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MadAlice · 03-15-2024, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

The second year’s quill hovered just above the page of his book as he stared blankly at DeVries.

Nope.

He had no clue about anything asked. Sorry, professor, but he was going to have to remain silent now. Aryan was ready to take more notes, however.

Oh dear. From the utterly blank look on Ary's face, Tapio concluded that he had no idea about any of this. Well, that's all right, that's what seminars are for, and at least he was taking notes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Unsure if that was the type of answer the professor was looking for, she focused on the first question instead. She raised her hand and said, “Spagyrics means plant alchemy, does it not?”

Tapio beamed. "That's exactly right! Spagyrics, from the Greek word sphakter, or "to separate," is the branch of Alchemy dealing with plants. That doesn't involve making gold, so it's less well-known, but it does involve the creation of elixirs which can be of great healp in healing, one of the other goals of alchemy."

After there seemed to be no more questions, Tapio moved on. In a nutshell, Spagyrics involves extracting the spiritual essence form plants, minerals, and other substances through a combination of physical, chemical, and spiritual techniques. It's rooted in the philosophy that "All is One," meaning that all aspects of Nature--physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual are connected. Spagyrics captures these energies to use in rituals and elixirs. And it's worth noting that when talking about living things in Alchemy, this includes things not ordinarily considered to be living, like stones and metals.

Another topic I wanted to touch on was what is called the Three Principles of Alchemy. These are Sulphur, Mercury (or Quicksilver), and Salt, represented by the colors Red, White, and Black, which correspond (in reverse) to the three major phases of the alchemical process: the Black, White, and Red stages. Philosophically, Sulphur represents the Soul, one's unique and indivual character; Mercury represents Spirit, the universal vital force; and Salt represents the physical body or vehicle. In Spagyrics, the Body, or Salt, of a plant is its physical body: color, texture, growth patterns. Its Spirit, or Mercury, is the alcohol made from that plant, like the tinctures we made in Herbology class. And the Soul, or Sulphur, of a plant is its essential nature, the memory of its unique species.

Now, before we get started with the practical work, I want to introduce a spell we're going to use in class today. Older students may already be familiar with it, while younger students will probably need to come up to the front and practice it in the cast-iron stove over by the wall."[/b] Tapio gestured to one wall of the greenhouse, where a small stove stood; this was used to contain the Blue Bells flames used to keep the greenhouse warm in winter. "I've written the incantation, its pronunciation, and its wand movement on the white board here." Tapio waved his wand and his ever-present whiteboard slid across the floor to the front ot the class.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiteboard

Incendio -- in-SEN-dee-oh
Wand movement: begin with a slow upward arc and end with a sharp jab in the direction of your intended target
(wear dragon-hide gloves while doing this spell)

"Now pay attention," went on in a louder and more serious-sounding voice. "Under no circumstances is anyone to practice this spell at their worktable or anywhere else in this class except up here at the stove. And if you already know it, you don't need to practice, unless you want to or wish to help a younger student. We won't take long with this practice; you'll all get to use the spell shortly for real." Tapio really hoped nothing was going to go wrong with this part--he'd debated whether he should let the younger students join them for this, but he hated to deprive them of the second half of the experiment if they wanted to attempt it. Hopefully all the precautions he'd taken would be sufficient.

[OOC: This is the first part of the mini-activity and it really won't take long; class will continue with the next part tomorrow, same spagyric time, same spagyric channel...]

03-15-2024, 02:29 AM	#11 (permalink)
MadAlice Puffskein Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 2,394 Hogwarts RPG Name: Hope Archard Ravenclaw Fifth Year	Quote: Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 The second year’s quill hovered just above the page of his book as he stared blankly at DeVries. Nope. He had no clue about anything asked. Sorry, professor, but he was going to have to remain silent now. Aryan was ready to take more notes, however. Oh dear. From the utterly blank look on Ary's face, Tapio concluded that he had no idea about any of this. Well, that's all right, that's what seminars are for, and at least he was taking notes. Quote: Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy Unsure if that was the type of answer the professor was looking for, she focused on the first question instead. She raised her hand and said, “Spagyrics means plant alchemy, does it not?” Tapio beamed. "That's exactly right! Spagyrics, from the Greek word sphakter, or "to separate," is the branch of Alchemy dealing with plants. That doesn't involve making gold, so it's less well-known, but it does involve the creation of elixirs which can be of great healp in healing, one of the other goals of alchemy." After there seemed to be no more questions, Tapio moved on. In a nutshell, Spagyrics involves extracting the spiritual essence form plants, minerals, and other substances through a combination of physical, chemical, and spiritual techniques. It's rooted in the philosophy that "All is One," meaning that all aspects of Nature--physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual are connected. Spagyrics captures these energies to use in rituals and elixirs. And it's worth noting that when talking about living things in Alchemy, this includes things not ordinarily considered to be living, like stones and metals. Another topic I wanted to touch on was what is called the Three Principles of Alchemy. These are Sulphur, Mercury (or Quicksilver), and Salt, represented by the colors Red, White, and Black, which correspond (in reverse) to the three major phases of the alchemical process: the Black, White, and Red stages. Philosophically, Sulphur represents the Soul, one's unique and indivual character; Mercury represents Spirit, the universal vital force; and Salt represents the physical body or vehicle. In Spagyrics, the Body, or Salt, of a plant is its physical body: color, texture, growth patterns. Its Spirit, or Mercury, is the alcohol made from that plant, like the tinctures we made in Herbology class. And the Soul, or Sulphur, of a plant is its essential nature, the memory of its unique species. Now, before we get started with the practical work, I want to introduce a spell we're going to use in class today. Older students may already be familiar with it, while younger students will probably need to come up to the front and practice it in the cast-iron stove over by the wall."[/b] Tapio gestured to one wall of the greenhouse, where a small stove stood; this was used to contain the Blue Bells flames used to keep the greenhouse warm in winter. "I've written the incantation, its pronunciation, and its wand movement on the white board here." Tapio waved his wand and his ever-present whiteboard slid across the floor to the front ot the class. Quote: Originally Posted by Whiteboard Incendio -- in-SEN-dee-oh Wand movement: begin with a slow upward arc and end with a sharp jab in the direction of your intended target (wear dragon-hide gloves while doing this spell) "Now pay attention," went on in a louder and more serious-sounding voice. "Under no circumstances is anyone to practice this spell at their worktable or anywhere else in this class except up here at the stove. And if you already know it, you don't need to practice, unless you want to or wish to help a younger student. We won't take long with this practice; you'll all get to use the spell shortly for real." Tapio really hoped nothing was going to go wrong with this part--he'd debated whether he should let the younger students join them for this, but he hated to deprive them of the second half of the experiment if they wanted to attempt it. Hopefully all the precautions he'd taken would be sufficient. [OOC: This is the first part of the mini-activity and it really won't take long; class will continue with the next part tomorrow, same spagyric time, same spagyric channel...]