The 11th &12th (Tabula Smaragdina Hermetis) diagram.
Picture of the Human Heart in the Old and the New Creature.
This scripture must be understood out of
Everything that is in the great world, is in man too, for he is created out of it therefore he is the small world and his heart is his center. Note this well!
the innermost and unto the outermost.
God hath caused all men to be born again out of love and hath already enkindled the light within them in their Mother's womb, and He Himself, is the light, the morning star, shining from within them.
This figure explains the 1. Epistle of John, and the same explains this figure.
A heart is wide at the top, narrow at the bottom, to be opened to God, closed to earthliness.
God is threefold, the Word is threefold and 2 times 2 is 6, pertaining to the innermost person and morningstar within our heart, which is Jesus Christ, the one point.
The old birth of death in darkness must be slain through cross and suffering, in a wide circle is the reason captured and through the Word, man is being led back into the spirit, into the rebirth, into the light, in Christo, where alone there is quiet, peace, eternal life and the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus Christ yesterday, today and in eternity. Who there is and was, who there cometh, the begining and end, Alpha and Omega, in Him is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Hallelujah, Gloria in Excelsus Dec. Aman
| No. 1. | Here is Christus born a man according to the flesh of Maria, about this He said in John 6. The flesh pacifieth nothing. Here is the human birth from Adam, the old Creature, sinful, mortal, does not come into the heavenly kingdom, man liveth in darkness, blindness, night and death, in his reason from the power of the stars and the 4 Elements, out of which come sickness, out of which are invented the handling of the arts, higher schools, ecclesiastical and secular offices and position, so far they are in the heart. Over which rules the authority which God ordered. All this is in vain and mortal, into this darkness shineth the light, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. Herein belong Christians, Jews, Turks and heathens, they are altogether sinners and lack the glory they ought to have before God; they are all resolved in God's wrath. |
| No. 2. | Here Christus is grieved in his soul and tempted by the devil, the innermost conscience out of the stars is being tempted by lust of the eyes, deed of the flesh and of vanity, with assurance and despair. Here the Holy Scriptures become dead letters, bringing forth sects, superstitious and fleshly priests, fearing God's word might be taken away from them, meaning the dead letter. The authorities want to fight with the sword for religion, killing the believers, Christ and His apostles, thinking to serve God, divine things are just so much foolishness to them, they can understand Christ only in the flesh and according to the tribe of David, they make divisions, cliques, and sects. |
| No. 3. | Here is the separation of light from darkness, the dawn comes up, all temporalites will be foresaken, through many sorrows we have to enter into the kingdom of God, man is a fool to the world, Christ is being crucified in him and he in Christ, therefore he is a cross to the world and the world a cross to him, here stands calmness, whoever turneth toward the light lives in Christ and Christ in him in time and eternity. |
| No. 4. | The old hath to go entirely: for behold: I make all things new. Here is the rebirth by water and spirit, from on high through the word of truth, a new creature born of God. Christ hath become flesh, ressurected in the human being, awakening him from the dead, nourishing him with his real flesh and blood unto life. Christ is the word of the father, the book of life, the Gospel, the power of God He causeth belief, and He blesseth. He is king, ruling with the sword of the spirit, man becometh divine nature, hath his life in heaven with Christ. |
| No. 5. | The Holy Ghost is the ointment, teacheth men innermost Divine things; man hath become a temple of God, indwelt by the Holy Trinity. Christ in man, God and man, cringing about love. Christus is all in all, the sole One. |
O LORD, merciful GOD, open the human heart, to understand Thy secrets through the Holy Ghost.
Who hath well understood the figure,
Hath understanding, also, of the scriptures.
Three worlds hath God created,
In heaven love, on earth mercy,
Wrath in hell and darkness;
This certainly is a picture of man.
On this earth he only hath to choose
Which way to go, the end is to his will.
TABULA SMARAGDINA HERMETIS.
VERBA SECRETORUM HERMETIS
It is true, certain, and without falsehood, that whatever is below is like that which is above; and that which is above is like that which is below: to accomplish the one wonderful work. As all things are derived from the One Only Thing, by the will and by the word of the One Only One who created it in His Mind, so all things owe their existence to this Unity by the order of Nature, and can be improved by Adaptation to that Mind.
