The sheet presents the famous “Golden Chain of Homer” (Latin Aurea catena Homeri), also called the “Platonic Ring” (Annulus Platonis) by Anton Josef Kirchweger. It is a ten‑link cosmo‑alchemical schema that tracks Nature’s procession from primordial chaos (1) through differentiated “world‑spirit” (2–4), into prime matter/Azoth (5), through the three natural kingdoms (6–8), and finally to a concentrated, fixed world‑spirit (9) and the universal quintessence or Philosophers’ Stone (10).
Historically, the book first appeared in 1723 at Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig and circulated under both the Aurea catena Homeri and Annulus Platonis titles. Later editors and translators (e.g., Bacstrom; Golden‑Dawn circles) copied the diagram and its English translation.
| Chaos confusum. (“Confused chaos.”) | “Spiritual, incorporeal Nitre containing the universal Fire, without a basis or alkaline body.” |
| Spiritus mundi volatilis incorporeus. (“The volatile, incorporeal spirit of the world.”) | “Nitre, or corporified Spiritus Mundi in earth. Sulphur—Nature, male.” |
| Spiritus mundi acidus corporeus. (“The acidic, corporeal spirit of the world.”) | “Nitre, or corporified Spiritus Mundi in earth. Sulphur—Nature, male.” |
| Spiritus mundi fixus alcalinus corporeus. (“The fixed, alkaline, corporeal spirit of the world.”) | “Sea‑salt, or corporified Spiritus Mundi in water and salt. Nature, female.” |
| Materia prima omnium corporum sublunarium. (“The first matter of all sublunary bodies.”) | “Nitre and salt united.” |
| Regnum animale. (“The animal kingdom.”) | “The most volatile.” |
| Regnum vegetabile sive acidum. (“The vegetable (that is., acidic) kingdom.”) | “Between volatile and fixed; the mediator.” |
| Regnum minerale. (“The mineral kingdom.”) | “Fixed; the volatile spirit is here downwards.” |
| Spiritus mundi concentratus fixus, sive extractum chaoticum purum. (“The concentrated, fixed spirit of the world, that is, the pure chaotic extract.”) | |
| “The unfermented tincture.” | |
| Perfectio consummata, sive quinta essentia universalis. (“Consummate perfection, [that is] the universal quintessence.”) | “Fermented and specified with Gold (the Sun): the Lapis philosophorum (Philosophers’ Stone).” |
See Also