(90) The word Water [Water] is thrust forth from the Heart, and closes the Teeth together, and passes over the astringent and bitter Qualities, and touches them not, but goes forth through the Teeth, and the Tongue contracts and rouzes up itself together with the Spirit, and helps to hiss, and so qualifies, mixes, or unites with the Spirit, and the Spirit presses very forcibly through the Teeth. But when the Spirit is almost quite gone forth, then the astringent and bitter Spirit contracts and rouzes up itself, and afterwards first qualifies with the Word, but yet sits still in its Seat, and afterwards jars mightily and strongly in the Syllable-ter.

(23) Therefore, my beloved Soul, be lively, and see what thy noble Bridegroom has left thee in his Testaments for a Legacy; as namely, in the Baptism, the Water of his Covenant, flowing from his holy original Body. Whereas we in this World, viz. in the external Birth of his Body, do acknowledge four Things, namely, Fire, Air, Water, and Earth, wherein our earthly Body consists; so likewise in the heavenly Body there are four such Things. The Fire is the Enkindling of the divine Desire. The Water is that which the Fire desires, whence it becomes meek, and a Light. The Air is the joyful Spirit which blows up the Fire, and makes in the Water the Motion. And the Earth is the true Essence which is born in the three Elements, and is rightly called Ternarius Sanctus [the Sacred Ternary,] in which the Tincture is brought forth in the Light of the Meekness; and therein also is born the holy Blood out of the Water, being an Oil of the Water, in which the Light shines, and the Spirit of Life consists.

(30) Behold the Water in the Deep above the Earth, which qualifies, mixes, or unites with the elementary Air and Fire, that is the Water of the astral Birth or Geniture, wherein stands the astral Life, and wherein especially the Holy-Ghost moves, and through which the third and innermost Birth does generate incomprehensibly, as to the Wrath of God therein: And that Water to our Eyes seems like the Air.

(28) This is thus in the Original of the Quality in itself; but in the Midst, in the rising up of this fierce Spirit, this Spirit is caught and mitigated in the sweet Water, where its fierce Source or Fountain is changed into a trembling, bitter, and greenish Colour, like a greenish Darkness, and retains in itself the Condition and Property of all three Qualities, viz. of the fiery, astringent, and sweet, and so from these three exists the fourth Quality, viz. the bitter.

(71) Bracus* saith: How elegantly Mundus hath described this sulphureous water! For unless solid bodies are destroyed by a nature wanting a body, until the bodies become not-bodies, and even as a most tenuous spirit, ye cannot [attain] that most tenuous and tingeing soul, which is hidden in the natural belly. And know that unless the body be withered up and so destroyed that it dies, and unless ye extract from it its soul, which is a tingeing spirit, ye are unable to tinge a body therewith.

(1) Likewise of that Breath, water is the body. Its light- form is yon moon. As far as Breath extends, so far extends water, so far yon moon. These are all alike, all infinite. Verily he who worships them as finite wins a finite world. Likewise he who worships them as infinite wins an infinite world. One's self identified with the sixteenfold Prajapati

(56) For the sweet Quality is the Heart of the Water, for it is thin and light or bright, and is like Heaven: and the bitter Quality makes it separable or distinct, so that the Powers form themselves into Members, and cause Mobility in the Body.

(75) Hearken, thou hast the sweet Water in thee, pour that into the Fire, and then it goes out: If thou lettest it burn, then it consumes in thee the Sap, that is, in all the seven qualifying or fountain Spirits, so thou wilt become dry.

(41) first, because in the sweet Water the Spirit of Light is generated, and imbibes or gives Drink to the astringent, hard and cold Qualities; also it enlightens them, and warms them; for in Water, Light, and Heat, the Life consists. And

(20) "(Last Digestion.) IN GREAT MEASURE IT ASCENDS FROM THE EARTH UP TO HEAVEN, AND DESCENDS AGAIN, NEWBORN, ON THE EARTH, AND THE SUPERIOR AND THE INFERIOR ARE INCREASED IN POWER. The Azoth ascends from the Earth, from the bottom of the Glass, and redescends in Veins and drops into the Earth and by this continual circulation the Azoth is more and more subtilized, Volatilizes Sol and carries the volatilized Solar atoms along with it and thereby becomes a Solar Azoth, i.e. our third, and genuine Sophic Mercury, and this circulation of the Solar Azoth must continue until it ceases of itself, and the Earth has sucked it all in, when it muse become the black pitchy matter, the Toad [the substances in the alchemical retort and also the lower elements in the body of man], which denotes complete putrefaction or Death of the Compound.

