description | the role of the Chorus | the elements | thesmophoria | the music | the performers

In alchemical signs, the triangle represents the three heavenly principles or substances of Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt.

______________________________________________________________________________

Orientation of the performance elements:

North - sulfur

Southwest - salt

Southeast - mercury

Inside gold is the alchemical Sun. Inside the Sun is an active substance, sulfur. Sometimes alchemists equal sulfur with the Sun. Sulfur is the spirit of life. Sulfur is of a twofold nature. White sulfur is the heavenly or secret fire, the divine spark in man, the philosopherΆs stone. Red sulfur is the infernal fire inside the body, the earth, the mixture; it is the rough stone (sulfur crudum, sulfur vulgare). Red sulfur and white sulfur are actually one and the same. The alchemists speak of red sulfur at the beginning of the Great Work, while white sulfur is the purified red sulfur, at the end of the Great Work.
In general sulfur is the symbol for the omnipresent spirit of life.

Usually mercury is used in its chemical form, quicksilver. Symbolic of course, it indicates volatility or fluidity, by which it is also named οwater of lifeΆ or οroot humidityΆ.
In his aspect of fire, Mercury is the sole fire in the entire process. He is the working force in the Great Work. He is an οinvisible, secretly working fireΆ. He is the fire of hell, the infernal fire in the earth. Mercury is the spirit of man that works in the lower aspects of being, and thus is looked upon as an infernal fire.
In his air aspect, he is the spirit, the air, the wind that is present everywhere in Nature and vivifies everything. He is οthe spirit of truth hidden in the earthΆ.

Salt is the third element in the trinity of the alchemical substances in the Great Work. As mercury is the water aspect, sulfur is the fiery aspect, so is salt the form aspect (salt is a crystalline form, or crystallized energy). So it is also a name for the οprima materiaΆ, for the stone of the philosophers. The alchemists say that in its lower aspect salt is οbitterΆ. Here salt is symbol for knowledge and wisdom. Self-knowledge is bitter, painful. Sometimes they speak of the bitter οsea waterΆ. As water or the sea stands for the soul, it is a reference to the same self-knowledge.
Salt is also seen as a symbol for the second phase of the Great Work, albedo, or whiteness, because here light breaks through, and thus also wisdom. Christ is called οSal sapientiaeΆ, the Salt of WisdomΆ.
In the beginning of the Great Work, the salt is called impure. Here it equals the earth, the body, our every day consciousness or being. The impure salt has to be dissolved (οsolutioΆ) into the divine water (quicksilver, or οprima materiaΆ), by which it is purified. In albedo salt arises as a pure form and fixated, that is crystallized into a pure salt.
As symbol for wisdom, salt is the breath of the divine energy. This wisdom vivifies the invisible fire that energizes entire Nature. This fire controls life, movement, energy, the heavens, the planets. Paracelsus called this fire οthe light of NatureΆ a reference to the οanima mundi', the soul of the world.

Salt
Salt is the third heavenly substance in alchemy and represents the final manifestation of the perfected Stone. The Emerald Tablet calls it "the Glory of the Whole Universe." For Paracelsus, Salt was like a balsam the body produced to shield itself from decay. It has also been associated with the Ouroboros, the Stone, and the Astral Body. In general, Salt represents the action of thought on matter, be it the One Mind acting on the One Thing of the universe or the alchemist meditating in his inner laboratory.

triangle
The triangle represents the three heavenly principles or substances of Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt.

serpents Two serpents represent the opposing masculine and feminine energies of the Work. Three serpents stand for the three higher principles of Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt. Wingd serpents represent volatile substances; wingless serpents represent fixed substances. A crucified serpent represents the fixation of the volatile.

fountain
The alchemical Fountain of Fountains is a symbol of the Ouroboros. Three fountains represent the three principles of Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt. The King and Queen sitting in a fountain signifies a bath or the Water operations of Dissolution and Distillation.

Ouroboros
The Ouroboros (or Uroboros) is the symbolic rendition of the eternal principles presented in the Emerald Tablet. The great serpent devouring itself represents the idea that "All Is One," even though the universe undergoes periodic cycles of destruction and creation (or resurrection). In Orphic and Mithraic symbology, the Ouroboros was called the Agathos Daimon or "Good Spirit" and was a symbol for the "Operation of the Sun." In Greek terminology, the Ouroboros was the Aion, which Herakleitos likened to a child at play. To the Greeks, the Aion (from which our word "eon" is derived) defined the cosmic period between the creation and destruction of the universe.

