Francis Bacon (1561?). Roger Bacon
A satiated soul is not attracted by honeycombs,
but to a hungry soul every thing is sweet as honey.
Prov. 27:7.
The dissolute seeks wisdom, and does not find it;
but for the wise, knowledge is easy.
Prov. 14:6.
The Almighty, Truly Wise and All-Seeing God and Lord gave understanding to Man, preferring him to all other creatures, and endowed him with the ability to know His works and not leave them unexamined. Since then, Man, inspired by the Truly Wise God, has possessed the high and deep secret of the Work and the great secret of the ancient Water Stone of the Wise, in which he must try his hand. There is no more natural occupation on Earth than the Preparation and Mastery of the Philosopher's Stone, a true and miraculous, whole work of Nature, to which the Adept can add nothing. Only nature itself controls its growth, so every farmer who cultivates the land takes care of his fruits and plants; only she has the clarity of thought and the mercy of God, so that he can direct the work when the results of the brew become apparent, and do everything in due time: namely, in the beginning there is an Object that Nature hands over to us. It contains the Universal Tincture of all metals, animals and plants.
This is the raw material, the Body, which has neither the form nor the form of an animal or plant, but at first is a rough, earthly, heavy, viscous, unyielding and unformed substance, on which Nature stopped; but when the enlightened man penetrates into this matter, examines it by Digesting it, and cleanses it of the shadows like thick fog that surround it, he allows the hidden to manifest, and in the course of further Sublimation, its inner soul, which was hidden, separates and takes on a bodily form. And then you can see what Nature hid in such a formless substance at first, and what strength and Power the Supreme Creator gave and instilled in his Creation. Because GOD intended this Creation for all beings, and this power exists from the beginning of creation, and He gives it daily, otherwise it would be impossible for a person to complete this natural work, bringing it to the desired end, and indeed, to do anything useful. But the good and merciful GOD does not spare for man the good and treasures with which he has provided Nature, otherwise he would not have endowed his Creations with them; far from it, He created everything useful for man and made him the Master of His creation. Therefore, it is fitting for a person to understand and undertake natural philosophical work, because otherwise the full of gifts and beautiful creation would be lost in vain, and we would see Nature like dumb animals running around, and would vainly try to get advice from the Lord and would not be able to fully unravel Nature. . Deus autem et Natura nihil faciunt frustra. (God and Nature do nothing in vain). GOD Almighty rules over it all. He has order in everything. He prepared oats and fodder before the appearance of the donkey and the horse, and much more valuable and refined food is prepared for the intelligent human being. Therefore, he who tries to explore and who strives for this deeply hidden Mystery and great treasure by true ways, he should not depend on the harvest of the ignorant, who are not given understanding even in the Light of our Sun.
Philosophers and sages, both Neophytes and Veterans, argued a lot about this secret art and tried to indicate by means of many names, allegories, amazingly strange sophistic statements, what is the Object and Essence, what kind of Matter, what kind of Body, what kind, what a marvelous thing and mystery is Creation, in which such mighty, strange, and celestial powers are embodied, and by which, after Digestion and decomposition, man, animals, plants, and metals can be helped, and health and perfection can be brought to the highest degree, and you can also do a lot of other wonderful things. Nevertheless, all who were and are true Philosophers unanimously point to the one and only Purpose and Matter, dedicating numerous texts and sayings to them. As regards the most important, silence is maintained, a silence that shut the mouths and sealed the philosophers, because if this knowledge became common, like winemaking and baking, the world would soon perish.
Many have tried to find that one Thing that solvit se ipsum, coagulat se ipsum, se ipsum impraegnat, mortificat et vivicat (dissolves itself, condenses itself, fertilizes itself, kills itself, and revives itself), but most of these seekers, lost themselves during research, failed. Thus, this thing is very close to gold; and at the same time, the poor man, just as the rich man, can possess it, whatever it may be. But whoever pronounces the name of the Subject aloud jeopardizes the Sacred Oath of the Philosophers and brings God's curse upon himself.
When Philosophers name a Despicable Thing, God Almighty respects it and grants their request, giving them what he has held in His hands for many thousands of years. Now the aforementioned Subject is of such a nature that our Magnesia not only contains within itself a small proportion of the universal Life Spirit, but also the celestial force in a condensed and condensed form. Many who discovered it were so intoxicated by the fumes that they could not move. Only the wise and knowledgeable can take a measure of this liquid and bring it home, whether they find it in the depths of a mountain or elsewhere. The Poor and the Rich are free enough, solely by the mercy of God, to take this thing and bring it home, and place it near the fire or in another room where they please, and then begin to work on it and experiment, the traces of which must be hidden very quickly when approached. servants. This natural labor is not as dirty as the inept work of ordinary alchemists with their coal furnaces, smelting and refining, and whatever else they manage to do. This is a work that everyone can do in a closed vessel in whatever room he wants, but in complete solitude, so that even the cat does not see it; besides, it is absolutely necessary for the successful acquisition of skill that the hearth should pass the threefold test, and maintain the necessary heat in it, allowing Nature to follow her path. When, at last, the Solution is separated from the Earthy parts and strengthened by prolonged Digestion, freeing itself from Gross Matter, the preparation is completed and the substance is reborn in magnificent form. After which, no doubt, this all-pervading and powerful Spirit should be taken in well-measured amounts after drinking and eating, pe r modum inbibitionis et nutritionis. Thus, his power accumulates every day and becomes an effective support for his brothers. Do you really think that it is not possible for one to carry out such work and acquire unlimited hidden power, Life Spirit? Gross Matter, or Object, comes from the Stars and celestial Constellations to its earthly abode, where the secret universal spirit of the Philosophers is then extracted from it, which is the Mercury of the Wise, the beginning, meaning and ending, in which Physical Gold is defined and hidden, and which ordinary alchemists trying in vain to extract from ordinary gold. Meanwhile, the Philosophers in their writings speak more about the Sun and the Moon, which of all metals are most powerful in △. But this should not be taken literally, because their Sun and Moon, undergoing an internal purification, quite true and natural corresponding to philosophical preparation, deserve comparison with celestial bodies such as the Sun and Moon, which illuminate the night and day, the upper and lower Firmament with their radiation. . As a result, the two noble metals named, the Sun and Moon of the Philosophers, resemble in their nature the human body, and to those who know how to properly prepare them and use them wisely, they give good health, and besides this, and nothing better can be prepared: this is a threefold point Universalis, and the Spirit contained in this pair represents the thing that, among all things, gives the greatest stamina, strength and virtue.
Now a person who has received the blessing of God can prepare the aforementioned substance of white or red color, the Sun and the Moon, which is called Lapidem Philosophorum (Philosopher's Stone), which corresponds to the ancient Water Stone of the Wise, from the substance in which God concluded such a potency at the beginning of the creation of the world , or from the materials mentioned or the Object that God, out of love and mercy, put into the most gifted man of God. But we believe that the divine substance, which was given to him at the first Creation of the world, the substance of the Life Spirit, Inspiration, was preserved in all kinds of beings. All received the same Spirit in the Mass described above, which is deeply hidden in the bowels of the earth, marked and left for the Wise Men to find it, extract the extract, use it and perform with its help the Miracle, through the sacred wisdom contained in it and being there every day. .
The two substances described above as Sun and Moon, or red and white, or rather the Remedies ♀ and Mercury, are ingredients in the Composition of our Philosopher's Stone. At first, Matter passes through a sufficient number of repeated Sublimations, being purified, then it is carefully weighed and mixed; you also must not be ignorant of the potency and properties of the named ingredients, you must know how to prepare both weights secundum proportionem Physicam (according to the Physical Analogy), because the necessary part ☿ is burdened with a small part of the animae Solis vel Sulphuris (solar or sulfuric souls), and then with a skillful hand to combine both ingredients, so that in the end the most difficult part of the work is completed.
But you must know that you must first color your ☿ with the red Tincture, although it will not turn red in continenti, but will remain white, because Mercury has the privilege of being tinted before others. The philosophers also speak of what, in addition, must be done with the Anima solis of this Tincture of Mercury, and from whence it will be extracted. The Gold Enzyme is gold, just like the Dough Enzyme is the dough. Moreover, the Gold Enzyme comes from its own nature, and its potency is perfect when it returns back to the earth. And then this is the first beginning of the Philosophers, the true and true Prima Materia Philosophorum metallorum ( primary Matter metals of the Philosophers). From this moment on, true Masters, experienced in the Art, maintain the Natural properties, starting to carry out the Great Work. And in this way, Artifex continues and, with God's help, reaches the consummation to which it strives and which God gives bodily expression in the form of the blessed Philosophers' Stone. Thus, with the help of the Spiritum universali Secretum alone, the true Materia Prima Philosophorum is prepared and made available. Whoever has now well understood the mystery of this Secret Spirit will undoubtedly comprehend the mysteries and wonders of Nature and perceive Her light. For he is the motus harmonicus Sympaticus and magneticus, from which come Harmony and Accord, the magnetic and sympathetic forces or influences, above and below. But note that the natures of these ingredients are at first opposed to each other because of their opposite qualities. One of them is warm and dry, the other is cold and wet, and of course they must be connected. And when this should happen, their opposite qualities should slowly change and align, so that in intense fire, none of the natures would depotentize the other. Otherwise, you will not be able to collect them, because both natures are manifested simultaneously under the influence of the power of fire. The Pasta must then be separated from the Body, and the Balance and the appropriate Temperature established, allowing for moderate and constant cooking.
When the two natures of Sulfur and Mercury are confined in a very small space and heated in moderate heat, the opposition of their properties decreases and they begin to unite until they finally acquire the necessary new properties. They become one Connection and manifest simultaneously, and, of course, in the upper part of the glass vessel they become one in number. They are ready for the wedding, and then the groom puts a golden ring on the bride's finger, as the Philosophers say. And when, thus, Mercury and its Sulfur, like water and earth, are properly welded (the longer, the more), they get rid of all excess, the purified parts are united among themselves, and blackness is got rid of, for otherwise impurities will prevent connection and intercourse.
Mercury like primary body- absolutely raw and cannot be mixed or fixed, because no Body can either penetrate another or unite with it truly or radically, but this must be helped. Thus, in order to form a true Tincture, a new spiritual Body must be prepared from them, which proceeds from these two, since after purification one takes over the virtues of the other, and several become one, numero et virtute (number and power). But if the fire is too intense, and not controlled according to the requirements of Nature, the two substances mentioned will either suffocate or separate. If they are not prepared properly, they will turn into nothing, or a waste of work, into a Monster. But if you are careful and maintain the necessary heat, both substances sublimate in the dome of the glass vessel. And when you pick these wonderful flowers, you will no longer be able to enjoy their view.
But you cannot in the least observe the motum occultum naturae, just as you cannot hear or see the growth of grass; it is not given to anyone to observe or note the improvement or change of these two ingredients, Mercury and Sulfur, because their progress is subtle and secret hour after hour. Only from the marks made after a few weeks, one can notice it and draw the appropriate conclusion, because the inner fire is weak and difficult to detect. But however slowly it acts, it does not remain motionless, and when the process approaches its completion, then its goals become clear, as with any plant, if moderate and careful cooking is hidden from the direct rays of the scorching sun, and from sudden cold; ergo qui scit occultum motum naturae, scit perfectum decoctionem (thus, whoever knows the hidden movements of nature knows the correct cooking or preparation). This movement must follow its natural and self-determined course, which no one sees or hears, nor is known to anyone by the Centra et ignem invisibilem seminum invisibilium (the Center and the invisible fire of the invisible seed). Therefore, you can entrust such a matter only to Nature herself and follow her, not contradicting her in anything, but completely trusting until she bears her fruit.
When Nature is acted upon by a moderate and appropriate heat, she creates and produces everything from herself, which, both for the processing of Creations and for the creation of new forms, is a necessary thing: for the Divine Word Fiat is still alive in all living creatures and plants, and has the same power at all times as in the beginning.
There are, however, four main Virtues or Potencies which Nature uses in every brew, by which she does her work and brings it to completion.
First Valor It is called appellativa et attractiva, because it makes it possible to attract far and near from what is necessary according to its influences, and arrange it according to the place and natural properties so that it can grow and develop. And this Valor has a magnetic force, like a man in relation to a woman, Mercury in relation to Sulfur, dry in relation to moist, and Matter in relation to form. That is why the axiom of the Philosophers arose: Natura naturam amat, amplectitur prosequitur. Omnia namquam crescentia, dum vadices agunt et vivant, succum ex Terra attrahunt, atque avide arripiunt illud, quo vivere et augmentari sentiunt, i.e. Nature loves Nature, surrounds her, and follows her. Thus, all plants, when they grow from the root and begin to develop, suck out the earth's juices and use them greedily, feeling that only in this way can they survive and multiply. For where there is hunger and thirst, food and water will be obtained in abundance, and obtained with lust, and in this way this Valor and Potency arise, and this comes from an excess of heat and dryness.
