The "Mastery" of Spagyric Healing

Century-old alchemical wisdom on the production of special spagyric lemedies that are designed to make an individual's "inner light" shine once again, has experienced a revival. CUrrent scientific research h a s made the secretive production procedures understandable for the first

time, and also provides explanations for how the remedies act on the body and why they are so astonishingly effective.

By Ulrich Arndt

Whe.re dch. emy. h. as b.een preser-. ved as a cultural tradition, a

bridge has been created linking the ancient understanding of nature to the medicine of'romorrow."

This is how the famous doctor and alchemist Paracelsus described a situation existing fOUT hundred years ago that is sri 11 applicable today. For a long period of time, alchemy was laughed at by scientists and given little serious attention. However, over the past several years, there has been renewed interest in alchemist's ancient knowledge and healing remedies. This is primarily due to reports from medical and naturopathic doctors claiming that spagyric remedies have successfully used in the treatment of patients with c:hronic diseases thought to be incurable by conventional medicine. Furthermore, scientists now have scientific explanations for the effects of the remedies as well as proof for the previously regarded "preposterous notion" that chemical elements can be transmuted through alchemical processes. Recently, there have been a number of public lectures and congresses on alchemy, and numerous books on the subject have appeared on the market.

In Germany alone there are a dozen small f1l111s producing so-called spagyric remedies that are made according to alchemical principles.

Spagyric is the branch of alchemy which, through the use of traditional alchemical methods and detailed proc:esses, is devoted to the production of medicines and tinctures that differ greatly from conventional or homeopathic: medications. The various production steps involved- fermentation, distillation, purification, calcination and reunification - are far more time-consuming than the methods nowadays used to produc:e conventional medicines. Additionally, they are made in observance of and in harmonyto specific cosmic cycles as well as to the positions of the sun, moon and planets.

Using the Energy of the Sun, Moon and Planets

Ice cold, crystal clear water splashes down a mountain peak, collects in a pipe formed from the trunk of a chestnut tree, and spirals into seven different rings, eachcontaining a different metal that has a relationship to one of the seven planets. The water,

which has now been energized, then flows through wooden channels leading to fields and gardens containing a wide variety of medicinal plants. At a specific time of day, when the life energy of a particular plant reaches its peak (for example, between 6 and l O in the morning for chamomile, and at ·noon for calendula), it is harvested by hand so that the energy of'tbe plant will not be disturbed by a metal object. The plants, blossoms or leaves are then placed lIpon a silk canvas where they are allowed to dry. Latter, they are put into specially made glass jars and placed an octagonal building made out ofwood and glass, where they are allowed to ripen at 37 degrees Celsius, which is the body temperature of an healtby human being. At specific intervals, they are stirred in rhythm with the rising and setting of the sun and the moon so that the polar energy of these heavenly bodies can harmoniously unfold in the plant material. Minerals and metals are also "ripened"in a similar fashion until they are unified with the plants.

Following distillation, purification and other production steps, the plants, minerals and metals are transformed into a spagyric tincture; in this case a tincture from Labo-

ratorium Soluna, an alchemical laboratory established in Donaumuenster Castle by the world renowned Baron Alexander von Bemus (1880-1965).

The Revival of Alchemical Healing Arts

In 1988, Marino Lazzeroni (1937-1996) renovated and expanded the Soluna Laboratory in order to once again produce spagyric remedies according to Alexander von Bemus. Additi 0.0 ally, Lazzeroni built a second laboratory and the gardens described above in Averara, Italy.

Due to his interest in the literature that was In the alchemist's extensive library, Lazzeroni visited the castle in 1980, where he met the Baron's widow, Isa von Bemus. "With the exception of the recipes and the atmosphere, there was nothing left there", said Lazzeroni in a 1993 interview. "But J couldn't let the place simply tum into a museum. There was a treasure buried there. There's nothing Like it in the whole world". Lazzeroni invested all of his financial capital, employed a dozen individuals, carried out alchemical investigations, and gave seminars and lectures in Europe, Middle America and in the USA in order to introduce spagyric and alchemical knowledge to a broader public.

