FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ALCHEMIST | vol. 3

[esotericas 1561]

VOL. 3

---

AZOTH, ALKAHEST, AND PANACEA: THE GREAT WORKS OF ALCHEMY.

 

EX OFFICINA ALCHYMISTAE

 

---

 

BEING, BY NATURE OF ITS NAME AND ITS WRITING, AN EXPLORATION OF THE MAGNI OPI: THE AZOTH, AND ITS COMPONENTS, THE ALKAHEST AND PANACEA, THEIR NATURES, WHAT THEY REPRESENT, AND HOW THOSE THINGS MIGHT BE INTERPRETED.

 

-=  ҉  =-

 

INTRODUCTION: THE CONCEPT OF THE MAGNUM OPUS

 

lchemy, at its most fundamental, is the process of pure transformation. The Alchemist takes her Material reagents, breaks them down to their simplest Emotional parts, and then reforms those parts into an entirely new Material creation.1 This is the cycle the Alchemist operates in; she neither creates, nor destroys. The inherent value of her creations does not appear out of the Æther, it comes in her intelligent shaping of her raw materials. Towards what end, then? Many Alchemists work for money, they produce weaponry for militaries: oils, explosives, treatments for gear. Many others produce Alchemical works in order to heal, or protect. These Alchemists are productive Alchemists. Their works are made to be used, and to serve functional purposes. But alongside them operate creative Alchemists, who pursue a different goal: invention for the sake of invention. 

 

lchemy was once an art with a single, coherent purpose: for the Alchemist to create her Magnum Opus.2 As with much of Alchemy, the Magnum Opus is a conceptual work, not a physical one. There is no one object or brew that is the Magnum Opus. Instead the goal is simply this: to use Alchemy to become Divine.3 Fundamentally, to achieve the Magnum Opus, an Alchemist must somehow use Alchemy to create value, instead of simply transforming one thing to another. This is, of course, entirely contradictory to the transformative nature of Alchemy, but it is in that contradiction that the Magnum Opus obtains its mystique and desirability. Although the Magnum Opus has no concrete nature and its meaning is entirely dependent on the views of its creator, the traditional Magnum Opus takes the form of the Azoth;4 the metaphorical summation of the journey the Alchemist went through in order to create it. How this Emotional concept manifests itself, should an Alchemist ever create her own Magnum Opus, will of course be entirely dependent on the Alchemist herself, and on the transformations enacted, both on her and on her creation. Traditionally, the Azoth is formed by combining two other Magni Opi; the Alkahest, the universal solvent, and the Panacea, the universal cure. 

 

1] For a full explanation of the three Spheres and their purposes, see From The Office vol. 2, ‘A Foray Into Alchemical Philosophy.’

2] Flexio, meaning Great Work.

3] Divine in the sense of transcending the Emotional or Material Spheres, not regarding any relation to God or other extra-real entities. See From The Office vol. 2, ‘A Foray Into Alchemical Philosophy.’

4] Azoth as a name for the Magnum Opus may initially appear confusing: why assign a second name, when it is already called the Magnum Opus? Simply put, the Azoth is the product of achieving the Magnum Opus. It is a symbol of that achievement, akin to a trophy given for winning a competition, although obviously of significantly greater importance. Alongside that, any one may refer to any creation as a Magnum Opus, Alchemist or not. It is not a term that refers only to Alchemical creation. Azoth is thus used exclusively as an Alchemical term, for the sake of clarity and specificity.

 

---

 

I

 

he Alkahest is the first half of the Azoth, and thus the first step in the project of its creation. In the literal sense, it is the universal solvent, a fluid capable of dissolving anything it touches into its base components, without any change occurring to the fluid itself. In the case of, say, metal alloys, the material would simply separate into its component base elements. In the case of something like an Alchemical reagent, however, the reagent would be instantly broken down into its component Symbols. In this sense, the Alkahest is representative of the Alchemical process of Extraction.1 It is here that the impossibility of the Alkahest as a Material creation becomes obvious. Fundamental to Alchemy are the laws of Science,2 and in this case, the First Law of Thermodynamics, which states that the total energy in a system remains constant, although it may be converted from one form to another.3 The process of Extraction–and of non-Alchemical dissolution of matter, of course–requires energy, and produces waste. Physical energy is input in the breaking down of reagents, alongside the application of heat and inclusion of ingredients such as Aqua Vitae, salt, and distilled water, to name a few. Herein lies the impossible, creative nature of the Alkahest. (Not, of course, creative in the conventional sense, but in the sense of relating to creation.) To enact change without producing waste or consuming energy is scientifically impossible.  

