What is cibation in alchemy?

Cibation is the seventh of the twelve stages of alchemy, part of the white stage (albedo). It is the feeding of the work: the alchemists fed the newly formed stone slowly, a little at a time, so it grew without being drowned. In spiritual alchemy it is about what you take in, who you spend time with and how you rest.

What the alchemists did

Cibation, from the Latin cibus, ‘food’, meant feeding the matter in the vessel with small amounts of fresh liquid, a little at a time, so that it grew without being drowned.

What it means in you

Cibation means feeding. Once the white stone formed, the alchemists fed it slowly, a little at a time, so it grew without being drowned. In you, this is the week of nourishment: what you take in, who you spend time with, how you rest. The new self grows on what you feed it.

Its engraving: Basil Valentine’s Fifth Key

Gate 7 carries the Fifth Key of Basil Valentine’s Twelve Keys, the key of the magnet. Like draws like, “with the invisible bonds of love”.

In the old masters’ words

“Therefore unite them, give them the meat and drink that Nature requires, and keep them in a warm chamber until the perfect birth takes place.” Basil Valentine, The Twelve Keys, 1599

“If any strange water be mixed with it, it is spoiled, and becomes positively injurious.” Basil Valentine, The Twelve Keys, 1599

A question to sit with

What feeds your spirit? When did you last have it?

• What gets in the way?
• How much do you need?
• How could you have a little every day?

From the app’s daily quiz

• What does Cibation mean? Feeding. The alchemists fed the new stone slowly, a little at a time, so it grew without being drowned.
• Pernety’s advice to students was to learn… A little at a time. And to repeat the same study often.
• In Gate 7, rest is… Food. The Hermetic Arcanum describes a circle of labour, then one of restoration.
• Basil Valentine warned that if strange water is mixed into the work… It spoils. What you take in shapes what you become.
• We become like the people we… Spend the most time with. Good company is food for the new self.

In Lead to Gold

In Lead to Gold, Cibation is Gate 7 of the Great Work, in the Clearing part of the path. Its seven days: Feeding the new, Little by little, Good company, What you take in, Enough, Rest is food, The fed lion. Each day has a short lesson, a guided exercise with the Glass, and a prompt to reflect on.

Last updated October 25, 2026.

Lead to Gold: Shadow Work, on Google Play

The alchemists’ Great Work, made into ten quiet minutes a day: twelve gates, a private journal, and a line of wisdom from the old masters. Free to download, for Android.

Get it on Google Play

Keep reading

• What is congelation in alchemy?: Congelation, stage 6 of the twelve stages of alchemy: the new self begins to set. What the alchemists did, and what it means for you.
• What is sublimation in alchemy?: Sublimation, stage 8 of the twelve stages of alchemy: rising above. What the alchemists did, and what it means for you.
• What does Basil Valentine’s Fifth Key mean?: Basil Valentine’s Fifth Key (1599) explained: Venus, Cupid and the lion, the magnet that draws like to like, and the full text of the key in English.
• What are the stages of alchemy?: The stages of alchemy: nigredo, albedo, citrinitas and rubedo, and the twelve operations from Calcination to Projection, each explained in plain words.