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the secret teachings of all ages
The Theory And
Practice Of Alchemy
CHAPTER xxxI
manly p. hall
ALCHEMY, the secret art of the
land of Khem, is one of the two oldest sciences known to the world. The
other is astrology. The beginnings of both extend back into the
obscurity of prehistoric times. According to the earliest records
extant, alchemy and astrology were considered as divinely revealed to
man so that by their aid he might regain his lost estate. According to
old legends preserved by the Rabbins, the angel at the gate of Eden
instructed Adam in the mysteries of Qabbalah and of alchemy, promising
that when the human race had thoroughly mastered the secret wisdom
concealed within these inspired arts, the curse of the forbidden fruit
would be removed and man might again enter into the Garden of the Lord.
As man took upon himself "coats of skins" (physical bodies) at the time
of his fall, so these sacred sciences were brought by him into the lower
worlds incarnated in dense vehicles, through which their spiritual
transcendental natures could no longer manifest themselves. Therefore
they were considered as being dead or lost.
The earthly body of alchemy is
chemistry, for chemists do not realize that half of The Book of
Torah is forever concealed behind the veil of Isis (see the
Tarot), and that so long as they study only material elements
they can at best discover but half of the mystery. Astrology has
crystallized into astronomy, whose votaries ridicule the dreams of
ancient seers and sages, deriding their symbols as meaningless products
of superstition. Nevertheless, the intelligentsia of the modern world
can never pass behind the veil which divides the seen from the unseen
except in the way appointed--the Mysteries.
What is life? What is
intelligence? What is force? These are the problems to the
solution of which the ancients consecrated their temples of learning.
Who shall say that they did not answer those questions? Who would
recognize the answers if given? Is it possible that under the symbols of
alchemy and astrology lies concealed a wisdom so abstruse that the mind
of this race is not qualified to conceive its principles?
The Chaldeans, Phnicians, and
Babylonians were familiar with the principles of alchemy, as were many
early Oriental races. It was practiced in Greece and Rome; was the
master science of the Egyptians. Khem was an ancient name for the
land of Egypt; and both the words alchemy and chemistry
are a perpetual reminder of the priority of Egypt's scientific
knowledge. According to the fragmentary writings of those early peoples,
alchemy was to them no speculative art. They implicitly believed in the
multiplication of metals; and in the face of their reiterations both the
scholar and the materialist should be more kindly in their consideration
of alchemical theorems. Evolutionists trace the unfoldment of the arts
and sciences up through the growing intelligence of the prehistoric man,
while others, of a transcendental point of view, like to consider them
as being direct revelations from God.
Many interesting solutions to
the riddle of alchemy's origin have been advanced. One is that alchemy
was revealed to man by the mysterious Egyptian demigod Hermes
Trismegistus. This sublime figure, looming through the mists of time and
bearing in his hand the immortal Emerald, is credited by the Egyptians
as being the author of all the arts and sciences. In honor of him all
scientific knowledge was gathered under the general title of The
Hermetic Arts. When the body of Hermes was interred in the Valley of
Ebron (or Hebron), the divine Emerald was buried with it. Many centuries
afterward the Emerald was discovered--according to one version, by an
Arabian initiate; according to another, by Alexander the Great, King of
Macedon. By means of the power of this Emerald, upon which were the
mysterious inscriptions of the Thrice Great Hermes--thirteen sentences
in all--Alexander conquered all the then known world. Not having
conquered himself, however, he ultimately failed. Regardless of his
glory and power, the prophecies of the talking trees were fulfilled, and
Alexander was cut down in the midst of his triumph. (There are
persistent rumors to the effect that Alexander was an initiate of high
order who failed because of his inability to withstand the temptations
of power.)
E. Y. Kenealy, quoting from the
Cosmodromium of Doctor Gobelin Persona, describes the incident of
Alexander and the talking trees, into the presence of which the King of
Macedon is said to have been brought while on his campaign in India:
"And now Alexander marched into other quarters equally dangerous; at one
time over the tops of mountains, at another through dark valleys, in
which his army was attacked by serpents and wild beasts, until after
three hundred days he came into a most pleasant mountain, on whose sides
hung chains or ropes of gold. This mountain had two thousand and fifty
steps all of purest sapphire, by which one could ascend to the summit,
and near this Alexander encamped. And on a day, Alexander with his
Twelve Princes, ascended by the aforenamed steps to the top of the
Mountain, and found there a Palace marvellously beautiful, having Twelve
Gates, and seventy windows of the purest gold, and it was called the
Palace of the Sun, and there was in it a Temple all of gold, before
whose gates were vine trees bearing bunches of carbuncles and pearls,
and Alexander and his Princes having entered the Palace, found there a
Man lying on a golden bedstead; he was very stately and beautiful in
appearance, and his head and beard were white as snow. Then Alexander
and his princes bent the knee to the Sage who spake thus: 'Alexander,
thou shalt now see what no earthly man hath ever before seen or heard.'
To whom Alexander made answer: 'O, Sage, most happy, how dost thou know
me?' He replied: 'Before the wave of the Deluge covered the face of the
earth I knew thy works.' He added: 'Wouldst thou behold the most
hallowed Trees of the Sun and Moon, which announce all future things?'
Alexander made answer: 'It is well, my lord; greatly do we long to see
them.' * * *
"Then the Sage said: 'Put away
your rings and ornaments, and take off your shoes, and follow me.' And
Alexander did so, and choosing out three from the Princes, and leaving
the rest to await his return, he followed the Sage, and came to the
Trees of the Sun and Moon. The Tree of the Sun has leaves of red gold,
the Tree of the Moon has leaves of silver, and they are very great, and
Alexander, at the suggestion of the Sage questioned the Trees, asking if
he should return in triumph to Macedon? to which the Trees gave answer,
No, but that he should live yet another year and eight months, after
which he should die by a poisoned cup. And when he inquired, Who was he
who should give him that poison? he received no reply, and the Tree of
the Moon said to him, that his Mother, after a most shameful and unhappy
death, should lie long unburied, but that happiness was in store for his
sisters." (See The Book of Enoch, The Second Messenger of
God.)
In all probability, the
so-called talking trees were merely strips of wood with tables of
letters upon them, by means of which oracles were evoked. At one time
books written upon wood were called "talking trees." The difficulty in
deciding the origin of alchemy is directly due to ignoring the lost
continent of Atlantis. The Great Arcanum was the most prized of the
secrets of the Atlantean priestcraft. When the land of Atlas sank,
hierophants of the Fire Mystery brought the formula to Egypt, where it
remained for centuries in the possession of the sages and philosophers.
It gradually moved into Europe, where its secrets are still preserved
intact.
THE LEAVES OF HERMES' SACRED
TREE.
Redrawn from an original
manuscript dated 1577.
