WHAT IS A SPAGYRIC?
I’m sure we all can imagine a time before modern medicine or society. A time when our lifestyles shifted with the seasons, when we knew the sources of our drinking water or what it took to eat each day— a time when our life was embedded within the rhythms of nature (our nature). When living in such a way, one is naturally flowing and connecting into the oneness of existence and into the wholeness that is themselves.
Through this deep wisdom that emanates from nature, a traditional practice of healing was formed— Alchemy.
THE GIST
In the alchemical tradition, plants are processed to extract their mercury (spirit), sulfur (soul), and salt (body). Through these various extractions and eventually their recombination, the spiritual and physical elements of the plant are curated into a holistic formula that is then used for healing. This process is done in alignment with astrological timing, depending on which planet the plant is connected to and the energy you intend to imbue into the creation.
e.g. Mullein is ruled by Saturn with an air elemental correspondence.
We have determined this because Mullein has certain attributes that metaphorically correspond to Saturn and the air element.
Look at the flowering stalk for example: an orderly, structurally spiraled stalk— much like the structurally sound energy of Saturn. Mullein has also been notoriously used for treating the lungs (our respiratory airways), being a direct correlation to the air element.
We may also use the environment of which a plant grows in, or how that plant interacts within its native ecosystem to determine its relative correspondences.
Because we know that Saturn holds a very similar energy to Mullein (for other reasons unstated), and because we have physically sat down with this plant to feel it’s energy, we are able to make a pretty good conclusion of which planet Mullein is connected to, as well as its elemental correspondent.
However, we do believe that certain individuals may receive different understandings of plants based upon their individual relationships. This is where the formulator has the ability to be creative within the Spagyric formulation process.
TIMING IN SPAGYRICS
After you have come to know a plant and it’s astrological and elemental correspondences, a bit of math is required in order to determine the planetary hours within each planetary day.
It is not always easy to complete each step of the Spagyric process within the planetary hour of the planetary day. This can often result in an extended duration of formulation, unless one is extremely organized— which definitely was a learning process for us.
e.g. Mullein would be harvested, processed, and all extracted elements of the plant would be recombined on the Saturn hour of Saturday (the day of Saturn).
step 1 of processing: extraction of the mercury & sulfur
The mercury (spirit), and sulfur (soul) are then extracted using alcohol.
There is an art to extracting different constituents using different alcohol percentages, and one can really be as precise as they feel inclined to be.
Generally speaking, this is about as far as the process goes when making a regular tincture extraction.
However, with Spagyric formulation, we must redistill our alcohol prior to extraction in order to align it with the corresponding planet.
We use a traditional copper alembic for all of our distillation processes.
e.g. Mullein would be extracted in alcohol that was distilled on the Saturn hour of Saturday (the day of Saturn), in order to align its planetary correspondent.
Ideally, the duration of the alcoholic extraction lasts about 40 days (or one moon cycle).
step 2 of processing: CALCIFICATION OF THE “SPENT” PLANT MATTER
After separating the herb from our alcoholic extraction, we place the herb directly into an energetically and chemically neutral clay crucible. The crucible is then placed into our wood stove, with the intention of burning the herb down into a fine, white ash.
In between fires, the crucible is removed from the wood stove and the ash is ground down with a pestle tool. This process repeats until the ash has gotten as close to white as possible.
STEP 3 OF PROCESSING: MAKING THE CRYSTALLINE MINERAL SALTS
After (ideally) white ashes have been achieved through multiple rounds of calcification, a 3:1 water:ash ratio is added to the cooled-down crucible, and the water is swooshed around in order to mix the ashes.
This mixture gets filtered through an unbleached coffee filter into a very small glass container, where the water evaporates from the water soluble constituents— leaving us with beautiful crystalline mineral salts of the plant body.
Every plant yields a different looking crystalline mineral salt, which makes formulating with new herbs an exciting process to unwind.
STEP 4 OF PROCESSING: RECOMBINING THE SPIRIT, SOUL, & BODY OF THE PLANT
The most energetically powerful stage of formulation— recombining of the mercury, sulfur and salt.
e.g. the crystalline mineral salts of Mullein would then be added back into the alcoholic extraction on the Saturn hour of Saturday (the day of Saturn).
Formulating Spagyric tinctures require deep relationships to be established with the plants themselves in order to imbue an intention into one’s creation.
Spagyrics are used to bring the recipient back into the rhythms of their nature through beautiful transmutation and support of the vital force.
- Lane & Sophia Rose