Art by Rafał Kowalski, Rebis, 2021 (This image appears originally in the book of Basil Valentine)
“I am the dragon, venomous, present everywhere, and to be obtained at the smallest price. Upon that which rests above me do I rely, and whoever investigates me within myself shall discover the truth. My water and fire destroy, and by compounding them you will extract from my body the green and the red lion. If you do not know me precisely, you will abuse my fire with your five senses.
A scorching venom emerges from my nostrils, which has brought ruin to many. Therefore, carefully separate the coarse from the subtle, and you will rejoice in extreme wealth. I generously bestow upon you the riches of the heavens and the earth, equally for men and women. But the mysteries of my soul must be handled courageously and magnanimously. If you desire to operate in this work, which involves many labors and much wealth, you must subject yourself to the fire of my soul.
I am the egg of nature, known to the wise by the sun alone, who have generated from me the pious and modest microcosm. It is prepared by the divine will of the Supreme God, yet granted to very few, even though many fruitlessly desire it. It has been given that the poor may be enriched by my treasure, but let them not fix their souls on perishable gold. I am called Mercury by the philosophers, my spouse is gold (the Philosophical Stone).
I am the ancient dragon, present everywhere on the earth, father, mother, youth, and elder. I am the strongest and most subtle, visible and invisible, hard and soft, mortal and rejuvenating. I descend to the earth and ascend to the heavens, the highest and the lowest, the heaviest and the lightest. In the natural order, I am often found in color, number, weight, and measure, containing natural light, both obscure and luminous. Emerging from the earth, I am known and am as though nothing at all, and yet I bring forth all colors to shine, and metals are perfected through the rays of the sun: the solar carbuncle, the most noble earthly matter, by which copper, iron, tin, and lead are transmuted into gold.”