In his Key to Alchemy, Samuel Norton
divides into fourteen parts the processes or states through which the
alchemical substances pass from the time they are first placed in the
test tube until ready as medicine for plants, minerals, or
men:
1. Solution, the act of passing
from a gaseous or solid condition, into one of liquidity.
2. Filtration, the mechanical
separation of a liquid from the undissolved particles suspended in
it.
3. Evaporation, the changing or
converting from a liquid or solid state into a vaporous state with the
aid of heat.
4. Distillation, an operation
by which a volatile liquid may be separated from substances which it
holds in solution.
5. Separation, the operation of
disuniting or decomposing substances.
6. Rectification, the process
of refining or purifying any substance by repeated
distillation.
7. Calcination, the conversion
into a powder or calx by the action of heat; expulsion of the volatile
substance from a matter.
8. Commixtion, the blending of
different ingredients into new compounds or mass.
9. Purification (through
putrefaction), disintegration by spontaneous decomposition; decay by
artificial means.
10. Inhibition, the process of
holding back or restraining.
11. Fermentation, the
conversion of organic substances into new compounds in the presence of a
ferment.
12. Fixation, the act or
process of ceasing to be a fluid and becoming firm; state of being
fixed.
13. Multiplication, the act or
process of multiplying or increasing in number, the state of being
multiplied.
14. Projection, the process of
turning the base Metals into gold.
Those disagreeing with the
legend of Hermes and his Emerald Tablet see in the two hundred angels
who descended upon the mountains, as described by the Prophet: Enoch,
the first instructors in the alchemical art. Regardless of its
originator, it was left to the Egyptian priests to preserve alchemy for
the modern world. Egypt, because of the color of its earth, was called
"the black empire" and is referred to in the Old Testament as "the land
of darkness." By reason of its possible origin there, alchemy has long
been known as "the black art, " not in the sense of evil but in the
sense of that darkness which has always enshrouded its secret
processes.
During the Middle Ages, alchemy
was not only a philosophy and a science but also a religion. Those who
rebelled against the religious limitations of their day concealed their
philosophic teachings under the allegory of gold-making. In this way
they preserved their personal liberty and were ridiculed rather than
persecuted. Alchemy is a threefold art, its mystery well symbolized by a
triangle. Its symbol is 3 times 3--three elements or processes in three
worlds or spheres. The 3 times 3 is part of the mystery of the 33rd
degree of Freemasonry, for 33 is 3 times 3, which is 9, the number of
esoteric man and the number of emanations from the root of the Divine
Tree. It is the number of worlds nourished by the four rivers that pour
out of the Divine Mouth as the verbum fiat. Beneath the so-called
symbolism of alchemy is concealed a magnificent concept, for this
ridiculed and despised craft still preserves intact the triple key to
the gates of eternal life. Realizing, therefore, that alchemy is a
mystery in three worlds--the divine, the human, and the elemental--it
can easily be appreciated why the sages and philosophers created and
evolved an intricate allegory to conceal their wisdom.
Alchemy is the science of
multiplication and is based upon the natural phenomenon of growth.
"Nothing from nothing comes," is an extremely ancient adage. Alchemy is
not the process of making something from nothing; it is the process of
increasing and improving that which already exists. If a philosopher
were to state that a living man could be made from a stone, the
unenlightened would probably exclaim, "Impossible!" Thus would they
reveal their ignorance, for to the wise it is known that in every stone
is the seed of man. A philosopher might declare that a universe could be
made out of a man, but the foolish would regard this as an
impossibility, not realizing that a man is a seed from which a universe
may be brought forth.
God is the "within" and the
"without" of all things. The Supreme One manifests Himself through
growth, which is an urge from within outward, a struggle for expression
and manifestation. There is no greater miracle in the growing and
multiplication of gold by the alchemist than in a tiny mustard seed
producing a bush many thousands of times the size of the seed. If a
mustard seed produces a hundred thousand times its own size and weight
when planted in an entirely different substance (the earth), why should
not the seed of gold be multiplied a hundred thousand times by art when
that seed is planted in its earth (the base metals) and nourished
artificially by the secret process of alchemy?
Alchemy teaches that God is in
everything; that He is One Universal Spirit, manifesting through an
infinity of forms. God, therefore, is the spiritual seed planted in the
dark earth (the material universe). By arc it is possible so to grow and
expand this seed that the entire universe of substance is
tinctured thereby and becomes like unto the seed--pure gold. In
the spiritual nature of man this is termed regeneration; in the
material body of the elements it is called transmutation. As it
is in the spiritual and material universes, so it is in the intellectual
world. Wisdom cannot be imparted to an idiot because the seed of wisdom
is not within him, but wisdom may be imparted to an ignorant person,
however ignorant he may be, because the seed of wisdom exists in him and
can be developed by art and culture. Hence a philosopher is only an
ignorant man within whose nature a projection has taken
place.
Through art (the process
of learning) the whole mass of base metals (the mental body of
ignorance) was transmuted into pure gold (wisdom), for it was
tinctured with understanding. If, then, through faith and
proximity to God the consciousness of man may be transmuted from base
animal desires (represented by the masses of the planetary metals) into
a pure, golden, and godly consciousness, illumined and redeemed, and the
manifesting God within that one increased from a tiny spark to a great
and glorious Being; if also the base metals of mental ignorance can,
through proper endeavor and training, be transmuted into transcendent
genius and wisdom, why is the process in two worlds or spheres of
application not equally true in the third? If both the spiritual and
mental elements of the universe can be multiplied in their expression,
then by the law of analogy the material elements of the universe can
also be multiplied, if the necessary process can be
ascertained.
That which is true in the
superior is true in the inferior. If alchemy be a great
spiritual fact, then it is also a great material fact. If it can take
place in the universe, it can take place in man; if it can take place in
man, it can take place in the plants and minerals. If one thing in the
universe grows, then everything in the universe grows. If one thing can
be multiplied, then all things can be multiplied, "for the superior
agrees with the inferior and the inferior agrees with the superior." But
as the way for the redemption of the soul is concealed by the Mysteries,
so the secrets for the redemption of the metals are also concealed, that
they may not fall into the hands of the profane and thereby become
perverted.
If any would grow metals, he
must first learn the secrets of the metals: he must realize that all
metals--like all stones, plants, animals, and universes--grow from
seeds, and that these seeds are already in the body of Substance (the
womb of the World Virgin); for the seed of man is in the universe before
he is born (or grows), and as the seed of the plant exists for all time
though the plant live but a part of that time, so the seeds of spiritual
gold and material gold are ever present in all things. The metals grow
throughout the ages, because life is imparted to them from the sun. They
grow imperceptibly, in form like tiny shrubs, for everything grows in
some way. Only the methods of growth differ, according to kind and
magnitude.