"Self-grown, unwearied, noblest scion of Ge, who didst flash out with firstborn scales, O famous Aion [Khronos or Time]." ΤOrphic Hymn 12 to Heracles

"Zeus ... charioted upon the Anemoi (Wind-Gods), Euros (the East), Boreas (the North), Zephyros (the West-wind), and Notos (the South) [presumably the four-wind gods had assumed the shape of horses]: for Iris rainbow-plumed led 'neath the yoke of his eternal car that stormy team, the car which Aion (Time) [Khronos] the immortal framed for him of adamant with never-wearying hands." -Quintus Smyrnaeus 12.189
"Then [during the great Deluge that flooded the entire earth] the whole frame of the universe would have been unframed, then all-breeding Aion (Time) would have dissolved the whole structure of the unsown generations of mankind: but by the divine ordination of Zeus, Poseidon Seabluehair with earthsplitting trident split the midmost peak of the Thessalian mountain, and dug a cleft through it by which the water ran sparkling down. Earth shook off the stormy flood which travelled so high, and showed herself risen again." ΤDionysiaca 6.371
"Sorrow in many forms possessed the life of men, which begins with labour and never sees and end of care: and Aion (Time) his everlasting companion showed to Zeus Almighty mankind, afflicted with suffering and having no portion of happiness of heart. For the Father had not yet cut the threads of child-birth and shot forth Bakkhos [Dionysos] from his pregnant thigh, to give mankind rest from their tribulations; not yet did the libation of wine soak the pathways of the air and make them drunken with sweetsmelling exhalations. The Horai (Seasons), those daughters of the lichtgang, still joyless, plaited garlands for the gods only of meadow-grass. For Wine was lacking. Without Bakkhos to inspire the dance, its grace was only half complete and quite without profit; it charmed only the eyes of the company ?
But Aion (Time) the maniform, holding the key of generation, spread his white shock of hair over the knees of Zeus, let fall the flowing mass of his beard in supplication, and made his prayer, bowing his head to the ground, bending his neck, straining the whole length of his back; and as he knelt, the ancient of days, the shepherd of life ever-flowing, reached out his infinite hand and spoke:
οLord Zeus! behold yourself the sorrows of a despairing world! Do you not see that Enyo [goddess of war] has made the whole earth mad, mowing season by season her harvest of quick-perishing youth? We can yet see traces of that deluge which you brought upon all nations, when the streams of airy floods billowed in the air and boiled against the neighbouring Moon. Farewell to the life of men, since they perish so soon! I renounce the divine helm at their fate, I will no longer handle the worldΆs cable. Let some other of the Blessed, one better than I am, receive the rudder of life ever renewed; let another have the course of my years Τ for I am weary of pitying the luckless race of suffering mankind. Is not old age enough, which blights youth, and makes a man go slow with bowed head, when bent and trembling he goes on his way with a foot too many, heavy of knee and leaning upon a staff, the faithful servant of age! Is not fate enough, who often hides in Lethe the young bridegroom, companion of an agemate bride lately wed, and breaks the life-bringing cables of a union that cannot be broken! I know how delightful a marriage is when AthenaΆs hoboy sounds along with the panspipes: nevertheless, what boots it, when the loud sound of the sevenchord harp is heard twanging near the bridal chamber? Lutes cannot comform a heavy heart: but Eros himself stops the dance and throws away the bridal torch, if he sees a wedding without joy.
οBut, some may say, a medicine [Hope] has been planted to make long-suffering mortals forget their troubles, to save their lives. Would that Pandora had never opened the heavenly cover of that jar Τ she the sweet bane of mankind! Nay, Prometheus himself is the cause of manΆs misery Τ Prometheus who cares for poor mortals! Instead of fire which is the beginning of all evil he ought rather to have stolen sweet nectar, which rejoices the heart of the gods, and given that to men, that he might have scattered the sorrows of the world with your own drink. But never mind the cares of tempest-tossed life, just consider your own ceremonials brought to sadness. Are you pleased at the empty vapour of the burnt-offering that strays without libation?Ά
When the ancient had ended, Zeus Allwise for a time turned over his infinite wisdom in thoughtful silence, and gave rein to his mind; one after another the meditations of that creative brain revolved before him; and at last Kronides addressed his divine voice to Aion (Time), and revealed oracles higher than the prophetic centre [Delphoi]:
οO Father self-begotten [he was not born to any other but emerged at the beginning of the universe], shepherd of the ever-flowing years! Be not angry; the human race waxes and wanes like the moon, and never fails or forgets its season. Leave nectar to the Blessed; and I will give mankind to heal their sorrows delicious wine, another drink like nectar self-distilled, and one suited to mortals. The primeval world will sorrow still, until I be delivered of one child [Dionysos] ? Yesterday at the nod of my Deo [Demeter], lady of the wide threshing-floors, the earth dug by the iron wooer of corn was delivered of the dry fruit of the sheaf-bearing soil. Now also my son, bringer of a glorious gift, shall plant in the earth the moist fragrant fruit of vintage the Allheal Τ my son Dionysos Alljoy will cherish the no-sorrow grape, and rival Demeter. Then you will commend me when you watch the vine reddening with wineteeming dew, herald of the merry heart ? ο
The Father spoke, the Moirai applauded; at his words the lightfoot Horai (Seasons) sneezed, as a presage of things to come. Their parley done they separated, Aion to HarmoniaΆs house, the other to the fine-wrought chamber of Hera." ΤDionysiaca 7.7

