AtDTDA (3) Alchemy of Silver (80)

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

"Lately Merle had been visited by a strange feeling that "photography" and 
"alchemy" were just two ways of getting at the same thing---redeeming light of 
precious metals. And maybe his and Dally';s long road out here was not the 
result of any idle drift but more of a secret imperative, like the force of gravity, 
from all the silver he'd been developing out into into the pictures he's been 
taking over these years---as if silver were alive, with a soul and a voice, and 
he'd been working for it as much as it for him." (80)

Guess I'm acting as a time traveller here, wandering forward into the book a bit too 
soon (8 pages or 1000, in fact, but the text we're absorbing doesn't really exist on a 
single, linear skein of time anyway, so. . . .), but herewith note that Silver will prove to 
be the essential "element" of Against the Day, the bride of the Sun, a more constant, 
healthy and desirable companion than o'er desired Gold and a most decidedly
Magickal substance. "Against the Day" is also a reference to a photographer's term:

Contre-jour, French for 'against daylight', refers to photographs taken when the 
camera is pointing directly toward the source of light.
Contre-jour has the effect making the subject backlit. This effect usually hides 
details, causes a stronger contrast between light and dark, and emphasizes 
lines and shapes. The sun, or other light source, is often seen as either a 
bright spot or as a strong glare behind the subject. Fill light may be used to 
illuminate the side of the subject facing toward the camera.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contre-jour

"They will put on smoked goggles for the glory of what is coming  to part the sky."

And Silver and Photography are tied at the root:

"In our present state of knowledge, it cannot be done," stated l9th-century chemist 
Jean Dumas, when asked to comment on production of permanent pictures from 
images produced by a lens, "but I cannot say it will always remain impossible, nor 
set the man down as mad who seeks to do it." Indeed, as an outstanding chemist 
of the period, Dumas was aware that chemists had been experimenting for many 
years with "light-reactive" compounds. In the 17th century, Italian Angelo Sala 
reported that certain compounds turn "black as ink" when exposed to the sun, 
and in 1727, German scientist Johann H. Schulze noticed, during an unrelated 
experiment, that the sun had a darkening effect on a flask of solution that he had 
inadvertently left outside for a few minutes. After placing the solution in a hot, 
dark oven, and noticing no change, he determined that light, not heat was 
responsible for this reaction.

The light-sensitive reactant in these early experiments is silver nitrate, (AgNO3), 
a very easily produced compound. One can make silver nitrate by dissolving 
silver in nitric acid, and evaporating the solution, resulting in a mass of 
transparent crystals. The compound is soluble in water, alcohol, and acetone.

http://www.chem.yorku.ca/hall_of_fame/essays00/AgNO3.htm

“Here’s your quote. 
Thomas Pynchon loved this book. 
Almost as much as he loves cameras,”

Monte Davis:
The "all-night illumination" and "inescapable glow" lead Merle to avid study 
and practice of "light-portraiture," pushing the envelope with experimental 
emulsions that-- while quite legit as chemistry -- have more than a hint of 
alchemy about them.

". . . .Back when I was still a junior alchemist, passing through 
What Cheer, Iowa, met up with this old-school spagyrist name 
of Doddling, who showed me how to get silver to grow just 
like a tree. Tree of Diana, he called it , goddess of the Moon 
and all. Take some silver, amalgamate it with quicksilver, put 
it in with just the right amount and strength of nitric acid, wait. 
Danm if pretty soon it won't start to put out branches, just like 
a tree only faster, and after a while even leaves."

     "Branches," said Lew.

     "Right before you eyes---or lens, 'cause you do need 
some magnification. Doddling said it's because silver is alive. 
Has forks in the road, choices to make, like the rest of us." (1060)

"Since ancient times, silver has been closely associated with the moon and 
lunar influences. The finest artist eyes have described the midnight sheen 
cast by the sun's reflection off of the moon in terms of silver. Silver is a cool 
color, and stands as a diametric opposite to gold. Silver is closely tied to 
Isis and all things flexible, creative, and emotionally intelligent.

In alchemy, silver is an archetype concept - one of seven. Before the periodic 
table emerged through technological advancement, there were in fact seven 
sacred metals, of which silver held a place of high esteem. In hermetic 
philosophy, an alchemical concept more than simply describes physical 
characteristics. All ideas were centered on discovering and utilizing the 
essence behind the material manifestation, with the goal of expressing in 
absolute terms primary principles governing both time and matter. Practitioners 
of the past were as much poets as scientists, and possessed unparalleled 
patience in their works.