One of the great axioms is,
"Within everything is the seed of everything," although by the simple
processes of Nature it may remain latent for many centuries, or its
growth may be exceedingly slow. Therefore, every grain of sand contains
not only the seed of the precious metals as well as the seed of the
priceless gems, but also the seeds of sun, moon, and stars. As within
the nature of man is reflected the entire universe in miniature, so in
each grain of sand, each drop of water, each tiny particle of cosmic
dust, are concealed all the parts and elements of cosmos in the form of
tiny seed germs so minute that even the most powerful microscope cannot
detect them. Trillions of times smaller than the ion or electron, these
seeds--unrecognizable and incomprehensible--await the time assigned them
for growth and expression. (Consider the monads of
Leibnitz.)
There are two methods whereby
growth may be accomplished. The first is by Nature, for Nature is an
alchemist forever achieving the apparently impossible. The second is by
art, and through art is produced in a comparatively short
time that which requires Nature almost endless periods to duplicate. The
true philosopher, desiring to accomplish the Magnum Opus,
patterns his conduct according to the laws of Nature, recognizing that
the art of alchemy is merely a method copied from Nature but with
the aid of certain secret formulæ greatly shortened by being
correspondingly intensified. Nature, in order to achieve her miracles,
must work through either extensiveness; or intensiveness. The extensive
processes of Nature are such as are used in the transmutation of the
pitch of black carbon into diamonds, requiring millions of years of
natural hardening. The intensive process is art, which is ever
the faithful servant of Nature (as Dr. A. Dee says), supplementing her
every step and cooperating with her in all her ways. "So, in this
philosophical work, Nature and Art ought so lovingly to embrace
each other, as that Art may not require what Nature denies, nor
Nature deny what may be perfected by Art. For Nature assenting,
she demeans herself obediently to every artist, whilst by their industry
she is helped, not hindered. " (Dr. A. Dee in his Chemical
Collections.)
By means of this art the
seed which is within the soul of a stone may be made to germinate so
intensively that in a few moments a diamond is grown from the seed of
itself. If the seed of the diamond were not in the marble, granite, and
sand, a diamond could not be grown therefrom. But as the seed is within
all these things, a diamond may be grown out of any other substance in
the universe. In some substances, however, it is easier to perform this
miracle because in them these germs have already been long fertilized
and are thus more nearly prepared for the vivifying process of the
art. Likewise, to teach some men wisdom is easier than to teach
others, for some already have a foundation upon which to work, while in
others the thinking faculties are entirely dormant. Alchemy, therefore,
should be regarded as the art of increasing and bringing into
perfect flower with the greatest possible expedition. Nature may
accomplish her desired end or, because of the destructiveness exercised
by one element over another, she may not; but with the aid of the true
art, Nature always accomplishes her end, for this art is
not subject either to the wastings of time or to the vandalism of
elemental reactions.
In his History of
Chemistry, James Campbell Brown, late professor of chemistry in the
University of Liverpool, sums up the ends which alchemists sought to
achieve, in the following paragraphs:
"This, therefore, was the
general aim of the alchemists--to carry out in the laboratory, as far as
possible, the processes which Nature carried out in the interior of the
earth. Seven leading problems occupied their attention:--
"1. The preparation of a
compound named elixir, magisterium medicine, or philosopher's stone,
which possessed the property of transmuting the baser metals into gold
and silver, and of performing many other marvelous operations. * *
*
"2. The creation of
homunculi, or living. beings, of which many wonderful but
incredible tales are told.
"3. The preparation of the
alcahest or universal solvent, which dissolved every substance which was
immersed in it. * * *
"4. Palingenesis, or the
restoration of a plant from its ashes. Had they succeeded in this, they
would have hoped to be able to raise the dead. [Professor Brown takes a
great deal for granted.]
"5. The preparation of
spiritus mundi, a mystic substance possessing many powers, the
principal of which was its capacity of dissolving gold.
"6. The extraction of the
quintessence or active principle of all substances.
"7. The preparation of aurum
potabile, liquid gold, a sovereign remedy, because gold being itself
perfect could produce perfection in the human frame."
ALCHEMICAL SYMBOLISM
In alchemy there are three
symbolic substances: mercury, sulphur, and salt. To these was added a
fourth mysterious life principle called Azoth. Concerning the
first three, Herr von Welling has written: "There are three basic
chemical substances which are called by the philosophers salt, sulphur,
and mercury, but which are not to be confounded in any way with the
crude salt, sulphur, and mercury taken from the earth or secured from
the apothecary. Salt, sulphur, and mercury each has a triune nature, for
each of these substances contains, in reality, also the other two
substances, according to the secret arcanum of the wise. The body of
salt is, therefore, threefold, namely salt, sulphur, and mercury; but in
the body of salt one of the three (salt) predominates. Mercury is
likewise composed of salt, sulphur, and mercury with the latter element
predominating. Sulphur, similarly, is actually salt, sulphur, and
mercury, with sulphur predominating. These nine divisions--3 times 3,
plus Azoth (the mysterious universal life force), equals 10, the sacred
decad of Pythagoras. Concerning the nature of Azoth there is much
controversy. Some view it as the invisible, eternal fire; others as
electricity; still others as magnetism. Transcendentalism refer to it as
the astral light.
"The universe is surrounded by
the sphere of the stars. Beyond that sphere is the sphere of
Schamayim, which is the Divine fiery water, the first outflow of
the Word of God, the flaming river pouring from the presence of the
Eternal. Schamayim, the fiery androgynous water, divides. The
fire becomes the solar fire and the water becomes the lunar water.
Schamayim is the universal mercury--sometimes called
Azoth--the measureless spirit of life. The spiritual fiery
original water--Schamayim--comes through Eden (in Hebrew,
vapor) and pours itself into four main rivers [the elements].
This is the river of living water--Azoth [the fiery mercurial
essence] that flows out from the throne of God and the Lamb. In this
Eden [vaporous essence or mist] is the spiritual earth [incomprehensible
and intangible], or the dust Aphar, out of which God formed
Adam min Haadamah, the spiritual body of man, which body must
sometime become revealed."
In another part of his writings
von Welling also says that there was no material universe until Lucifer,
attempting to perform the cosmic alchemy, misused the Schamayim,
or the Divine Fire. In order to reestablish the Schamayim which
Lucifer had perverted, this universe was formed as a means of liberating
it from the dark cloud within which it was locked by the failure of
Lucifer's attempt to control it. These statements clearly emphasize the
fact that the early philosophers recognized in the Bible a book of
chemical and alchemical formulæ. It is essential that this point be kept
in mind at all times. Woe to that seeker who accepts as literal the
rambling allegories of the alchemists. Such a one can never enter the
inner sanctuary of truth. Elias Ashmole in his Theatrum Chemicum
Britannicum thus describes the methods employed by the alchemists to
conceal their true doctrines: "Their chiefest study was to wrap up their
Secrets in Fables, and spin out their Fancies in
Vailes and shadows, whose Radii seems to extend
every way, yet so, that they meet in a Common Center, and point
onely at One thing."
