Kabbalah-of-the-Golden-Dawn-Pat-Zalewski - D Ank Unlimited

164 The Kabbalah ofthe Golden Dawn
1. Aleph is the process of Separation of the Sulphur, Salt, and
Mercury (regardless of the Kingdom concerned), the Three
Vital Essences of the process.
2. Shin is analogous to the process of Purification, which takes
the three components' parts and purifies them to a very high
degree.
3. Mem is linked to the process of Cohobation, which is a series
of successive distillations which unify the Three Principles of
Sulphur, Salt, and Mercury and bring their vibration rate to
the level required.
If these three stages are applied to a practical application, such as
the making of a herbal alchemical tincture, they can be applied very generally,
in the following manner.
1. Rectified or distilled alcohol is poured in a glass jar partly full
of fresh herbs. This is the first stage of the Separation process
(called Maceration) as the alcohol causes the oil to separate
from the main body of the plant and float to the top. After a
period of time the alcohol, that contains the Sulphur (oil), is
then drained off into a distillation apparatus; then distillation
takes place, thus separating the alcohol (Mercury) from the oil
(Sulphur).
2. Purification occurs when the plant which had the alcohol
drained from it is calcined to a white powder (salt) over a
direct heat source. This is also where the Sulphur is evaporated
to a hard substance and then calcined as above.
3. Cohobation is when the Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt are combined
in a laboratory apparatus {such as a soxhlet) for further
use, or simply placed together, which then forms the end result
of the experiment, in this instance a tincture which is ready to
be used for medicinal purposes.
131 The Golden Dawn also adapted the Tarot Trump "Blasted Tower" to this theme.
138Pan 1, folio 54-55a.