Second Valor And Potency called natura retentiva et coagulativa. Nature herself is not only useful to herself and always serves and helps when she lacks what she diligently produces from herself, but she also has a connection in herself by which she attracts, brings, and retains him. Yes, Nature even changes it in herself, because when she chooses between two purest parts, she divides the remainder and brings it to her mouth and makes it grow, and there is no need for any more calcification or fixation; natura naturam continet (nature supports nature), and this property comes from her dryness, because the cold binds the received parts of the correct form and dries them to the state of the earth.
Third Valor And Potency nature in rebus generandis et augmentandis is Virtus digestiva, quae fit per putrefactionem seu in putrefactione (the power of digestion which manifests itself through decomposition, or in the course of decomposition), with moderate and limited heat and humidity. For Nature directs, changes, and presents one variety and one quality, in which the coarse disappears, the bitter becomes sweet, the hard becomes soft, the uncouth becomes refined, the unripe and wild become cultured; what was previously incapable of anything becomes skillful and useful and leads to the last final stage and the fulfillment of the Work - these are the Components for the Connection.
Fourth Potency nature est virtus expulsiva mundificativa, segregativa (expelling, purifying and separating power) which divides and exfoliates, which purifies and illumines, which washes away during Sublimation or Cooking. It strengthens itself in Impurity and darkness, and brings forth a pure, transparent, powerful or illumined substance or Body: it collects Homogeneous Parts, and gradually frees itself from the alien, repulses Decay and all that is alien, penetrates into the gross, and assigns to each part its proper place. This is due to the constant heating of the required degree and the corresponding humidity, and in this is Sublimation and the ripe fruit that falls out of its skin. This is how Nature and her apprentices were originally conceived, namely, the Steady is freed from the Active and perfected. Nam liberatio illa a partibus heterogeneis est vita et perfectio omnis Rei, i.e. in the liberation of these unequal and opposite components lies the whole life and perfection of things. Thus, the Active and the Steady have been in constant rivalry up to now, since each resists and affects the other in the same degree as the second on the first, i.e. trying with all his might to break the resistance of the enemy, and they failed to connect during the continuation of Varka; but the best will eventually prevail and drive out the impure and enslave it.
Now, when all the Natural Potencies have rendered their services, a new birth takes place, and, as every plant bears a ripe fruit, so our Object and natural doing, in a striking way, no longer resemble what was originally, and do not have those properties: it is more neither cold nor dry, neither warm nor wet, it is neither man nor woman. Because cold itself is here turned into heat, dryness into moisture, heavy into lightness, for this is the new Quinta Essentia, Corpus Spirituale, and even Spiritus Corporalis, since this Body has clarity, purity, transparency and crystalline structure; no one, not even Nature herself, could create such a thing from the beginning of time. The doer and enlightened man, however, auxiliante Deo et natura (with the help of God and nature), produces it by means of reason and skill and leaves it to himself. Thus he encounters the Miracle, and this is called Unguentum anima, aurum Philosophorum, flos auri (ointment of the soul, gold of the philosophers, golden flower). Theophrastus and others call it Gluten aquilae (eagle glue).
Now, the same thing that has been said about the four potencies of nature can be achieved by means of fire, which should be unflaming, pleasing to Nature, in accordance with Nature, should act continuously and be favorable to the Work; but in the course of the Work two kinds of fire must be used, namely, the external, elemental fire, which the Worker creates and uses in the work, and, besides this, the internal, innate and natural heat inherent in the substances themselves. Natural fire is found in all three primary things - Animal, Vegetable and Mineral - in which it begins to manifest, moves, sustains life, gains strength and increases; he can continue his inner influence, manifesting hidden virtues according to the character of each.
But the fire that is in the Object is by no means lesser in creatures and minerals. It contains the most amazing, most powerful properties, and in comparison with it, the outer fire resembles water, because no ordinary elemental fire, no matter how strong, is able to absorb and destroy pure gold, the most stable of all metals, but only △ and ▽ Philosophers can do this.
If only we had that fire today with which Moses burned the golden calf and ground it to dust and dissolved it in water and gave it to the Children of Israel to drink (Ex. 32:20)! This is the achievement of the alchemist Moses, the man of God. Because he was trained in Egyptian art and achieved mastery. Or that fire that the prophet Jeremiah hid at the foot of the mountain from which Moses saw the Promised Land and on which he died; fire, seventy years later regained by the Wise Men, the descendants of the old priests, after returning from the Babylonian Captivity. But during this time, the fire in the depths of the mountain changed and became solid water (2 Mac. 1:20). So what do you think? Shouldn't we warm ourselves from this fire and protect ourselves from the cold in winter?
Such a fire smolders in our Object imperceptibly and silently and does not show any movement. But this hidden and secret fire must help its own Body, it must rise and exert its effect, manifest its strength and power so that the Master can achieve the desired and destined goal, and for this it must be awakened by means of external elemental fire, nurtured and directed. on your way. This last fire may be in a lamp, or in whatever suits you best, or in whatever you yourself invent, and such fire and outer heat must be directed and maintained all the time until the end of Sublimation, so that the life of the inner and main fire does not die out, and so that the two fires mentioned above help each other, and the external fire assists the internal one until, at the appointed time, it becomes so powerful and intense that it reduces to ashes, pulverizes and turns into itself, and makes equal to itself everything that was brought in into him, but at the same time has the same nature with him.
However, it is necessary for any Worker who wishes to complete his work successfully to know that by maintaining these two different fires, he maintains the proportion between the outer and the inner, and he must properly handle his fire, because if it becomes too weak, the Work will stall, so as the outer fire will not be able to awaken the inner; he must dilute it several times and keep it at a very moderate level so that it has a slow effect, and then, patiently waiting, he will eventually reach his goal. But if he makes the fire stronger than the process requires, and the latter is accelerated, then the inner fire will suffer, it will become completely useless, the Work will be destroyed, and he who hastens will never reach the completion.
If, after a long Cooking and Sublimation, the true and pure parts of the Object are gradually, in a calculated time, separated from the gross earthly and useless substance, the impulse of such an action will be in accordance with Nature and in its moderation it is suitable and will be quite pleasant to the inner fire, unless the inner and main fire was destroyed due to excessive heat, and the outer fire was not extinguished and did not become useless. Indeed, the fire should be kept at a natural level, so that it gains strength, while the fine and pure parts are gathered together and combined, and the gross ones are separated, and the best of this combination at the end will reach the predicted result. Therefore, you should learn from Nature to maintain such a level of fire, which she herself uses in her actions, until the fruit ripens, take out the Meaning from this and make the necessary calculations. For the inner and main fire leads Philosophical Mercury to balance; but the outer fire stretches out its hand, and it should not interfere with the action of the inner, that is, the outer should act in accordance with the inner, adapting to it, and vice versa. Thus, the use of the universal elemental fire must contribute to the internal natural heat, and the external heat must correspond to it, so as not to exceed in Creation the power of the moist and warm Spirit, which is quite subtle; otherwise, if the lukewarm nature in the said Spirit disintegrates and can no longer maintain its integrity, it will lose its potency; it means that if the fire is stronger than necessary for awakening and maintaining the inner natural fire inherent in our Matter, then it is only a hindrance and causes obvious harm. In natura et illius Creatis et generationibus sit tua Imaginatio, i.e., "Nature and what it brings or creates, binds your Imagination." Therefore, put the moist Spirit in the ground, dry it, mold it and give it an image on a suitable fire. In this way you will bring the Soul into the dead Body, and restore what you have stolen, and thus you will bring back the soulless and dead to life, so that it rises again and gains strength, but what led to this will not be able to withstand the heat, because that he does not remain constant, but, as it were, emerges from himself, of his own free will, with joy and lust, and feels his own influence.
This is sicci cum humido naturalis unio et ligamentum optimum (the natural combination of dry and wet is their best bond). So, for those who really wish to discuss this subject: The Sages mention three types of fire, each of which is responsible for the Great Work, and therefore each of them, due to its inherent properties, being the best of its kind, with wisdom and readiness is able to deal with it. Thus, he will no longer work like a blind man, but will do it with understanding and caution, as befits an understanding Philosopher.
The first is the external fire kindled by the Adept or prompter, and which the Sages call ignem frontem; upon its Regime depends the integrity or destruction of the whole Work; and there are two sides to this: nemium sumiget cave (make sure it doesn't smoke too much), but combure igne fortissimo (burn with the strongest fire) is also said.
The second fire is the nest in which the Phoenix of the Philosophers dwells and hatches itself ad regenerationem. This is nothing but the Philosophical Vessel. The sages call it ignem corticum, for it is written that the Phoenix bird gathers an aromatic tree on which it will burn itself. Without it, the Phoenix would freeze to death, and would not be able to reach Perfection. Sulfur a Sutphuribus continentur (Sulfur supports Sulfur). The nest should protect, help, store and support the masonry to the very end.
The third is the true inner fire of the authentic Sulfur, which is at the base of the item and is the Ingredient, it calms Mercury and gives it form: this is the true Master, yes, the true Seal of Hermes. Discussing this fire, Kroeber writes: “In profundo mercurii est Sulphur, quod tandem vincit frigiditatem et humiditatem in Mercurio. Nose nihil aliud est, quam parvus ignis occultus in mercurio, quod in mineris nostris exitaturet longo temporis successe digerit frigiditatem et humiditatem in mercurio”, i.e. “In the depths of Mercury is Sulfur, which finally conquers the cold and damp in Mercury. It is nothing but a weak fire latent in Mercury, which flares up in our mine, and in the fullness of time it consumes everything cold and damp in Mercury,” so it is said about this fire.
Tagged.
“We will seek the truth until the end of the world,
for nothing is perfect in human designs.”
Roger Bacon
An English Franciscan friar, one of the first naturalists to promote the use of the experimental method in science.
Around 1268 Roger Bacon was able to publish 3 treatise: "Great Labor" (Opus maius), "Lesser Labor" (Opus minus; addition to the "Great") and "Third Labor" (Opus tertium; a summary of the ideas of the "Great").
In "Opus majus" "... there is a magnificent chapter, which speaks of the art of making experiments. Experimental research is considered there as one of the main means that the mind must use to discover the truth. Only with the help of experiments in physics and chemistry can any significant discoveries be made. True, the author, having climbed into the field of philosophy, is lost among the prejudices of his era: he believes in the possibility of obtaining a huge amount of precious metal from a small amount of it, believes in the existence of means that can continue human life, but we should not forget that he lived in the XIII century ! Failure to comply with the monastic charter, the furious hatred of the monks, born of glory Roger Bacon caused him much suffering. As long as he was patronized by the pope, the attacks directed against him were greatly restrained; but after the death of Clement IV, they burst into unrestrained fury. In 1278, when Nicholas III was on the papal throne, the Franciscan monks informed him of their brother, accusing Bacon of having sold his soul to the devil and becoming a magician and astrologer. In vain did Roger Bacon try to justify himself. To the accusations of magic, he objected to the letter: "De nullitate magiae." “You call, he writes, my works the work of the devil only because they are inaccessible to your mind. For this reason alone, ignorant theologians and spiritual scientists abhor them as the offspring of magic and consider them a deed unworthy of a Christian.
A History of Magic and the Occult Seligmann Kurt
5. Roger Bacon (1214-1292)
5. Roger Bacon (1214-1292)
"No knowledge can be sufficient without experience"
Roger Bacon
Like Albert and his other contemporaries, Roger Bacon, a member of the monastic order of the Franciscans, based his scientific research on the philosophy of Aristotle. At the same time, he not only drew wisdom from philosophical observations and reasoning, but also, like the same Albert, gave great importance experiment. But it should be remembered that today we give the concept of experience a completely different meaning than it had in the Middle Ages. For example, Bacon states: "We have established by experience that the stars cause birth and decay on earth, as is obvious to everyone." For us, this is not at all so obvious, and we have the right to ask ourselves how Bacon managed to discover by experience the mystical influence of stars on the life and death of a person. But Brother Roger, without hesitation, concludes: “Since we have established by experience what philosophers have made obvious before, it immediately follows that all knowledge here in the world rests on the power of mathematics.”
Another example of Bacon's peculiar approach to scientific experiment is his experience with the hazel. In his book On Experimental Science, he proposes to separate a one-year-old shoot from the hazel root. This branch should be split lengthwise and its parts handed over to two participants in the experiment. Each must hold his part of the branch by the two ends; two parts of the branch should be separated by a distance of a palm or four fingers. After a while, the parts themselves will begin to attract each other and eventually reunite. The branch will become whole again! The “scientific” explanation of this phenomenon, “more amazing than anything I have ever seen or heard,” Bacon borrows from Pliny, fully sharing the views of the latter: some objects, even when separated in space, experience mutual attraction. This explanation is based on the principle of sympathetic magic: like attracts like. But if someone told Bacon that this is magic, he would be very surprised, because he ends his story about the miraculous properties of hazel with the following words: “This is an amazing phenomenon. Magicians conduct this experience by repeating all sorts of spells. I discarded these spells and found that before me was a wonderful action of natural forces, similar to the action of a magnet on iron. Thus, according to Bacon, magicians are unworthy charlatans: they mutter incantations, although they know very well that they are demonstrating a natural phenomenon - "as it is obvious to everyone"! This kind of "observation" is often found in the writings of Bacon: he condemns magic, while himself being a magician.
