‘Theosebeia and Zosimos by the athanor‘. Picture 19 (Folio 153a),

From the ‘Book of Pictures‘, the ‘Mushaf as-suwar‘ by Zosimos of Panapolis,

here in its 2007 Living Human Heritage  edition by Professor Theodor Abt.

(Corpus Alchemicum Arabicum, CALA)

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Today’s sharing from the Blue House of Via-Hygeia, is from Mohyiddīn Ibn Arabi’s Chapter 167 of the ‘Mekkan Illuminations’ (Al Futuhat al Makkiyya), under the tittle: ‘Upon the knowledge of the Alchemy of Happiness and of its secret truths’ (Kimiya-e Sa’adat). Berg International, 1981, here in its 1997 second edition. Excerpts are from chapter 1, from page 38 to 42, paragraphs 10 to 15; the same chapter from which we have excerpted earlier paragraphs 1 & 4 and paragraphs 5 to 9. Our Via-HYGEIA English translation derives from professor Stéphane Ruspoli’s French translation and notes.

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§ 10. The First Method Of The Alchemical Opus:

The ‘Medical’ Path

When a wise man decides to undertake the alchemical Opus (tadbir) (1), he examines which operation would be the most convenient. In fact, it happens that the most convenient operation for him is about to eliminate the evil within the metallic bodies, so to bring it back to its natural and well balanced emission source it had deviated from. This is primordial. Thus, he busies himself with interrogating the heavens & stars and sees that sometime the planet-the envisioned metal is depending upon-occupies its normal position, and some other time it has strayed from it, above or beyond its orbital point. Having seen this, the Master of the Work empirically deduces the cause that had made the metallic body become iron or any other common metal. He knows well that this (iron) element could not have prevailed upon the global mass of the mineral but only due to a defective proportion that entered its composition. Consequently, by rectifying the proportions, he withdraws the exceeding matter and adds what was missing. Such is the ‘Medicine‘ (Tibb) and the person who through it works on the world, is called a ‘Doctor‘. (2) Because, through such an operation he eliminates from the mineral substance the form of iron, for instance, or of any other metallic form that it may have embodied.

§ 10 notes:

1. As understood in the perspective of the mineral 0r metallurgical alchemy. From a spiritual alchemy point of view that aims to achieve the Perfect Man, the alchemical Opus is the office (responsibility) of the human souls, the ‘thinking souls‘ (nufus natiqa), in charge of steering the physical body they have been allotted and of which they are the ‘Khalifs‘. The aim of the alchemical Opus at the human level (minor Khalifa, opposed to the major Khalifa given to Adam) is thus defined at the spiritual horizon of the soul in charge of the demiurgic work upon the physical body that it must steer: to heal and purify in order to bring human nature up to the level of its perfection.

2. This hermetic medicine applies, of course, to the four realms of nature; the treatment and healing of Man being the central aim of the ‘medical method‘. According to traditional medicine, the cause of illness in Man is due to the unbalance of the humors, alike for the metallic bodies, the cause  of their ailments originates in the unbalance of the four elemental natures.

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§ 11. The therapeutics of Metals

After having brought the metallic body upon the right path, the doctor busies himself in preserving it in good health, overseeing that his health persists in a sustainable manner, because he wants to protect it against what made it sick. And because the metal is convalescent (naqih), he cares for it. Therefore, he treats this metal by purifying (1) the food its needs, and preserves it from the external conditions. He brings it, in a firm manner, upon the rightful (2) path, until its substance embodies finally the form of Gold.

§ 11 notes:

1. ‘Bi-taltif’, a term that designate ‘sublimation‘.

2. ‘Qawim‘, rather than ‘mostaqim‘. It is the ‘rightful path‘, leading all things towards its ‘perfect nature‘, or ‘fitrat‘.

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§ 12. The Therapeutics of Metals (continuation)

When the metallic body has become Gold, is frees itself from the supervision of the doctor and at the same time of the ailment if was plagued with before, because after having reached this Perfection, it cannot regress anymore to the stage of deficiency, nor endure it. And, even, when the doctor would like to bring it back to its former deficient state, he couldn’t not. Because, in this matter, the ‘performer‘ (qadi) does not have the prerogative to judge what he witnesses. (1) The cause is simply that the doctor is ‘fair‘ and punishes only the one that strays from ‘God’s Path‘. And because Gold is engaged on to it, he does not take action against him, as he does not want to harm him. This is the reason of his behavior. Anyone following ‘God’s Path‘ surpasses ipso-facto the condition of being judged and becomes himself ‘the judge of things‘ (hakim’ ala al-ashya). (2) Such is the alchemical path consisting in ‘suppressing the ailments‘. As a matter of fact, I haven’t found anybody knowing it or dealing with it, or even just alluding about it. Therefore, will you find it only in the present chapter or in our subsequent expositions.

§ 12 notes:

1. Once the patient is healed, the doctor relinquishes, obviously, its rights upon him.

2. It is the prerogative of the Khalif, being a judge among the people God has sent him to.

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§ 13. The Second method Of The Alchemical Opus:

The ‘Demiurgic’ Path

Also, when the Master of the Work wants to ‘produce the source‘ (insha al-ayn) which we name Elixir (1), in order to apply it on the metallic bodies he wants to treat, he makes sure to upset the obnoxious action of the natural property this body is bound to. The remedy (aiming to achieve it) is unique: It is the Elixir. Among the metallic bodies, there are those the Elixir brings back to their primitive condition. It is therefore an ‘efficient’ Elixir, which we name the ‘Na’ib‘, or ‘Substitute‘ (2). It maintains itself permanently within the metallic bodies and steers them through its ‘regulating function‘.

