I've read this like five times. what?

i. huh

i would like. some context????

what is this even referring to

this is some alchemy shit

no literally

yeah that's just alchemy.txt

"what?" is correct though

it is some alchemy shit but it's funny cuz the other descriptions of other processes on this page were normal

looks like this is a quote from The Emerald Tablet: And the Alchemy of Spiritual Transformation By Donald Gordon Carty et al

like yeah that checks out

yeah makes sense

then: the Putrefaction of the hermaphroditic child

putrefaction is the breakdown and the hermaphroditic child is like. a traditional part of alchemy symbolism. which is not represented particularly consistently between different alchemists

you need to understand that this is what actually breaking down the symbolism of an alchemy text looks like if you're someone really into it: A Commentary on the Rosarium Philosophorum

Hermaphrodite Child of the Sun and Moon here's some stuff on one of the hermaphroditic child texts

my intent is to understand Just Enough to use it as a coherent aesthetic guideline without actually getting so far into it I start to become picky about its application or incoherent to laypersons, as I am wont to do

https://www.daneel.frank...

oh this is alchemy

okay. i thought this was talking about actual fermenting

that's fair. the really important thing you need to understand about alchemy is that it's incredibly fun to spend like 24 hours going "oh my god. oh my god you can go FOREVER into this" and let that wash over you and then realize that this 70 year old man with the alchemy web site is already caring the maximum amount and we're all off the hook

i mean in practice it's probably actual fermentation

it is intended to be a description of actual fermentation.

that's the beauty of it.

I've never previously hyperfixated on a field where the window between "using it as a coherent aesthetic guideline" and "becoming incoherent to laypersons" is actually just a knife blade it's impossible to stand on because all the "this is what alchemy is as a whole" is mostly revisionist

I felt like I was losing my mind. it's wonderful

alchemy is great because frankly it's also incoherent to other alchemists

like fucking flower language

I bought a 239 page pdf of probably the guy who arguably understands the field broadly best in the world negging you for not having studied it for 60 years already. it's one of my favorite things

is THIS where the term “vinegar mother” originated

apparently different circles of alchemists used different code words/symbolisms to communicate their craft to each other

hoarous: god I hope so

so it's EVEN MORE IMPOSSIBLE to translate this shit coherently

I love it

while I have an alchemy plurk anyway: when you think about it, is creating a pantheon based on alchemy something like a wish-fulfillment fantasy for these kinds of alchemists since they pursued their study as a form of theology?

Hermaphrodite Child of the Sun and Moon II this page and Hermaphrodite Child of the Sun and Moon X this one are probably the ones that start to actually get into what the concept of a putrefying hermaphrodite child might have been supposed to mean, but like, lmao, as you can see

I think that it isn't because they were very much thinking of this stuff as metaphors, the creation of the metaphors was like them talking in code to each other about natural principles

the metaphors growing beyond their purpose and becoming real would actually be super fucked up I think. which rules

Yes

oh okay this is alchemy now the hermaphroditic child mention makes sense

i deadass was like

this is either alchemy or kombucha

HRNGJABFJS

COULD GO EITHER WAY REALLY

i want kombucha now

partake of the hermaphroditic child

kombucha is alchemy

so are pickles

kimchi

behold the hermaphroditic child