The fact that the Scriptures
reveal a hidden knowledge, if considered allegorically, is clearly
demonstrated by a parable describing King Solomon, his wives,
concubines, and virgins, which parable occurs in Geheime Figuren der
Rosenkreuzer, published in Ultona in 1785. Dr. Hartmann, who
translated part of this work into English, declared that the wives of
Solomon represented the arts, the concubines the sciences, and the
virgins the still unrevealed secrets of Nature. By order of the King the
virgins were forced to remove their veils, thus signifying that by means
of wisdom (Solomon) the mystic arts were forced to disclose their hidden
parts to the philosopher, while to the uninitiated world only the
outside garments were visible. (Such is the mystery of the veil of
Isis.)
As the alchemist must do his
work in four worlds simultaneously if he would achieve the Magnum
Opus, a table showing the analogies of the three principles in the
four worlds may clarify the relationship which the various parts bear to
each other. The early masters of the art of alchemical symbolism did not
standardize either their symbols or their terms. Thus it required great
familiarity with the subject combined with considerable intuitive power
to unravel some of their enigmatical statements. The third and fourth
divisions of the following table are given alternative renderings, owing
to the fact that some authors did not draw a clear line between
spirit and soul. According to the Scriptures,
spirit is indestructible, but soul is destructible.
Obviously, then, they are not synonymous. It is clearly stated that "the
soul that sinneth, it shall die," but "the spirit shall return unto God
who gave it." The table of analogies, as nearly as they can be
established, is as follows:
The Triune Power in Four
Worlds
|
WORLD
OF |
Father |
Son |
Mother |
|
1.
God |
Father |
Son |
Holy
Ghost |
|
2.
Man |
Spirit |
Soul |
Body |
|
3.
Elements |
Air |
Fire |
Water |
|
4.
Chemicals |
Mercury |
Sulphur |
Salt |
The alternative renderings of 3
and 4 are:
|
WORLD
OF |
Father |
Son |
Mother |
|
3.
Elements |
Fire |
Air |
Water |
|
4.
Chemicals |
Sulphur |
Mercury |
Salt |
Paracelsus made a different
arrangement, somewhat Aristotelian, in which the three phases of the
Triune God are omitted, combining only the elements of the second,
third, and fourth worlds:
|
WORLD
OF |
Father |
Son |
Mother |
|
2.
Man |
Spirit |
Soul |
Body |
|
3.
Elements |
Air |
Water |
Earth |
|
4.
Chemicals |
Sulphur |
Mercury |
Salt |
The main point, however, is
proved: the alchemical philosophers used the symbols of salt, sulphur,
and mercury to represent not only chemicals but the spiritual and
invisible principles of God, man, and the universe. The three substances
(salt, sulphur, and mercury) existing in four worlds, as shown in the
table, sum up to the sacred number 12. As these 12 are the foundations
of the Great Work, they are called in Revelation the twelve
foundation stones of the sacred city. In line with the same idea
Pythagoras asserted that the dodecahedron, or twelve-faced symmetrical
geometric solid, was the foundation of the universe. May there not be a
relation also between this mysterious 3 times 4 and the four parties of
three which in the legend of the third degree of Freemasonry go forth to
the four angles of the cherubim, the composite creature of four
parts?
A TABLE OF MEDIEVAL ALCHEMICAL
SYMBOLS.
From Valentine's The Last
Will and Testament.
Hermetists used the curious symbols
shown in this rare table to represent various chemical elements and
alchemical processes. The full meaning of these strange characters has
never been revealed, the characters concealing effectually within their
own forms the occult secrets regarding the spiritual nature of the
metals and elements which they represent.
In their allegories the alchemists
also wed human, animal, and plant emblems; sometimes weird composite
figures, such as the dragon, the winged serpent, the unicorn, and the
phnix. In almost every case they symbolized gold as a king with a crown
on his head and often with a scepter in his hand. Sometimes they
depicted him with the ace of the solar disc surrounded by rays. Silver
was personified as a woman who they called the queen. She wore no crown
but often stood upon a lunar crescent: much after the fashion of the
Madonna. Mercury was typified as a youth with wings, often with two
heads, carrying serpents or sometimes the caduceus. Lead they symbolized
by an old man with a scythe in his hand; iron by a soldier dressed in
armor. To aqua fortis was given the curious name "the ostrich's
stomach," and to the attainment of the "Great Work" they assigned the
symbol of the phnix sitting upon a nest of fire. The union of elements
they symbolized by a marriage, the Process of putrefaction by a skull,
antimony by a dragon.
The following table shows the
angles to which the parties of three (salt, sulphur, and mercury) go in
search of CHiram:
|
The Four
"Corners" of Creation |
East |
South |
West |
North |
|
The Fixed
Signs of the Zodiac |
Aquarius |
Leo |
Scorpio |
Taurus |
|
The Parts
of the Cherubim |
Man |
Lion |
Eagle |
Bull |
|
The Four
Seasons |
Spring |
Summer |
Autumn |
Winter |
|
The Ages of
Man |
Childhood |
Youth |
Maturity |
Age |
|
The Stages
of Existence |
Birth |
Growth |
Maturity |
Decay |
|
The Parts
of Man's Constitution |
Spirit |
Soul |
Mind |
Body |
|
The Four
Elements |
Air |
Fire |
Water |
Earth |
One more table should prove of
interest to Masonic scholars: one showing the relationship existing
between the three substances, salt, sulphur, and mercury, and certain
symbols with which Masons are familiar. This table also has an
alternative rendering, based on the interblending of philosophic
principles, which are difficult--if not impossible--to separate into
chronological order.
|
1. The
Three Lights |
Stellar
Fire |
Solar
Fire |
Lunar
Fire |
|
2. The
Three Grand Masters |
Hiram |
Solomon |
Hiram of
Tyre |
|
3. The
Geometric Solids |
Sphere |
Pyramid |
Cube |
|
4.
Alchemical Substances |
Mercury |
Sulphur |
Salt |
The alternative rendering of
No. 2 is:
|
2. The
Three Grand Masters |
Solomon |
Hiram |
Hiram of
Tyre |
In alchemy is found again the
perpetuation of the Universal Mystery; for as surely as Jesus died upon
the cross, Hiram (CHiram) at the west gate of the Temple, Orpheus
on the banks of the river Hebros, Christna on the banks of the Ganges,
and Osiris in the coffin prepared by Typhon, so in alchemy, unless the
elements first die, the Great Work cannot be achieved. The stages
of the alchemical processes can be traced in the lives and activities of
nearly all the world Saviors and teachers, and also among the
mythologies of several nations. It is said in the Bible that "except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." In alchemy it is
declared that without putrefaction the Great Work cannot be
accomplished. What is it that dies on the cross, is buried in the tomb
of the Mysteries, and that dies also in the retort and becomes black
with putrefaction? Also, what is it that does this same thing in the
nature of man, that he may rise again, phnix-like, from his own ashes
(caput mortuum)?