Bacon's writings are distinguished by a liveliness of style rare in the heyday of scholasticism, and thanks to his impatience, combined with inexplicable insight, Brother Roger sometimes makes truly amazing predictions.
“Firstly, I will tell you,” he writes in one of his letters, “about the amazing works of art and nature. Then I will describe their causes and form. There is no magic in this, for magic is too base compared to such things and unworthy of them. Namely: you can make navigational machines, giant ships for rivers and seas. They move without the help of oars; a single person can manage them better than if a full crew were on board.
You can also make flying cars. A person sitting in the middle controls something, from which such a machine flaps artificial wings, like a bird.
You can make a small device for lowering heavy loads, very useful in case of emergency. With a machine three fingers high and wide, and even less thick, a man could keep himself and his friends out of all the dangers of prison, and could go up and down.
It is also possible to make such an instrument with the help of which one person can forcibly drag a thousand stubborn people behind him; in the same way, he can pull other objects.
You can build a car for underwater travel on the seas and rivers. It sinks to the bottom, and there is no danger to a person. Alexander the Great used such a device, as reported by the astronomer Etik. Such things have been done for a long time and are still being done, with the exception, perhaps, of a flying car. […]
And countless other things of this kind can be made: for example, bridges across the river, which are held without any piles, and other devices and devices, ingenious and unheard of.
Is it any wonder that a wide variety of inventions and discoveries were attributed to Bacon: gunpowder, glasses, a telescope, etc.
At the same time, he had no more doubts about the existence of magic than those of his contemporaries. Bacon also recognized that it was not so easy to distinguish black magic from science. He believed that natural magic, used for good, has a right to exist. And if we clear his theses from subtleties, on the one hand, and from gross simplifications, on the other, we will find that the concept of this scholastic is not so far from the ideas ancient philosophers: magic used for good purposes is permissible and is called natural magic; black magic, acting for evil, should be condemned and rejected.
Alchemy, says Bacon, is related to physics. It deals with color and other substances, with the burning of asphalt, with salt and sulfur, with gold and other metals, and although Aristotle did not write anything about alchemical art, it must be studied in order to understand natural philosophy and theoretical medicine. With the help of alchemy, you can make gold, and therefore, the art of Hermes is able to replenish the state treasury. In addition, it prolongs the life of a person. But only a few work in the field of alchemy, and even fewer who succeed in performing experiments that prolong life. Only the wisest is worthy of this art, the one who knows the secrets of the eagle, deer, snake and phoenix - animals that regain their youth with the help of the secret properties of herbs and stones.
"Drinkable gold", according to Bacon, should be dissolved in some mysterious liquid, which only especially gifted scientists can prepare. Such gold is better than that found in nature, and that which is made by alchemists. If it is properly dissolved, it will have a truly amazing effect. A wide variety of ingredients should be added to the solution. What is needed is "that which floats in the sea ... and also that which grows in the air, the flower of the sea dew." Then you need a carnation - a mixture of leaves and particles of a lignified stem with a small proportion of flowers. Next, you should add what the sea throws onto land - ambergris. Finally, the most important ingredient is the snake, which is mentioned by Aristotle. The Tyrians ate snakes, cooking them in a special way with spices. And the final touch is a bone from the heart of a deer, for a deer is a symbol of longevity. Here Bacon again refers to the magical principle: like produces like. The animal, symbolizing longevity, should prolong human life! Brother Roger considers this mixture to be an excellent remedy for old age and for all diseases. He is convinced that with its help it is possible to extend life by several hundred years. He personally knows a man "who has a paper from the Pope confirming that he has truly reached the age of the patriarch."
Bacon believes that such improbable things are quite adequately proved by such a vague message. And his words about theoretical alchemy will hardly please those who would like to study the mysterious art of Hermes. Bacon writes that very few people understand this art. These chosen ones not only do not want to share their knowledge, but generally do not want to be among those who are considered fools - for the latter only play with the words of the law and breed sophisms. Real alchemists hate those who separate philosophy from theology. Moreover, Bacon adds, alchemical operations are complex and costly, and therefore even many who have mastered this art cannot practice it due to lack of funds. Yes, and books on alchemy are written in a language so confusing and vague that it is almost impossible to understand them. With his elitist attitudes, Bacon is able to piss off even the patient reader. He praises science, describing the almost insurmountable difficulties that stand in the way of those who want to practice it, and scornfully rejects magic and all unscientific methods. It seems that his dream is for all knowledge to be concentrated in the hands of a few selected "supermen", and even better - in his own.
Declaring that all human knowledge depends on mathematics, Bacon argues that the noblest of the branches of mathematics is astrology, which should find application in medicine, and in alchemy, and predictions of the future. It is especially useful in political affairs: if the wise men watched the stars more carefully, the recently started wars could be prevented. The physical appearance of a person is determined by the heavenly bodies at the time of birth; but in the future, all the changes that will happen to him depend on the stars: “In accordance with various combinations of stars, the human body changes every hour and induces the soul to various actions.” * However, the stars only incline and induce a person to one fate or another, but they do not predetermine it, for man is endowed with free will. Bacon writes:
In accordance with the fact that some signs are fiery, hot and dry, some bodies also perceive this fiery nature. Because of this, they are called Martian, after the name of this planet, and also associated with the nature of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. The same principle is true of the other characteristics of bodies, signs, and planets. However, to name and mark each thing separately in relation to the planets and signs is a rather difficult task, and it is impossible to accomplish it without the help of the Jewish Books.
Like Rabbi Moses Maimonides (1136 - 1204), Bacon believed that the main source of astrological knowledge was Holy Bible. Thanks to this, the study of the stars and their influence on earthly affairs became a completely legitimate occupation. But not everyone shared Bacon's point of view: despite the growing influence of astrology on medieval scholarship, the official attitude of the church towards the science of the stars was rather negative. Yet Bacon implies that philosophy (which he identifies with mathematics and astrology) will eventually lead to the same conclusions as theology and confirm the latter. Moreover, he argues that without astrology - or philosophy - the doctrine of the church is incomplete. In his famous treatise "Opus Majus" ("Great Work" or "Great Work"), Bacon says: "If philosophical truth is damaged, then theology also suffers a loss, the task of which is to use the power of philosophy - not absolute, but limited by the supervision of the Church, - in the leadership of the state of believers and for the conversion of unbelievers predestined for this ... "And about theologians who objected to such ideas, Bacon notes:" But their errors are not limited to the fact that, out of their ignorance, they condemn the knowledge of the future, obtained by mathematicians: because of the part, which they deny because of ignorance, they also condemn the whole. Thus Bacon once again ventures upon a rather dangerous boast.
Brother Roger believed in the power of the spoken word, explaining it this way:
We must admit that it has great power; all miracles at the creation of the world were produced by the word. And the special act of the rational soul is the word in which the soul rejoices. Words have great merit when spoken with concentration and deep desire, with right intention and faith. For when these four qualities are united, the substance of the rational soul moves more rapidly to act on itself and on external objects in accordance with its dignity and essence.
Since Bacon argued that experiment is the only reliable way testing scientific hypotheses, it can be assumed that he used suggestion or hypnosis. However, this is also just a hypothesis, for we have already seen what some of his experiments are worth. The same results, he continues, can be achieved in a different way, without the help of a favorable combination of celestial bodies and without the listed "four qualities", but only through magical formulas and delusions of the mind. But then it will be unscientific miracles of stupid "old women" who cannot achieve the indicated results except with the help of the devil.
In Bacon's writings, we are constantly struck by his learned arrogance and contempt, which he had for everything that is not expressed and ordered with sufficient clarity. Bacon allows contradictions only in matters of theology. For example, he speaks of the following mystery, which comes into conflict with reason: Christ is the cornerstone, but He is also the center in which the twelve apostles converge. In religious matters, Bacon is absolutely orthodox; his whole life and academic studies were devoted to Christ. All his discoveries were to serve to increase the authority of the Church and contribute to the fulfillment of her plans and intentions. In his book On Experimental Science, Bacon argues that the Church should consider using scientific inventions in the fight against unbelievers and rebels, as this would avoid the shedding of Christian blood. “... and especially this should be done in view of the coming troubles in the time of the Antichrist, which, by the grace of God, can be met easily if the prelates and princes encourage the study and investigation of the secrets of nature.”
On the whole, Bacon's views do not have that "Faustian" character, which is sometimes attributed to him by enthusiastic researchers. Neither was he an enlightened herald of the scientific revolution, a voice crying out in the wilderness of scholasticism. However, in his attempt to unite all science, wisdom and faith, Bacon created a unique work, Opus Majus, in which he included information known to many in that era, but organized and ordered in accordance with Brother Roger's own original views.
It is this individual position that is perhaps the most interesting distinguishing feature of his writings. From the outbursts of passion, which Bacon is sometimes unable to contain, we can conclude what an extraordinary sensitivity this thinker possessed - and with what difficulty he suppressed this sensitivity, praising dry and boring scholastic methods. His striking statements, truly unique for that time, are fanned by a prophetic spirit, completely alien to science (contrary to Bacon's own statement that all his discoveries are of a purely scientific nature). In these predictions, Brother Roger expressed the innermost dreams of all mankind, thanks to which, in the end, the great inventions described by Bacon were born.
This text is an introductory piece.St. Photius of Constantinople. A word of mystery about the Holy Spirit 1. Although in many lengthy writings there are scattered refutations that debase the pride of “those who try to keep the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18), but since you, according to your venerable and
BACON, SHAKESPEARE AND THE ROSICRUCIANS This discussion of the confusing problem of the relationship between Bacon, Shakespeare and the Rosicrucians is undertaken not for the vain purpose of disturbing the bones of long dead people, but in order to remain hopeful that critical analysis will help
Roger Bacon is "a scientist of astonishment". Criticism of Scholasticism Roger Bacon was born about 1214 in Somerset, England. He began his schooling at Oxford, where his teachers were Robert Grosseteste, a versatile scientist, and Adam March, an eminent mathematician.
1214 P. Tannery - The first steps of ancient Greek science. SPb.,
Entry 1214 Prayer is the breath of the soul, just as air is the natural breath of the body. We breathe the Holy Spirit. You cannot say a single word of prayer from the bottom of your heart without the Holy Spirit. When you pray, you speak mouth to mouth with the Lord, and if you have a mouth of your heart open by faith and love,
Record 1292 Oh, the sweetest name, the most holy name, the all-powerful name, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! My victory, Lord, glory to You Lord, we are Your members, we are one body, You are our Head. Lord, may all passions flee from us, may demons flee from us! God! give us the grace of love
Chapter 624: A naked person is not allowed to circumambulate the Kaaba, and a polytheist is not allowed to perform Hajj. 779 (1622). It is reported from the words of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that during the Hajj preceding the farewell pilgrimage, led by the Messenger
Chapter 1214: Words of the Almighty and Great Allah: "Allah punishes you (to bequeath an inheritance) to your children (so)...". 1650 (4577). It is reported that Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “(When I was sick,) the prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and Abu Bakr came to
Chapter 1292 - Marriage between young girls and older men. 1747 (5081). It is reported from the words of ‘Urwa, may Allah Almighty have mercy on him, that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked Abu Bakr for the hand of ‘Aisha, Abu Bakr said to him: “But I am your brother!”
Roger Bacon, who became famous in the Renaissance and New Ages as a magician and sorcerer, an ardent adept of astrology and magic, did not enjoy such fame during his lifetime. Moreover, according to Eston, in the schools of that time he was not an authority and was not taken seriously by the scholastics. "He was only one of many teachers teaching similar subjects to students, and as a young man he had only a local reputation"*1. True, Eston's words refer to his years of teaching at Oxford and Paris, but the main reason for his unpopularity is that Bacon was not a doctor of theology and did not write, in the fashion of that time, large theological summaries. “His scientific interests lay in mathematics, natural sciences, especially physics and optics, as well as linguistics. With this scientific point Bacon subjected the theological method of his time to an unusually sharp criticism of the theological method of his time ... In contrast to the Parisians (systematists like Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas. - A.V.), he reformed theology with the help and on the basis of linguistic, mathematical and natural science disciplines " *2. It certainly does not follow from this that Bacon was a heretic; on the contrary, he was rather a herald new era, "Autumn of the Middle Ages", the intellectual climate of which was formed under the influence of his compatriots Duns Scotus and Ockham. On the question of the relation of philosophy to theology, his opinion is quite definite: there is only one perfect wisdom and the only science that dominates all others - this is theology, and two sciences necessary for its explanation: canon law and philosophy. Absolute wisdom, he said, was given by the only God, the only world for the sole purpose. That is, Bacon, just like St. Bonaventure, carries out the reduction of all sciences to theology, and this, in turn, presupposes a theory of knowledge inspired by the Augustinian theory of illumination”*3.