§ 13 notes:

1. Compare with § 4 formulation: ‘to produce an essence ‘ab origine‘…’ It is the ‘Mineral Gold’, assimilated to the Elixir.

2. This technical term is common to the lexicon of Twelver Shīʿism & Ismaili theosophy. See Henry Corbin’s ‘En Islam Iranien‘, IV, Index s.v. ‘na’ib‘. In Ibn Arabi’s prophetology, the ‘niyaba‘, or ‘substitute function‘ (delegate), designate a category of spiritual beings, parallel to the ‘Walaya‘, or the ‘Khalifa‘. Here it is the Mercury that holds the role of the ‘substitute‘ of the Elixir, being a tinctorial essence proper to fix the soul (the color) in a metallic body, and being able to perfect it.

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§ 14. Projection Techniques Of The Elixir

Upon The Different Metallic Bodies; the ‘Na’ib’ function

For instance, the Master alchemist borrows to the very source of the Elixir, ‘the measure of an ounce.’ (1) (wazn dirham) or any other measure at his disposition. Then he projects it upon ‘a thousand measures‘ entering into the composition of this or that metallic body to be treated. If the metallic body was tin or iron, it will give it the aspect of silver. If it was copper or black lead, or even silver, it will give it the aspect of Gold. (2) Finally, if the body was of some mercury, the alchemist will confer it the power of the Elixir, and will entrust it the function of ‘Na’ib‘ (substitute or delegate) to steer the metals on behalf of the Elixir; but according to a measure different allotted to the other bodies. And it is precisely ‘the measure of an ounce‘ borrowed from the Elixir. This ‘exact weight of Wisdom‘ (ratl al-hikma), the Master of the Work project it upon the mercury which becomes the Elixir itself completely. Then this ‘Na’ib‘ (which the mercury has become), he projects, upon the metal to be treated, ‘a measure‘ for/upon ‘a thousand measures‘ belonging to the other metallic bodies, exactly as he would do with the Elixir, in order that the on-going operation follows the same process that with the former. (3) Somehow, this is in what the production of the original Source (or second path of the Opus) consists. As for the first path of the Opus, it consists in ‘eliminating ilness’.

§ 14 notes:

1. ‘Ounce’ derives from the ancient Roman ‘uncia‘ (meaning: a twelfth).

2. We ought to notice the two types of projection designated as ‘albedo opus‘ (white, production of silver), and the ‘rubedo opus‘ (red, production of gold).

3. This second operation, the most perfect one, corresponds to the art of producing the Elixir, a. k. a ‘the transmuting spirit’ of all metallic bodies.

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§ 15. The Alchemy of Happiness:

‘To Assimilate Oneself To The Original Principle’

We have arrived at this point in order to teach you how Wisdom is connected to what we call ‘the Alchemy located in between the two paths’. (1) Why is it called ‘The Alchemy of Happiness‘? Because, without fail, it conceals am unmatched bliss &  fulness for ‘God’s Friends‘. Because it confers the ‘rank of Perfection‘ (Darajat al-Kamal) that rightfully rewards Men. In truth, all adepts of Happiness do not necessarily reach Perfection, while the adepts of Perfection are always blissful. Perfection testifies of the ‘accession to the supreme rank‘, which consists in ‘Assimilating oneself to the original Principle‘. (2) We ought not to imagine that the words of the Prophet declaring: ‘The Perfects among God’s Friends are in great number‘, designate common perfection, as it is found in our daily mortal life. No! It means the Perfection  we have been speaking  about in this chapter, in virtue of our ability to know, allotted to us in this very life. After this preliminary exposition, if it is God’s Will, we are now going to write more about the ‘Alchemy of Happiness’. May God assist us, as there is no other god than Him!

§ 15 notes:

1. Between the two paths, the ‘Medical‘ and the ‘Demiurgic‘: it is the ‘Middle path‘, linking natural & spiritual alchemy. Natural alchemy or ‘Medical‘ is illustrated by the healings operated by Jesus, who delivers the ailing from ailments consecutive to the process of generation. Spiritual alchemy or ‘Demiurgic‘ is highlighted by the production of the living bird, and by the resurrection of the dead.  ‘Spirit‘ & ‘Life‘ (alchemically corresponding to the couple Sulfur & Mercury) are the constituting elements of the divine elixir that Jesus projects to into every creatures through breath, and applies it upon the ailing by the imposition of His hands.

2. To ‘assimilate oneself to the original Principle‘ (al-tashabbuh bi’l-Asl). This term is used to designate the unique Archetype from which the minerals derive (see § 5), the original principle from which all human souls were extracted (from their father Adam) and the Foundation of Being. This ‘supreme rank‘ (al-darajat al-‘ulya) of Perfection, that the souls ought to reach, is no other than the dignity of the ‘Khalifa‘ which is duly explained in the following Chapter 2.

(To be continued)

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