Its Father is the Sun; its Mother is the Moon; the Wind carries it in its womb; and its nurse is the Earth. This Thing is the Father of all perfect things in the world. Its power is most perfect when it has again been changed into Earth. Separate the Earth from the Fire, the subtle from the gross, but carefully and with great judgment and skill.
It ascends from earth to heaven, and descends again, new born, to the earth, taking unto itself thereby the power of the Above and the Below. Thus the splendor of the whole world will be thine, and all darkness shall flee from thee.
This is the strongest of all powers, the Force of all forces, for it overcometh all subtle things and can penetrate all that is solid. For thus was the world created, and rare combinations, and wonders of many kinds are wrought.
Hence I am called HERMES TRISMEGISTUS, having mastered the three parts of the wisdom of the whole world. What I have to say about the masterpiece of the alchemical art, the Solar Work, is now ended.
INTERPRETATION and EXPLANATION of the
TABULA SMARAGDINA HERMETIS
This picture, plain and insignificant in appearance,
Concealeth a great and important thing.
Yea, it containeth a secret of the kind
That is the greatest treasure in the world.
For what on this earth is deemed more excellent
Than to be a Lord who ever reeketh with gold,
And hath also a healthy body,
Fresh and hale all his life long,
Until the predestined time
That cannot be overstepped by any creature.
All this, as I have stated, clearly
Is contained within this figure.
Three separate shields are to be seen,
And on them are eagle, lion, and free star.
And painted in their very midst
Artfully stands an imperial globe.
Heaven and Earth in like manner
Are also placed herein intentionally,
And between the hands outstretched towards each other
Are to be seen the symbols of metals.
And in the circle surrounding the picture
Seven words are to be found inscribed.
Therefore I shall now tell
What each meaneth particularly
And then indicate without hesitation
How it is called by name.
Therein is a secret thing of the Wise
In which is to be found great power.
And how to prepare it will also
Be described in the following:
The three shields together indicate
Sal, Sulphur, and Mercurium.
The Sal hath been one Corpus that
Is the very last one in the Art.
The Sulphur henceforth is the soul
Without which the body can do nothing.
Mercurius is the spirit of power,
Holding together both body and soul,
Therefore it is called a medium
Since whatever is made without it hath no stability.
For soul and body could not die
Should spirit also be with them.
And soul and spirit could not be
Unless they had a body to dwell in,
And no power had body or spirit
If the soul did not accompany them.
This is the meaning of the Art:
The body giveth form and constancy,
The soul doth dye and tinge it,
The spirit maketh it fluid and penetrateth it.
And therefore the Art cannot be
In one of these three things alone.
Nor can the greatest secret exist alone:
It must have body, soul, and spirit.
And now what is the fourth,
From which the three originate,
The same names teach thee
And the sevenfold star in the lower shield.
The Lion likewise by its colour and power
Showeth its nature and its property.
In the Eagle yellow and white are manifest.
Mark my words well, for there is need of care:
The imperial orb doth exhibit
The symbol of this highest good.
Heaven and earth, four elements,
Fire , light, and water, are therein.
The two hands do testify with an oath
The right reason and the true knowledge,
And from what roots are derived
All of the metals and many other things.
Now there remain only the seven words,
Hear further what they mean:
If thou dost now understand this well
This knowledge shall nevermore fail thee.
Every word standeth for a city
Each of which hath but one gate.
The first signifieth gold, is intentionally yellow.
The second for fair white silver.
The third, Mercurius, is likewise grey.
The fourth for tin, is heaven-blue.
The fifth for iron, is blood-red.
The sixth for copper, is true green.
The seventh for lead, is black as coal.
Mark what I mean, understand me well:
In these city gates, indeed,
Standeth the whole ground of the Art.
For no one city alone can effect anything,
The others must also be close at hand.
And as soon as the gates are closed
One cannot enter any city.
And if they had no gates
Not one thing could they accomplish.
But if these gates are close together
A ray of light appeareth from seven colors.
Shining very brightly together
Their might is incomparable.
Thou canst not find such wonders on earth,
Wherefore hearken unto further particulars:
Seven letters, and seven words,
Seven cities, and seven gates,
Seven times, and seven metals,
Seven days, and seven ciphers.
Whereby I mean seven herbs
Also seven arts and' seven stones.
Therein stands every lasting art.
Well for him who findeth this.
If this be too hard for thee to understand
Here me again in a few other particulars:
Truly I reveal to thee
Very clearly and plainly, without hatred or envy,
How it is named with one word
Vitriol, for him who understandeth it.
