I have always been captivated by the alchemists of old, sitting patiently creating mysterious wonders in their flasks, as the ever inspiring Mother Nature may be seen as she graciously leads the seeking philosopher down the winding path of knowledge… a sight in the old woodcuts of the 16 & 17th century.

She provides him with the four elements; Fire, Air, Water & Earth, along with the three philosophical principles; Salt, Sulphur & Mercury. Using these building blocks, along with intuition, hard work and experience, he thus pursues towards the elusive Philosopher’s Stone. A promise of everlasting life.

This is my interpretation of Mother Nature’s gifts that she shares with us, an expression of my commitment to this journey and the ‘Great Work’. For this box holds the secrets of this path as they were known to the ancient alchemists.

Paracelsus, one of the most famed physicians of the 17th century created a method of distilling substances from nature and rendering them into their highest expression. Known as; ‘Spagyric’, meaning to separate and recombine to become a living extraction of a plant, herb, root, flower, leaf, mushroom, gemstone or metal. The elixirs contained in these truffles descend from his original methods.

Ignis - Fire; the etheric flame that keeps all living things filled with warmth, life and motion, is represented by Black Cumin seed, Szechuan peppercorns and Japanese 7 spice togarashi (chili blend), accented with Indian extra bold black pepper & black cumin seed spagyric in a 65% bittersweet dairy free truffle.

Aire - Air; cool, moist/dry motion, ever changing with the gift of breath, -inspired by a 17th century perfume, this light, airy, creamy bittersweet truffle is infused with tropical vanilla, lavender, star anise and cloves, freshened with Madagascar Vanilla spagyric essence.

Aqva - Water; wet, cool, moist, motion or still, this element nourishes us daily, blueberry pâte de fruit gelé married with a distilled rain water truffle* of coriander and coconut water. *dairy free

Terra* - Earth; lush green rich fertile land that houses us in many settings & scenes, that also offers us sustenance; fresh cream infused with lively tarragon, licorice root, tarragon olive oil in bittersweet truffle of wild harvested 68% bittersweet chocolate.

*pairs beautifully with Stella Artois®

Sulfur - Soul Level - Yellow; Protect, Work, Create & Commune with Our Inner-

selves Shining like the Sun, cheerful, warm & joyful, Oil of Amber essences from Baltic and Kenyan regions, delicately scented with notes of Ambergris essence in a an unique bittersweet truffle from Venezuela.

Salt -Physical Body - White; Strengthens and helps to Ground Energies in to the Body the salinity that keeps us nourished and healthy, is reflected in this blonde caramel with Fleur de Sel & Cypress Salts, warming and comforting, brings us around to our present moment.

Mercury* - Spirit - Silver; -Mental/Spiritual/Intellectual Body, Energizes Our Spirit/ Life Force Swift, quick, fluid, flowing as liquid, this Mercury truffle is inspired by the Victorian beverage of Absinthe, bitter from the wormwood flavors and sweet from the supporting herbs, made of fresh distilled Spring dew infused with wormwood, fennel & anise seeds, licorice root, fresh lemon balm and Absinthe spagyric essence. *dairy free

Philosopher’s Stone* - Red; Adorned with 24 karat gold leaf. Ultimate transmutation of a lower mundane level to the state of perfection: made from some of the truly wondrous exceptional ingredients on earth; fresh distilled Spring Dew, the worlds’ rarest chocolate: Peru Fortunato No. 4 (10th yr anniversary crop), a Bolivian Gran Cru Sauvage (Wild) chocolate both of 68%, and Potable (Oil of) Gold spagyric essence is truly a royal truffle from Nature’s Art. *dairy free



Glass retort by AuricAlembic on Etsy,