The solution in the alchemical
retort, if digested a certain length of time, will turn into a red
elixir, which is called the universal medicine. It resembles a
fiery water and is luminous in the dark. During the process of digestion
it passes through many colors which has given rise to its being called
the peacock because of its iridescence during one of the periods
of its digestion. If the augmentations of its power be carried too far,
the test tube containing the substance will explode and vanish as dust.
This commonly occurs and is the greatest danger involved in the
preparation of the medicine for men and metals. If developed too far, it
will also seep through the glass, for there is no physical container
sufficiently strong to hold it, The reason for this is that it is no
longer a substance but a divine essence partaking of the
interpenetrative power of Divinity. When it is properly developed, this
universal solvent in liquid form will dissolve into itself all other
metals. In this high state the universal salt is a liquid fire. This
salt dissolved with the proper amount of any metal and run through the
different stages of digestion and rotations; of augmentations will
eventually become a medicine for the transmuting of inferior
metals.
The True Way of Nature
by Hermes Trismegistus, given out by a genuine Freemason, I.C.H.,
describes the danger of over-augmenting the universal salt: "But this
multiplication cannot be carried on ad infinitum but it attains
completeness in the ninth rotation. For when this tincture has been
rotated nine times it cannot be exalted any further because it will not
permit any further separation. For as soon as it perceives only the
smallest degree of material fire it goes instantly into a flux and
passes through the glass like hot oil through paper."
In classifying the processes
through which the chemical elements must pass before the Hermetic
medicine is produced, lack of uniformity in terminology is evidenced,
for in The True Way of Nature seven stages are given, while in
the Dictionnaire Mytho-Hermétique twelve are noted. These twelve
are linked with the signs of the zodiac in a manner worthy of
consideration.
|
1. Aries,
Calcination |
5. Leo,
Digestion |
9.
Sagittarius, Incineration |
|
2. Taurus,
Congelation |
6. Virgo,
Distillation |
10.
Capricorn, Fermentation |
|
3. Gemini,
Fixation |
7. Libra,
Sublimation |
11.
Aquarius, Multiplication |
|
4. Cancer,
Dissolution |
8. Scorpio,
Separation |
12. Pisces,
Projection |
This arrangement opens an
interesting field of speculation which may be of great service if
intelligently carried out. These twelve "steps" leading up to the
accomplishment of the Magnum Opus are a reminder of the twelve
degrees of the ancient Rosicrucian Mysteries. To a certain degree,
Rosicrucianism was chemistry theologized and alchemy philosophized.
According to the Mysteries, man was redeemed as the result of his
passage in rotation through the twelve mansions of the heavens. The
twelve processes by means of which the "secret essence" may be
discovered remind the student forcibly of the twelve Fellow Craftsmen
who are sent forth in search of the murdered Builder of the Universe,
the Universal Mercury.
According to Solomon Trismosin,
the stages through which matter passes in its journey towards perfection
are divided into twenty-two parts, each of which is represented by an
appropriate drawing. There is an important connection between the
twenty-two emblems of Trismosin, the twenty-two major cards of the
Tarot, and the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. These
mysterious Tarot cards are themselves an alchemical formula, if properly
interpreted. As if to substantiate the claims of mediæval philosophers
that King Solomon was a master of alchemy, Dr. Franz Hartmann has noted
that the much-abused and misunderstood Song of Solomon is in
reality an alchemical formula. The student of natural philosophy will
immediately recognize the "dark maid of Jerusalem," not as a person but
as a material sacred to the sages. Dr. Hartmann writes: "The
'Song of Solomon,' in the Old Testament, is a description of the
processes of Alchemy. In this Song the Subjectum is described in
Cant. i., 5; the Lilium artis in C.
ii., 1; the Preparation and Purification in C.
ii., 4; the Fire in C. ii., 7, and C.
iv., 16, the Putrefaction in C. iii., 1;
Sublimation and Distillation in C. iii., 6,
Coagulation and Change of Colors, C. v., 9 to 14;
Fixation, C. ii., 12, and C. viii.,
4; Multiplication, C. vi., 7; Augmentation and
Projection, C. viii., 8, etc., etc."
A tiny particle of the
Philosopher's Scone, if cast upon the surface of water, will, according
to an appendix to the work on the universal salt by Herr von Welling,
immediately begin a process of recapitulating in miniature the history
of the universe, for instantly the tincture--like the Spirits of
Elohim--moves upon the face of the waters. A miniature universe is
formed which the philosophers have affirmed actually rises out of the
water and floats in the air, where it passes through all the stages of
cosmic unfoldment and finally disintegrates into dust again. Not only is
it possible to prepare a medicine for metals; it is also possible to
prepare a tincture for minerals by means of which pieces of granite and
marble can be turned into precious stones; also stones of inferior
quality may be improved.
As one of the great alchemists
fittingly observed, man's quest for gold is often his undoing, for he
mistakes the alchemical processes, believing them to be purely material.
He does not realize that the Philosopher's Gold, the Philosopher's
Stone, and the Philosopher's Medicine exist in each of the four worlds
and that the consummation of the experiment cannot be realized until it
is successfully carried on in four worlds simultaneously according to
one formula. Furthermore, one of the constituents of the alchemical
formula exists only within the nature of man himself, without which his
chemicals will not combine, and though he spend his life and fortune in
chemical experimentation, he will not produce the desired end. The
paramount reason why the material scientist is incapable of duplicating
the achievements of the mediæval alchemists--although he follow every
step carefully and accurately--is that the subtle element which comes
out of the nature of the illuminated and regenerated alchemical
philosopher is missing in his experimentation.
On this subject Dr. Franz
Hartmann in a footnote to his translation of extracts from
Paracelsus clearly expresses the conclusions of a modern
investigator of alchemical lore: "I wish to warn the reader, who might
be inclined to try any of the alchemical prescriptions * * *, not to do
so unless he is an alchemist, because, although I know from personal
experience that these prescriptions are not only allegorically but
literally true, and will prove successful in the hands of an alchemist,
they would only cause a waste of time and money in the hands of one who
has not the necessary qualifications. A person who wants to be an
alchemist must have in himself the 'magnesia', which means, the magnetic
power to attract and 'coagulate' invisible astral elements."
In considering the formulæ on
the following pages, it must be recognized that the experiments cannot
be successfully conducted unless the one who performs them be himself a
Magus. If two persons, one an initiate and the other unilluminated in
the supreme art, were to set to work, side by side, using the same
vessels, the same substances, and exactly the same modus
operandi, the initiate would produce his "gold" and the uninitiated
would not. Unless the greater alchemy has first taken place within the
soul of man, he cannot perform the lesser alchemy in the retort. This is
an invariable rule, although it is cunningly hidden in the allegories
and emblems of Hermetic philosophy. Unless a man be "born again" he
cannot accomplish the Great Work, and if the student of
alchemical formulæ will remember this, it will save him much sorrow and
disappointment. To speak of that part of the mystery which is concerned
with the secret life principle within the actual nature of man, is
forbidden, for it is decreed by the Masters of the art that each shall
discover that for himself and on this subject it is unlawful to speak at
greater length.
