Ceration
Ceration is a chemical process, a common practice in alchemy. Pseudo-Geber's Summa Perfectionis tells us ceration is "the mollification of an hard thing, not fusible unto liquefaction" and stresses the importance of correct humidity in the process. [1] Ceration is performed by continuously adding a liquid by imbibition to a hard, dry substance while it is heated. This typically results in making the substance softer, becoming like molten wax. [2]
Pernety's 1787 Mytho-Hermetic dictionary defines it somewhat differently as the time when matter passes from black to gray and then to white. This is accomplished by continuous cooking. [3] Ceration may be synonymous with similar terms for alchemical burning processes. Incineration, for example is listed by Manly P. Hall.[4] (Also see Calcination.)
References
- ^ Stanton J. Linden. "The alchemy reader: from Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton". Cambridge. 2003. pg 93.
- ^ Martinus Rulandus. "Lexicon of Alchemy". 1612
- ^ Antoine-Joseph Pernety. "Dictionnaire mytho-hermétique, dans lequel on trouvre les allégories fabuleuses des poètes, les métaphores, les énigmes et les termes barbares des philosophes hermétiques expliqués". 1787 p.70
- ^ Manly P.Hall. "The Secret Teachings of All Ages". Los Angeles. 1928. p. 507