14. What Is It Made From?
The Stone is made out of only one ingredient.
Know also that there is only one thing in the whole world that enters into the composition of the Stone, and that,
therefore, all coagulation, and admixture, of different ingredients, would shew you to be on a wrong scent altogether.
The Glory of the World, Or, Table of Paradise, by Anonymous, 1526 AD
From the one substance is evolved, first the White, and then the Red Tincture; there is one vessel, one goal, and one
method.
The New Pearl of Great Price, by Peter Bonus, 1338 AD
Not only is there nothing else used than this one ingredient, but you must be careful not to accidentally
allow any other matter to become mixed with it. A small amount of dust or water would not ruin the work
completely, but will certainly increase the time it takes to make it.
For the pure substance is of one simple essence, void of all heterogeneity; but that which is impure and unclean, consists of heterogene parts, is not simple, but compounded (to wit of pure and impure) and apt to putrefy and corrupt. Therefore let nothing enter into your composition, which is alien or foreign to the matter, as all impurity is; for nothing goes to the composition of our stone, that proceedeth not from it neither in part nor in whole. If any strange or foreign thing be mixed with it, it is immediately corrupted, and by that corruption your work becomes frustrated.
The Root of the World, by Roger Bacon, 13th Cen.
The ingredient is urine. I understand this may sound strange, and suspiciously convenient, on first hearing, however, there is sound and logical reasoning for the Stone to be made from urine.
Firstly I must explain that the Stone could in theory be made from anything, since everything contains the life-energy to some degree, which is the active ingredient of the Stone. Urine contains this life-energy in high concentration, due to the fact that it has just come out of you, and you, as a living animal, are full of life-energy.
The stone also is in everything, that is, Nature is in everything. And because Nature has in itself all names, and Nature is all the world, therefore the stone has many names and is said to be in everything: although one is nearer than another
Book of the Chemical Art, by Marsilius Ficinus, 15th Cen.
let it be supposed, for an illustration of this subject, that any one would propose to make malt, he may effect his purpose in the other grains, but barley is generally chosen, because its germ is made to sprout by a less tedious process, which is to all intents and purposes what we want in the extraction of our mercury
On the Philosophers' Stone, by Anonymous, 12th - 17th Cen. (?)
From the urine we will need to extract a distillate (water) and a salt. The life-energy is in the water, and since the life-energy is so volatile it will remain with the water even when the water is distilled (evaporated and condensed). Our bodies do not want to reject the life-energy in the urine, but have no choice since the life-energy is attached to the water.
Secondly, urine is the perfect ingredient because it is as of yet undetermined. That is, it has been well filtered, broken down and purified. It contains all kinds of different minerals, but in minute particles not yet assigned to any purpose.
Our true and real Matter is only a Vapor, impregnated with the Metallic Seed, yet undetermined
Aphorisms of Urbigerus, by Baro Urbigerus, 1690 AD
Following the cycles of Nature we can separate the dense and light particles, the lightest particles are a salt. It does not matter what the actual minerals are in the urine, we just want whatever is the lightest and most volatile, which will be in the form of a salt. It is necessary that our Stone has a body, it cannot be made with water alone. This salt is the perfect body because it will absorb the water, and is itself most volatile, but still in a solid form. Also since the salt is newly formed it is not yet stable and determined and will therefore easily break down, which is what we need it to do.
I hope you see the requirements for our substance. We are looking only for water containing an abundance of life-energy, and also very light matter which is ready to absorb the water and break down. There is nothing special or magical about urine, it is just that urine is already pure and prefiltered by our bodies, and it meets all the qualifications we are looking for. Other substances could be used, but urine has been found to be the most efficient by the alchemists, many of whom experimented with many different substances.
The best urine to use is that of a dark yellow color, since this means there is less water and more body, which is useful in the First Part of the work. Therefore the best time to collect the urine to be used for making the Stone is the first time you urinate in the morning. This fact has become an open secret, as you can see from the society so-named "Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn", who managed to figure out the true ingredient for the Philosophers' Stone, but unfortunately thought that this itself was a metaphor.
So to recap: the only ingredient of the Philosophers' Stone is urine, preferably obtained in the morning. You will need around 1 liter.
Following are some nice riddles from various alchemical books showing that the ingredient is urine.
This Matter lies before the eyes of all; everybody sees it, touches it, loves it, but knows it not. It is glorious and vile, precious and of small account, and is found everywhere.
The Golden Tract Concerning the Stone of the Philosophers, by An Anonymous German Philosopher, 16th 17th Cen. (?)
Know that our Mercury is before the eyes of all men, though it is known to few. When it is prepared, its splendour is most admirable; but the sight is vouchsafed to none, save the sons of knowledge. Do not despise it, therefore, when you see it in sordid guise; for if you do, you will never accomplish our Magistery—and if you can change its countenance, the transformation will be glorious. For our water is a most pure virgin, and is loved of many, but meets all her wooers in foul garments, in order that she may be able to distinguish the worthy from the unworthy.
