The Ancient Art of Spagyric Alchemy

A 500 year old tradition based in Rosicrucianism and intimately linked to all things.

The messages from the plant kingdom often fall upon deaf ears in this age. It is my honor to be able to amplify the bio-chemical messages in these living beings we share this earth with.

With these precious treasures, one can hear the plants messages more clearly, work with the plants more meaningfully and benefit from their medicine more profoundly.

The plants, whose earth we share, all have an important message for us. The language of the plant kingdom is one of vibrational biochemistry with astrologic rhythm. Bound up in an intricate puzzle of green mystery, is a prized healing vibration that may provide us with the catalyst for our own, innate healing.

As an Alchemist, my task is to begin the process of unfolding the plant’s potency (It’s acceptability to the human body). This art has nothing to do with stripping nature of valuable compounds, but to work with nature, to utilize natural processes to unbind the three principles of a plant.

The first principle is the Soul (known as the Essence or philosophical Sulfur). This part of the plant has the plant’s character - its personality. The most volatile compounds in a plant are the ones you can smell in its blossom. The essence of the plant is lifted from its body through steam distillation. Essential oils are a great example of a plant’s soul being unbound from its body.

The second principle is the plant’s Spirit (The Universal solvent in the plant kingdom is ethanol, or spirit. This is also known as the philosophical Mercury). All plants create ethanol when they decompose. In the alchemy of five centuries ago, this stage of decomposition or fermentation known as Putrefaction, was the first step to purifying the plant’s spirit. As an Alchemist in modern times, I can forego the tedious and potentially dangerous process of refining my own ethanol from plant matter, as pure ethanol is readily available to me (the distillery I use is located in Maine). The pure alcohol is circulated through the plant several times to unbind the plant’s unique spirit.

The third and final principle is the plant’s body (known as the Salt). This principle revolves around the hearth, where a strong fire churns. The plant, having its Soul and Spirit unbound and purified, is at its final stage of transformation. Through Incineration, the plant becomes a white ash that contains a unique composition of calcium, magnesium, silica among a long list of other minerals. Most importantly, the plant’s energetic signature resides in it’s purified mineral salt.

Our Story

It all began amongst the vibrant, luscious tropical greenery at a twenty one acre greenhouse in New Hampshire filled with beautiful Orchids, cacti and beyond. After a year and a half of caring for these plants, they spoke to me of their life. They told me of the power of the breath and all that relates to it. I became fascinated with botany and nature and before long I discovered the Herbs of Legend. The Great Daoist Tonic herbs and the legendary immortals who consumed an exclusive diet of these herbs and transcended the limitations we, of this age, find to be normal. From regrowing hair (He Shou Wu, Polygonum Multiflorum) to producing offspring decades after their 50’s (Dang Gui, Women’s Ginseng) to living into your second century (legendary master Li Ching Yuen 1677-1933, who kept a diet of many of these herbs, most notably Ginseng, Reishi, He Shou Wu, Gotu kola and goji berries brewed into a rice wine). - Montana

I grew up surrounded by woods. My deepest childhood connections are to nature, spirit and the woods. I often played making potions and immersed within the child world of ceremony in nature. Later, I read a book, Juniper, about a young girl who works with plants and the magical realm and knew deeply that I wanted to do that too. I was long waylaid by American culture and it wasn’t until my late 20’s that I found my way back to that connection and it has grown ever since. I have now been called to make flower medicine from wild flowers. I am inspired by Spagyric Alchemy. I never found tinctures to feel good in my body until we made spagyric tinctures and now I am in love with them.- Sarah

Montana and Sarah met divinely outside of Yoga by Donation in Portsmouth New Hampshire. Their path led them here, to make medicine together and share it with the world. - Us