"The twelve circling Horai (Hours), daughters of Khronos (Time), tripling round the fiery throne of the untiring Charioteer [Helios] in a ring, servants of Helios that attend on his shining car, priestesses of the lichtgang each in her turn: for they bend the servile neck to the ancient manager of the universe [Khronos].
Then up and spoke the grapetending Season (Hora) [Autumn], holding out her hook of the fruitpining autumn as witness to her prayer:
οHelios, giver of feason, plantdresser, lord of fruits! When will the soil make winemother grapes to grow? Which of the blessed will have this honour betrothed him by Aion (Time) [Khronos]? Hide it not, I adjure you, because of all the Sisters I alone have no privilege of honour! I provide no fruit, no corn, no meadowhay, no rain from Zeus.Ά
She spoke, and Helios cheered the nurse of the fruitage to come. He raised a finger, and pointed out to his circling daughter close to a wall opposite the separated tablets of Harmonia. In these are recorded in one group all the oracles which the prophetic hand of Phanes first born engraved as ordained for the world, and drew with his pencil the house proper for each [the astronomical house or zodiac sign]." -Dionysiaca 12.15
"[When Aphrodite entered a contest against Athena in weaving she neglected her duties in love] Aion (Time), the ancient who guides our existence, was disturbed, and lamented the bond of wedlock used no more." ΤDionysiaca 24.261
"And then whirling Khronos (Time), rolling the wheel of the fourseason year, was whirling along for the sixth year." ΤDionysiaca 36.420
"For then Khronos (Time) rolling in his ambit prolonged the truce of combat and strife between Indians and Mygdonians." ΤDionysiaca 38.10
"So great a marvel ancient [an eclipse] eternal Aion (Time) our foster-father has never brought, since Phaethon, struck by the steam of fire divine, fell tumbling half-burnt from HeliosΆs lightbearing chariot, and was swallowed up in the Celtic river." -Dionysiaca 38.90
"I [Helios] carry the measures of time (khronos), surrounded by the four Horai (Seasons), about the same centre, until I have passed through a whole house [of the Zodiac] and fulfilled one complete month as usual ... Against Mene the moon I move my rolling ball ... and pass on my endless circuit about the turning-point of the Zodiakos, creating the measures of time (khronos)." -Dionysiaca 38.235
"The city of Beroe was there [at the very beginning of time], which Aion (Time) with hia first appearing saw when born together with his agemate Gaie (Earth)." -Dionysiaca 41.82
"O Beroe [the first city born at the very creation of the universe], root of life, nurse of cities, the boast of princes, the first city seen, twin sister of Aion (Time), coeval with the universe." -Dionysiaca 41.142
"Aion (Time), his [ancient Okeanos'] coeval, with his aged hands swaddled about the newborn girlΆs [Beroe goddess of the city famous for its law-code] body the robes of Dike (Justice), prophet of things to come; because he would put off the rope-like slough of his feeble old scales, and grow young again bathed in the waves of Law." -Dionysiaca 41.155

Aion was the vital sap=(o?½. μ?£ΗΦ Ψ????)that flows inside every being, his vitality and his fate. Aion went beyond death in the shape of a snake. He was cosmic water and Ocean and,as a creative and destrucrive being, he had a vital force.He represented the universal soul.

Named after the planet "Mercury" (the origin of the symbol Hg is the Latin word "hydrargyrum" meaning "liquid silver")

Mercury was known to ancient Chinese and Hindus before 2000 BC and was found in tubes in Egyptian tombs dated from 1500 BC It was used to forma amalgams of other metals around 500 BC. The Greeks used mercury in ointments and the Romans used it, unfortunately for those using it, in cosmetics.
Mercury is one of the elements which has an alchemical symbol, shown below (alchemy is an ancient pursuit concerned with, for instance, the transformation of other metals into gold).