(19) Dardaris saith: It is common knowledge that the Masters* before us have described Permanent Water. Now, it behoves one who is introduced to this Art to attempt nothing till he is familiar with the power of this Permanent Water, and in commixture, contrition, and the whole regimen, it behoves us to use invariably this famous Permanent Water. He, therefore, who does. not’ understand Permanent Water, and its indispensable regimen, may not enter into this Art, because nothing is effected without the Permanent Water. The force thereof is a spiritual blood, whence the Philosophers have called it Permanent Water, for, having pounded it with the body, as the Masters before me have explained to you, by the will of God it turns that body into spirit.* For these, being mixed together and reduced to one, transform each other; the body incorporates the spirit, and the spirit incorporates the body into tinged spirit, like blood. And know ye, that whatsoever hath spirit the same hath blood also as well. Remember, therefore, this arcanum!

(23) And there the holy Tincture is generated out of the Essences, which regards not the Fire, but sets the Essences (viz. the Soul) in its pleasant Joy. Then come the other three Elements out of their Regions, and fill themselves also by Force Or Dominion. therein, each of them would taste of the Virgin, receive her and qualify [or mingle] with her: viz. the Water, that fills itself by Force also therein, and it tastes the sweet Tincture of the Soul. And the Fire says; I would willingly keep the Water, for I can quench my Thirst therewith, and refresh myself therein. And the Air says; I am indeed the Spirit, I will blow up the Heat and Fire, that the Water do not choak thee. And the Fire says to the Air; I will keep thee, for thou upholdest my Quality for me, that I also go not out. And then comes the Element [of] (Earth) and says; What will you three do alone? You will starve and consume one another; for you depend all three on one another and devour yourselves, and when you shall have consumed the Water, then you extinguish; for the Air cannot move, unless it has some Water; for the Water is the Mother of the Air, which generates the Air: Moreover, the Fire becomes much too fierce [violent and eager] if the Water be consumed, and consumes the Body, and then our Region is out, and none of us can subsist.

(67) The three Elements, Fire, Air, and Water, have a threefold Moving or Qualification, but proceed from one Body; and consider, the Fire or Heat swells and flies aloft from the Sun and Stars; and from the Heat the Air swells and flies aloft; and from the Air comes the Water. [Or expands itself.]

(69) But seeing the Water, which is the Spirit of the astral Life, stood in the Midst or Center of Wrath, and also in Death, thereupon also every Body formed itself as the Birth or Geniture to Life and Mobility was. Of the Earth.

(98) The Meaning is not, that the Water dies quite; no, that cannot be, but the astringent Spirit takes the Sweetness, or the Unctuosity and Fatness of the Water captive in its cold Fire, and qualifies, mixes, or unites therewith, and makes use thereof for its Spirit: Its own Spirit being wholly benumbed, and in Death, therefore it makes use of the Water for its Life, and draws out its Unctuosity or Fatness to itself, and bereaves it of its Power. And

(38) There each Spirit tastes of the other, and gets mere new Strength and Power, for the astringent Quality grows now very pliable and yielding, because it is mitigated by the Power of the Light that springs out of the sweet Water, and in the Fire the meek Love rises up, for it warms the Coldness, and the sweet Water makes the sharp Taste very pleasant, lovely, and mild.

(108) I. First, there is the Power, from which a Body comes to be, whether Wood, Stone, or Herbs. II. After that, there is a Sap in that Thing, which is the Heart of the Thing. III. And thirdly, there is in it a springing, flowing Power, Smell or Taste, which is the Spirit of the Thing, whereby it grows and increases. Now if any of these Three fail, the Thing cannot subsist.

(72) This Spirit takes its Original in the Fire-flash, that is, in the bitter Quality, and rises up in the Flash through the sweet Water, wherein it mitigates itself, so that it becomes clear and bright, and is reserved and kept in the astringent Quality, and there it touches or stirs all the Spirits; and from this Touching or Stirring rises up the Tone; its rising Source or Quality stands in the Flash, and its Body or Root stands in the sweet Water in the Love.

(158) so the sweet Water being dried up, the bitter Quality (which existed and was generated by the first Flash, when the Light kindled itself) rose up in the Body through all the Spirits, as if it would destroy the Body, and so raved and raged like the rankest or worst Poison. And so

(33) In this rising up, the astringent Quality becomes meek, light, thin, or transparent, and pleasant or lovely, and obtains its Life, whose Original rises up out of the Heat in the sweet Water, and this now is the true Fountain or Well-spring of Love. Observe this in the deep Sense. [Observe this in the deep Sense.]