Cibation

## Cibation Cibation

**Cibation** (also called imbibition) is the operation of feeding or nourishing the philosophical matter by adding small quantities of liquid or spirit at intervals during the work. The term derives from Latin *cibus* (food), and the operation was understood as feeding the growing Stone, providing it with nourishment to support its development. Cibation involved adding the philosophical water, the spirit, or other appropriate liquid to the matter in the vessel, allowing it to be absorbed, then repeating the process multiple times. The operation was believed to strengthen and perfect the Stone, gradually increasing its power through repeated nourishment.

The cibation operation was performed by opening the sealed vessel periodically and adding a small amount of the appropriate liquid (often the philosophical mercury or the distilled spirit of the matter itself), then resealing the vessel and continuing the heating. The added liquid would be absorbed by the matter, and the process would be repeated at intervals (daily, weekly, or according to other schedules described in texts). Each addition of nourishment was believed to strengthen the Stone and advance its development. Some texts describe specific numbers of cibations (seven, twelve, or other significant numbers), while others describe continuing the operation until the matter reached the desired state.

In alchemical symbolism, cibation represented the nourishment and growth of the philosophical child, the feeding of the infant Stone as it developed toward maturity. The operation was compared to feeding a baby, to watering a plant, or to nourishing any growing thing. The philosophical matter, having been generated through the conjunction and putrefaction, needed to be fed and nourished to grow strong. The spirit or water added in cibation was the milk of the virgin, the dew from heaven, or the philosophical water that nourished the Stone. Cibation represented the principle that the alchemical work required ongoing care and attention, that the Stone developed gradually through repeated operations rather than in a single transformation. Cibation thus represents both the practical operation of adding liquid to matter at intervals and the symbolic operation of nourishing and supporting the growth of the philosophical child.

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