Mercury (☿ Quicksilver)

Mercury (☿), or Quicksilver, is one of the Tria Prima of Paracelsus — the principle of spirit and volatility, mediating between Sulfur (soul) and Salt (body). It is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature, embodying the paradox of a substance that is both metallic and fluid, fixed and fugitive. In the older sulfur-mercury theory inherited from Jabir ibn Hayyan, all metals are generated by varying proportions of Sulfur and Mercury within the earth. As the agent of transmutation, Philosophical Mercury dissolves the old form and carries the purified essence into its new vessel — solve made substance.