7/27/2019 Gold Making and the Elixir of Life

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GOLD MAKING AND THE ELIXIR OF LIFE

Gold Making

During the early-Alexandrian period, the primary application of the Philosophers’ Stone was gold making. Alchemists

of this period were called gold makers  –  chrysopœians  in Greek. Maria Hebrea was a gold maker of the highest

caliber who used her Tincture to create exquisite bronzes that displayed all the characteristics of elemental gold or

silver. She did not invent gold making however  – the Bible and many historical texts predating Maria detail highlyvalued bronze in antiquity that could pass for gold and in some cases was even more valuable than the precious

metal itself. Gold making was a lucrative artisanal tradecraft and guilds in possession of this technology held power

and influence in their community. What is now understood as alchemical gold  was then known as Corinthian bronze,

of which different qualities and compositions existed during the Roman period. Early-Alexandrian gold makers were

actually the last in a long tradition dating back over a thousand years prior to Maria’s work in Alexandria.

Alexandrian chrysopœia came to an abrupt end due to Roman Emperor Diocletian’s ban on gold making at the end

of the 3rd

 century. This resulted in a technological disconnect that left alchemists and artisans of later traditions to

struggle desperately to rediscover and restore secrets of Alexandrian chrysopœia and the fantastic wealth, power

and influence that surrounded the Art in antiquity.

A great many more species of bronze alloys existed in antiquity than do today. Commercial bronze of antiquity wastin-bronze mass produced in bulk, but this had little to do with chrysopœian  alchemical gold. Maria began her

process with a special type of bronze that she called molybdochalkon, Greek meaning lead-copper and known to the

Romans as aes-stimmi  in Latin. After creating a high quality molybdochalkon, she then  fermented  the molten metal

with the Tincture of the Philosophers by a special technique known as  projection  in exact proportion to create her

Judeo-Egyptian brand of Corinthian Bronze. Ios or Tincture of the Philosophers was sometimes referred to as powder

of projection  after this technique. This special type of alchemical gold was artisanally crafted in Alexandria and

exported throughout the Mediterranean for use in statuary, temple adornment and as luxury items. The Art of

chrysopœia, or more accurately this unique artisanal bronze-craft, stretches back to great antiquity. Archeological

digs near the Dead Sea have unearthed a horde of bronze dating back to approximately 3,750 BCE located near an

ancient temple  –  the bronze being of the same composition as Maria’s molybdochalkon / aes-stimmi .

Understandably, the Art of chrysopœia was considered extremely ancient and revered during the early-Alexandrianperiod in which Maria and her contemporaries operated.

The Elixir of Life

The therapeutic application of the Philosophers’ Stone first appears in its most concrete form in a text attributed to

8th

 century Islamic alchemist Jābir ibn Hayyān. Jābir refers to the Philosophers’ Stone used in a therapeutic context as

al-Iksir   (Elixir), and provides testimony to treating over 1,000 cases with it successfully  –  some terminal, such as

arsenic poisoning and venomous snakebite. In addition, he included detailed case studies that include diagnosis,

dosage, and method of administration followed by case outcomes, all of which were full recoveries. The most

intriguing aspect of these treatments is dosage and method of administration. Jābir typically admi nistered a dose of

al-Iksir  in the milligram range suspended in honey-water or honey-vinegar syrup. Jābir revealed the al-Iksir’s efficacy

as an anti-toxin and as being restorative or rejuvenative in nature.

Europe imported Alexandrian and Islamic alchemical texts and, following great translation movements, began to

rediscover and revive alchemy based on those texts. The therapeutic application of the Philosophers’ Stone was a

fundamental aspect motivating European alchemical restoration. The al-Iksir  of Islamic alchemy became known in

Europe as  Aurum Potabile. Paracelsus brought therapeutic alchemy to the forefront with his spagyric  approach,

which valued health, longevity and spiritual insight attained by the use of alchemical substances over artisanal gold

making. One of the finest recipes for converting finely powdered Philosophers’ Stone to therapeutic  Aurum Potable 

is preserved in a famous manuscript anonymously authored by a highly knowledgeable iatrochemist-physician of

Paracelsus’ tradition. It provides systematic instructions for converting approximately 200 milligrams of finely

powdered Philosophers’ Stone and German white wine into two liters of liquid  Aurum Potable. In addition, the textdescribes not only the benefits and effects of well-prepared  Aurum Potable  but also suggests side effects of

psychoactivity and spiritual awakening that result from its ingestion. The manuscript’s mysterious author prescribes

a dose of one tablespoon each morning for 9  – 12 days, after which the effects become evident.  Aurum Potable  is

described by the anonymous author as being “a divine and so to speak angelic medicine” .