Sublimatio

Think of the word "sublime" when trying to figure out the word "sublimatio" as applied in alchemy because this has nothing to do with repressing anything. On the contrary, when we sublimate in alchemy we try to gain some perspective on any given situation, which requires distance, altitude, a sense of gaining some kind of visual perspective in which to ponder and transcend the challenge. The figure of a tower is usually attributed to this mental process. The term is also used when the process has reached such a state of transformation that the spirit elevates itself out of the dense, calcified or mortified matter.