Roger Bacon was born between 1210 and 1214. near Ilchester in Dolchester, England. Studied at Oxford under Adam Marsh and Robert Grosseteste. As the son of wealthy parents, according to the customs of that time, he continued his studies in Paris, where from 1244 to 1250 or 1252. listened to lectures by Alexander of Galsky, Albert the Great and William of Auvergne. Then he returned to Oxford, at the same time joined monastic order Franciscans and taught there until 1257 at the Faculty of "Liberal Arts". A quarrelsome man, prone to all sorts of innovations, he provoked persecution from the order brothers, but fortune smiled on him: in 1265, his patron Guy Fulk became pope under the name of Clement IV. During his short pontificate, Bacon compiled and sent him his famous "Great Work" on his order. In 1278, however, he was imprisoned, and his teachings were condemned by the order general Jerome of Ascoli for astrological errors. It is not known when he died, but we know that in 1292, already at liberty, Bacon wrote the Code of Theological Sciences.
According to the authoritative opinion of the publisher of Bacon's works, Robert Steele, pseudo-Aristotle's "Secret of Secrets" had a decisive influence on the formation of Bacon's worldview. “From his first work to his last, he cited it as an authority, and there is no doubt that it fixed, if not created, his faith in astrology and natural magic. It came to him and his contemporaries as the undoubted work of Aristotle, the existence of which had then been known for about a century. The compiler of The Secret of the Secrets was probably Yuhanna ibn El-Batrik, physician to Caliph Al-Mamun, a well-known translator, a Syrian or Greek - in any case, a Christian who died in 815. He translated into Syriac the Aristotelian "Politics" and "History Animals", and in Arabic - "On the sky and the world" and "On the soul" in a summary, not counting the works of other authors. "Secret of Secrets" is available in two Arabic (Western and Eastern) versions. At the beginning of the XII century. (1135), part of the western version was translated into Latin in Spain, and the full text of the treatise was translated from the eastern version by Philip of Tripoli in the first half of the 13th century. for the Neapolitan archbishop Guido in Antioch.
The composition of "The Secret of the Secret" is a complex compilation of the works of Greek, Syrian and Arabic authors. It includes a discussion about the qualities necessary for a king (Aristotle initiates Alexander the Great into the highest secrets of his teaching, methods of managing people), the various characters of kings and the influence that they have on the course of public life. Advice is given on the formation and organization of the work of the state council and the best ordering of the king's working day with the benefit of his health and longevity. The seasons are described and medical advice is given on how to treat various ailments at different times. The best diets, the benefits and harms of wine and baths are outlined, recipes for the preparation of medicines, an outline of physiognomy (the art of guessing character by appearance) are given. Further, the duties of ministers, judges, military leaders and ambassadors are again described in detail. The last chapter tells about the secrets of astrology, love potions, the power of precious stones and herbs.
The Latin text "The Secret of Secrets" has undergone significant transformations. The tenth chapter, which contained advice on magic, was significantly shortened, and the section on physiognomy was moved there from the second chapter. Bacon's edition is the next step in creating a European version of The Secret of Secrets. He divided the entire text into approximately four equal parts instead of ten author's chapters, introduced additional paragraphs, and redid the titles of the headings. So he introduced Avicenna's indication of the medicinal power of viper meat, but, most importantly, he called the work "The Book of Ten Sciences", which indicates his acquaintance with the Arabic originals, since there is no such name in any Latin version, but in the "World History of El- Makin" it is noted that "there are some who say that the sage Aristotle, the teacher of Alexander, taught him ten earthly sciences and said that he compiled, in addition to other well-known books, many studies on the treatment of the body. He wrote a work for Alexander, which we have already mentioned before, called it "The Book of the Knowledge of the Laws of Fate", and in it he expounded the science of talismans and the art of astrology and included in it magical figures that can be used to win and frighten people, and gave others tips"*5.
Bacon supplied the book with a preface, which we bring to the attention of the reader, where he strongly emphasized the mystical-occult nature of the work of pseudo-Aristotle. In fact, The Secret of Secrets is more of a political and didactic treatise, but Bacon's instructions sometimes forced readers to look for and find in it what was not laid down by the compiler, because the deepest secrets of magic can be stated in allegorical language, in order to avoid their abuse by the profane , and only those who know can explain the sometimes terrible content of innocent arguments about the benefits and harms of baths or various wines.
Such reasoning of the English Franciscan probably gave rise to the later legend of Bacon the sorcerer in the mind of a medieval intellectual who was not spoiled by this kind of literature. The last remark is important because it indicates the circle of readers for whom Bacon's work was intended; household magic we do not touch.
In all other respects, “Bacon was wholly a man of the thirteenth century. - a remarkable, perhaps brilliant and, of course, an influential representative of many of his intellectual currents. He wrote on grammar, logic, astronomy, astrology, alchemy, medicine, moral philosophy, metaphysics, perception, the relationship between philosophy and theology, and on a variety of physical topics. He welcomed the study of foreign languages, mathematical and experimental sciences. He was a pioneer in the assimilation of philosophical and scientific works, recently translated from Greek and Arabic, a major popularizer of Greek and Arabic natural philosophy and mathematical science. By and large, he was a microcosm of science and natural philosophy of the XIII century.
The translation of Bacon's treatise was made by A.V. Vashestov according to the publication: Opera hactenus inedita Rogeri Baconi Faze. V. Secretum Secretorum cum glossis et notibis Tractatus brevis et utilizat declarandum quedam obscura dicta Fratris Rogeri. Nunc primum editit Robert Steele... Oxonii, MCMX, p. 1-24. Numbered footnotes refer to notes placed after the text.
A. V. Vashestov
Introduction to the treatise of [Pseudo-]Aristotle "The Secret of Secrets"
A short and necessary treatise begins to explain some of the dark places in Aristotle's The Secret of the Secret, which book Aristotle wrote in his old age at the request of Alexander the Great. This treatise was written by Brother Roger Bacon of the Friars Minor, guided by love, for the instruction of some who know.
By means of this treatise, if those who know will be attentive and think well about everything, together with the observations that Brother Roger has made in many and various places of the text, they will discover the deepest laws of nature, which only man and human ingenuity can comprehend in this life and what can be called the true principles of the world. Do not despair of difficulties, for to one who knows the nature of things, the science of perspective and astronomy, these mysteries cannot be hidden*7.
There are seven chapters.
The first chapter is about the purpose of this work and about the false errors of mathematicians, who say that they judge with certainty, and say that everything is carried out out of necessity.
Chapter Two is about true mathematicians who believe, under the assumption of free will, that combinations of stars do not predetermine, but only incline and induce to actions; and about the need for scientific doctors in other difficult cases.
Chapter three is about the words and deeds of false mathematicians and demons.
Chapter Four is about the words and deeds of true mathematicians, who can work miracles with the help of medical art, although, obviously, in wisdom and in the treatment of diseases they differ in erudition and perfection. It concerns the highest mystery, which can only be approached by a knowledgeable physician.
Chapter Five is about the true sciences, similar in name to the mathematical sciences, but not related to them, for they are parts of philosophy and experimental science.
Chapter six is about the reflections of some astronomers in this book, especially in the last chapter of the second part, and also in the penultimate chapter of the third part.
Chapter seven - about the proper properties of the planets and their signs, which Aristotle used in his book, and about six ways of changing the lower things in this world, both animate and inanimate, under the influence of the planets - and this is the last chapter.
CHAPTER FIRST
about the purpose of this essay and about the false delusions of mathematicians
Actually, much of the content of this book (called the book "The Secret of the Secret" by Aristotle or the book "Guide to the Sovereign to Rule and Rule") could have been translated better and more clearly by the translator. So, "mantle" is not a philosophical word, just like "geomancy" and "celimancy" - both "spell" and "magic formula" - these words do not fit here and are unconvincing. The philosophical subjects on which Aristotle pondered possess philosophical truth, which the translators of Aristotle, who are not fluent in the sciences, do not know enough Greek language and scientific Latin terminology, largely distorted by incorrect translation; those who first translated Aristotelian wisdom from Greek into Arabic, then into Latin from Arabic, so that they added to their mistakes the mistakes of others, distorted even more. Let's illustrate this with examples from this book.
The Greek word "mantle" in Latin means divinatio, "fortune-telling"*8; it was used by magicians or mathematicians*9, since these words - "mathematician", "mathematics" - come from "mathesis", and "mathesis" means magic that gives necessity to random things and denies free choice10. Against this, and against the mathematicians who say such things, Augustine11 and Gregory the Great, in their "Homily about Epiphanius [=Theophany]"12, opposed and justified not only all philosophers who care about the dignity of philosophy (such as Aristotle, Avicenna, Ptolemy), but also all others truly philosophizing.
They, truly judging, say that the name “mathematics” really comes from the word “matesis”, but in Latin “matesis” means “teaching” or “discipline”, as Cassiodorus writes in the book “On the Secular Sciences”13. And such mathematics includes four sciences: geometry, arithmetic, music and astrology, among which astrology is understood, in common usage, as judging and influencing astronomy. Of these sciences, Cassiodorus also says: “We turn to these four sciences for mental stimulation; they sharpen and refine the senses, banish ignorance and lead to the well-known visible contemplation of the merciful Lord, which tradition with good reason ascribes to the Holy Fathers, that of their own free will they abstained from most carnal affairs and desired only the merciful Lord. We can also contemplate Him with our hearts.”14
Further, Cassiodorus says that he also studied this educational or disciplinary mathematics, since through it all other sciences are taught, and without that it is impossible to learn. Boethius also teaches this in the prologue to the Arithmetic. However, the "grammars"16, who did not know Greek, distorted all the Greek names, of which most of Latin; out of great ignorance they spread their false verses:
One should know mathesis, and to guess - mathesis. Philosophers talk about mathesis, magicians talk about mathesis.
As follows from what has been said, they are mistaken in the sense and spelling of the original Greek words, since "mathesis" with an abbreviation in the second syllable and without aspiration is divination or the art of divination invented by the fortuneteller Manto18, which follows from the tenth book of Virgil's Aeneid and comments to her Servius19. "Mathesis", however, lengthened in the middle and aspirated on the second syllable, as is clear from the Greek books and Greek grammar, is a discipline.
Consequently, the false mathematicians are those who speak of acting out of necessity and by the power of fate, not only in the manifestations of nature, but also in moral choice. From this they deduce that children are born under certain combinations of planets and are subject to one or another need, therefore it is possible to know with certainty about all their future and present deeds, secret and past.
CHAPTER TWO
about true mathematicians
True mathematicians do not recognize such pressure and do not judge the necessity of what was or should have been in these insignificant cases and volitional choice, they express their judgments not about everything, but only about some and not with absolute certainty; they teach that sometimes the opposite can happen: that is, not that the child will be good or bad, but that he will be good or a bishop, if God wants, but always in their judgments they add at the end "if God wants." Proceeding from the possibility of foreseeing certain volitional or natural (natural) manifestations, they do not say that they will necessarily follow, but that they can happen and happen as a consequence of their own causes, if. God will not change the order of nature and will.
To these volitions, that is, human actions, true mathematicians add free choice, so that no one is determined to good or evil, to honor or dishonor, wealth or poverty, sciences or ecclesiastical offices, as the false mathematicians claim.
True mathematicians study the place and position of the planets, what forces are in the various signs of the Zodiac, and in what relation they are to each other and to the fixed stars, and therefore they can judge with probability the changes of the lower bodies on earth, in water and in air, as indicated , according to their capabilities, and vice versa often happens, but not out of necessity. And nature has the ability to change, after all, it can be changed by God in his goodness for worthy saints, worthy churches, and even some good Christians, if they are worthy of it. So, one old wretched woman, overshadowed by the goodness of God for her prayers and virtues, was able to change the order of nature. This refers to Blessed Scholastica, who invited St. Benedict, who begged God to stay, and a severe bad weather happened that did not allow Blessed Benedict to leave her. The same can be said about the countless other miracles performed on nature and against her in spite of the goodness of God, by angels, saints, worthy churches and pious people. Such a change in nature is equally possible for both inanimate and animate bodies, and for people.
In accordance with various combinations of stars, the human body changes every hour and prompts the soul to various actions in the moral, scientific activity and other service. But the soul is not determined, but only inclined and impelled to this by the combination of celestial bodies, so that it cannot be said that the choleric is impelled by some constellation to anger, the sanguine to peace, the phlegmatic to peace and leisure, the melancholic to sadness and loneliness. It is not determined by free choice either, it is only resolutely stimulated to something or otherwise inclined towards it by a combination of celestial bodies. This is like when a person, in the presence of friends and relatives and encouraged by them, performs many amusing and distressing deeds that he would not have done without them; so the present combination changes the temperament, from which follows the impulse of the mind in a certain direction. And the reason for this is that a certain person consists of body and soul, but one in nature and essence, and the soul is easily excited by the passions of the body, and, conversely, the body by the passions of the soul.
