The Three Great Principles in Alchemy

In the early 1500s the Swiss alchemist Paracelsus, inspired by the earlier Sufi alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan, decided to develop the old Greek notion of the five elements, introducing the idea of the three basic alchemical principles, those being sulphur, Mercury (a.k.a. quicksilver), and salt, representing spirit, soul, and body, respectively. Much as with the four basic elements, these three do not refer to the actual physical forms of sulphur, mercury, and salt, but rather to the various processes and stages of alchemical transformation that they represent. It should also be noted here that it is easy for the casual researcher of these matters to become confused, as it is uncommon to find any two ‘authorities’ on alchemy agreeing completely on the respective symbolic meanings of sulphur, mercury, and salt. What follows is the broadest consensus of the views of a number of scholars and historians.

Sulphur: According to Paracelsus’ original teachings on the three principles of alchemy, sulphur was considered to be ‘that which boils’, or oil, and thus the aspect of unctuousness. Psycho-spiritually it symbolizes the immortal Spirit, or pure consciousness. It is generally connected to the solar and masculine principles, and symbolically to the lion.

Mercury: Mercury, also known as quicksilver, is the volatile quality of transformation, representing that which arises as a fume. It is symbolic of the vital spirit or soul, or what is sometimes called the life-force, known in various traditions by such terms as ruach, prana, or Shakti (and hence its natural connection to the breath; see Chapter Five: The Astral Light, for more). As an energetic principle it is considered to be connected to both blood and semen, key substances associated with the vital spirit or life-force. It is sometimes symbolized by the griffon, and is generally associated with the lunar and feminine polarity. (Although, paradoxically, it is also occasionally viewed as hermaphroditic in nature). It is that which unites Spirit and the worlds of material form. Some authors seem to confuse Mercury with Spirit, probably because one of the terms for the life-force is ‘vital spirit’, deriving from the Latin word for breath, spiritus.

Salt: In alchemy, salt represents the physical foundation, and may be thought of as the body in its corrective state. It is what remains from the transformational process, the ‘ashes’. It serves to ‘ground’ the volatile ‘spirit’. As with so many alchemical symbols, the meaning is at times ambivalent and seldom universally agreed on. For example, C. G. Jung, drawing from the Turba Philosophorum (a medieval alchemical work) associated Salt with the ocean (salt-water), with the lunar symbolism of the unconscious, and with the feminine polarity (he saw Mercury as hermaphroditic). Symbolic specifics notwithstanding, salt as an alchemical symbol can best be understood as pertaining to the body-mind in a purified state, in which it serves as a proper vehicle for the full flowering of consciousness.