A Perfect Specimen of the English Gold Noble (1344) in the Kelsey I.
Newman Collection. Traditionally Stated to have been Made from Alchemical Gold]
Some years ago a medal was exhibited in the Imperial Treasury in Vienna, which had been partly transmuted into gold by the stone used by the monk Wenzel Seiler who had been ennobled by Leopold I with the title Wenzeslaus Ritter von Reinburg. Recent tragic events make its present whereabouts doubtful. It is traditionally stated that the true Philosopher’s Stone was hung in the Ark by Noah to give light to life and radiance to the world after the Flood-darkness. This legend is a parable expressing the highest truth, for the Philosopher’s Stone that carries light into the darkness of materialism is the true Stone of the Wise. Among the discoveries made in the search for the Philosopher’s Stone the following are given by Dr. Brewer; the invention of Dresden porcelain by Botticher, that of gun powder by Roger Bacon, of the properties of acids and various substances by Prince Geber, of the nature of gases by Van Helmont, of salts by Dr. Glauber, etc.
POLISH STONES, POLAND STONES, POLES’ STONES. It has frequently been stated that the Poles originated the wearing of birth stones, but this practice is a very remote one and was recommended by ancient philosophers long before the Polani came to Polska. The Poles are naturally gifted with fine imagination and psychic intuition, therefore they readily absorbed the spiritual philosophies of the Jewish wanderers who received asylum in Poland. The fondness of the Poles for beautiful gems is proverbial and the spread of the knowledge of the occult virtues found to exist in these beautiful crystallizations was more marked in Polska than in any other country. It is also not to be wondered at that so many of the lists given are incorrect. In this book an endeavour is made to set right the many errors that have so naturally crept in. Usually the Poland Stones are doubtfully classified as follows:
| THE MONTHS | |
| January | Garnet, emblem of constancy. |
| February | Amethyst, emblem of sincerity. |
| March | Bloodstone, emblem of courage. |
| April | Diamond, emblem of innocence. |
| May | Emerald, emblem of love success. |
| June | Agate, emblem of health and longevity. |
| July | Carnelian, emblem of contentment. |
| August | Sardonyx, emblem of married happiness. |
| September | Chrysolite, emblem of protection from insanity. |
| October | Opal, emblem of hope. |
| November | Topaz, emblem of fidelity. |
| December | Turquoise, emblem of prosperity. |
The emblems of the stones are fairly correct.
| THE PLANETS | ||
| Saturn | Lead | Turquoise |
| Jupiter | Tin | Carnelian |
| Mars | Iron | Emerald |
| Sun | Gold | Diamond |
| Venus | Copper | Amethyst |
| Mercury | Quicksilver | Loadstone |
| Moon | Silver | Crystal |
The metals of the planets are correctly given and do not appear ever to have been disputed. The Turquoise of Saturn is correctly the Odontolite or Bone Turquoise. The Emerald is a stone of Venus, the Amethyst a stone of Jupiter, the Loadstone a stone of Mars. The Crystal has often been admitted as influenced by the Moon although it is more acceptable for quabalistic considerations to identify it with Neptune.
| THE ZODIAC | ||
| 1. | Aries | Ruby |
| 2. | Taurus | Topaz |
| 3. | Gemini | Carbuncle |
| 4. | Cancer | Emerald |
| 5. | Leo | Sapphire |
| 6. | Virgo | Diamond |
| 7. | Libra | Jacinth |
| 8. | Scorpio | Agate |
| 9. | Sagittarius | Amethyst |
| 10. | Capricorn | Beryl |
| 11. | Aquarius | Onyx |
| 12. | Pisces | Jasper |
The confusion here is very marked and the reader is referred to the chapters dealing with the High Priest’s Breastplate.