Healing Successes are now Scientifically Explainable

Nowadays, there are numerous doctors and naruropaths using spagyric remedies to treat.their patients.

One of these is the naturopathic physician Anna Roecker, who speaks of the astonishing effects of the Soluna spagyric remedies: "The positive influence that the spagyric detoxification regime has on the liver, kidneys and lymphatic system can be readily seen in the blood through the aid of the darkfield microscope. Red blood cells that were previously clumped together like stacks of coins break up, and circulation as well as cell oxygenation improve." Likewise impressive is the success achieved when specific remedies are used to detoxify the connective tissue, which, during the course of the years, becomes a storage area for environmental toxins and metabolic by-products. This situation creates a continual stress on the organism's reaction abilities, and disturbs the important add-base balance, which is the physical cause of many chronic diseases.

How can these effects be explained?

According to Dr. Peter Schleicher, the renowned immunologist. from Munich, who has worked with Soluna remedies for a long period of time, "the secret knowledge of ancient medicines such as alchemy has become more transparent, thanks to new immunological findings." In his opinion, the alchemists of old had their own way ofunderstanding the inter-relationship between the complex regulation mechanisms affecting the emotions, the secretions from the hormonal glands, and the immunological system, and this has only recently been re-discovered by modem scientists. Furthermore, Dr. Schleicher states that the alchemists developed remedies that were "effective in influencing and activating" these regulation mechanisms .

According to immunological findings, these various regulation mechanisms, which comprise the so-called "psychoneuroendocrine immune system" are connected to each other in pyramid-like hierarchies. At the top of this immunological

hierarchy are the emotions, which relate to limbic system activity, then comes the level of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which is followed by the regulation systems influencing the thyroid gland, and finally, at the base of the pyramid, is the functional source that comes from the gonads (the sexual organs) and the adrenal glands .. "All of our immune cells are in directcommunication with each other, and our immune system is harmoniously nestled within the laws ofthe cosmos", emphasizes Dr. Schleicher.

According to tbe immune specialist's experience, aU levels of this hierarchy can be given regulatory impulses through the belp of high quality spagyric remedies.

Trul y amazing is the fact that centuries ago, ina symbolic mariner, alchemy already associated different types of temperament and emotionalcharacteristics to particular planets and astrological signs, which in turn were associated with specific organs and parts of the body.

Alchemy itself offers very complex, philosophical explanations for the effectiveness of spagyric remedies: DUTi.l1g tbe course of the production processes the "life energy" contained within the plant, mineral or metal is released from its attachment to materia. This freed energy, which is a expression of the essential "prima materia" is comprised of three different active energies: Sal (salt) the physical manifestation 'principle as well as quantity, Sulfur (sulfur), the soulful individual principle as well as quality, and Mercurius (mercury), the mental and spirited principle as well as movement.

Amazing Parallels to New Findings

Mercurius, or vital energy, brings the specific individual qualities (sulfur) to life in the physical body (sal). Human beings, animals, plants and everything on the earth including minerals and metals all came into being through a unique "mixing" of these three principles. During the spagyric processing of these substances ("Spagyric:

"Spao" = "separate, release", "Ageiro" '" "connect, reunite"), these three principles are released, separated and purified in the stages of fermentation, distillation and calcination. When these three principles are reunited, a spagyric tincture is created that, depending upon the starting substance, can be used as a healing remedy. However, in alchemy these spagyric preparations are only the beginning of more detailed procedures, which will be presented latter.

ln modern physics, we find astonishing parallels between the three principles and the original "building blocks" of materia. Because materia. is nothing other then a conglomeration of (vibrating-) energy it can, at least theoretically, be described as a complex pattern of interwoven vibrations. A particular vibration can be described through three specific characteristics - its amplitude (the peak of a vibration), the form of the its wavelength, and its frequency (vibrations per second) - which likewise represent the trilogy of quantity, quality and movement. The breakdown of complex vibratory patterns into "three basic principles" is already being made and applied in chaos and brain research with the help of the so-called "Fourier Transformation".