All true Philosophers of the
natural or Hermetic sciences begin their labors with a prayer to the
Supreme Alchemist of the Universe, beseeching His assistance in the
consummation of the Magnum Opus. The prayer that follows, written in a
provincial German centuries ago by an adept now unknown, is
representative: "O holy and hallowed Trinity, Thou undivided and triple
Unity! Cause me to sink into the abyss of Thy limitless eternal Fire,
for only in that Fire can the mortal nature of man be changed into
humble dust, while the new body of the salt union lies in the light. Oh,
melt me and transmute me in this Thy holy Fire, so that on the day at
Thy command the fiery waters of the Holy Spirit draw me out from the
dark dust, giving me new birth and making me alive with His breath. May
I also be exalted through the humble humility of Thy Son, rising through
His assistance out of the dust and ashes and changing into a pure
spiritual body of rainbow colors like unto the transparent,
crystal-like, paradisiacal gold, that my own nature may be redeemed and
purified like the elements before me in these glasses and bottles.
Diffuse me in the waters of life as though I were in the wine cellar of
the eternal Solomon. Here the fire of Thy love will receive new fuel and
will blaze forth so that no streams can extinguish it. Through the aid
of this divine fire, may I in the end be found worthy to be called into
the illumination of the righteous. May I then be sealed up with the
light of the new world that I may also attain unto the immortality and
glory where there shall be no more alternation of light and darkness.
Amen."
THE ORIGIN OF
ALCHEMICAL FORMULÆ
Apparently but few of the
mediæval alchemists discovered the Great Arcanum without aid, some
authors declaring that none of them attained the desired end without the
assistance of a Master or Teacher. In every instance the identity of
these Masters has been carefully concealed, and even during the Middle
Ages speculation ran rife concerning them. It was customary to call such
illuminated sages adepts, a title which indicated that they possessed
the true secrets of transmutation and multiplication. These adepts were
polyonymous individuals who unexpectedly appeared and disappeared again,
leaving no trace of their whereabouts. There are indications that a
certain degree of organization existed among them. The most powerful of
the alchemical organizations were the Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, and
certain Arabian and Syrian sects.
I n the documents which follow,
references are made to the "Brethren "or "Brothers. " These are to
signify that those who had actually accomplished the Magnum Opus
were banded together and known to each other by cipher codes and secret
signs or symbols. Apparently a number of these illuminated adepts dwelt
in Arabia, for several of the great European alchemists were initiated
in Asia Minor. When a disciple of the alchemical arts had learned the
supreme secret, he guarded it jealously, revealing to no man his
priceless treasure. He was not permitted to disclose it even to the
members of his immediate family.
As the years passed, one who
had discovered the secret--or, more properly, one to whom it had been
revealed--sought for some younger man worthy to be entrusted with the
formulæ. To this one, and to this one only, as a rule, the philosopher
was permitted to disclose the arcanum. The younger man then became the
"philosophical son" of the old sage, and to him the latter bequeathed
his secrets. Occasionally, however, an adept, on finding a sincere and
earnest seeker, would instruct him in the fundamental principles of the
art, and if the disciple persisted, he was quietly initiated into the
august fraternity of the Brethren. In such manner the alchemical
processes were preserved, but the number of those who knew them did not
increase rapidly.
During the sixteenth,
seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries a considerable number of
alchemical adepts made their way from place to place throughout Europe,
appearing and disappearing apparently at will. According to popular
tradition, these adepts were immortal, and kept themselves alive by
means of the mysterious medicine that was one of the goals of alchemical
aspiration. It is asserted that some lived hundreds of years, taking no
food except this elixir, a few drops of which would preserve their youth
for a long period of time. That such mysterious men did exist there can
be little doubt, as their presence is attested by scores of reliable
witnesses.
It is further asserted that
they are still to be found by those who have qualified themselves to
contact them. The philosophers taught that like attracts like, and that
when the disciple has developed a virtue and integrity acceptable to the
adepts they will appear to him and reveal those parts of the secret
processes which cannot be discovered without such help. "Wisdom is as a
flower from which the bee its honey makes and the spider poison, each
according to its own nature." (By an unknown adept.)
The reader must bear in mind at
all times that the formulæ and emblems of alchemy are to be taken
primarily as allegorical symbols; for until their esoteric significance
has been comprehended, their literal interpretation is valueless. Nearly
every alchemical formula has one element purposely omitted, it being
decided by the mediæval philosophers that those who could not with their
own intelligence discover that missing substance or process were not
qualified to be entrusted with secrets which could give them control
over great masses of humanity and likewise subject to their will the
elemental forces of Nature.
THE EMERALD TABLE OF
HERMES
The oldest and most revered of
all the alchemical formulæ is the sacred Emerald Tablet of Hermes.
Authorities do not agree as to the genuineness of this Table, some
declaring it to be a post-Christian fraud, but there is much evidence
that, regardless of its author, the Table is of great antiquity. While
the symbol of the Emerald Table is of special Masonic import--relating
as it does to the personality of CHiram (Hiram)--it is first and
fundamentally an alchemical formula, relating both to the alchemy of the
base metals and the divine alchemy of human regeneration.
In Dr. Sigismund Bacstrom's
collection of alchemical manuscripts is a section devoted to the
translations and interpretations of this remarkable Tablet, which was
known to the ancients as the Tabula Smaragdina. Dr. Bacstrom was
initiated into the Brotherhood of the Rose Cross on the island of
Mauritius by one of those unknown adepts who at that time called himself
Comte de Chazal. Dr. Bacstrom's translations and notes on the
Emerald Tablet are, in part, as follows, the actual text being
reproduced in capital letters:
"The Emerald Table, the Most
Ancient Monument of the Chaldeans concerning the Lapis Philosophorum
(the stone of the philosophers).
"The Emerald Table furnishes
the origin of the allegorical history of King Hiram (rather
Chiram). The Chaldeans, Egyptians, and Hebrews in what concerns
Chiram have taken their knowledge from one and the same fountain;
Homerus, who relates this history in a different manner, followed
that original, and Virgil followed Homerus, as Hesiodus took
the subject for his Theogony likewise from thence, which Ovidius
took afterwards for a pattern for his Metamorphosis. The knowledge of
Nature's secret operations constitutes the principal sense of all these
ancient writings, but ignorance framed out of it that external or veiled
mythology and the lower class of people turned it into
idolatry.
"The Genuine Translation
from the Original Very Ancient Chaldee is as Follows:
"THE SECRET WORKS OF CHIRAM
ONE IN ESSENCE, BUT THREE IN ASPECT.
