on the choice of the alchemist. Lead and gold are just two images used to express the idea of sublimation, of sacred transmutation. To put it simply, we can say that the choice of support is the choice of the heart and not the impulse (feeling vs. logic).
So look at this part of our site linked to alchemy and certain natural principles : you will find many of these famous “supports” there.
Also, keep in mind that the Materia Prima, is not a matter that you can touch, but rather a subtle thing that will only be perceptible after a careful study of esotericism, an understanding of a language of the world and of life.
Finally, for certain alchemists, the search for the Materia Prima would be futile, for the simple reason that this term designates primordial chaos, the principle which reigned before the Big Bang is the creation of the cosmos.
The search for the Materia Prima
Often, alchemists and intellects say that the Materia Prima is the philosopher's stone, this stone which would have unlimited power (immortality and rebirth, purification, illumination, purity, incarnation and reincarnation, the magical aspect, etc.) both for the physical body and for the mind.
For amateur alchemists, the search for the Materia Prima is often done through the study of other fields, such as the mineral kingdom, the cosmic world or astrology. Alchemy is a metaphysical science much more complex and more complete than the simple understanding of physical or chemical phenomena.
Alchemy is also a science of nature, of regeneration and rebirth; the science which studies all the kingdoms and the four elements through symbols and allegories. Therefore, the Materia Prima can also be found in the plant and animal kingdoms. In fact, this substance is present everywhere in creation.
However, we advise you not to look for the Materia Prima in the animal kingdom, because in this kingdom, the support that the alchemist student will use will often come from living beings, which will therefore require unnecessary deaths.
The right laboratory to discover the Materia Prima
Alchemy is a science full of mysteries, some of which can be discovered through experiments. However, for many of these experiments, a laboratory is necessary. It is even essential if you want to make discoveries about the laws that govern the universe.
Please note, a laboratory will not necessarily be a dark room at the bottom of the cellar or a highly technical laboratory with the latest equipment that university chemists might have. Indeed, you can discover the Materia Prima in a forest, in the stars, in any substance for example. If you want to explore this theme of the alchemical laboratory in more depth, here are some interesting words from a site specializing in psychology.
It is also important to know that if you are looking for the Materia Prima, it can appear to you at any time through a sound, a look, an object... anything in fact. Besides, we advise you not to look for it to find it. Take the example of meditation, it is by letting go that you achieve inner peace and the awakening of the soul and the unconscious.
Keep in mind that to begin a monumental alchemical work, to practice complex alchemy, it is sometimes enough to unconsciously observe a phenomenon to find keys to truth. Simply observing a tree, a flower, the language of birds or water can lead you to the discovery of the thing that you lack for perfection or, and this is our topic of the day, for that of the first substance.
If in any case you wish to accomplish your personal masterpiece, this great initiatory work, your true magnum opus... Well follow this advice.
Likewise, your laboratory can reside within you. It will then be your physical body, and the search for the Materia Prima can be seen as the search for inner peace, the inner divine spirit, intuition, enlightenment or the search for yourself or the truth of your soul.
The 3 basic subjects of alchemy
Alchemy uses three basic principles to achieve a goal, three materials which actually represent three poles of energy: salt, sulfur and mercury.
Each of its materials has a particular meaning in alchemy and are seen as true esoteric symbols. Here is a (very concise) summary for each:
- Salt symbolizes the physical world, the world you are in right now.
- Sulfur symbolizes the invisible world, the world of spirits or even the metaphysical.
- Mercury is the material which forms the link between salt and sulfur, that is to say, the material which links the physical world and the world of the invisible or the soul.
Through a balanced link with these three alchemical materials, man can have access to the hidden knowledge of the world, to knowledge on eternal life, healing, rebirth, the transmutation of the physical as well as the material, the world of spirits and on everything a bunch of other things too.
To explore this subject even further, here is an essay present on the carin.info platform which talks about these three principles of salt, mercury and sulfur in the alchemical imagination.
The purpose of researching the Materia Prima
To be more precise regarding the Materia Prima, we can say that it is mercury, in any case, if we refer to the salt-sulfur-mercury trinity of materials of alchemy. The Materia prima is therefore the link that unites the body and the mind. In other words, it is the soul or, in any case, the divine creative principle which breathes life into us.
According to alchemy therefore, a soul is found in everything, because the Materia Prima is found in everything. The potions we can create, the metals, the sciences, the arts... all would have a part of soul.
When you discover the Materia Prima, you are actually discovering YOUR Materia Prima, your soul. We can see this as the first moment of spiritual awakening. This is the moment when you finally see that the world is bigger and it is also the moment when your consciousness finally knows the truth. Also, this moment is the moment when you are fully aware of the fact that life has another meaning than the simple material one. At this moment, a whole bunch of new mysteries open up to you.
