#atalanta fugiens

[othmeralia]

Come on in, the water's fine!⁠

Maier, Michael. Atalanta Fugiens. Oppenheim, Germany: Johann-Theodor de Bry, 1618.

[argentvive]

Taylor Swift's "The Alchemy"

When the setlist came out and "The Alchemy" was on it, I posted that I wondered if the song might actually be literary alchemy. Now that the new album is out and I've seen the lyrics, I have to say I don't think it is. I have a few thoughts, though. Here are the lyrics.

This happens once every few lifetimes These chemicals hit me like white wine What if I told you I'm back? The hospital was a drag Worst sleep that I ever had I circled you on a map I haven't come around in so long But I'm coming back so strong

[Chorus] So when I touch down Call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team Ditch the clowns, get the crown Baby, I'm the one to beat 'Cause the sign on your heart Said it's still reserved for me Honestly, who are we to fight thе alchemy?

[Verse 2] Hey, you, what if I told you we'rе cool? That child's play back in school Is forgiven under my rule I haven't come around in so long But I'm making a comeback to where I belong

[Chorus] So when I touch down Call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team Ditch the clowns, get the crown Baby, I'm the one to beat 'Cause the sign on your heart Said it's still reserved for me Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy? These blokes warm the benches We've been on a winning streak He jokes that it's heroin, but this time with an "E" 'Cause the sign on your heart Said it's still reserved for me Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?

[Bridge] Shirts off and your friends lift you up over their heads Beer stickin' to the floor, cheers chanted 'cause they said "There was no chance trying to be the greatest in the league" Where's the trophy? He just comes runnin' over to me

[Chorus] Touchdown Call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team Ditch the clowns, get the crown Baby, I'm the one to beat 'Cause the sign on your heart Said it's still reserved for me Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy? These blokes warm the benches We've been on a winning streak He jokes that it's heroin, but this time with an "E" 'Cause the sign on your heart Said it's still reserved for me Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?

[Outro] This happens once every few lifetimes These chemicals hit me like white wine

The words "the alchemy" appear several times, but always in the same phrase, "who are we to fight the alchemy?" Why use that somewhat esoteric word rather than just "chemistry" or "destiny," both also three syllables? The short answer is that I think she wants to be more indirect, mysterious, but that her intended meaning is pretty close to "destiny."

What Is Alchemy?

There have been some pretty wild takes on this in the TTPD discourse--and maybe some of them even align with what Swift thinks. But if you want to go back to the original meaning of alchemy in the Western tradition, Michael Maier's diagram on the creation of the Philosopher's Stone is a good place to start (Atalanta fugiens, Emblem 21).

The alchemist (on the left) joins together the Male Principle of the Work, who corresponds to fire and air, sun, red king, heart, etc., and the Female Principle of the Work, who corresponds to earth and water, moon, white queen, mind, etc. The Male and Female are opposites. Their reconciliation and joining creates the Philosopher's Stone, a red or red-purple stone. The alchemist then projects that Stone onto base metals to convert them to gold.

(The popular idea of alchemy is that the alchemist bends over and boils a chunk of lead in his cauldron and converts it directly to gold, omitting the creation of the Philosopher's Stone entirely.)

In any case, the key idea is that the alchemist is in charge; the Male and Female Principles are passive in the process. It seems that that idea survives in Swift's line "Who are we to fight the alchemy?" In other words, she and her partner are destined to be together by forces beyond their control.

She could have simply said ""fight destiny"--or "fight our destiny," to keep the same number of syllables. But she didn't. What else does she get from using the word "alchemy"? Most fundamentally, alchemy is transformation. If she knows that, then the song is suggesting that the lovers coming together is transforming them, elevating them to gold.

I'm sure this is a coincidence, but in the two lines before "Who are we to fight the alchemy," Swift's lover is marked as heart.

Cause the sign on your heart Said it's still reserved for me

As noted above, "heart" is a defining characteristic of the Male Principle of the Work. She doesn't define herself as "mind," though, at least not in this song. (You could read her reference to knowing Aristotle, in "So High School," that way.)

Another coincidental alchemy reference is in the line "ditch the clowns, get the crown." The Male Principle is often called the Red King (and the Female Principle the White Queen). You could read this line as her telling her partner to get the crown of the Red King. Or, you could just say it's a reference to the Super Bowl.