"(The two first large words
mean the Secret Work.)
"(The second line in large
letters, reads: Chiram Telat Machasot, i.e. Chiram the Universal
Agent, One in Essence but three in aspect.)
'IT IS TRUE, NO LIE, CERTAIN,
AND TO BE DEPENDED UPON, THE SUPERIOR AGREES WITH THE INFERIOR, AND THE
INFERIOR WITH THE SUPERIOR, TO EFFECT THAT ONE TRULY WONDERFUL WORK. AS
ALL THINGS OWE THEIR EXISTENCE TO THE WILL OF THE ONLY ONE, SO
ALL THINGS OWE THEIR ORIGIN TO THE ONE ONLY THING, THE MOST
HIDDEN, BY THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE ONLY GOD. THE FATHER OF THAT
ONE ONLY THING IS THE SUN, ITS MOTHER IS THE MOON,
THE WIND CARRIES IT IN ITS BELLY; BUT ITS NOURSE IS A SPIRITUOUS
EARTH. THAT ONE ONLY THING (after God) IS THE FATHER OF ALL
THINGS IN THE UNIVERSE. ITS POWER IS PERFECT, AFTER IT HAS BEEN UNITED
TO A SPIRITUOUS EARTH.
"(Process--First Distillation.)
SEPARATE THAT SPIRITUOUS EARTH FROM THE DENSE OR CRUDE BY MEANS OF A
GENTLE HEAT, WITH MUCH ATTENTION.
"(Last Digestion.) IN GREAT
MEASURE IT ASCENDS FROM THE EARTH UP TO HEAVEN, AND DESCENDS
AGAIN, NEWBORN, ON THE EARTH, AND THE SUPERIOR AND THE INFERIOR ARE
INCREASED IN POWER. The Azoth ascends from the Earth, from the bottom of
the Glass, and redescends in Veins and drops into the Earth and by this
continual circulation the Azoth is more and more subtilized,
Volatilizes Sol and carries the volatilized Solar atoms along
with it and thereby becomes a Solar Azoth, i.e. our third, and
genuine Sophic Mercury, and this circulation of the Solar Azoth must
continue until it ceases of itself, and the Earth has sucked it all in,
when it muse become the black pitchy matter, the Toad [the
substances in the alchemical retort and also the lower elements in the
body of man], which denotes complete putrefaction or Death of the
Compound.
"BY THIS THOU WILT PARTAKE OF
THE HONOURS OF THE WHOLE WORLD. Without doubt as the black, pitchy
matter will and must of necessity become White and Red,
and the Red having been carried to perfection, medicinally and
for Metals, is then fully capable to preserve mentem sanam in corpore
sano until the natural period of Life and promise us ample means, in
infinitum multipliable, to be benevolent and charitable without any
diminution of our inexhaustible resources, therefore well may it be
called the Glory [Honours] of the Whole World, as truly
the study and contemplation of the L. P. [Lapis Philosophorum],
harmonising with Divine Truths, elevates the mind to God our Creator and
merciful Father, and if He should permit us to possess it practically
must eradicate the very principle of Avarice, Envy, and Evil
Inclinations, and cause our hearts to melt in gratitude toward Him that
has been so kind to us! Therefore the Philosophers say with great Truth,
that the L. P. either finds a good man or makes one.
"AND DARKNESS WILL FLY FROM
THEE. By invigorating the Organs the Soul makes use of for communicating
with exterior objects, the Soul must acquire greater powers not only for
conception but also for retention, and therefore if we wish to obtain
still more knowledge, the organs and secret springs of physical life
being wonderfully strengthened and invigorated, the Soul must acquire
new powers for conceiving and retaining, especially if we pray to God
for knowledge, and confirm our prayers by faith, all Obscurity must
vanish of course. That this has not been the case with all possessors,
was their own fault, as they contented themselves merely with the
Transmutation of Metals.
"(Use.) THIS IS THE STRENGTH OF
ALL POWERS. This is a very strong figure, to indicate that the L. P.
positively does possess all the Powers concealed in Nature, not for
destruction but for exaltation and regeneration of matter, in the three
Departments of Nature.
"WITH THIS THOU WILT BE ABLE TO
OVERCOME ALL THINGS, AND TO TRANSMUTE ALL WHAT IS FINE (☉☽) AND
WHAT IS COARSE (♃♄ ♀ ♂ ☿ ). It
will conquer every subtil Thing, of course, as it refixes the most
subtil Oxygen into its own fiery Nature and that with more power,
penetration and virtue, in a tenfold ratio, at every multiplication, and
each time in a much shorter period, until its power becomes
incalculable, which multiplied power also penetrates [overcomes] every
Solid Thing, such as unconquerable Gold and Silver, the
otherwise unalterable Mercury, Crystals and Glass Fluxes, to
which it is able to give natural hardness and fixity, as
Philaletha does attest, and is proved by an artificial Diamond,
in my father's time, in possession of Prince Lichtenstein in
Vienna, valued at Five Hundred Thousand Ducats, fixed by the Lapis
[Philosopher's Stone].
"IN THIS MANNER THE WORLD WAS
CREATED; THE ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW THIS ROAD ARE HIDDEN. FOR THIS
REASON I AM CALLED CHIRAM TELAT MECHASOT, ONE IN ESSENCE,
BUT THREE IN ASPECT. IN THIS TRINITY IS HIDDEN THE WISDOM OF THE
WHOLE WORLD (i.e., in Chiram and its Use). It is thought
that Hermes was Moses or Zoroaster, otherwise
Hermes signifies a Serpent, and the Serpent used to be an
Emblem of Knowledge or Wisdom. The Serpent is met with
everywhere amongst the Hieroglyphics of the ancient Egyptians, so is
the Globe with Wings, the Sun and Moon,
Dragons and Griffins, whereby the Egyptians denoted their
sublime knowledge of the Lapis Philosophorum, according to Suidas, the
hints in the Scriptures, and even De Non where he speaks of the
sanctuaries of the ancient Egyptian Temples.
"IT IS ENDED NOW, WHAT I HAVE
SAID CONCERNING THE EFFECTS OF THE SUN. FINISH OF THE TABULA SMARAGDINA.
What I have said or taught of the Solar Work, is now finished.
The perfect Seed, fit for multiplication.
"This I know is acknowledged to
be the genuine Tabula Smaragdina Hermetis."
A LETTER FROM THE
BROTHERS
OF R. C. (ROSE CROSS)
Although Eugenius Philalethes
disclaimed membership in the Rosicrucian Fraternity, it is believed that
for a number of years he was the head of that Order. In a little work
called Lumen de Lumine, or A New Magical Light Discovered and
Communicated to the World, published in London in 1651, Eugenius
Philalethes gives a remarkable letter, presumably from the Rosicrucian
Order. Accompanying the letter is an emblematic figure setting forth in
symbolic form the processes and formulæ of the Philosopher's Stone. This
epistle is an excellent example of the Rosicrucian system of combining
abstract theological speculations with concrete chemical formulæ. With
the aid of the material contained in various parts of this present book
the student would do well to set himself the task of solving the riddle
contained in this hieroglyph.