 

f course, Alchemy as an art works almost entirely in symbolism, metaphor, and allegory. The Alkahest should not be examined as an actual solvent then, but as a benchmark of progress that the Alchemist must reach, as she strives towards her personal Magnum Opus. It is a step in the Alchemist’s journey to personal transcendence; to self-actualization, achieving her fate. From this perspective, the Alkahest is an achievement of disassembling, of separating; perhaps the good from the bad, the useful from the useless, or simply of separating different things from one another. Alongside separation, the Alkahest represents a preparation, a gathering of resources, maybe, or of wits. Collection. It seems on the surface a destructive act, but it is only destructive in that it is separative. Now, as evidenced by its creative nature, a true Alkahest is impossible to achieve; that is what makes it an aspect of the Magnum Opus. However it is in the attempt to separate without waste that the Alchemist approaches the Magnum Opus; and that is a Great Work in itself.

 

1] If the Alkahest is interpreted as a literal creation, how might it deal with elementally aligned reagents? Does it ignore elementality? Does it always Extract the reagents with their corresponding element? What about the reagents that are aligned with two elements? How could a fluid be intelligent enough to judge?

2] The laws of Science only affect denizens of the Material and Emotional Spheres, and thus do not apply to such things as Aengudaemons, Voidal magics/entities, or God. 

3] Often simply referred to as ‘conservation of energy.’ Stated in full here for clarity.

 

⊢–––––––––––––––––=  ҉  =–––––––––––––––––⊣

 

II

 

here the Alkahest is the universal solvent, the Panacea is the universal cure; a second miraculous fluid, rumoured throughout Alchemical history to be capable of curing disease, healing wounds, and even granting the drinker immortality.1 The Panacea and the Alkahest are in many ways opposites; where the Alkahest disassembles, the Panacea re-forms. Similarly, the Panacea is equally impossible. Just as there is no scientific way for an Alchemist to perform Extraction without using energy or producing waste, there is no scientific way for injuries to be healed without consuming energy either from the body, or from an external source.2 Transparently, the Alkahest and the Panacea are not direct opposites: they serve inverse functions, but in entirely differing contexts. That said, the Panacea might well be applied in a similar context. Just as  the Alkahest corresponds to the Alchemical process of Extraction, the Panacea can be connected to the latter half of Alchemical work: the act of Recombination, wherein the Alchemist assembles her creation with the raw materials she obtained during Extraction. Alkahest separates, Panacea reforms.

 

n this way, the allegorical, symbolic meaning of the Panacea can be found. It is the second step in the Alchemist’s journey towards her own personal transcendence, wherein she takes the rubble left behind from the destructive Alkahest, and reforms the pieces into something new, and something superior to what was before. It could be said to be harder to achieve; self-destruction is easy, self-healing less so. It is a process of creation, of assembly; of looking at one’s raw materials and deciding what one will do with them. Some might claim that the Panacea is somehow more moral that the Alkahest, that desiring to reassemble is superior to desiring to disassemble, but just as the Alkahest is the first step, and the Panacea the second, there can be no healing without destruction first. The Alchemist can not achieve her Magnum Opus, her transcendence, without first breaking herself, and then forming herself into something new.

 

1] Some tales of the Panacea name it as a solid object instead, and call it the ‘Philosopher’s Stone.’ These have been dismissed due to their lack of explanation for how a stone might be able to cure injury, whereas a fluid like the Panacea could simply be imbibed.

2] In this case, this applies to Divine magics as well as Material or Emotional methods of healing. All power must come from somewhere, and magic is no exception.

