Crowning of Nature.
The First Cycle of Separations and Conjunctions.
18 - 19 20 - 21 22 - 23 24 - 25 26 - 27
Sep - Con Sep - Con Sep - Con Sep - Con Sep - Con
Fire Fire Water Air Fire Air
\ \ \
Air Air \ Air \ Fire \ Water Water
\ \ \
Water Water Fire Fire Water Water Air Air Fire
Earth Earth Earth Earth Earth Earth Earth Earth Earth Earth
During the Separation phase each element in turn remains at the bottom of the flask with the Earth, this element being the one which stood at the top of the flask during the previous Conjunction phase. The two elements remaining in the upper part of the flask during the Separation phase are free to metamorphose into each other, and during the following Conjunction, this new interrelationship passes into a more rigid and fixed form in the bottom part of the retort, where all four elements come together again.
18 - 19 20 - 21 22 - 23 24 - 25 26 - 27 Sep - Con Sep - Con Sep - Con Sep - Con Sep - Con Yellow Yellow Blue Yellow Blue Grey Blue Blue Green Green Yellow Grey Green Green Yellow Yellow Blue Blue Green Green Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey GreyThese can be further analyzed so that one begins to see two cycles of transformation working through this process.
Fire Fire
/ \ / \
/ A \ / B \
/ \ / \
Air--<--Water Air-->---Water
[Clockwise] [Anti-clockwise]
A being a subtilization, a movement from Water to Air to Fire, while B is the opposite, a fixing or descent into more dense states.
Air Blue
Water Green
corresponding to colors
Fire Yellow
Earth Grey
which we find acts as the starting point for the second cycle of Separations and Conjunctions in figures 31-36.