So, Avicenna in the 8th book "On Animals" and in other writings testifies that bodily heat and cold and other diverse passions multiply only from the thoughts and affects of the soul, which everyone can be convinced of by observing himself and others24. But this excitation of the soul, which excites (temperament), mainly from the stars, must be taken into account by those who rule and those who rule in the world and in the church. Since if a true mathematician knows exactly the year, day and hour of a person's conception and birth, then he can accurately judge his future temperament, from this he will deduce his natural inclinations and inclinations to good or evil. Thus, all people, apparently, in accordance with their natural temperament, as stated above, are not determined in their free choice, but nevertheless decisively and powerfully incline towards it. The king, therefore, naturally follows his temperament. And if he is too choleric, he tends to pride, anger, immoderation, strife and war and other riots. And his advisers and friends incline to this by his will, his kingdom also inclines by his will, and so the royal vices shake his kingdom itself, and are the cause of upheavals among neighbors.
And if he is a sanguine person, then he is meek and humble, reasonable and peaceful, a lover of justice and peace, society, friendship and courtesy. And so the king of a different temperament is impelled to another. Likewise, all those who rule either in the world or in the church are drawn by their temperaments either to good or to evil, unless God changes the order of nature and volition. If, however, physicians who know scientific astronomy give them good advice, then the bad temperaments of these people can be replaced by better ones, and so they can be inclined towards moderation, peace and justice, harmony and friendship, and everything good.
CHAPTER THREE
about the speeches and deeds of false mathematicians and demons
One may speculate on the judgments of true and false mathematicians, but here we will consider their speeches and deeds, for which they are very famous. Thus, both can perform many useful actions, especially with human body, promote well-being and prevent the opposite, take care of countless comforts and avoid evil. However, false mathematicians believe that everything they do is done out of necessity, while true mathematicians do not recognize any necessity. Further, the false mathematicians, because of their unbelief and the errors they fall into when calculating the heavenly constellations, fall, by God's judgment, into countless other errors and seek the help of demons, and perform incantations, amulets and sacrifices, for which they study the most harmful books. , which tells about different demons; converge with the most harmful people, and some of them mathematicians discover the suggestions and instructions of demons through their revelations. In addition, the worst of these do evil themselves, and the most harmful mathematicians head their books with names: the Book of Adam, the Book of Moses, the Book of Solomon, the Books of Aristotle and Hermes and other wise men, but these worst of people themselves wrote them, and they seduce people, not only the youth, but even the elderly and noble men, the most knowledgeable of our time. We ourselves have seen many men fascinated by these books, not only clerics and men of the church, but also sovereigns of varying degrees of education and other equally great men. And these mathematicians, in their malice, summon demons, and they speak and work many miracles, by God's permission. Sometimes they show images on the cursed nail of a virgin boy, on the surface of the basins and on the blades of swords, on the shoulder bones of a ram and other polished objects, cursed accordingly, and the demons reveal to them everything they want, by God's permission.
The boys, looking at a polished object, see the image of the stolen thing and are transported to the places where it is hidden, they see those who stole it and in a similar way - much more, and the demons show them all this.
But the madness of false mathematicians is also manifested in the absence of demons, not in their nature and art, but in the purest magic. They work many miracles, bringing temporary benefit to some and evil to others, but they do it with the help of invisible actions and revelations of demons, by God's permission. As David says about the revelation of demons to ungodly people: “He sent upon them the flame of His anger, and indignation, and fury, and distress, an embassy of evil angels.”25
These geomanticists create amulets and figures [=horoscopes] in the sand26 and propose by this art to know the future and the hidden present and the past; in foreign countries they sit in the market and in other public places, and men and women come to them for secret transactions and inquiring about the future. And they do their deeds with the power of the stars, and also, in the likeness of the stars, they make their horoscopes, using the words of astronomers, and many famous men are infected in our time with this occupation. The same applies to other magical arts: hydromancy27, when fortunetelling by water, because "hydro" in Greek is water; aeromancy28, when they tell fortunes through the air; pyromancy29, when by fire, and many other delusions, which we will not talk about now, through which demons destroy them with secret revelations.
Illusions of this kind spring either from people's own disbelief, or from magicians, from their own grievous sins, or those who involved them in it; from the specific evil and much harm done by magicians, is subjected to the suffering of many people. All this is revealed in our times in endless examples in the form of innumerable atrocities, about which we cannot write now. From all these amulets and spells, horoscopes and, finally, magical writings, the greatest delusions of old women-soothsayers and the same men come. After all, this is how magic was learned in the beginning, mothers taught daughters, fathers taught sons, and endless harm has gradually increased all over the world until today, and this growth will continue until the day of Antichrist. A special evil results from the combination of men and old soothsayers with mathematicians: it is the worst possible. And as the Antichrist is preceded by many wicked people, who incline many to even worse errors of the Antichrist, so also in every false doctrine or philosophy that has already been accepted fifty years ago,30 the false studies of the doctrine of which by heretics clearly bring the time of Antichrist closer. All evil, therefore, of false mathematicians, magicians, false philosophizers and heretics, who now pervert everything true and good, stems from demons, they are instructed and maintained by them.
CHAPTER FOUR
about the speeches and deeds of true mathematicians
True mathematicians, however, have completely removed themselves from all these evils and wholly serve true philosophy and faith and know how to choose the time of the necessary combinations of stars, in which, by the power of the planets and fixed stars, they can, with God's permission, do a lot with nature and the healing art of nature. They use certain words and actions, but not the spells of magicians and old women, but according to the grace given to the philosopher in the field of serving the Divine, they perform prayers and sacrifices, which Aristotle refers to in the first part of the last chapter31.
Even if we are not obliged to admit that philosophers have the gift of active grace, for we do not know whether God gives it to them, but we know that they have great grace, because they have great wisdom and amazing powers that they use for the benefit of all of us Christians . Such great philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, Avicenna and the like did not worship idols, but despised them and, according to their conviction, revered the true God in accordance with the grace given to them, and thus offered up sacrifices and prayers, not knowing the law of Moses and Christ, like the ancients. fathers from Adam to the law, given by Moses. In addition, Aristotle in his law worshiped the Trinity, performing three prayers and three sacrifices, as Averroes teaches at the beginning of the commentary "On Heaven and the World"32.
And Christian astronomers should piously offer such prayers to God and the saints and in all their actions call on them for help, and not demons, like magicians. In these prayers, the holy Gospels should be used, adding amulets, figures of the cross and crucifixion, Mother of God and Blessed Dionysius, who was the best astronomer, and others for whose assistance the sacrifice is made. Astronomers must, and can, therefore, take appropriate action to facilitate and hasten the realization of what is desired. Thus, a doctor experienced in astronomy uses his medicines when the stars make useful movements and are suitably located above the horizon, that is, above our or his dwelling or above the land of our residence, and beware of harmful stars. He does the same with food and drink, if he is versed in astronomy. When treating a weakened person, he observes how he endures a certain radiation from the stars, and knows this predisposition not only in a weakened person, but also in a sick person. He also knows the ways of correcting and improving his properties in order to incline him to the good for himself and for others, both in the theoretical and in the practical field. Thus, Artephius the philosopher33 healed the king's son, whom he was a teacher, and miraculously improved his qualities for goodness and wisdom. And this must be done to the maximum extent for kings and their sons and other rulers, and also for prelates and all noble men, not only for their benefit, but also for the benefit of the church and world governed by them. For the prosperity of the state and society, getting rid of its decline, even more can be done, and Aristotle writes about this in his book, but in an implicit form34. After all, they say: whoever reveals the secrets to the unworthy, that is the violator of the seals of heaven, and from this he will be much evil.
CHAPTER FIVE
about the true sciences, similar in name to the four we spoke about, but different from them in subject and direction, for they are parts of philosophy and experimental science
We have established that geomancy, which we have already spoken about, is magic, the same is aeromancy and hydromancy and pyromancy, to which the books of magicians are devoted. However, others, of the same name, but not the subject and direction, are parts of philosophy and experimental science. Thus, according to Ptolemy, in his book "On the Location of the Sphere", which is otherwise called "Introduction to the Almagest", it is said that the part of philosophy about knowing the future, according to probability, has two divisions. One is natural astronomy, which judges the phenomena of nature in this lower [sublunar] world in a manner intermediate between necessity and impossibility, as Ptolemy teaches in the Hundreds of Words and in the Four Books, so that astronomers do not bind freedom of choice to any necessity and, as was explained above, no accident.
But there is another science, which considers the future changes of this sublunar world, called experimental science in the above-mentioned book of Ptolemy, the famous founder of which, as Ptolemy remarks, was Aristotle, who thereby caused controversy among astronomers, and which was greatly improved by Aratus the philosopher. This science considers what appears in the air, in fire, that is, in the sphere of fire, with the help of which philosophers judge rains and winds, droughts, heat and cold, moisture, contamination and putrefaction of the air, terrestrial and water creatures and people and all living things. However, not only about this, but about many other things, and even better, poets teach about this, such as Virgil in the first book of the Georgics36 and his commentator and defender Servius37, as well as Lucan38, especially in the first and sixth books, and many others. . Avicenna correctly wrote in his book On Animals39 that a certain man who lived in Constantinople judged the change in the winds by the hedgehog, which showed anxiety before a change in the direction of the wind. Dolphins in the sea to bad weather emerge from the depths to the surface of the sea, and this can be said about many features of the behavior of animals both at sea and on land. And the noise of the forests, and the waves of the sea, and the like, are all signs of a change in the air and sublunar things.
Similarly, there are changes in the air: these are flaming visions or flaming vapors, such as the ascending and descending Assub, which the people call shooting and descending stars; flaming vapors mean drought in the sublunar world, as follows from the conclusion to Ptolemy's Hundred Words. And many similar luminous and flaming things appear in the form of various figures, which Aristotle notices in the first book of the Meteorology, such as flaming dragons and snakes, columns, pyramids, and many others41. The same can be said about the rainbow, and the "halo" or "allithithy", that is, the colored circle around the sun, moon or stars, and about the perpendicular colored band; they say a lot about changing the air. And the comets, which are called shaggy stars, mean, as we see in our day, misfortunes, when a great comet appeared, causing upheavals not only in the air, but also in people and all the kingdoms known to us in 1264. In that year and in subsequent, in in the world there were the strongest shocks, since from her being and from the rays she spread, horror emanated, which frightened every person beyond measure. And these comets do not only come from flaming vapors, but rise under the influence of some planet or fixed star, whose motion they follow as iron follows the motion of a magnet. And these comets, as Algazel teaches in his book "On Nature"42, are in the sphere of fire above the air sphere.
Much more can be said about these signs of world changes, and both saints and historiographers, as well as philosophers, have written a lot about this; they supposedly saw in the sky at the same time two or three suns and two or three moons at the same time. And these were spherical flaming vapors from the rays of the sun or moon; they do not belong to the genus of comets. And about many similar things, and about even greater miracles that happened from these phenomena and fires, Titus tells Livia, the best author of world history43, and Saint Orosius44 Blessed Augustine, and Augustine himself, and many other most reliable authors. As described by these most authentic authors, these miracles caused the whole world to change. According to them, milk, blood, wool, metals, stones and living animals, such as fish, salamanders and other reptiles, frogs and toads, and pieces of meat, streams of oil and blood came out of the earth and were made other miracles, as the above-mentioned authors teach, and other most reliable ones about phenomena from which great changes occur in the world. The same can be said about the eclipse of the sun and moon and other planets. Consideration of the eclipse is possible from two sides: either through the place of the sun, moon and stars in the system of signs - this is an astronomical consideration of the eclipse; or as obscuration and obstruction of the light, as a result of which the lower world is deprived of the graces of light and an eclipse occurs, in this case considered by experimental science45. Then an inexpressible change takes place in everything, especially when full eclipse, that is, when the whole body of the sun or moon is eclipsed, and in the highest degree, when the whole sun is eclipsed. Then night falls during the day and stars appear in the sky, and frightened sheep rush about here and there, animals and especially people are frightened in soul and heart, as those who have experienced this testify, and it can happen faster than those who know it in this science predict it. All this and the like is the essence of the action of the planets and stars, and is called by Ptolemy and others the “second of the stars,” that is, this action in relation to the main takes second place. Ptolemy speaks of this in the "Hundred Words", noting that the knowing soul judges more reliably through the second of the stars than through the stars, and also in the book "On the Position of the Sphere" says that Aristotle the noble and astronomers are more versed in this science than actually in astronomy.
Therefore, if “ge” in Greek in Latin means earth, and “mantle” means “fortune-telling”, that is, a judgment about the future, then one “geomancy” is magic, which was mentioned above, and the other, in a different sense of the word , is a part of philosophy that considers signs in the behavior of animals and other earthly things that speak of the future, and if they are correctly comprehended, they do not deceive. Similarly, the Greek "gidor" means in Latin "water", and "mantle" is divination or judgment, as the word worthy of respect uses, and this, it is said, is the magic used by magicians, but the other is part of the philosophy, which sees the signs of the future in water and water things, in fish and others. The two-valued word aeromancy comes from the Greek "aer": one of the meanings is magic, and the other refers to nature and sees the above signs in the air. Also, "feast" is "fire", from which the name "pyromancy"; one is dealt with by magicians, and the other is related to nature and is part of the philosophy that studies the signs in the field of fire, that is, comets and other things with which eclipses are associated and the name was used by the ancients before the philosophers, and the ancients believed that the sky has a fiery nature, in particular , the stars that radiate like fire. Therefore, the first and highest heaven is called the empyrean.