 

⊢–––––––––––––––––=  ҉  =–––––––––––––––––⊣

 

III

 

inally, we come to the Azoth; the Magnum Opus itself. So far, the precise nature of the Azoth has been left vague; this is simply because the nature of the Azoth is vague. In the way of most Alchemists, knowledge is valued high above any other currency, and it is not uncommon for Alchemists to obscure truths, in order to protect their information. In this case, I believe the truth was obscured in order to avoid the possibility of Alchemists trying to pursue the literal Azoth, which puts them at risk of falling to the temptation of false life, of confusing productive self-focus with selfishness; because the few definitions for it that I have found have been unsatisfying; and due to the fact that whatever the Azoth is will depend on the transformations that are enacted in the previous steps, and on the Alchemist herself. That said, I will present my own concept of it, since the historical one lacks any real coherency.

 

he Azoth is birth, or re-birth. Through the harrowing processes of the Alkahest and the Panacea, the Alchemist enacts great change on herself, and on her creation. The Azoth is the final result; the new soul, cleaned of imperfections and superior to the previous one. The Azoth may be the creation of true new life, without the taint of parental influence that comes with birth;2 the direct creation of a new soul. Alternatively, it may be the purification of the Alchemist’s soul to the point of unrecognizability. It is the final step that must be surmounted for the Alchemist to obtain her transcendence, and thus it is entirely impossible—just as creating new souls is impossible. The created soul of the Azoth is beyond Mankind’s natural state of mortality, freed from the separations of race or creed.1 It is the pursuit of the impossibility of this Magnum Opus, this pure Divine creation, that leads the Alchemist to personal change, and growth for the better. 

 

1] Mankind used here to mean Descendantkind. We are all children of the four brothers of Man.

2] When a child is created by the natural means, their soul is created by taking pieces from those of their parents. It is not ‘pure’ in the sense that it is not entirely new.

 

---

 

CLOSING THOUGHTS

 

s stated a multitude of times throughout this article, the Azoth and its components should never be interpreted in the literal; this description is no invitation to destroy, to pursue Divine magics, or to attempt to create life outside of the usual means. Instead, it is intended to act as encouragement to pursue growth, reinvention, and discovery. The Alchemical in and of itself invites the soul to transform—for the descendant to climb beyond their greatest potential.

 

o be good without knowledge is to be weak. To be knowledgeable without goodness is to be a danger. It is only when these faculties are united that we may truly serve Mankind.

 

⊢–––––––––––––––––=  ҉  =–––––––––––––––––⊣

 

 

⊢–––––––––––––––––=  ҉  =–––––––––––––––––⊣

 

SIGNED,

Her Ladyship,

Court Alchemist of Hanseti-Ruska, Celestial Trustee, 

 

His Excellency, FABIAN OTTO KORTREVICH

Grand Lord of Hanseti-Ruska

 

WITH WRITING ASSISTANCE FROM,

 

Her Ladyship, ALEKSANDRA MILENA VAS RUTHERN

Assistant to the Court Alchemist of Hanseti-Ruska,

 

 

 

⊢–––––––––––––––––=  ҉  =–––––––––––––––––⊣

 

Spoiler

I would like to acknowledge that this is blatant misuse of actual Alchemical terms. None of these words are used in the sense they were used in actual historical Alchemy, and I have fully bastardized and meddled with meanings and concepts to my heart’s content. Sue me. Also, obligatory note:

 

None of this is canon lore. All of this is IRP theorising and philosophising based on the author’s in-rp knowledge and views. Please nobody come after me saying that any of this isn’t lore-compliant. That’s not the point.

 

That said, I hope you all enjoyed this monster. 2k + words, and many many hours went into it. Big thank-you to @Moenah for her edits + assistance near the end. See you all next time, whenever I put out another one of these things.

 

 

[TreeSmoothie 4938]

A once-critic of 'the Alchemist' leaned in to read the flier as she rested within a giant tower filled with gold coin and treasure, lofting a brow.

". . . I've misjudged. T'lass certainly isn't incompetent," that necrolyte rasped, gingerly setting the paper down. "A wise fellow. Perhaps I ought'e send her a letter."

[Jentos 6894]

"A wise work, grasping at a deeper purpose amidst potion-brewers. These are the writings of a true alchemist." so spake the An-Gho.