Silver is even attributed in the ancient chakra system - a system of seven sacred 
energy centers of the body. Silver is associated with the sixth chakra, often 
referred to as the "third-eye". In this sense, silver certainly represents the 
concept of reflection, both physically ( all reflective substances are silvery ) 
and as an internal exercise of self-analysis.

Silver has always held a value above material and economic considerations. 
Gifts of silver jewelry in many cultures are given as a symbol of trust, truth, 
excellence, wisdom and love.

Even the ancient Vedas expound on the intrinsic power of silver. Within the 
Ayurvedic system of thought, all illness is rooted in an imbalance in the human 
energy system, and pure metals in precise combinations are used to help restore 
the body's electromagnetic balance to a state of equilibrium. Medically, silver 
was known to be a liver and spleen detoxifier.

In Roman and Greek Mythology, the First Age was called Golden, the second 
Silver. Apollo, god of truth and light, teacher of medicine, carried a silver bow. 
His twin sister Artemis lost a hand in battle and later was given a silver 
replacement by the Irish god of healing. In the shamanic religion of Bon-Po, 
a special river filled with silver sands is said to make anyone who drinks the 
water lovely asa peacock.

Islamic alchemy gives silver an important place physically and conceptually. 
Silver was known as one of the seven sacred bodies. Alchemical procedures 
were even defined in terms of silver, i.e. the silvering of other metals; the act 
of giving other metals silver-like qualities.

As an example of how these predecessors to modern chemists thought, 
examine the following passage:

The Marrow of Alchemy

Wherefore now observe, that our Son of Saturn, must be united to a metalline, 
and mercurial form, because it is Argent-Vive alone, which is the agent our work 
requires, but common argent-vive availed nothing to our Stone, being dead, 
yet it is inclined to be actuated by the salt of Nature, and true Sulphur, which is i
ts only mate. This salt is found in Saturn's offspring, being pure within, and hath 
power to penetrate to the centre do metals, abounding with such qualities as fits 
it to enter the body of Sol, which it divided into elements, and after dissolution 
abided therewith. The Sulphur you must seek in the house of Aries, this is the 
magic fire of the wise, to heat the Kings bath, (which you may prepare in a weeks 
time) this fire lies straightly concealed, which you may unlock in an hour's time, 
and afterward wash it with a silver shower.
          - Eirenaeus Philoponos Philalethes
            London, 1655

In other alchemical texts, silver is closely related to a process known as metal 
whitening, and specific procedures are followed to transform metals until they 
reach a state of color described as a blend of all colors - silvery. A related 
yellowing process refers to turning silver into gold, which is nothing more or 
less than taking something back to an original or purified state.


Based on evidence found on islands in the Aegean Sea, mankind has practiced 
the science of separating silver from lead at least as far back as 3000 BC. 
Advances in technology and analytical methods since that time have brought us to 
extreme pinnacles in a chemical understanding of silver as both a metal and 
an element.

Silver, Ag, has an atomic number of 47. This means it is the 47th element in the 
periodic table by atomic weight and contains 47 electrons. The atomic weight of 
silver is 107.8682, and it is in a solid state at 298 degrees Kelvin. In ground state, 
it has four filled valence shells and a fifth shell with one electron. Silver has a 
hardness rated between 2.5 and 2.7, and is therefore one of the most malleable 
of all metals. Silver is white and lustrous. While it is a metal, it is more aptly 
described as a transition element. In fluids, silver can exist in four basic 
forms - as a compound, a neutral particle ( as in ground silver ), a negatively 
charged aggregate ( particle ), and a positively charged ion.

Silver Bromide and other silver-haldide salts are used extensively in photography. 
Various alloys have long been used for jewelry. Silver is an excellent conductor of 
both heat and electricity and is therefore used extensively for electrical applications. 
Up until about the 1930's, silver compounds were used as a normal part of medicine, 
silver nitrate being the prevalent form. Silver Iodide was used in babies' eyes upon 
birth to prevent blinding as the result of bacterial contamination.