Sometime prior to the autumn of 1803, the Englishman John Dalton was able to explain the results of some of his studies by assuming that matter is composed of atoms and that all samples of any given compound consist of the same combination of these atoms. Dalton also noted that in series of compounds, the ratios of the masses of the second element that combine with a given weight of the first element can be reduced to small whole numbers (the law of multiple proportions). This was further evidence for atoms. Dalton's theory of atoms was published by Thomas Thomson in the 3rd edition of his System of Chemistry in 1807 and in a paper about strontium oxalates published in the Philosophical Transactions. Dalton published these ideas himself in the following year in the New System of Chemical Philosophy. The symbol used by Dalton for mercury is shown below. [See History of Chemistry, Sir Edward Thorpe, volume 1, Watts & Co, London, 1914.]

Mercury is the only common metal liquid at ordinary temperatures. Mercury is sometimes called quicksilver. It rarely occurs free in nature and is found mainly in cinnabar ore (HgS) in Spain and Italy. It is a heavy, silvery-white liquid metal. It is a rather poor conductor of heat as compared with other metals but is a fair conductor of electricity. It alloys easily with many metals, such as gold, silver, and tin. These alloys are called amalgams. Its ease in amalgamating with gold is made use of in the recovery of gold from its ores.
The most important salts are mercuric chloride HgC12 (corrosive sublimate - a violent poison), mercurous chloride Hg2Cl2 (calomel, occasionally still used in medicine), mercury fulminate (Hg(ONC)2, a detonator used in explosives), and mercuric sulphide (HgS, vermillion, a high-grade paint pigment).
Organic mercury compounds are important - and dangerous. Methyl mercury is a lethal pollutant found in rivers and lakes. The main source of pollution is industrial wastes settling to the river and lake bottoms.
As mercury is a very volatile element, dangerous levels are readily attained in air. Mercury vapour should not exceed 0.1 mg m-3 in air. Air saturated with the vapour at 20¨C contains mercury in a concentration far greater than that limit. The danger increases at higher temperatures. It is therefore important that mercury be handled with care. Containers of mercury should be securely covered and spillage should be avoided. Mercury should only be handled under in a well-ventilated area. If you are in possession of any mercury you are advised to contact a properly qualified chemist or public health laboratory for its safe disposal.
Small amounts of mercury spillage can be cleaned up by addition of sulphur powder. The resulting mixture should be disposed of carefully.

Mercury is a dreadful poison and is absorbed readily through the respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract, and through skin. It is a cumulative poison since there are few pathways available to the body for its excretion. As mercury is a very volatile element, dangerous levels are readily attained in air. Mercury vapour should not exceed 0.1 mg m-3 in air. Air saturated with the vapour at 20¨C contains mercury in a concentration far greater than that limit. The danger increases at higher temperatures. It is therefore important that mercury be handled with care. Containers of mercury should be securely covered and spillage should be avoided. Mercury should only be handled under in a well-ventilated area. If you are in possession of any mercury you are advised to contact a properly qualified chemist or public health laboratory for its safe disposal. Small amounts of mercury spillage can be cleaned up by addition of sulphur powder. The resulting mixture should be disposed of carefully. All mercury compounds are extremely toxic and are to be avoided and should only be handled by competent personnel taking proper precautions. Organomercury compounds are particularly toxic, methyl mercury extremely so. Mercury affects the central nervous system and has bad affects upon the mouth, gums, teeth. Ultimately high exposre results in death.

Sulphur is essential to life. It is a minor constituent of fats, body fluids, and skeletal minerals. Sulphur is a key component in most proteins since it is contained in the amino acids methionine and cysteine. Sulphur-sulphur interactions are important in determining protein tertiary structure. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) replaces H2O in the photosynthesis of some bacteria. In people, hydrogen sulphide in very small concentrations can be metabolized, but in higher concentrations it kills quickly by preventing respiration. It is insidious in that it deadens the sense of smell quickly, meaning victims may be unaware of its presence. It is more toxic than cyanide. Remarkably, sulphuric acid (H2SO4) is present in the digestive fluids of sea squirts (ascidians).

Here are a few notes about the hazards and risks associated with sulphur.
Elemental sulphur is relatively harmless, but is very toxic to many bacteria and fungi. Sulphur dust irritates eyes and eyelids. Carbon disulphide, hydrogen sulphide, and sulphur dioxide should be handled extremely carefully. Hydrogen sulphide in very small concentrations can be metabolised, but in higher concentrations it can cause death quickly by respiratory paralysis. It is insidious in that it quickly deadens the sense of smell and is more toxic than cyanide. Sulphur dioxide is a dangerous component in atmospheric air pollution and is one of the factors responsible for acid rain. Carbon disulphide, CS2, is an important industrial solvent. It must be handled carefully since it is poisonous. It is easily absorbed through skin and by inhalation. It causes problems to the central nervous system.