Trismosin, Splendor Solis.

If you believe that the song is about Travis Kelce, then the Kansas City Chiefs' colours being red and gold work wonderfully well with alchemy: red, the colour of the Philosopher's Stone, and gold, the objective of the alchemical process.

[spilladabalia]

Camerata Mediolanense - Hermaphroditus

[portalibis]

Atalanta fugiens, hoc est Emblemata nova de secretis naturae chymica, by Maier, Michel (1568-1622)

[esoteric-images]

[fabiansteinhauer]

[gasparodasalo]

Fortunato Chelleri (1690-1757) - Symphony No. 1 in D-Major, I. Allegro. Performed by Vanni Moretto/Atalanta Fugiens on period instruments.

[nemfrog]

A woman wearing a crown holds ribbons bearing words in Latin as she stands next to a tree with many branches while over her right shoulder, sun rays shine through a break in the clouds.

Emblema XXVI. Sapientiæ humanæ fructus Lignum vitae est. (Human wisdom is the fruit of the tree of life.) Atalanta Fugiens. 1618.

Science History Archive

[didanawisgi]

Atalanta fugiens, c. 1618 by Michael Maier

[argentvive]

Alchemical Emblem Books  Atalanta fugiens - Part 2

I’m breaking this post into two to avoid a superlong post.  Part 1 is here:

https://argentvive.tumblr.com/post/697962912031064064/alchemical-emblem-books-atalanta-fugiens-part-1

Emblem XIX If you kill one of the four, instantly all will die.  (The image shows personifications of the four elements--fire, air, water, and earth.  GRRM uses this idea in ASOIAF as a way for the men of the Night Watch to kill the Others.)

Emblem XXIV  The Wolf devoured the King and, cremated, restored him to life. (This may turn out to be the inspiration for the resurrection of Jon Snow, if GRRM ever writes it.)

Emblem XXVI The Fruit of Human Wisdom is the Tree of Life  (A person who has completed the Great Work and achieved Wisdom--personified by a woman-- will be rewarded with “health and length of days” and “glory and infinite riches,” the words on the banners she is holding.  In a story, this is the Happy Ever After, or, in Tolkien’s invented word, the Eucatastrophe.)

Emblem XXIX Just as the Salamander lives in the Fire, so does the Stone. (The salamander is a symbol for Sulphur, the Male Principle of the Work, who corresponds to fire and air)

Emblem XXXI The King swimming in the sea, crying out in a loud voice, “Whoever saves me will have a great reward”

Emblem XLVII The Wolf from the East and the Dog from the West savaged each other.  (I’ve suggested that Malcolm channels “wild dogs” in his struggle with Bonneville in La Belle Sauvage.)  

A recent essay, “Michael Maier and Mythoalchemy,” explores Maier’s alchemical readings of  Egyptian, Greek, and Roman mythology in Atalanta and his other works.  For example, Maier sees alchemical meaning in Egyptian mythology when Osiris the Sun god marries his sister Isis the Moon goddess and gets dismembered by Typhon.  

https://furnaceandfugue.org/essays/forshaw/

There are a few other printed alchemical works I’ve cited a lot that I could write about, but it seems few people are interested, so I will put this project on hold for now.  

[pathofregeneration]

Nature presupposes Natural Bodies; and Spirits as the Subjects; first ministered by Nature, upon which Art may afterwards exert itself by Preparing, Purifying, and rendering them Capable of having that produced from them, which Art proposes for its end.

— Michael Maier, Atalanta Fugiens

[eldritchboop]

18 Lost Alchemy and Occult Science Books Works Of Sir George Ripley

The Lost Book Project charges $9 for this collection. If you found this roundup useful, please consider donating to the Internet Archive instead.