It is about these sciences of nature, which can be called geomancy, hydromancy, aeromancy, pyromancy conditionally, since, in essence, they are part of philosophy, Aristotle writes in this book, but the translator, not having special Latin words for these sciences, used the names of magical sciences similar to some true sciences.
CHAPTER SIX
on the reflections of some astronomers in this book, especially in the last chapter of the second part, and also in the last and penultimate chapter of the third part
Actually, some astronomical difficulties in this book, the greatest in the last chapter of the second part and in the last and penultimate third parts, force us to explain that the whole world is spherical and located above the earth with its convex part. However, the earth is also naturally spherical, convex on one side and concave on the other. It is located in the center of the world in a concave sphere naturally filled with water, as it was at the beginning of the world and will be at the end. However, the dwelling places of people are freed from most of the water, which is in the depths of the earth or below the concavity of the earth, constantly, until the end of the world, and according to the fourth book of Ezra,46 six parts of the earth are free from water, and the seventh is connected with water. Aristotle agrees with this latter at the end of the second book of On Heaven and the World. The spherical bulge of water is located in the concavity of the sphere of air, the bulge of air is in the concavity of fire, and the bulge of fire is in the concavity of the orbit or sphere of the Moon. The convexity of the sphere of the Moon is located in the concavity of the orbit or sphere of Mercury, and the convexity of the sphere of Mercury is in the concavity of the sphere of Venus, and the convexity of the sphere of Venus is located in the concavity of the sphere of the Sun, and the convexity of the sphere of the Sun is in the concavity of the sphere of Mars, and the convexity of the sphere of Mars is in the concavity of the sphere of Jupiter. And the convexity of the sphere of Jupiter is located in the concavity of the sphere of Saturn, and the convexity of the sphere of Saturn is in the concavity of the sphere of fixed stars in a large body, where, according to our perception, there are an innumerable number of small stars called fixed. The convexity of this sphere, that is, the fixed stars, is located in the concavity of the sky of waters, and the convexity of this sky of waters is in the concavity of the sky of the empyrean, the highest sky47. And in this collection of heavens, each wraps the other like the shells of an onion. The more external the body, the larger it is, as can be seen from the figure, which shows that there are ten heavens and four elements. Thus, heaven is the sky of the Moon, the sky of Mercury, the sky of Venus, the sky of the Sun, the sky of Mars, the sky of Jupiter, the sky of Saturn, the sky of fixed stars, the sky of waters48 and the sky of the Empyrean.
Hence there are seven heavens of stars, which are called planets; the Greek "planes" in Latin means "wandering", for they move now to the north, then to the south and, depending on the distance, change their appearance. The true stars of the eighth heaven are called fixed because their appearance and distance remain constant; for if three stars form the corners of a triangle, they always retain the same aspect and a certain distance. However, the planets do not serve as such a fixation of the distance, they alternately approach each other, then separate. The movement of the fixed stars is carried out now in the direction of the south, then in the direction of the north.
Indeed, there are four elements - this is the sphere of earth, the sphere of water, the sphere of air, the sphere of fire. The sphere of fire is revolved by the movement of the moon, the sphere of air is revolved more slowly, the sphere of water is still slower, and the sphere of earth does not revolve at all; it is the immovable center of all spheres of the world, around which everything else revolves.
To understand the movement of intelligible heavens, imaginary circles are suitable for us, two of which are the main ones - these are equatorial, dividing the whole world into two equal parts. People who live on the earth under this circle always have an equinox, therefore they are there in the highest degree of moderate temperament and the best. This imaginary circle is in the eighth and ninth heaven, that is, the sky of waters, one half of it is inclined or directed towards the north, the other towards the south, and is called the Zodiac. The Greek word "zoe" in Latin means "animal", and "zone, umbrella" means "living". Therefore, the Zodiac is a circle in the starry sky, the stars of which form the figures of people and living animals. Thus, the first part of this circle is called Aries, since in it the stars are arranged like rams or in ram order. The second part is the Bull, for here the arrangement of the stars is in the form of a bull. The third part is called Gemini, because there the stars are arranged in the form of two twin boys. And so it is in all other parts of the Zodiac, of which there are twelve in the Universe and they are named after their figures, denoting animals and people. Each sign has 30 parts, which are called degrees, and therefore there are three hundred and sixty of them in the entire Zodiac, that is, twelve times 30 will be three hundred and sixty. Each degree is divided into 60 parts called minutes, each minute into 60 parts called seconds, and each second into 60 parts called thirds. The same last one, as far as we need in astronomical observation, - by quarts, quints, sixths, etc.
That Zodiac, which is located in the form of a circle in the eighth heaven, is called the mobile Zodiac, since the starry sky in which it is imagined moves, but if the main equatorial circle in the ninth heaven is imaginarily fixed above the one in the eighth heaven, then it, located in the ninth heaven, has 12 signs and three hundred and sixty degrees, since each of the 12 signs has 30 degrees. This zodiac of the ninth heaven is called the fixed one, and also the equinox, the equinox because the sky of the waters does not move.
Further, the Sun moves in the middle, on both sides of the Zodiac in a circle, which is called the line of the ecliptic and does not deviate from it, but other planets deviate often and sometimes are under it. The starry sky moves under the degree of the Zodiac of the ninth heaven, that is, the waters, but not more than one degree in a hundred years. And since that Zodiac of the sky of waters has three hundred and sixty degrees, then a full circle or an imaginary sphere in the sky cannot be traversed in less than thirty-six thousand years, and from this it is clear that it will never be traversed, since from the beginning and less time will pass until the end of the world.
The sky of Saturn will make its movement through both sides of the Zodiac in about 30 years; Jupiter in 12 years, Mars in two years, Sun in a year, Venus and Mercury almost like the Sun, Moon in moon month, which consists of 27 days and 8 hours. Every day, following their nature, they move, as we observe, around the circumference of the Earth, from place to place, and this movement does not contradict the movement above them, on the contrary, it is one movement. For the Sun passes one degree in almost one ordinary day in the Zodiac above the surface of the Earth, and in subsequent days the following degrees, and enters the next degree almost at the end of its revolution around the Earth, so that the movement is one and the same, although it has different aspects and titles.
So, when the Sun is in the cup of the constellation of the immovable Libra of the region of the sky of waters, it rises above the earth up to the indicated point and at night under the earth to that place, but does not return to the cup of Libra, from which it began to move, but rather tends to the end of Libra, so how, in its movement from place to place, it turns not in a regular circle, but in a sphere, for the circle ends at the point from which it began, but the sphere begins at one point and ends at another. So, if the Sun in the Libra cup of the eighth heaven is simultaneously under the Libra cup in the region of the sky of waters, then it turns out that the Libra cup of the eighth heaven revolves faster than the Sun, so the Sun does not come to this place on the second day as quickly as the cup of moving Libra , and the Sun remains behind, that is, at the end of the first degree of movable Libra. And this happens every day of the year for a single year for a single sign. And the Sun moves by its movement from the East around the Earth, and not by the movement of the eighth sphere, as the inexperienced believe.
CHAPTER SEVEN
about the properties of the planets and signs, which Aristotle notices in this book and about six ways of changing the lower things in this world, both animate and inanimate, by the power of the planets; and especially about the changes taking place according to the nature of the planets
Now we will note or add [to what was said in the book of Aristotle] about the properties of the planets and signs of the [Zodiac], since without these remarks it is impossible to understand the marginalia made. Of the Moon it is said that the Moon is cold and moist, and in her power and action upon lower things influences what is moist and cold in them. Mercury is more indifferent to hot and dry, cold and wet, temperate or immoderate, which it receives or assimilates from combinations with other planets and from signs of their favorable or unfavorable disposition. Venus is hot and humid, but more humid than hot in air humidity. The sun is hot, but moderate in humidity, because its heat is not destructive or destructive, like fiery, but generating and similar to the heat of the soul or the heat in the soul, that is, the natural heat of a person, and like it, moderation in humidity and dryness in the lower world for him absolutely necessary. Mars is too hot, otherwise it is too full of heat and dryness, therefore it is harmful for many things, unless its evil is moderated by the goodness of the sign or signs, or by combination with good planets or their kind. Jupiter is hot and humid with air humidity, and to a greater extent than Venus, and [second] after the Sun brings prosperity to the world. Its goodness is such that, when combined with the Moon in one sign in any way, it is perceived as an emollient medicine and destroys its action, since an emollient medicine, and especially rhubarb, is poisonous, and Jupiter destroys its power when it takes goodness during the conjunction of Jupiter with the Moon. Saturn is the worst and most poisonous, being cold, dry, and the cause of death, but yet necessary to the world, like scammonium,52 a poisonous but useful remedy which, in the form of a supplement, enhances its effect. Just as the world is filled with goodness only from the planets and fixed stars, and if it is not moderated by the harm of Saturn and Mars, then, so to speak, it becomes weak and corrupted from an excess of goodness, so a person of good temperament, nourished by excessive pleasures, gradually becomes lazy and vicious. The fixed stars are of the nature of either the Moon or Mercury, Venus or the Sun, Mars or Saturn.
About the second manner of world changes through the aspect of the planets
Planetary good or evil or their indicated properties increase, decrease or moderate in strength, depending on one or the opposite aspect, that is, their combination at a certain point of the zodiac. So, when the Sun and Moon are in the new moon, then they are in the same sign, and, conversely, in different parts when they are half a sky apart, in the case of a full moon of the Moon and the Sun. And when they are separated by two signs, this is called the sixth aspect, since they are separated by a sixth of the zodiac, for two is a sixth of twelve. When they are separated by three signs, this is called the fourth aspect, since they are separated by the fourth part of the zodiac. When they are separated by four signs, this is called the third aspect, because they are separated by a third of the zodiac. Therefore, they change in the course of movement and are moderated by these five aspects.
About the third manner of world changes through the approach of the planets to the Earth and their removal from the Earth53
The same forces, in relation to the lower world, weaken and strengthen through approaching and moving away from the Earth, because they either come to the Earth, or ascend to the sky.
On the fourth change of planetary force54
The forces of the planets grow or moderate in the following third way, according to which they are in various signs [of the Zodiac] or houses, which are the main parts of the sky or the world, part of their orbit of the planet goes under the sign, so we say that the planet is located in a sign or house. All the planets are at an infinite distance from the signs in the starry sky, with the exception of Saturn. Even when they approach the Earth, they are separated from us by a large space.
About signs
At the appointed hour, it is necessary to learn the properties of signs. We have already established that Aries, Leo, Sagittarius are fiery, that is, hot and dry. Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are earthy, that is, cold and dry. Gemini, Libra and Aquarius are airy, that is, hot and humid. Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are aquatic, meaning cold and wet. Their differences follow from this rule. If we compare the signs with each other, the fifth and ninth of them have the same properties. When a hot planet is under a hot sign, its heat increases; when under a cold one, it decreases, and so on in other cases. It is also known, both of the signs and of the planets, that by their substance or nature they do not bring any heat or cold, dryness or moisture, but have the power to heat up the elements and that which is in their spheres, as well as to cool and dry and moisten or make moist by one's power. It is like wine, not hot and dry in its substance, but cold and moist, but hot and dry. Wine intoxicates, although not drunk, and so on ad infinitum.
Of the fifth change of the planets in terms of beneficence and detriment, which follow from the indicated signs
The fifth change of the planets is associated with the signs [of the Zodiac], which have a favorable and unfavorable effect. There are five prerogatives of the [good] forces, which are called the virtues of the planets. This name comes from similar powers that the king and the worthy possess. It is a house, majesty, triplicity, face and term.
After all, a king is a king when he enjoys the greatest weight [dignity] in his house. When he is outside the house and the palace, and somewhere in the kingdom he has dignity and greatness, he does not use it to the same extent as in the palace and the house. The same can be said about the second virtue, called greatness. When it is among friends, it is called triplicity, for there is no more perfect friendship than three, as in the active love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
When their power illumines the heart of a person, it is called a face; it is so called because it represents man more than other parts of the body. When the dignity consists in the name [term] of one's kingdom, it is the least, and therefore this fifth dignity is called a term. Based on these metaphors, the dignity of the planets is called. The house contains five terms of dignity, greatness - four terms, triplicity - three terms, face - two terms.
Further, let it be known that every planet has two houses among its signs, except for the Sun and the Moon. So, Saturn has Capricorn and Aquarius, Jupiter - Sagittarius and Pisces, Mars - Scorpio and Aries, Venus - Libra and Taurus, Mercury - Gemini and Virgo, Moon - Cancer, Sun - Leo. However, the author of this book mentioned only houses and almost nothing else, that is, he kept silent about the following four virtues.
