Dew

According to many traditions, it is the “moist” moon that gives rise to dew. Universally, dew is believed to come from the heavens and is associated with fertility and rejuvenation. Symbolically, dew is closely related to (still) rain, which also represents fertility and divine grace; it unites the earthly with the heavenly. In alchemical texts, dew symbolizes progress toward the goal; in other contexts, it expresses the soul or the philosopher's stone in liquid form (aqua permanens). The soul, like spirits in general, is considered moist.

Dew has been called “wash water” (see both Washing and Water) that has fallen to the ground to purify the Body; similar qualities are attributed to the liquid in alchemical sources. Dew is exclusively seen in a positive light; it is divine, virginal, fertile, etc., and also linked to wisdom. In the Bible, dew is a symbol of God’s grace. For alchemists, dew foreshadows the divine birth. Ros Gedeonis (Gideon's dew) is a synonym for aqua permanens and thus Mercurius.

Dew, salivia, and tears share much symbolic content. For example, Jesus uses saliva to heal blindness; Rapunzel uses tears to heal blindness; in Grimm's fairy tale the tailor uses dew for the same purpose; and finally, Isis, called "dew," uses tears to reunite the dismembered Osiris. (See also Tear.) 

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