Skip to main content

Prime Matter

Prime Matter

Prime matter is the principle in alchemy and hermeticism that there is an apex of matter, which cruder matter can have finer matter released from inferior material to make those higher up in the hierarchy (Copenhaver 2015, 157). It is also included in the idea that material properties may be detached from a thing’s body, seen as bare featureless, prime matter, which is able to accept different properties (Copenhaver 180). From this, the basis for alchemy can be seen. If a substance may be stripped of its properties and assigned new properties, it would allow that under certain conditions, one metal could be transformed into gold.  Inherent in this belief is the connection to the teachings of Aristotle, specifically dualism which states that matter and physical properties are not directly connected, and which allows matter to be given new properties. This idea was expanded on by Geber, who deviated from the Aristotelian origins of the principle of prime matter, differing in the core substances that make up all matter, noting that the differences in materials are mainly qualitative consisting of differences in color, smell, taste, texture etc. as well as having slight micro structural differences. This variation on the principles of prime matter originating from Aristotle by Geber incorporates the idea of atomism into the teachings of Aristotle as well as having strong roots in the principles and application of transformations and alchemy (Copenhaver 2015, 180). 

Key Words: Teleology, Dualism, hidden qualities, atomism alchemy, transformation, hermeticism. 

References:
Copenhaver, B. (2015). The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment. Penguin Classics.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sorcery

Sorcery A sorcerer is a person who practices magic and thus has the ability to make the unexplainable happen. However, sorcery does not just refer to any type of magic. According to Copenhaver, sorcery is also known as a “magical wrongdoing” (Copenhaver 2015, 93). Another word for harmful sorcery is “Maleficium”, which is seen as a criminal offense (Apuleius 2015, 143). It is said that even Moses, after bringing about the Ten Commandments, claimed that sorcery was evil and should be illegal (Copenhaver 2015, 17). This practice is commonly associated with witches, who were seen as evil because of their suspected relations with the devil. Witches were believed to be able to manipulate the feelings or actions of others as well as cause damage using mysterious methods of magic (Burchard 2015, 273). This kind of sorcery was feared by all and the suspicion that resulted often led to the accused women being put to death. Sorcery was not only associated with witches, but with other ki...
Post a Comment
Read more

Superstition

Superstition Superstition is the belief that an event can be caused as a result of a supernatural happening or being. People who are superstitious readily attribute magical qualities to objects and events with the belief that something larger is going on than meets the eye. Augustine, a student of the psychology of superstition, explains that “Anything undertaken by humans to make and worship idols is superstitious, whether it involves giving divine honours to a creature or any part of a creature or enquiries and certain pacts and marks agreed and contracted with demons – like those attempted in the magical arts” (Augustine 2015, 241). This claims that people who are superstitious are in accordance with demons and usually possess a magical worldview. Superstition can run deep in a culture’s beliefs. Copenhaver explains that superstition was extensively woven into society and showed itself through “Ordinary customs and conventions” (Copenhaver 2015, 248), meaning that their norma...
Post a Comment
Read more

Witch

Witch : A witch could be classified in two different ways: the religious kind of witch who is linked with the Devil/demons and then the maleficium type of witch. According to the Bible it is believed that, “demons are the angels who fell from heaven,” and that these demons have the power to do things we cannot (Copenhaver 2015, 341). And so, the people who “lead demons to do such things are called witches ” (Copenhaver 2015, 341). In the Christian religion, you have powerful figures like, God and Jesus, and you have angels who were considered good and connected to heaven and devils who were the scary negative figures associated with hell. Witches were often classified as Christians and individuals who made a deal with the devil. Through the late seventeenth century these witches who were associated with the devil were viewed as individuals who might have had “actual demons living inside of them” (Copenhaver 2015, 339). They would “work with demons to produce actual effect...
Post a Comment
Read more