George Ripley (c. 1415 -1490) is an English Augustinian Canon, author and alchemist. One of England's most famous alchemy practitioners, he sets the standards others follow. His writings describe processes for creating the lapis philosophorum.
He describes twelve steps in his Twelve Gates of Alchemy. Dom Pernety, a French alchemist in the eighteenth century, associates each process with one sign of the zodiac, below. The processes are HERE.
calcination (Aries)
congelation (Taurus)
fixation (Gemini)
dissolution (Cancer)
digestion (Leo)
distillation (Virgo)
sublimation (Libra)
separation (Scorpio)
ceration (Sagittarius)
fermentation (Capricorn)
multiplication (Aquarius)
projection (Pisces)
The Augustinians
Augustine of Hippo is a 5th century Christian saint. As the Western Roman Empire begins to disintegrate, Augustine imagines the Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material Earthly Church.
In the 13th century, Augustinian mendicant friars are established by hermit communities inspired by teachings of St. Augustine of Hippo. The friars embrace a life of poverty and itinerancy, relying on alms for sustenance as they travel to serve communities in need.
George Ripley's exact origins and early life are obscure. He travels through France, Germany and Italy, staying in Rome for a time. His 1471 work The Compound of Alchemy or The Twelve Gates explains the steps needed to achieve the Philosopher’s Stone.
He describes the processes as laid out in The Twelve Gates:
The first chapter will deal with Calcination, the second with Secret Dissolution, the third with our Elemental Separation, the fourth with Matrimonial Conjunction, the fifth with Putrefaction, the sixth with Albificative Freezing, the seventh with Cibation, the eighth will show the secret of Subtlety, the ninth will deal with Fermentation, the tenth with Ceration and Exaltation, the eleventh with our marvelous Multiplication, and the twelfth with Projection.
From the First Gate (Calcination):
We make a smooth, white and red lime; but before, conjoined gender with gender, for each gender responds to its seed. Man begets man, and beast another beast. Beware of one thing, if you want to obtain our Secret, which is that every Spirit freezes with the lime of its kind. If you retain this lesson well, you will make a great profit in our Science.
In1477 Pope Innocent VIII appoints him as a chamberlain. Upon his return to England in 1478, it's said he brings with him the secret of transmutation. He continues his alchemical pursuits, also giving financial support to the Knights of St. John for defense against the Turks.
The Cantilena Riplaei is among the earliest poetic works on alchemy, although it's not considered penned by Ripley. Stephanus of Alexandria is credited with possibly the first alchemical poem, De Chrysopoeia (On How to Make Gold), from the 7th century AD.
Ripley's writings are heavily influenced by the works of pseudo-Ramon Lull. The Compound of Alchemy draws mainly from the writings of an obscure fifteenth-century alchemist named Guido de Montanor.
Di Montanor follows the alchemy of the elixir and mercury exclusively, combining various teachings to suit his needs, which is one of the foundations of alchemy. A major contribution is Scala philosophorum, among the earliest works having a structured approach to alchemy.
According to some, writings found in The Compound of Alchemy are intended to be interpreted along with the Wheel, an alchemical illustration created by Ripley. The drawing represents the planets of the Solar System, with Earth perceived as the central point.
The heliocentric view of Copernicus circulates in 1548. Although Copernicus develops the theory almost forty years before, and others have given lectures based on his ideas, due to attacks on "heretics" by the Church he dares not publish it until he's on his deathbed.
When George Ripley is working, the Earth is the center of the universe and not known as a planet itself. Ripley embeds rich alchemical symbols and formulas into his art, depicting them as planetary bodies orbiting around Earth embodying components of his work.
He uses seven celestial or planetary symbols: Sol (Sun), Luna (Moon), Mercurius (Mercury), Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Uranus is discovered in the 18th century. These celestial bodies are associated with gold, silver, quicksilver, copper, iron, tin and lead respectively.
Eirenaeus Philalethes, an English alchemist, writes treatises commenting on Ripley's works. In 1677, Eirenaeus publishes an exposition in London on Ripley's "Vision" from the Twelve Gates. The English version of "Vision" is full of symbolism, but authorship is under dispute.
Vision
"When busie at my Book I was upon a certain Night,
This Vision here exprest appear'd unto my dimmed sight:
A Toad full Ruddy I saw, did drink the juice of Grapes so fast,
Till over-charged with the broth, his Bowels all to-brast:
And after that, from poyson'd Bulk he cast his Venom fell,
For Grief and Pain whereof his Members all began to swell;
With drops of Poysoned sweat approaching thus his secret Den,
His Cave with blasts of fumous Air he all bewhited then:
And from the which in space a Golden Humor did ensue,
Whose falling drops from high did stain the soil with ruddy hue...."
Ripley Scrolls
About 23 Ripley Scrolls exist, varying in size color, and detail, all based on a lost 15th-century original. The scrolls are associated with Ripley due to inclusion of his alchemical poetry and symbolism of the philosopher's stone, but they're believed to be later copies.
Non-Fiction Books:
Fiction Books:
READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series
READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries
Comments