Science has also at least partially shown that through the course of the spagyric procedures, the starting substance goes through a variety of transmutation processes that are interesting with regard to their medical applications. For example, during the fermentation process, natural bacterial activity causes the production of various enzymes and vitamins that help to regulate and support metabolism. (In the spagyric according to Strathmeyer, for example, no further production steps are taken in order

to preserve these ingredients.) However, the goal of the traditional spagyric procedures previously described probably bas more to do with the storage or preservation of this mformation ill water, and ill this respect is similar to homeopathy.The water molecules themselves serve as information carriers due to their special geometric composition that consists of 12 pentagon-like bodies, larger bodies with larger surface capacities, (so-called "Buckyballs") and resulting combination of patterns that often takes on a spiral form that binds around ions, enzymes and other active electromagnetic substances. The existence of "Water Geometry" as well as water's stability, even after it has been converted into steam, was proven in both Pennsylvania and Berkeley Universities, USA in. ]995 and 1996.

The Transformation of Materia by Enzymes

The above explanation is at least a theoretical explanation for how plants, minerals and metals can leave their "fingerprint" in water, and how information can be stored as "memory" in water. The influence of planetary constellations can also be stored in this manner through, for example, socalled cosmo-cyclical procedures and the rhythrni c shaking of the spagyric tinctures. The research of'Professor Giorgio Piccardi, Professor W. Peschka and Dr. Georg Unger has proven that pla netary influences cause water to change.

Water that bas been distilled one or more times may also have healing properties. It is known that distillation reduces the natural concentration of deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen. The latest research from Dr. Gabor Somlyai, Budapest, shows that the amount of deuterium in the body plays a major role in cell division and other metabolic proc,esses. In animal experiments, he showed that water with II reduced concentration of deuterium helps to prevent cancer. However, this doesn't imply that distilled water alone is responsible for the special healing properties of the spagyric remedies, and that the other substances ion the remedies are irrelevant. With so-called thin-layer chromatography (a method used for distinguishing the materials in a mixture because of the differing speeds in which the components transverse a piece of filter paper - also used for quality controls), one can identify the various plant products within a tincture, and these in tum can be differentiated from homeopathic remedies made from the same plant or tbe same plant mixture.

The Spagyric Process

The roots of alChemy. and spagyric spread far back into tim e to their legendary founder, Hermes Tresmegistos, which is the reason why hermetic and alchemical principles are practically identicaL Famous alchemists include Paraoelsus, Alexander von Bemus (1880-1965), and Father Albertus alias Albert Riedel (1911-1984)_ Issac Newton and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe also conducted alchemical experiments.

The aim of the spagyric preparatory prooedures are to use the "inner active ingredients" of a starting substance by separating it into the three principles of Sal, Sulfur and Mercurius, thereby making the remedy fherapeutically effective. In order to achieve this, the starting substances - plants, minerals or metals - are treated and transformed stepby-step. According to tradition,a complete process includes fermentation, distillation and calcination. all of which are performed in consideration of the oosrno-cyolical orbits, that is, of the position of the sun, moon and planets.

FermentatIon: In this step, the material is placed through an "organic dissolution process". It is only through fermentation that the three principles Sal (Body), Sulfur (soul, being) and Mercurius (mind, spirit) can be obtained in such a way that none of the principles lose their effectiveness. According to alchemical tradition, these three principles are not present in other types of plant remedies that are made by extracting the plant in a chemical compound,

Distillation: Through this process, the "etheric substances" - the essential oils and alcohol - are obtained. A gentle water distillation is used and the distillation residues are dried.