Esoteric Studies and Colloidal Silver

Some practitioners of the art of colloidal silver production believe that celestial events can 
effect colloidal silver production. In particular, a few researchers have noted that the moon 
significantly influences colloidal silver production. Amateur tests conducted indicate that 
the most stable colloidal silver can be made six hours prior to moonrise, or six hours after 
the moon sets. Such practitioners widely believe that especially high quality products can 
be made during a full or new moon.

Much of the colloidal silver industry is busy creating ways to effectively speed up colloidal 
silver production to maximize the amount of colloidal silver that can be produced in a short 
amount of time. However, there are those who hold fast to the ancient alchemical belief 
that time itself is a key factor in all chemical events and that patience IS, indeed, a virtue. 
The goal under this type of philosophy is to harness the complete cycles of nature, and 
to extend the brewing time to a day, week, month, or even longer. Usually, such formulations 
would be used in homeopathic doses.

There are those who also believe that not all silver is created equal! There exists at least 
one source of silver ( from the Sahara Desert ) that hermetically learned individuals prize 
for more spiritual reasons. It is unknown if anyone uses such silvers in colloidal silver 
production - indeed it is the rare individual who even knows of its existence!

While modern researchers, scientists and chemists explore the application of silver 
through hard science and analytical studies, there are those with broader ambitions 
and a more liberal attitude toward science who have begun to consider ways to 
improve isolated silver using different approaches. Production methods utilizing flow 
forms, holoforms, and other energy/electromagnetic patterning will likely begin to 
surface as time passes. Experimentation with light, sound and various forms of 
vibration have been underway for some time. The end goal of such pursuits is to 
create an end product that is energized, highly organized, and as "naturalized" 
as possible.

Regardless of whether such efforts yield any measurable benefit, there is a poetic 
value in beautifying any process. There is certainly room in the imagination to 
contemplate the differences between a "cold moon" ( December ) or a "hunter's 
moon" ( June ) solunar silver!

The reality of quantum physics may eventually bring mankind's understanding of 
natural law closer to its original roots. Studies in standing wave technology, 
morphogenic fields, and field theory paint an increasingly broad picture of how 
our universe operates as a dynamically interwoven and elastic reality. While 
there is ample room for imagination to explore possibilities, one can only wonder 
if the poetic essence of our highly expressive ancestors will ever fully resurface 
- or if it will simply continue to lay hidden deep and silent in the soft glow of the 
silvery night, where the healers of the world bath in peace after the day's work is 
all but done.

http://www.silvermedicine.org/history.html

Alchemy
The art of alchemy was handed down through the centuries from Egypt and Arabia to 
Greece and Rome, and finally to western and central Europe. The word is derived 
from the Arabian phrase "al-kimia," which refers to the preparation of the Stone or 
Elixir by the Egyptians. The Arabic root "kimia" comes from the Coptic "khem" that 
alluded to the fertile black soil of the Nile delta. Esoterically and hieroglyphically, 
the word refers to the dark mystery of the primordial or First Matter (the Khem).

Simplified, the aims of the alchemists were threefold: to find the Stone of Knowledge 
(The Philosophers' Stone), to discover the medium of Eternal Youth and Health, and 
to discover the transmutation of metals. To the medieval alchemist’s mind the different 
elements were but the same original substance in varying degrees of purity. Gold was 
the purest of all and silver followed closely.

In the early days of alchemy, the astronomical signs of the planets were also used as 
alchemical symbols. Then in the centuries of medieval persecution and suppression 
every alchemist invented his own secret symbols. Charlatans, quacks and cheats took 
over and alchemy became, along with sorcery and witchcraft, infamous for fraud and 
extortion. In the 18th century scientists tried to pry loose the real achievements in 
chemistry, pharmacology and medicine from this confusing cornucopia of science 
and magic.

http://www.chemsoc.org/visElements/pages/alchemist/alc_silver.html

>From the great popularizer of alternative medicine, here is a collection of essays 
about his travels to South America in the early 1970s in search of information on 
altered states of consciousness, drug use in other cultures, and other matters 
having to do with the complementarity of mind and body. Andrew Weil’s 
experiences during this time laid the foundation for his mission to restore the 
connection between medicine and nature. In The Marriage of the Sun and Moon, 
now updated with a new preface by the author, the esteemed Dr. Weil ?rst 
attempts to empower patients to take fuller charge of their destinies.

http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/titledetail.cfm?titleNumber=689449