The Fount of Chemical Truth, by Eirenaeus Philalethes, 1694 AD
when you shall be acquainted with the causes of this disposition you will admire that a Matter so corrupt should contain in itself such a heavenly like nature
Verbum Dismissum, by Count Bernard Trevisan, 15th Cen.
by the ignorant and the beginner it is thought to be the vilest and meanest of things. It is sought by many Sages, and found by few; [...] Men have it before their eyes, handle it with their hands, yet know it not, though they constantly tread it under their feet. [...] [the matter is] very common, and may be everywhere obtained in abundance;
The Sophic Hydrolith, Or, Water Stone of the Wise, by Anonymous, 17th Cen.
Our substance is openly displayed before the eyes of all, and yet is not known. [...] our water that does not wet the hands
The New Chemical Light, by Michael Sendivogius, 17th Cen.
There is something which everyone recognizes, and whoever does not recognize it will rarely, perhaps never find it. The wise man will keep it and the fool will throw it away, and the reduction comes easily to the man who knows it.
A Magnificent and Select Tract on Philosophical Water, by Anonymous, 13th - 17th Cen. (?)
The wonderful Tao exists not far away from your own body. It is not necessarily found in the high mountains or in unknown waters.
Three Alchemical Poems, by Chang Po-tuan, 11th Cen. (Chinese)
There is only one spring in all the world from which this water may be obtained. [...] It issues in a secret place, and its waters flow over all the world. It is familiar to all, yet none knows the principle, reason, or way to find the spring [...] For this reason, that Sage might well exclaim, "O water of a harsh and bitter taste!" For, in truth, the spring is difficult to find; but he who knows it may reach it easily, without any expense, labour, or trouble. The water is, of its own nature, harsh and bitter, so that no one can partake of it; and, because it is of little use to the majority of mankind, the Sage doth also exclaim, "O water, that art lightly esteemed by the vulgar, who do not perceive thy great virtues, in thee lie, as it were, hid the four elements. Thou hast power to dissolve, and conserve, and join nature, such as is possessed by no other thing upon earth."
[...] It is called Rebis (Two-thing), is a Stone, Salt, one body, and, to the majority of mankind, a vile and despised thing. [...] Our Matter is one of the commonest things upon earth, and contains within itself the four elements. It is, indeed, nothing short of marvellous that so many seek so ordinary a thing, and yet are unable to find it.
[...] The two are really only one very limpid water, which is so bitter as to be quite undrinkable. The quantity of this water is so great that it flows over the whole earth, yet leads to nothing but the knowledge of this Art. The same also is misused too often by those who desire it. Take also the "fire," and in it you will find the Stone, and nowhere else in the whole world. It is familiar to all men, both young and old, is found in the country, in the village, in the town, in all things created by God; yet it is despised by all. Rich and poor handle it every day. It is cast into the street by servant maids. Children play with it. Yet no one prizes it, though, next to the human soul, it is the most beautiful and the most
precious thing upon earth, and has power to pull down kings and princes. Nevertheless, it is esteemed the vilest and meanest of earthly things. It is cast away and rejected by all.
[...] For the Stone is prepared out of nothing in the whole world, except this substance, which is essentially one. He who is unacquainted therewith can never attain the Art. It is that one thing which is not dug up from mines, or from the caverns of the earth, like gold, silver, sulphur, salt, &c., but is found in the form which God originally imparted to it. It is formed and manifested by an excessive thickening of air; as soon as it leaves its body, it is clearly seen, but it vanishes without a trace as soon as it touches the earth, and, as it is never seen again, it must therefore be caught while it is still in the air.
[...] For no one would dream of buying the true Matter at the apothecary's; nay, that tradesman daily casts it into the street as worthless refuse.
[...] XXXVII. PYTHAGORAS, in his Fourth Table, says: How wonderful is the agreement of Sages in the midst of difference! They all say that they have prepared the Stone out of a substance which by the vulgar is looked upon as the vilest thing on earth. Indeed, if we were to tell the vulgar herd the ordinary name of our substance, they would look upon our assertion as a daring falsehood. But if they were acquainted with its virtue and efficacy, they would not despise that which is, in reality, the most precious thing in the world. God has concealed this mystery from the foolish, the ignorant, the wicked, and the scornful, in order that they may not use it for evil purposes.
[...] The Stone is mystic, or secret, because it is found in a secret place, in an universally despised substance where no one looks for the greatest treasure of the world. Hence it may well be called The HIDDEN STONE.
The Glory of the World, Or, Table of Paradise, by Anonymous, 1526 AD
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