Likewise, it is necessary to know, for reading this book, that some signs are called masculine, others feminine, and the same planets. These names are transferred to the planets and signs of figures so that the masculine denotes a greater force, and the feminine a lesser one, as we see in everything and in people. So the planet and sign of greater strength are called masculine, lesser - feminine. The Sun, Mars and Jupiter are masculine, the Moon, Venus, Saturn are feminine or feminine. Mercury is indifferent in everything. Aries - the first of the signs - masculine, Taurus (Ox) - feminine, Gemini - masculine, similarly Cancer - feminine.
And so in order, one of the signs is always male, the other female.
About the sixth change made by the planets, depending on what houses they are in relative to the Earth
The house underlies the division of the entire sky into twelve parts. So, from the East under the Earth, up to the corner of the Earth, there are three houses, called: the first, second, third. Angle of the Earth is a point in the sky below the Earth, opposite to a point in the middle of the sky above the Earth (i.e., nadir). Between the corner and the east there is a quarter of the sky, or, as it is said, three houses. From the corner of the Earth to the West, the next three houses and the second quarter of the sky, in which there are fourth, fifth and sixth houses. From the West to a point in the middle of the sky above the Earth (zenith) - another quarter and three other houses - the seventh, eighth, ninth. And from the middle point of the sky above the Earth up to the East, the last quarter of the sky and the last three houses - the tenth, eleventh and twelfth.
The first house is called ascending, as it ascends and rises above the Earth and the earthly. The amazing variety of planets and signs in these houses influences the lower world and everything related to it. However, in this presentation of mine, I will not specifically dwell on this topic, the reader can find them in astronomical books, especially in the book of Abumashapa55, called "Introduction to Astronomical Judgments." In addition, in some places of this book [of Aristotle], where there is a need, a lot of useful things are said. In conclusion, I will explain the nature of the signs of this figure.
Of the "Immeasurable Glory" it is said that it surpasses all the medicines described in the books of doctors in its ability to preserve health and save both soul and body in husbands. In the text (of Aristotle] it is noted that it is worthy of praise, if not corrupted; it all depends on the quality of its preparation. The names of its constituent parts are partly Greek and mostly Arabic, but since this text is corrupted by bad scribes and distorted in many books, then about what ingredients are needed for this medicine can be found in the books of Pliny and the book of Artetheus the philosopher, who wrote about this medicine and became famous for living with this medicine, maintaining male strength and good memory, 1025 years old, and similar from the book "On Cases of Old Age", suitable for obtaining and manufacturing according to the recipe described by the author. However, its manufacture requires at least 13 conditions, described by us in our "Antidotarium"56 on the manufacture of medicines, and only with what is said there, the medicine will be curative.
For this, things of the necessary properties and the best medicines are extracted, strengthening forces, fixing and preserving them, and then a body of equal composition, not subject to decay, is prepared from them, which can be used, like other food, inside or be mixed with it in the right proportion. All this is combined with cleansing medicines and laid out for several days to be exposed to cosmic radiations. This is how "Immeasurable Glory" is obtained. After fourth day, with the correct composition of the properties of its fixing components, a good proportion, the necessary quality of mixing and irradiation heavenly powers- depending on this, it can be good, best and best.
Also, let it be known that those who know, working with anything edible and drinkable, reduce its elements to equal or similar and so achieve the prolongation of life. However, this experience is connected with the greatest difficulties, therefore few carry it out, for much work is required. and introduces at great expense the desire of people to know the secrets of nature and all kinds of sciences, but only a few reach the highest skill in this work and few are awarded a commendable result. We wrote about those who achieved success in our Experimental Science and saw one in our time, we believe that he still lives in Germany and, as evidence of his age, has letters from the Pope. A similar effect can be achieved with ointments and potions, and this, with what was said in the book of Aristotle on the means of strengthening the mind, is now enough.
The treatise is finished.
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NOTES
*1 Easton S. C. Roger Bacon and his search for a Universal Science. Oxford, 1952, p. 63.
*2 Geuer B. Die patristische und scholastische Philosophie // Fr. Ueberwegs Grundrisse der Geschichte der Philosophie. bd. 2. Berlin, 1928. S. 469.
*3 Gilson E. La philosophie au Neuen Age. Paris, 1986, p. 476-477.
*4 Steele R. Introduction in Secretum secretorum. Oxonii, 1920, p. viii.
*5 Universal History of El-Makin (Budge, Alexander VII, p. 382) - op. by: R. Steele. Introduction, p. xxiv.
*6 Roger Bacon's Philosophy of Nature. A Critical Ed. with English Translation, Introduction and Notes of De multiplicatione specierum and De speculis comburentibus, by D. C. Linberg. Oxford, 1983, p. vii.
*7 Title (etymology of the word) - comes from the Greek word "titan", which in Latin translates as "sun"; and as the sun illuminates the world, so the title illuminates and bears witness to the book. - Roger Bacon.
*8 According to Cicero, “... people have something that we call divination, and the Greeks have “mantiche”, that is, the ability to anticipate and recognize the future ... We did better in this, as in many other things than the Greeks, giving this most excellent ability a name derived from the word "divus" (divine), while the Greeks, judging by the interpretation of Plato, derived their name from the word "mantle", meaning "frenzy". (I). (Cicero. On divination. I // Philosophical treatises. M., 1985. P. 191).
*9 A similar distinction is made by Sextus Empiricus: “... with regard to astrology, or mathematics, but not that which consists in the literal sense of arithmetic and geometry (because we have already objected to these scientists), and not that ability to predict, which is available to the disciples of Eudoxus, Hipparchus and others like them, and which, as you know, some also call astronomy (and R. Bacon "experimental science." - A.V.), because it is the observation of phenomena like agriculture and navigation, on the basis of which can predict drought and rainy periods, contagious diseases and earthquakes, and other similar changes in the atmosphere, but astrology in the sense of the doctrine of genitures [horoscopes]. Decorating it with solemn names, the Chaldeans declare themselves mathematicians and astrologers, on the one hand, causing various harm to people, and on the other hand, strengthening inveterate prejudices in us and at the same time not allowing us to act according to common sense ”(Sext Empiric. Against astrologers . - Works, vol. 2. M., 1976. P. 174).
10 The word "magic" comes from the Persian word "magus" - a priest. In the Middle Ages, magic from angels and magic from demons were distinguished, called respectively white and black.
11 Augustine. De diversis questionibus, XLV. The publisher of Bacon's text refers to Augustine's De diversis questiones XL, but one can also refer to the passage from Augustine's Confessions, where he speaks of the superiority of the astronomical theories of philosophers (although he does not name them) over "the long tales of the Manicheans" (Augustine Confession. T. 3.).
12 Probably referring to Pope Gregory the Great (590-12. III. 604), the most popular and widely read of the church fathers in the Middle Ages, among whose works there are 40 homily on the Gospel. According to Gregory of Tours, “he was so versed in the science of grammar, dialectics and rhetoric that they believed that in all of Rome there was no person equal to him” (History of the Franks. M., 1987. P. 283). However, according to Langen, to say this, for that time, is not much to say. "His own outlook found sufficient expression in the remark that the "free arts" should be studied only for a better understanding of Holy Scripture (Regula pastoralis, v. 30)". “He was not capable of deep philosophical reflection, so his theology did not receive further development” (Langen J. Geschichte der Romischen Kirche von Leo I. Bonn, 1885. S. 494).
13 Cassiodorus. Opera omnia. PL. 71, p. 1151.
14 Ibid., p. 1204.
15 Boitius. Opera omnia. PL. 64. Inst. Arith. 1.1.
16 Glomerelli - so in 1267 they called the boys who begin to study grammar. See: Rashdall H. The Universities of Europe in the Middle Ages. V. 2. Oxford, 1895. p. 555.
17 Eberhardi Graecinius (ed. Wrobel), X. 211.
18 Virgil, Aeneid, 10. 199. Meaning:
“Okn also moves detachments from his native shore
The mantas of the prophetess, the son and Tusk of the river, who bestowed,
Mantova, your walls and mother nymphs name.
(Hereinafter, quotes from the works of Virgil are given according to the edition: Virgil. Bucoliki. Georgics. Aeneid. Per. S. Shervinsky, S. Osherov. M., 1932). Servius' commentaries say nothing of the kind, it is only indicated that "Manti (indeed) is a Greek genitive" (Servius Commentarii in Virgilium Serviani. Gottingae, 1826, v. 1, p. 561). In fact, this is the word of the Indo-European root madh, men, lat. - mens - mind, thinking, reason (Vocobolario Graeco-Italiano, Milano, 1970, p. 1179).
19 Commentarii in Virgilium Serviani. Gottingae, 1826, v. 1, p.561.
20 The incident is taken from the life of St. Benedict of Nursia, who founded the monastic order of the Benedictines in 529. St. Scholastica - his half-sister, who created the brotherhood of the Benedictines, according to the charter of St. Benedict.
21 The doctrine of temperaments is first found in Hippocrates (see: “On the Nature of Man” // Selected Books. M., 1936. P. 199), later it was developed by Galen. However, only among the Arabs, for example, in the "Canon of Medicine" by Ibn Sina, they began to be associated with the influence of the planets.
22 The doctrine of temperaments is first found in Hippocrates (see: “On the Nature of Man” // Selected Books. M., 1936. P. 199), later it was developed by Galen. However, only among the Arabs, for example, in the "Canon of Medicine" by Ibn Sina, they began to be associated with the influence of the planets.
23 The idea that the stars do not determine behavior, but only incline towards it, was borrowed by Bacon from Ptolemy. See: Ptolemy. Tetrabiblos. This treatise contains comments attributed to Proclus, an introduction attributed to Porphyry, and the scholia of Demophilus (single ed. - Basel, 1559), as well as paraphrases by Proclus (single ed. - Basel, 1554), there are also valuable Latin comments by J. Cardano (1554), reprinted in the 5th volume of his works.
24 “One can hear sounds and see colors without them existing outside and being caused by external causes. And this happens most often during the inactivity of the rational force or the carelessness of the imagination, and also when the rational soul is occupied with representation and imagination. In this case, the forces of representation and imagination intensify their special actions in such a way that they supply forms that appear as forms perceived by the senses ”(“ The Book of the Soul. Ch. 2. Ibn Sina. Selected philosophical works. M., 1980. S. 450).
25 Ps. 77.49.
26 Geomancy - divination with the help of thin sand or earth. Gerard of Cremona in Andalusia (1114-1187), the translator of Ptolemy's Almagest, who introduced Arabic numerals in Europe, in his work Geomancy and the Actions of the Planets, suggested a connection between geomancy and astrology. Extracts from it are printed in the Lyon edition of the works of Cornelius Agrippa.
27 Hydromancy - divination by water. “Three pebbles are thrown one after the other, at intervals, into stagnant water (a pond or lake): round, triangular and quadrangular. Due to excitement, these pebbles draw some figures on the surface of the water, explained by a fortuneteller, coastal residents in ancient times also observed appearance seas. The second way: a round red glass vessel filled with water is placed between the lit candles. After calling Anael (the patron of divination) in a quiet voice, they force the child to carefully observe the surface of the water, where he sees pictures representing reflections of astral images ”(Troyanovsky A.V. Dictionary of Practical Divination //"Isis", No. 4. St. Petersburg, 1913. S. 18).
28 Aeromancy - divination by the heavenly elements = meteorology.
29 Pyromancy - “fortune telling by the type of flame. Crushed pitch was thrown onto hot coals, and if the flame flared up with great brilliance, then it foreshadowed good things. In fortune-telling in sanctuaries, pieces of dry and combustible wood were used to give the fire more strength. If they, being near the fire, flared up themselves, burned brightly, approaching into one flame, did not emit soot - a successful outcome of the enterprise ”(Troyanovsky A.V. //“ Isis ”, No. 2. SPb., 1913. P. 18)
30 If the date of Bacon's preface is 1265, the reference is probably to Richard of Cornwall, whose doctrine was proclaimed at Oxford in 1250 and then condemned in Paris. If the preface was written in 1271, then the Averroists' delusion about the cosmic mind is meant.
31 See: Secretum..., p. 61-62. “For people can ask the deity for indulgence with prayers, piety, supplication, fasting, services, sacrifices, purifications and many other blessings, begging for the grace of union with him, deeply repenting, and then the almighty God will truly turn away from them everything that causes fear and awe” (Secretum secretorum In: Opera haact ined R. Baconi fasc V. p. 61-62).
32 Averoys, lib. 1, p. 3 // Aristoteles Opera Omnia, Venetia, 1553. “He also says for another glorious reason that she was the basis and law for him to make three requests or prayers; otherwise, victims. And he says that the legislator will not reveal this number to people if he does not follow nature, for this law is likeness to nature. Speaks. And in accordance with this number, the greatness of the creator is kept in his distance from the created forms. Let us pray and make sacrifices, for all this serves no other than the greatness of the creator ”(Averoys. De celo et mundo. Ibid. P. 267-268).