The Magus: A Complete System of Occult Philosophy (1801)

Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery by M. A. Atwood (1850)

Alchemy - Rediscovered and Restored by Archibold Cockren (1914)

Ancient Cures, Charms, and Usages of Ireland: Contributions to Irish Lore by L. Wilde (1890)

Aphorismi Urbigerani by B. Urbigerus (1690)

Works Of Sir George Ripley #######

Chymische Hochzeit by C. Rosencreutz (1616)

Collectanea Chemica: Being Certain Select Treatises on Alchemy and Hermetic Medicine by Arthur Waite (1893)

Atalanta Fugiens by Michael Maiers (1617)

Dictionnaire Mytho-Hermétique - A-J. Pernety (1758)

Evphrates -  T. Vaughan (1655) Geschichte der Alchemie - K. C. Schmeider (1832)

Hercules Piochymicus - P. J. Fabre (1634)

The Alchemical Writings of Edward Kelly - E. Kelly (1893) The Lives of Alchemystical Philosophers by F. Barrett (1815)

The Mystery and Romance of Alchemy and Pharmacy by C. J. S. Thompson (1897)

The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry - M. M. P. Muir (1902)

The Turba Philosophorum by E. A. Waite (1896)

[ome-magical-ramblings]

Retrospective: Practice from a length and at a length.

The tree of life is the fruit of human wisdom

To greater wisdom man cannot attain, Than health with wealth to acquire, if not in vain: She in her right hand length of days extends, Her left vast heaps of treasure comprehends; To him that shall espouse her as a wife She (as the tree) will yield the fruit of life. https://furnaceandfugue.org/atalanta-fugiens/emblem26.html

He that endeavors to enter into the Philosophers Rosary without a key, is like him that would walk without feet. Roses in wisdom's garden do abound, But always under locks and bolts is found: One only key it has, of mean esteem, Yet without that you swim against the stream. He, that can scarce upon a level stand, In vain attempts Parnassus to ascend.

https://furnaceandfugue.org/atalanta-fugiens/emblem27.html

I recommend opening the respective links and listening to the audio before you read the blog to get the "vibe" of it! I recommend listening to Emblem 27 then to Emblem 26 as this is the order of the post today.

Again, I am beset with the crossroad phenomena and standing away from my practice and taking a moment of reflection and contemplation if this IS what I am thinking I am at the right path or the wrong path. It is good to take that moment of reflection and step back from what we are doing and give it a good thought and that's basically what retrospection and getting a good view of "it" is.

He that endeavors to enter into the Philosophers Rosary without a key, is like him that would walk without feet.

It is funny that king Vikramaditya had his feet chopped off in the greatness of Saturn story, in any case it is indicative of where to go and how to go about it. That's the general message here is that often faithless endeavor with the practice can lead to wandering around the gate without it opening, but even entering into the garden of mysteries with faith can be deceiving. that's the general reflection I am getting from the wandering around the gate, we can get into it with faith but without the necessary grace it is a bit hard. That's the whole idea about the key or how to enter into practice sometime it's always about that momentum and connection, that understanding and caring between you and the spirit world need to be taken as a serious play/endeavor. Push it and you get lost in the maze, play with it and it never lets you into the garden... Surprisingly I don't know what to call it except that I am always left wondering ABOUT what to call spiritual practice, it's not a play nor is it a serious thing. There need to be this slight playfulness and respectfulness to it. I always brought this up before in my blog and often this post might feel like a rehash but the second part is the thing I feel reluctant to say....

The tree of life is the fruit of human wisdom

The practice doesn't really open by forceful expedition or by intensive yogic technique or clearly defined paths of tree of life. The measure and protocols are there for a reason so stuff don't get out of hand and that's the shape and structure of the tree. The tree wouldn't grow to be strong without a sturdy trunk and body, but also within it is the receptiveness to receive light from the sun and water from the earth. That's the aspect of receptiveness where we receive the grace but also grace need that structure, language, base, and proper checks to flow through us. If we are not sufficiently able to withstand it then it is like a sapling in scorching heat or flooded by water it would start rotting inside.

In Simpler words

Again all of this is meant to prime for the message of taking the moment to reflect, to step back, and to think if we are doing too much or too little. Are we spinning the wheel aimlessly or is the direction wrong? Something to keep in mind is that we have to step back and think about where we are heading even if the road looks long with no end in sight, we shouldn't beat ourselves up and enjoy the trip!

Good luck :)

[junkazama]

I still love my period instrument recordings, but as of the past 6 months or so I've been leaning more heavily on modern ensembles playing in the "Historically Informed Performance" style like Berlin Barock Solisten and Combattimento Consort Amsterdam (or the period orchestras that stay tuned to 440 and play in a more "modern friendly" style like Venice Baroque Orchestra, L'Arte del Mondo, or Atalanta Fugiens, for example). Idk, something about it is just scratching an itch in my brain as of recent

[fabiansteinhauer]

Auf der Tafel

Der zweyköpffig Hermaphrodit gleicht einem Menschen. Der ist Todt.

