First I gathered together the materials. I captured a large quantity of mice and chipmunks and clipped their toenails, and from those toenails made a distillate in a retort over a dung fire, which resulted in Distillate of Toenail. From this Distillate of Toenail I caused it to precipitate by stirring with a wand of Honeysuckle, which caused the separate resonances to de-coalesce into their essential forms, the aforementioned being Water of Toenail and Crystalline Essence of Marrow. I poured this into a clay jar to exclude sunlight, sealed it with wax, and finally placed it in the cupboard.
In the meantime I had mixed nettles in a large cauldron along with sacramental wine, and boiled them vigorously up to the point at which the nettles disintegrated upon stirring. Sap of Greater Celandine was included in this mixture as well, and the entirety was strained.
I ingested a potion made from the Vine of Shadows and Death-Flower and afterwards sat in meditation for half a day, concentrating my spirit such that a single drop of Oil of Soul coalesced at the crown of my head. I used my voice to force it to coalesce into a waxy substance, which adhered to itself and rose upward, and finally dropped into a bowl next to me.
The Oil of Soul was placed into a jar to which I added the crushed Crystalline Essence of Marrow and watery essence of Bindweed. This was heated for eight hours until it began to shimmer in diverse colorations. Looking into the vial, I could see faraway places brightly shimmering. Adding a drop of Lobelia siphilitica tincture, it began to change and become brighter, more earthly and loamy, riparian; then Mugwort; Datura; Honeysuckle; and finally Dogwood Bark. I fumigated the entire vessel with cedar and wormwood smoke to drive out evil spirits and ensure they did not influence the following process. At this point the liquid was silvery, shimmery, and free flowing; but unlike quicksilver it was limpid and watery. One could scry strange things if one peered through, happenings going on far beyond the visible world.
Adding a small piece of sacramental bread (Flesh), these colors congealed and coalesced around it into the form of a tiny hominid, yet this form was hollow and without blood. Adding the Food dropwise, the pale form of the homunculus began to flesh out and become more lively. I continued this Feeding and changing of the water for forty days, twice a day, kept hot over the fire, after which the Homunculus left the Vessel of its own accord.
Unfortunately the Homunculus only lasted a few days before it collapsed, spent. It had no appetite, dragged its feet, was constitutionally prone to fainting and was afraid of everything. So I gave the Homunculus a decoction of Honeysuckle, put it in a jar strapped to a cow’s back; the cow bellowed at the same time as I sang a glissando ending in a dissonant frequency, i.e. the dimimished fifth plus two octaves above that of the cow’s bellowing. This vibratory shock caused the form of the Homunculus to de-coalesce and the original piece of Flesh, compounded now by the Food, to leap out of the jar and onto an oilskin tarp that I had laid out. I carefully cleaned it and placed it in an icebox. In the jar was left the shimmering matrix known from earlier, which I placed alongside the Flesh (i.e. the Bread) in the icebox.
I realized that the herbs would have been harsh, and had lacked Kidney Essence. As a result I formulated a plan to rejuvenate the Homunculus from the remainder of its activating principles. I fumigated a tent with mugwort and datura smoke, and slept inside. Calling upon my serpentine familiar, I dreamt and my Familiar dropped tincture of Lobelia inflata unto my forehead, causing a Hole to appear temporarily. Through that Hole the Familiar drew a powerful Dream, which was placed in a vial. This Dream I wound onto a distaff and then spun into a ball of exceedingly fine Thread. I then wrapped this Thread around the Flesh, in order to protect it and serve as a Brain for the Homunculus. Dropping the ball into the glass with the shimmering Matrix, I watched it as it began to shimmer and radiate light. I recited a long chant to it as it shone and glittered, which caused it to formulate.
I went out in the morning and gathered the dew from Lady’s Mantle leaves until I had a quart. One drop of these I placed into the Jar, and then one drop of the Food (i.e., Blood). Shaking the Jar and warming it over a fire, I repeated the process carefully forty times. Finally I left the Jar by the coals of the fire and waited until morning. This time a Homunculoid had formed, but it was not a Homunculus. It was thin and serpentine, like a large worm or serpent with an infantile human face, and only one eye. This was not what I had been expecting. However, the Being then left the house and burrowed into the earth. I have not seen it since, and wonder if it survived for very long. If so, then perhaps their permaculture uses can be ascertained.
What might those be? They might be predatory upon larvae in the soil, or they might eat plant roots—I’m not sure. They are likely of use in aerating the soil anyway.