33 Under the name of this alchemist, several treatises have been preserved, for example "On the Secrets of Nature", but the legend mentioned here is not found in any of them. Wed Opus Majus, v. II, r. 209.
34 See: Secretum..., p. 41.
35 Neither one nor the other is mentioned in the Tetrabiblos.
36 Virgil in the Georgics writes:
"Also from the bosom of rain and sun and a clear sky
Can we see clearly by some signs judging -
For then the dull brilliance is not visible on the stars,
Here the moon also rises, the rays are not obliged to fraternal ones.
Thin wool fibers do not stretch across the sky,
They do not spread their wings along the shore in the warm sun
Seagulls, Thetis favorites; dirty pigs won't
Snout to throw up an armful of disheveled hay "
And similar examples can be multiplied.
37 Comments and Servius. See: Commentarii in Virgilium. Gottingae, 1826, v. 2, p. 222.
38
... In those days there were clear signs
Terrible fates are given; ominous portents of the gods
Everywhere they filled the land, and the air, and the sea. L
unknown stars appeared to people in the darkness of the night,
We saw the sky on fire and obliquely flying flames
Torches in the firmament empty, and a malicious comet, scary
Cosmos of its mane threatening the kingdoms of the earth.
Frequent lightning lights sparkled in a deceptive azure,
Everywhere in the dense ether, various kinds of fire appeared:
Either a strip of spears, or a lamp with a spilled radiance shone from the sky ...
(Lukan Mark Annei. Farsalia or a poem about the civil war. Book 1. Translated by L. E. Ostroumov. M.-L., 1951. P. 22).
39 Avicenna, lib. VIII, p. 4.
40 Ptolemaeus Centiloquium. Venezia, 1493, p. 116 (Stoslov or Karpos is a collection of astrological aphorisms falsely attributed to Ptolemy).
41 Aristotle. Meteorology // Works. T. 3. M., 1981. S. 450.
42 Algazel, lib. II. With. 4. Logica et Philosophia Algazelis Arabis. Venetia, 1506.
43 In Titus Livy, such descriptions are often found; see, for example, book. 22. Ch. 1.
44 Pavel Orosius, historian and theologian of the 5th century, student of St. Augustine, author of the worldwide "History Against the Pagans" in seven books.
45 For Bacon, the radiation of celestial bodies is an important condition for life itself on earth. This position stems from the "metaphysics of light" he learned from Robert Grosseteste. - A.V.
46 Esdram. IV.42.
47 Here Bacon follows not Aristotle, but Ptolemy. See: Ptolemy Tetrabiblos. Ed. and transl. F. E. Robbins (Loeb Clas. Libr.), L., 1980, p. 37. In the fourth book of Ezra it is said: "... and on the third day he ordered the waters to gather in the seventh part of the earth, and dried up six parts and kept them, so that they would be cultivated and sown before your face" (Libri apocrifi veteris Testament! Graece. Ed 0. F. Fritzsche Leipzig, 1871, p. 603). In the pseudo-Aristotelian treatise On the World, a different order is given. “The order of the orbits of the planets is unchanged, and the first of them is the orbit of Phanet ["Light"], and in another way - Krona [Saturn], under it is the orbit of Phaethon ["Glowing"], or Zeus [Jupiter], then - Piroei [ "Fiery"], known as the orbit of Hercules or Ares [Mars], even lower - the orbit of Stilbon ["Shining"], which is believed to be dedicated to either Hermes or Apollo [Mercury]. Below is the orbit of Phosphorus ["Lightbringer"], which is attributed to Aphrodite or to Hera [Venus], and below it is the orbit of the Sun and the last is the orbit of the Moon, which completes the area of \u200b\u200bdistribution of the ether surrounding the divine bodies in their orderly movement "(" About the world ", Ch. 2, translated by I. I. Makhankov. P. 152; see: Knowledge beyond science. M., 1996).
48 The doctrine of the sky of waters is connected not with the ancient, but with the biblical tradition. It is based on the texts of Genesis (I. 6-9) and Psalms (135.6 and 148.4). According to the explanation of John Chrysostom: “The ridge of the visible sky is surrounded on all sides by water - and they do not flow down, do not subside, although this is not the property of the waters: on the contrary, they easily flow into depressions, but if the body is convex, they run away from all sides, and neither a small part of them will not stand on such a form. But this miracle happened to the heavens ... And the water did not extinguish the sun, and the sun, having walked below for so long, did not dry up the water lying above ”(Creations of John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. St. Petersburg, 1898, vol. 2, book 1 P. 115. Quoted from: P. P. Gaidenko, The evolution of the concept of science, Moscow, 1980, p. 394.
49 Bacon shows a strong influence of Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos. This system
FRANCIS BACON (1561?)
Francis Bacon was born in 1561 and died according to the official version in 1626, and according to mystical sources, Lord Bacon, after a false funeral, moved from England to Germany, where he lived until old age, led the Order of the Rose and Cross.
Bacon, like Hermes, is the greatest and most enigmatic figure among all the greatest scientists and mystics. The illegitimate son of Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Leicester, he was Lord and held the titles of Duke of Verulam and Viscount of St. Albany. Having become a major statesman, Bacon was simultaneously engaged in science, literature, philosophy and alchemy, magic, astrology and other secret or mystical sciences. It is said that he was Newton's teacher and it is even possible that Newton is actually Francis Bacon.
In the Russian mystical tradition, Francis Bacon is known for his works under the names of William Shakespeare, Christian Rosicrucian, Isaac Newton, and others. and the author of the New Testament, so Lord Bacon wrote his works under false names. Just as John streamlined his contemporary mystical knowledge into Kabbalah, so Bacon, combining the achievements of science and mysticism of his time, created the Rosicrucian Order and the foundations of Freemasonry.
If the systematization of Patanjali led to the "Russian idea", then the works of Bacon led to the "American idea" as it is commonly believed in the modern world mystical tradition. Thus, Lord Bacon is the "father" of modern Western civilization, and if what the mystics claim is true, then modern Europe, Australia and America, including all its presidents, without exception, continue to live "according to Bacon", thanks to serious real secrets. Masonic structures that he created and left the world as a legacy. If we draw the mystical tradition of the mythical Atlantis through Hermes, Pythagoras, John and Bacon, then we will really come to the phenomenon of modern "Western civilization". Since Bacon is given such an important role in the development of modern Western civilization, let us consider in more detail the knowledge that existed in his time.
Since time immemorial, there has been a legend that two secret sciences alchemy and astrology were given to a person so that he could gain immortality and return to paradise in a new astral (immortal) body. It is believed that Hermes passed on the secrets of alchemy and astrology to his followers. In the time of Bacon, the art of alchemical extraction of the Elixir of Life that is, the Cosmic universal substance, which is the basis of matter and can turn everything into everything, was divided into 14 parts of a single process:
- Dissolution. The act of changing from a gaseous or solid state to a liquid state.
- Filtration. Mechanical separation of liquid and insoluble particles suspended in liquid.
- Evaporation. Change from a liquid or solid state to a gaseous state with the help of heat.
- Cleaning. The separation of gas from the substances contained in the solution.
- Separation. The operation of separating substances.
- Cleansing. Repeated purification process of the substance,
- Calcination. Turning into powder by the action of heat, getting rid of the volatile Substance.
- Mixing. The combination of various components into one common mass.
- Cleansing. Decay, decay by artificial means.
- Braking. The process of returning to the original state.
- Fermentation. The conversion of an organic substance into new constituents with the help of an enzyme.
- Fixation. The process of transition from liquid to solid state.
- Multiplication. The process of increasing in mass.
- Decomposition. The process of turning base metals into gold.
The Great Arcana, or the secret of obtaining the Philosopher's Stone, was the main secret of the priests of the mythical Atlantis. When the land of Atlas sank into the water, the priests were able to keep the secret and pass it along the apprentice chain. The Russian mystic Roerich tried all his life to understand the secret of the Elixir of Life, the main Cosmic Fire, he expressed his thoughts in pictures. The Elixir of Life cannot be stated verbally. It can only be "felt" slightly in a special spiritual trance, with a special coding Initiation. This is the Brain of God field hypostasis Cosmic Mind.
The secret of the Elixir of Life was depicted by the ancients with the number 33, which denoted three processes in three worlds divine (cosmic), physical (terrestrial) and human (transitional). Hence 33 years to Christ at the time of the crucifixion the liberation of the cosmic (divine) nature of man from the physical body (earthly nature). Hence the 33 degrees of Freemasonry. Hence 3, multiplied by 3, means 9 the secret whqkn of man. Hence the three as the triple nature of the Cosmos (in Christianity "trinity") - hence the symbol of the Cosmos as a triangle. Hence the Pyramid and the ability of its form, built on the Knowledge of certain earthly and cosmic numerical ratios, to concentrate and collect the substance of the Brain of the Universe.
It is commonly believed in alchemy that the Elixir of Life (the substance of the Brain of the Universe) manifests itself as the main principle of the Cosmos, expressing itself through growth from within outward, through the struggle for expression and manifestation. Hence the property of Nature to increase the quantity, improve the quality and level of self-organization of matter, that is, increase entropy and resist chaos and destruction. The Elixir of Life or the Brain of the Universe (Cosmic Mind) is the Universal Psychic Field of the Universe, all-pervading and present in everything, this is God the Father, according to the alchemical secret teachings.
The task of the alchemist is to receive the manifested material concentrate (God-Son) from the Universal Psychic Field of the Universe (God-Father) this is called to receive the Elixir of Life, that is, to receive God in the form of plasma mercury, the dreams of mystics and alchemists.
Thus, if religion allows you to multiply God in yourself in the form of dry magnetic energy, then alchemy tries to get God in the form of matter.
The ancients said: "Everything is present in everything." This means that Nature, performing the Great Work through man, increases the presence of God in everything. Alchemy undertakes to accelerate the evolution of matter by a special human art, accelerating the transformation of its physical nature into the divine.
At the initial stages, alchemy is the art of bringing “consciousness” into the substance of minerals, metals, etc., that is, it is an attempt to perform in the laboratory, as quickly as possible, the processes on which Nature has been “working” for millions of years. In the Russian Vedic tradition, Evolution is divided into three stages: inanimate living man (God son spirit). In Bacon's time, alchemists were preoccupied with seven main problems:
- Obtaining the Philosopher's Stone (for turning any material substance into gold, which is tantamount to mastering the first task of Nature getting the living from the inanimate).
- Creation of a Homunculus (an artificial living person, which is tantamount to mastering the second task of Nature - the creation of a person).
- Obtaining a Universal solvent that would dissolve any substance, including any metals.
- Palingenesis. Restoration of plants from the ashes. This art allows you to revive the dead. Obtaining Blue Liquid Gold
- A universal medicine that instantly cures all diseases.
- Obtaining "spiritus mundi" a mystical substance necessary for Obtaining the Elixir of Life, which has many properties, including dissolving gold.
- Getting the Elixir of Life Living Divine Fire Material incarnation of God Materialized Cosmic Mind Condensed Psychic Field of the Universe Philosopher's Stone Materialized Divine Grace Holy Spirit Agni.
Bacon knew all 99 alchemical secrets.
There are three symbolic substances in alchemy: mercury, sulfur and salt. To them is added the mystical source of life "Nitrogen", all these three substances have a triple nature, because each of them contains the other two substances, but one prevails, by whose name it is called. These nine entities plus Azoth (the mystical life force) make up the number 10, the number of God (the sacred decan of Pythagoras). Mystic Schelling believes that the nature of Azoth contains the nature of electricity, magnet, invisible eternal fire and astral light, and most importantly, Azoth contains the astral protoform of man. Mystic Hall believes that alchemy is an analogy of the ancient Universal Mystery, because Jesus died on the cross, Hiram at the western gate of the Temple, Orpheus on the banks of the Gebr River, Osiris in the tomb prepared by Typhon. Similarly, in alchemy, until the elements die, the Great Work cannot be completed. The stages of this alchemical process can be traced in the life and work of all the world's Saviors. After all, it is said in the Bible that "until a man is born again, he will not see the Kingdom of God." It is also stated in alchemy that without decomposition the Great Work cannot be done. What dies on the cross, what is buried in the tombs of the Mysteries, and what dies in retorts and turns black as it decomposes
There is another opinion on the nature of nitrogen. For example, Solomon Trismozin believes that the Great Work that Nature does to improve matter consists of 22 cycles, the secret of which is hidden in the 22 main Tarot cards and 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, as well as in the biblical "Song of Songs" of Solomon. There is also Hartman's opinion that the nature of Nitrogen is similar to the magnetic astral force of the alchemist himself, with the help of which the invisible astral substance thickens in the alchemist's retort. The greatest successes in alchemy were achieved by the Russian magi, the Chinese sect of Taoists, the Arabs and the European organization of the Rosicrucians, the latter Bacon represented. Hall described Bacon as "the father of modern science, jurisprudence, editor of the Bible, patron of modern democracy, Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry, brilliant politician, composer and playwright."