Wann er, wegen geraubter Feuchtigkeit, leydet (groß Noht)

so er in finster Nacht sich decket, mustu ihm mehr Fewr geben (Welches)

So bald du thust, kompt ihm wider das Leben. All Krafft deß Steins im Fewr, all rohter Schwebel im Goldt steht.

Und der weiß Mercurius allein auß Silber hergeht.

1.

Das Büro liegt auf der Nordseite des Wissenschaftsturmes. Von ihm aus blickt man auf den Gästeturm, den Bibliotheksturm und den Innenhof des Max-Planck-Institutes. Drei Gebäudeteile werden Turm genannt, man muss sich das wie in gotischen Städten, wie in Regensburg vorstellen, also dort, wo Türme anfangen, wenn ein Gebäude aus Stein ist und fünf Stockwerke hat, während die unmittelbare, also wirklich unmittelbare, Umgebung das nicht hat.

Der Wind kommt seit Freitag aus dieser Richtung, von Norden. Er drückt gegen die Fenster, das macht er selten. Wenn ich das schmale Fenster öffne, schließe ich die Tür zu meinem Büro. Es soll in meinem Büro frisch werden, ob es woanders frisch werden soll, das weiß ich nicht, dann müsste man auch woanders lüften. Es soll auch nicht ziehen, also soll, wenn das Fenster offen ist, die Tür verschlossen sein.

2.

Seit Freitag fängt dann, an den Türangeln, jemand an zu singen. Erst wird Luft geholt, das dauert maximal fünzehn Sekunden, dann hebt der Gesang an. Steil zieht der Sound an, besser gesagt zieht er an, innerhalb von zwei Sekunden von 0 auf 100.

Das ist Carna/ Cardea, die da singt. Immer noch ist unentschieden, ob sie eine Nymphe oder eine Göttin ist. Mai wird ihr Monat sein, Anfang Juni ihr Fest und ihre Feier, dann gibt es Bohnen und Speck. Wenn der Weißdorn blüht, dann blüht auch sie. Aber jetzt singt sie schon einmal, denn solche Wesen sind immer nur entfernt, nie aber weg. Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob sie singt, weil der Nordwind gegen die Fenster drückt und durch die Spalten des offenen Fensters drängt, oder aber, weil ich mit gleich drei Texten endlich zum Schluss kommen soll oder aber aus welchen Gründen auch immer. Sie wird ihre Gründe haben, ihre Abgründe auch. Ab einem gewissen Alter muss man lernen, den Leuten weder das eine noch das andere zuzuschieben. Wenn sie was davon sagen will, wird sie es schon tun, wenn nicht, dann nicht. Jetzt will sie singen, aber nur wenn ich lüfte.

[blrowanducks-blog]

Atalanta Fugiens or Atalanta Fleeing is an emblem book with an alchemical theme by Michael Maier (1568–1622), published by Johann Theodor de Bry in Oppenheim in 1617 (2nd edition 1618). It consists of 50 discourses with illustrations by Matthias Merian, each of which is accompanied by an epigrammatic verse, prose and a musical fugue. It may therefore be considered an early example of multimedia.

At the bottom is Vulcanus, the next shows Mercurius, the third is the Moon, into the top the sun rises, which is the fire of nature. Let this chain be your commander, that it may guide your hands in art." The lower, elemental fire, whose regulation is the alpha and omega of the work, penetrates all the others and magnetically holds the chain together. Each fire has its own centre and its own movement in the Work, and one affects the other. The lunar and the mercurial fire are menstrua, strong solvents. He calls them dragons, which devour, spur on and transform the serpents of their own sex.

In the illustration (one of fifty) the upper solar fire is the great arcanum, which Paracelsus called the bright "essential fire", in contrast to the dark, elemental fire also necessary for the work (simular to the heat of digestion). This fire is the creative agent in the Work, slow burning and constant. Note the close kinship of the Latin names Sol and Sal. The colors from bottom to top are blue, white, yellow and red.