Calcination: The dried residua is calcinated, This process releases the minerals and trace minerals from their organic bindings, and these are then obtained by dissolving the ashes.

Unification:. the distillate and the dissolved ashes are mixed together, thus creating a spagyric remedy; the so-called tincture. A well-known symbol for unification is the "sacred wedding" of the sun and the moon, man and woman.

Circulation: In order to obtain a. so-called essence from the spagyric tincture, the tincture must repeatedly go threugh a "circulation process". This means that, within a period of one or one and a half years, it must be repeatedly distilled at low temperature. It is only through this process that the sulfur and mercurius principles can be completely "purified" and the salt material can be transformed into "light", thus enabling the physical body to be transformed into an energy body. This process also takes into consideration the planetary constellations. A finished circulation process is called a. "Master Work".

Manufacturers of Spagyric Medications and the Different Methods Employed

Nowadays, there are several manufacturers offering medications under the label "spagyric". Five of these (Heinz, KraufJ., Pekana, Strathmeyer, Zimpel) have their specific manufacturing techniques included in the book of official homeopathic medications (German: Homoopatische Arzneibuch, HAB), and they are thus recognized as standardized methods. In general,. as is the case with homeopathic remedies, spagyric medications are available without a prescription. Howev~r, th,e ways in which spargyric remedies are produced have almost nothing In common with homeopathy.

Most manufacturers use methods that are different, and in some cases dramatically different, from traditional spagyric techniques. Traditionally, so-called "spagyric tinctures" are made using the following three techniques; fermentation, distillation and calcination. Additionally, they lake into consideration cosmic cyclical conditions such as the placement of the sun, moon and planets. A remedy is called a "spagyric essence" when fermentation, distillalionand calcination processes are performed at least three times, one directly after the other, and when the tincture obtained thereof "circulates" for an additional year, meaning that it Is subjected to repeated evaporation and condensation processes. Nowadays, these types of essences are very rarely manufactured.

In consideration of the five traditi.onal criteria used for making spagyric medications, esotera has, through the use of stars, rated different spagyric manufacturers. One star has been given far each traditional method used; these being fermentation, distillation, calcination, as well as for the consideration of the cosmic cyclical rhythms,and for the production of spagyric essences that have been circulated numerous.times. (This ~tl~g system does not exclude the possibility that the remedies are effective In accordance with homeopathic or other medlcali.on systems)

.**. Spagyric according to Bemus

(Soluna Laboratories GmbH, Donauw6r1h, Germany):

Alexander von Bemus' (1880-1955) spagyric recipes trace back to the original sources of Parcelsus. Water e.xtractions of various pl~nt arts. are fe~mented at 37L C, without the addition of yeast or sugar. A tincture IS obtained through repeated steam distillations of the plant residue, which is also calcinated at high temperatures to obtain ash. Afterward, new plants and products obtained from the extraction (ash, essential oils) are added to the tincture and the "circulations" are. resumed. Cosmic lnfluences. such as the position of the sun, moon and planets, as well as rhythmical processes are likewise taken into consideration. These complex remedies are unique in that they also include metalliC and mineral elements. The addition of metallic and mineral elements to Soluna spagyric remedies is based upon the observations ma.de by earlier spagyric therapists who, through their examination of the laws of correspondence in nature, were able to draw connections between the functions of certain metals and the regulation mechanisms of specific organ systems:

** Spagyricaccording to Gluckselig (Phenix Laboratories, Bondorf, Germany):

This manufacturing method was developed by a one time student of Alexander von Bernus, Conrad Johann GIOckselig (1864 - 1934). In this case, the source material for distillation is obtained through steeping and not through fermentation .. Another break from traditional techniques is that spagyric according to GlOcI<selig doesn't reunite the various plant residues that were separated during the distillation process. Instead, metallic "salts" and other non-metallic elements,. which are reportedly made through the use of other spagyric techniques, which the company chooses not to 'disclose, are added to the distillate In the end.

