Sustainable Transmutations Introduction Part 3

At the core of everything, there is – in Hermetic Terminology – a 'Palace' [space] that is a nexus containing both Heaven and Earth or the non-physical and physical reality that maintains and, indeed, is the cause of its emanation and perception. In Alchemical literature, this 'Palace' is also termed a Quintessence. As I understand it, the Quintessence is a fifth element, the original element, having an unperturbable homeostasis because of the perfectly balanced existence of the four elements within it. Indeed, it gives birth to these four elements and uses them to conceal itself. When the alchemist works in reverse to make a physical analog from the four elements derived from the matter being worked on in his lab to create a seat for the divine presence, it is, for me, analogous to the 'Ark of the Covenant,' a physically tangible place where the spirit of divinity (Shekhinah/Alchemical Arcanum) resides.