Suns in alchemy

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There is a persistent belief in alchemaic and hermetic tradition in the existence of two suns: a hidden one of pure "philosophical gold," consisting of the essential Fire conjoined with aether, and the apparent one of profane "material gold." The "dark, consuming fire" of the material sun leads it to be called the "Dark" or "Black Sun."According to the Book of the Holy Trinity, after Adam's fall, tainted by Original Sin, man is made "from the black sun's fire."

Heraclitus (6th century B.C.) refers to the holy fire of the former as "artistic" fire. Its invisible effect supposedly distinguishes the Work of alchemists from that of profane chemists.

It is possible that these teachings influenced Philolaus in the development of his groundbreaking theory of the Central Fire. This is supported by the fact that the various teachings regarding multiple alchemaic suns are sometimes attributed to Empedocles, who was a contemporary of Philolaus, and his senior. However, this connection may be coincidence, as it is likely that the attribution of these ideas to Empedocles may stem from an imperfect understanding of his cosmology in regard to the reflective nature of the Sun.