.... Spagyric according to Heinz

(Heinz Spagyrik Institute, Braunschweig, Germany):

This method can be traced back to the Naturopath Ulrich JOrgen Heinz (born 1941), whose further developments in this area have been called "Cluster-Medicine". Here, fermentation is carried out through the addition of yeast, and the fermented product is steam distilled under pressure. The residue products of the steam distillation are then heated at high temperatures, and the ash obtained thereby is added to the distillate. The mixture of ash and distillate are distilled under normal pressure. The residue of this distillate is again heated, and the ash from this process is added to the distillate. This product is then filtered, and the filter thus obtained is said 10 be a spagyric mother tincture. The important steps of fermentation, distillation and calcination are carried out twice. A speciality of this firm is

spagyric remedies made from the blood of the lndividual patients.

... Spagyric according to IFAS

(Instltut fOr angewandte Spa.gyrik, Hanau, Germany):

These remedies are produced by the firm "Lemasor" according to methods that are identical to those described below. Some of the remedies are exposed to colored light. Through this procedure they are said to receive additional "energetic polarisation".

• Spagyric according to KrauB

(ISO Arzneimittel GmbH, Eltlingen, Germany)

Theodor KraufJ. (1864·192.4'), along with the pharmacist Johannes Sonntag, developed this method following World War I, and called it "spagyric". However, except far the process of fermentation, which is carried out with the addition of yeast and sugar, none of the other traditional spagyric techniques are used. Following fermentation, the plant residue is pressed and then exposed to alcohol extraction. Homeopathic remedies in 02. potency are then made from both the pressed ferment mixture and th.e alcohol extract. Further homeopathic potencies are also made from thiS mixture.

•• Spagy.ric according, to Lemasor (Lemasor GmbH, Pullingen, Germany):

This manufacturing method, developed by the Naturopath Thomas Bonschen, doesn't use fermentation. Instead, The plants undergo both water and alcohol extractions, which are carried out under direct sun and moon light. In addition, the essential oils obtained through water distillation are stored under special conditions. The plant residue is heated at high degrees, and the resulting ash as well as the essential oil are added to the distillate. The remedies are based more upon the physical rather then the energetic properties of the plants.

... Spagyric according to Pekana

(Pekana Nalurheilmiltel GmbH, KifJ.legg, Germany)

Dr. Peter Beyersdorff developed this method in which, in an effort to prevent the destruction of vitamins, minerals and enzymes found in the plants, the process of distillation is eliminated. Theplants are fermented through the addition of sugar and yeast. Following this, Instead of ~istlll~tion. the fermented material is filtered and pressed. The plant reSidue IS then heated at high temperatures and the reSUlting ash is added to the filtered fermented liquid. This end product can then be used to make homeopathic potencies. The remedies are based more upon the physical rather then the energetic properties of the plants.

... ,..... Spagyric according to "Solitaire" (Solitaire, Kirchzell, Germany)

This method, developed by Achim Stockhardt as a result of his own studies, uses the traditional methods offermentation, distillation and calcination, and also takes into account cosmic cyclical conditions. In addition to spagyric tinctures, spagyric essences, which are cyclically handled for an additional 1 - 1.5 years, are made. These essences belong to the true realm of alchemy.

• Spagyric according to Strathmeyer (Strath Labor, Donaustauf, Germany)

This production method, developed by the chemist Walter Strathmeyer (1899-1969), eliminates both the distillation and the calcination processes, and therefore deviates far away from traditional techniques.

.... Spagyric according to limpel (Staufen Pharma, GOppingen, Germany)

Carl Friedrich Zimpel began making Spagyric remedies in 1870. The remedies produced nowadays by Staufen Pharma, however, differ from Zimpel.'s original recipes because the mixture of plants that he used are currently considered to be "complex-remedies", and most of them had to be taken off the market due to problems with the pharmaceutical regulation authorities. Despite this, the processes of fermentation, distillation and calcination are stlll carried out according to procedures establiShed by Johann Rudolf Glauber (1604-1668)., the "inventor" of Glauber salt. The plants are fermented through the addition of yeast and sugar and the resulting mixture is steam distilled. The plant residue is ~ri.ed and heate,d, and the ash derived from this process is added to the distillate. After this, the product is filtered. The end product is called a "Spagyric Mot~er Tinetureaccording to Zirnpel", and it is also used to make homeopathic potencies.

