Alchemy & philosophy · The Language of Alchemy, part 2 of 8 · 28 September 2026 · Charlotte Himsworth
Sulphur, Mercury and Salt: The Three Principles
Soul, spirit and body: the alchemists’ three ingredients of everything.
Medieval alchemists, following the Arabic tradition associated with Jabir ibn Hayyan, taught that metals were formed from two principles: sulphur and mercury. In the sixteenth century Paracelsus added a third, salt. Together they became the tria prima, the three first principles.
Sulphur: the soul
Sulphur is drawn as a triangle above a cross. It is the fiery, active principle: will, warmth and the desire to transform. In a person, it is the spark of purpose.
Mercury: the spirit
Mercury is the volatile, flowing principle, the go-between that connects. Its symbol joins a crescent, a circle and a cross. In a person, it is the quick, connecting mind and the breath of life.
Salt: the body
Salt, a circle divided by a line, is the fixed principle: form, stability and what remains. In a person, it is the body, the ground in which soul and spirit live.
Balance of the three
The alchemists sought harmony among the three. Too much sulphur burns; too much mercury scatters; too much salt hardens. It is the Principle of Polarity applied to a whole person.
A practice
Ask: “Which of the three is strongest in me right now: purpose, connection or form? Which needs tending?” Choose one small way to nourish the quieter one today.