Prima materia

This article is about a concept in alchemy. For other uses, see Materia (disambiguation).
For the jazz group Prima Materia, see Rashied Ali.
Alchemical emblem depicting the omnipresence of the philosophical matter. "The Stone that is Mercury, is cast upon the Earth, exalted on Mountains, resides in the Air, and is nourished in the Waters."[1] (Michael Maier's Atalanta Fugiens. 1617.) The cubes represent prima materia.

In alchemy and philosophy, prima materia, materia prima or first matter (for a philosophical exposition refer to: Prime Matter), is the ubiquitous starting material required for the alchemical magnum opus and the creation of the philosopher's stone. It is the primitive formless base of all matter similar to chaos, the quintessence or aether. Esoteric alchemists describe the prima materia using simile, and compare it to concepts like the anima mundi.

  1. ^ Michael Maier. Atalanta Fugiens. 1617. Emblem 36. Translation Peter Branwin. http://www.levity.com/alchemy/atl35-40.html