Just as spectacular as the current knowledge on the characteristics of water is the research of Louis Kervran, which puts a new light 00 the assumption that alchemists can transmute chemical elements. According to prevalent scientific theories, this is only possible when extremely high quantities of energy are used to accelerate the particles. The director of the French Institute for Medicine in Paris, member of the New York Academy of Science and advisor for UNESCO, was able to scientifically prove that, through the use of natural enzymes, at least some chemical elements can be transmuted at room temperature. Kervran hermetically sealed seeds and sprouts in glass containers for several weeks, and, at intervals, determined the concentration of several chemical elements. The experiments showed that specific enzymes cause the transmutation of certain elements such as potassium, hydrogen, magnesium and oxygen into calcium. In the same manner, sodium and hydrogen are transmuted into magnesium, and sodium and oxygen can change into potassium. This phenomenon, which to a certain extent is a natural "alchemical" process, is known as "Biological Transmutation" or the "Kervran Effect", and is a direct contradiction of accepted scientific beliefs.

Another phenomena that hasn't been scientifically explained is an effect that Prof. Dr.

Adolf'Miethe discovered in 1924 with mercury lamps: when operating at a voltage of 170 volts, instead of at 220, which is the voltage. nowadays used, the lamps were used up at a quicker rate, and the mercury changed into gold. The amounts of gold were, however, negligible and the technology was therefore unprofitable. What caused this atomic transmutation to happen in the first place is still a riddle after 70 years. It seems as if alchemical processes correspond to "other" practically unknown forms of Chemistry and Physics, which operate with rhythmic, cyclic changes as opposed to high quantities of energy. Alchemy describes these methods in a symbolic, coded language that most conventional scientists can't even begin to understand, Their meaning first becomes clear after the alchemical adept himself makes repeated attempts at carrying out the traditional procedures in the laboratory.

Strengthening a Human Being's "Inner Ught"

In their spagyric remedies, alchemists aim at separating the three original principles Sal, Sulfur and Mercurius and thus the "imprisoned light within the materia" out of the starting substances. Correspondingly, the aim of the treatment with spagyric remedies is to strengthen the "original light", or "soulenergy" of the patient so that he can fulfil his original life's purpose. This aim resembles progressive findings in modem medicine and science. In the last several years, experiments in the field of Pyscho-Neuro-Imrnunology (PNI), and the findings from bio-feedback experiments and research done on meditative states have confirmed the enormous influence that psychic and spiritual energies can have on materia - and .in these cases, 011 the human

organism. Even the so-called spontaneous healing of life-threatening diseases such as cancer almost always corresponds with spiritual and mental processes in which there are major changes in the patient's "inner attitude",

The "Solunav-alchemist Marino Lazzeroni said that everyone is capable of "radiating the divine light that is 'frozen' inside", and therefore anyone can become a "reflection of the alchemical mysteries".

References:

Hans-Josef Fritschl: "Spagyrlc. Lehr- unci Arbeiisbuch ", Gustav Fischer Verlag, Ulm 1997

Helmut Gebelein: "A lch emie. Die Magie des Stofflichen ", Diedrichs Verlag, Munich 1996

Alexander Roob: "Alchemie und Mystik", Bendikt Taschen Verlag. Colonge 1996 Rudolf Hauschka: "Substanzlehre", Klostermann GmbH, Frankfurt 1990

Peter Schleicher: "Gl"1mdzilge der lmmundlagnostik und Immuntherapie", Hippokrates Verlag, Stuttgart 1997