If thou wouldst oft figure out
This Cabbalistic way with all diligence,
Seven and fifty in the cipher
Thou findest figured everywhere.
Let not the Work discourage thee,
Understand me rightly, so shalt thou enjoy it.
Besides that, note this fully,
There is a water which doth not make wet.
From it the metals are produced,
It is frozen as hard as ice.
A moistened dust a fuller wind doth raise,
Wherein are all qualities.
If thou dost not understand this,
Then I may not name it for thee otherwise.
Now I will instruct thee
How it should be prepared.
There are seven ways for this art,
If thou neglectest any of them thou workest in vain.
But thou must, before all things else, know
Thou hast to succeed in purification.
And although this be twofold,
Thou art in need of one alone.
The first work is freely done by it
Without any other addition,
Without distilling something in it,
Simply through its putrefication.
From all of its earthliness
Is everything afterwards prepared.
This first way hath two paths,
Happy is he who goeth on the right path.
The first extendeth through the strength of fire,
With and in itself, note this well.
The second extendeth further
Until one cometh to treasure and to gain.
This is done by dissolving,
And again by saturating, I inform you:
This must be undertaken first of all,
So comest thou to the end of the fine art.
After the whole purification hath been completed
It will be prepared and boiled in the sun
Or in the warm dung of its time,
Which extendeth itself very far
Until it becometh constant and perfect,
And the treasure of the Wise is in it.
The other ways are very subtle
And many mighty one fail therein,
For here is the purpose of the distillation
And the sublimation of the Wise Men.
The separation of the four elements
Is also called by the Wise Men
Air, water, and rectified fire.
The earth on the ground hath mislead many,
Having been deemed a worthless thing,
Although all the power lieth in it.
Some know not how to separate it
From their Cortibus, therefore they fail.
It was cast behind the door,
But the Wise Man taketh it up again,
Purifieth it snow-white and clear:
This is the ground, I say in truth.
But if thou dost wish to separate it,
Note that it is of no little importance,
For if they are not prepared
Then you are in error, that I swear.
Therefore thou must also have some vinegar
Which is revealed to the Wise Men,
Wherewith thou wilt effect the separation,
So that nothing earthly remaineth in it any more,
Till body and soul have to be separated,
Otherwise called fire and earth
And after they are thus purified,
And thereupon followeth the mixture, observe!
And so it cometh to a wondrous strength,
The finished figures with the unfinished.
And if the fire be likewise rightly controlled,
It will be entirely perfect
In much less time than a year
Now thou hast the entire way in its length
On which are not more than two paths.
From these one soon wandereth and goeth astray,
Else it all standeth clear and plain.
The one is the water of the Wise Men, Which is the Mercurius alone.
The other is called a vinegar,
And it is known only to a very few.
And this vinegar doth circle
Away from the philosophical iron.
It is Lord Aes whom it maketh glad.
Therefore they have combined so closely
Many hundred forms and names are given
After each hath chosen it.
One way springeth from the true source,
A few have worked on it for a whole year.
But many through their art and craft
Have shortened so long a space of time.
And quickly is the preparation set free
As Alchemy doth point out.
The preparation alone
Maketh this stone great and glorious.
Although there is but one matter
It lacketh nothing else.
But when it is clarified
Its name hath misled many.
However, I have revealed enough to thee
In many ways, forms, and fashions.
There are many names; I say
Let not thyself be misled from the true way.
In their scriptures the Elders write
That it is a draught, a great poison.
Others call it a snake, a monster,
Which is not costly anywhere.
It is common to all men
Throughout the world, to rich and also to poor.
It is the property of the metals
Through which they conquer victoriously.
The same is a perfection
And setteth a golden crown upon it.
Now the practice is completed
For him who understandeth it and knoweth the matter.
Only two things more are to be chosen
Which thou wilt find by now
If thou dost follow the right way
And attend carefully to thy work.
The composition is the one
Which the Mise Men kept secret.
The nature of the fire also hath hidden craft;
Therefore its order is another.
With that, one should, not deal too much
Or else all execution is lost.
One cannot be too subtle with it.
As the hen hatcheth out the chick
So also shall it be in the beginning,
And time itself will prove it.
For just as the fire is regulated
Will this treasure itself be produced.
Be industrious, constant, peaceful, and pious,
And also ask God for His help:
If thou dost obtain that, then always remember
The poor and their needs.