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[Alexandr Korol]

“Stages of the Great Work
The Great Work consists of various operations (crystallization, evaporation, sublimation, etc.) and includes several stages characterized by the changing colors of the components: the so-called black, white, yellow, and red phases (nigredo, albedo, citrinitas, and rubedo).
Nigredo — the preparatory stage, associated with lead. Its alchemical symbol is typically the raven. During this stage, the Philosophical Mercury is dissolved and the Sulfur is coagulated.
Albedo — from the resulting luminous liquid, impurities are evaporated, producing the lesser elixir (Aqua Vitae), capable of transmuting metals into silver.
Citrinitas — the third stage, recognized only by early alchemists. Its detailed description has not survived.
Rubedo — the fourth and final stage, signifying the completion of a new union (marriage) between Mercury and Sulfur. Rubedo is associated with the planet Jupiter and the Sun, and with the fourth lunar phase. The product of rubedo is the Great Elixir, or Magisterium.
The number of components required for the realization of the Philosopher’s Stone was interpreted differently by various alchemists. While Mercury and Sulfur together formed the Rebis, some added Salt as a third essential component.”

Here’s another interesting and essential topic — important simply for broadening one’s horizons and gaining enough background to understand the material I’ll be sharing later. It’s necessary to become familiar with the Wikipedia section on the “Emerald Tablet”. “The Emerald Tablet (Latin: Tabula Smaragdina) is one of the most important texts of Hermeticism and became widely known through its Latin translation. According to legend, the text of the Tablet was left by Hermes Trismegistus on a tablet of emerald in an Egyptian temple, and was discovered either on Hermes’s tomb by Apollonius of Tyana, or — according to another version — by Alexander the Great.”