Copper the Conduit

Copper, the conduit.
I’m going on 9 years of working alongside this precious metal. What I realized is learned material often replaces the memory of the the vessel it came from. So today, I want to acknowledge & share the mystics & magnetism I’ve gathered with my time thus far working with copper.

When distilling, the alembic has the muscle memory of the mineral-rich land it was once from. The darkness inside the basin of the still is like deep earth holding enough heat & matter to push a sprout upwards. The Hydrosol drips out of the vessel like percussionist taps reverberating sound to everything it touches. It has voltage. It is womb-like. It is Earth.

A river of spring water runs through its curves and bends. It gathers along the way as much as it lets go. The water inside becomes its own perfect ecosystem; beginning as spring water, then aromatic clouds of vapor, followed by the raining down of fresh Hydrosol. It’s in motion—whether a slow trickling or a strong surge. It is Water.

My participation is required as my hands feel the warmth of the metal to know what move is next. I imagine warm sun distilling water into crystals. Crystallized memories & moments of every plant encapsulated with information. The heat creates enough friction to turn material into new matter. The warmth flows through my hands. It is Fire.

The vapor rises in the still from every plant as it opens up, releases and becomes anew. It lets itself breathe. With it, the vapor of its stories continues in the air as it twists & turns in the copper. It allows itself to be carried and taken to new terrain. It is Air.

Copper hums, it holds & it heals. Written stories & lore date the relationship between humans & copper some 10,000 years & the art of distilling to only about 4,000 years. What’s true for me, is that this is my story of copper the conduit. It is an elemental tale as much as it is physical, spiritual & emotional. Perhaps most importantly, it amplifies whatever it is surrounded by.

Bless the vessel as much as you bless what the vessel gives you.