What is a Spagyric?

Spagyrics are a type of alchemical tincture. They are made like standard tinctures, with a few extra (often quite laborious) considerations. The first is the use of astrological timing. Every herb is considered to have a ‘planetary ruler.’ Take nettle, for example, which is ruled by Mars. To make a nettle spagyric, one might begin macerating the herb on a Tuesday morning (the day ruled by Mars), just after sunrise, when Mars happens to be transiting the sign of Capricorn, where it is exalted — this would be an appropriate time to capture the strongest Martian energy.

The second consideration is the calcination of plant matter. Once the alcohol is strained away from the plant matter — what would be the end of a standard tincture — that plant matter is then calcined, i.e. burned into a pure white ash. We do this over several days in a kiln used specifically for the purpose. This ash is then distilled and purified several more times until it becomes crystalline in form, resulting in what are called the ‘plant salts.’ Once purified, these plants salts are added back into the original tincture. 

The result is a spagyric. Spagyrics are much more potent than standard herbal tinctures: a few drops of a spagyric is often as strong as an entire dropper-full of a standard tincture. They work on more levels than just the physical body, creating longer-lasting effects in the process.

With spagyrics, it’s best to begin slowly, allowing the healing to work over time and the subtler effects to take place, rather than trying to force it. Plants take patience, and have much to teach us.