From the book
A New Light of Alchemy
Michael Sendivogius · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordSol and Luna name sun and moon, gold and silver, and specially qualified philosophical materials.
- In the workThe metallic account says Luna and Sol have one seed but different local conditions and degrees of digestion.
- In this editionThe 1611 preface uses Sol/Luna explicitly for metallic gold/silver under assay; the subsequent treatise sections of this edition require further distinctions.
- A place to readcolore Solis vel Lunae: The 1611 preface’s assay discussion explicitly concerns durable gold or silver coloration.
Meaning
Sol and Luna name sun and moon, gold and silver, and specially qualified philosophical materials. The text also speaks of central and heavenly lights, so a metal-only gloss is inadequate.
Use in the book
The metallic account says Luna and Sol have one seed but different local conditions and degrees of digestion. Planetary correspondence places Sol between paired planets/metals and gives it a special mediating role. The author then distinguishes “our Luna” from common silver and “our” living gold from ordinary dead gold.
The cosmic account gives sun and moon rays a distilling and life-bearing power, while the central earthly sun corresponds to the heavenly sun. In the parable the solar and lunar trees transform this vocabulary into a garden vision: the solar tree bears radiant fruit and golden leaves; the lunar tree bears white fruit and, in the selected witness, quicksilver-like leaves. These are allegorical embodiments, not separately verified botanical species.
Places to read
- Preface to the Reader · 1611 · Passage 5Latincolore Solis vel Lunae: The 1611 preface’s assay discussion explicitly concerns durable gold or silver coloration.
- Treatise IX · Passage 1LatinLuna ex eodem semine cum Sole: Shared seed is paired with unequal digestion and receptivity.
- Treatise X · Passage 2LatinLuna nostra est, (non argentum vulgi): The parenthesis excludes a simple identification with common silver.
- Epilogue · Passage 5LatinSolem coelestem habere correspondentiam cum Sole centrali: Two solar centres organize the downward and upward motions of rays.
- Parable · Passage 2Latinfolia eius erant sicuti argentum vivum: The selected 1606 reading likens the lunar tree’s leaves to quicksilver, not fine silver.
Translation in this edition
The 1611 preface uses Sol/Luna explicitly for metallic gold/silver under assay; the subsequent treatise sections of this edition require further distinctions. The parable’s lunar leaves follow 1606 argentum vivum, not the later aid’s fine silver.