From the Sanskrit word "sulvere" meaning "sulphur"; also from the Latin word "sulphurium" meaning "sulphur"
Sulphur was known in ancient times and referred to in Genesis as brimstone. Assyrian texts dated around 700-600 BC refer to it as the "product of the riverside", where deposits could be found. In the 9th century BC, Homer mentioned "pest-averting sulphur". In 424 BC, the tribe of Bootier destroyed a city's walls using a burning mixture of coal, sulphur, and tar.
Around the 12th century, the Chinese, probably, discovered gun powder (a mixture of potassium nitrate, KNO3, carbon, and sulphur).
Sulphur is one of the elements which has an alchemical symbol, shown below (alchemy is an ancient pursuit concerned with, for instance, the transformation of other metals into gold). Alchemists knew that mercury can be fixed with sulphur.

Possibly Antoine Lavoisier should be credited with convincing the scientific community that sulphur is an element (around 1777).
Sometime prior to the autumn of 1803, the Englishman John Dalton was able to explain the results of some of his studies by assuming that matter is composed of atoms and that all samples of any given compound consist of the same combination of these atoms. Dalton also noted that in series of compounds, the ratios of the masses of the second element that combine with a given weight of the first element can be reduced to small whole numbers (the law of multiple proportions). This was further evidence for atoms. Dalton's theory of atoms was published by Thomas Thomson in the 3rd edition of his System of Chemistry in 1807 and in a paper about strontium oxalates published in the Philosophical Transactions. Dalton published these ideas himself in the following year in the New System of Chemical Philosophy. The symbol used by Dalton for sulphur is shown below. [See History of Chemistry, Sir Edward Thorpe, volume 1, Watts & Co, London, 1914.]

___

Sodium Chloride, NaCl
Salt, or sodium chloride, is such a basic requirement for life, that all animals are equipped with special taste-buds in the tongue in order that we may detect it. Salt, or more specifically, the sodium component of the compound is needed to maintain proper fluid balance and to control nerve and muscle activity and so all our body fluids contain salt. Which is why tears and blood always taste salty. Even saliva, derived from the Latin word for salt, sal contains salt.

Mercury, in its various forms, has a great affinity for certain minerals, as well as protein and non-protein molecules in the body. Mercurials have a great attraction to the sulfhydryls or thiols. The mercury atom or molecule will tend to bind with any molecule present that has sulfur or a sulfur-hydrogen combination in its structure. This process of combining with a metal to form a complex in which the metallic ion is sequestered and firmly bound is called chelation. A thiol is any organic compound containing a univalent radical called a sulfhydryl and identified by the symbol -SH (sulfur-hydrogen). A thiol can attract one atom of mercury in the ionized form and have it combine with itself. Because it is a radical, it can enter into or leave this combination without any change. Mercury and lead both have a great affinity for sulfur and sulfhydryls and are capable of affecting the transsulfuration pathways in the body.

The primary sulfur-containing protein amino acids in the body are cystine, cysteine, methionine, and taurine. There is also a sulfur-containing tripeptide (having three amino acids) called glutathione that is composed of glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine. Sulfur exists in a reduced form (-SH) in cysteine and in an oxidized form (-S-S) as the double molecule cystine. Whenever mercury binds to one of these sulfur-containing molecules, it reduces the molecule's availability for normal metabolic functions.

Sulfur is present in all proteins, which makes it universally available throughout the body for binding with mercury. Some of the important biochemical sulfur-containing compounds of the body besides glutathione are insulin, prolactin, growth hormone, and vasopressin, and science has not yet investigated the effect of mercury upon them. Mercury has a particularly high affinity for thiol groups and progressively less for other groups in the following sequence: sulfur, amides, amines, carbon, and phosphate. Because of this, mercury has the potential of binding to proteins throughout the body. Mercury compounds are formed by the binding of mercury to the biological binders albumin or cysteine.

The principal biological reaction of mercury is with thiols to form mercury mercaptides. The sulfur groups are often referred to as mercaptans because of their marked affinity for mercury. Mercaptan is defined as any compound containing reduced sulfur bound to carbon. When a metal, such as mercury, replaces the hydrogen ion of the reduced sulfur, the resulting compound is called a mercaptide. Mercury can form at least three compounds with cysteine in which all or a part of the mercury is bound firmly as a mercaptide. Mercury may cause damage, especially to the placenta, by inactivation of sulfhydryl groups in cellular enzymes.