"A Letter from the Brothers
of R. C. Concerning the Invisible, Magical Mountain, And the Treasure
therein Contained.
"Every man naturally desires a
superiority, to have treasures of Gold and Silver [intellect and soul],
and to seem great in the eyes of the world. God indeed created all
things for the use of man, that he might rule over them, and acknowledge
therein the singular goodness and omnipotence of God, give Him thanks
for His benefits, honor Him and praise Him. But there is no man looks
after these things, otherwise than by spending his days idly; they would
enjoy them without any previous labor and danger; neither do they look
them out of that place where God hath treasured them up, Who expects
also that man should seek for them there, and to those that seek will He
give them. But there is not any that labors for a possession in that
place, and therefore these riches are not found: For the way to this
place, and the place itself hath been unknown for a long time, and it is
hidden from the greatest part of the world. But notwithstanding it be
difficult and laborious to find Out this way and place, yet the place
should be sought after.
"But it is not the will of God
to conceal anything from those that are His, and therefore in this last
age, before the final judgment comes, all these things shall be
manifested to those that are worthy: As He Himself (though obscurely,
lest it should be manifested to, the unworthy) hath spoken in a certain
place: There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and hidden
that shall not be known. We therefore being moved by the Spirit of God,
do declare the will of God to the world, which we have also already
performed and published in several languages. But most men either
revile, or contemne that, our Manifesto, (the Fama and
Confessio Fraternitatis) or else waiving the Spirit of God, they
expect the proposals thereof from us, supposing we will straightway
teach them how to make gold by Art, or furnish them with ample
treasures, whereby they may live pompously in the face of the world,
swagger, and make wars, turn usurers, gluttons, and drunkards, live
unchastely, and defile their whole life With several other sins, all
which things are contrary to the blessed will of God. These men should
have learnt from those Ten Virgins (whereof five that were foolish
demanded oil for their lamps, from those five that were wise) how that
the case is much otherwise.
"It is expedient that every man
should labor for this treasure by the assistance of God, and his own
particular search and industry. But the perverse intentions of these
fellows we understand out of their own writings, by the singular grace
and revelation of God. We do stop our ears, and wrap ourselves as it
were in clouds, to avoid the bellowings and howlings of those men, who
in vain cry out for gold. And hence indeed it comes to pass that they
brand us with infinite calumnies and slanders, which notwithstanding we
do not resent but God in His good time will judge them for it. But after
that we had well known (though unknown to you) and perceived also by
your writing how diligently you are to peruse the Holy Scripture, and
seek the true knowledge of God: we have also above many thousands,
thought you worthy of some answer, and we signify this much to you by
the will of God and the admonition of the Holy Ghost.
"There is a mountain situated
in the midst of the earth, or center of the world, which is both small
and great. It is soft, also above measure hard and stony. It is far off,
and near at hand, but by the providence of God, invisible. In it are
hidden most ample treasures, which the world is not able to value. This
mountain by envy of the devil, who always opposeth the glory of God and
the happiness of man, is compassed about with very cruel beasts and
other [sic] ravenous birds, which make the way thither both difficult
and dangerous; and therefore hitherto, because the time is not yet come,
the way thither could not be sought after nor found out. But now at last
the way is to be found by those that are worthy, but notwithstanding by
every man's self-labor and endeavors.
"To this mountain you shall go
in a certain night (when it: comes) most long and most dark, and see
that you prepare yourselves by prayer. Insist upon the way that: leads
to the mountain, but ask not of any man where the way lies: only follow
your Guide, who will offer himself to you, and will meet you in the way
but you shall not know him. This Guide will bring you to the mountain at
midnight, when all things are silent and dark. It is necessary that you
arm yourselves with a resolute heroic courage, lest you fear those
things that will happen, and so fall back. You need no sword, nor any
other bodily weapons, only call upon God sincerely and
heartily.
"When you have discovered the
mountain, the first miracle that will appear is this. A most vehement
and very great wind, that will shake the mountain and shatter the rocks
to pieces. You shall be encountered also by lions and dragons and other
terrible beasts, but fear not any of these things. Be resolute and rake
heed that you return not, for your Guide who brought you thither will
not suffer any evil to befall you. As for the treasure, it is not yet
discovered but it is very near. After this wind will come an earthquake,
that will overthrow those things which the wind hath left and make all
flat. But be sure that you fall not off.
"The earthquake being past,
there shall follow afire, that will consume the earthly rubbish, and
discover the treasure, but as yet you cannot see it. After all these
things and near the daybreak there shall be a great calm, and you shall
see the Day-Star arise and the dawning will appear, and you shall
perceive a great treasure. The chiefest thing in it, and the most
perfect, is a certain exalted tincture, with which the world (if it
served God and were worthy of such gifts) might be tinged and turned
into most pure gold.
"This tincture being used, as
your Guide shall reach you, will make you young when you are old, and
you shall perceive no disease in any part of your bodies. By means of
this tincture also you shall find pearls of that excellency which cannot
be imagined. But do not you arrogate anything to yourselves because of
your present power, but be contented with that which your Guide shall
communicate to you. Praise God perpetually for this His gift, and have a
special care that you use it not for worldly pride, but employ it in
such works which are contrary to the world. Use it rightly and enjoy it
so, as if you had it not. Live a temperate life, and beware of all sin,
otherwise your Guide will forsake you, and you shall be deprived of this
happiness. For know this of a truth, whosoever abuseth this tincture and
lives not exemplarly, purely, and devoutly before men he shall lose this
benefit, and scarce any hope will there be left ever to recover it
afterwards."
If, as transcendentalists
believe, the initiations into the Fraternity of the Rose Cross were
given in the invisible worlds which surround and interpenetrate the
visible universe, it is not beyond the range of possibility that this
allegory is to be considered in the light of an initiatory ritual as
well as an alchemical formula.
As has been noted, it is
difficult to secure a complete formula for any of the alchemical
operations. The one presented here is the most nearly complete of any
available. The collecting of the rays and energies of the celestial
bodies as precipitated in dew is a process which Paracelsus used with
great success. Bear constantly in mind that these processes are only for
those who have been properly instructed in the secret
art.
"A TRUE REVELATION OF THE
MANUAL OPERATION FOR THE UNIVERSAL MEDICINE COMMONLY CALLED 'THE
PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.' By the celebrated philosopher of Leyden, as
attested upon his deathbed with his own Blood, Anno Domini 1662. To my
Loving Cousin and Son, the True Hermetic Philosopher--
"Dear Loving Cousin and
Son:
"Although I had resolved never
to give in writing to any person the secret of the Ancient Sages, yet
notwithstanding out of peculiar affection and love to you, I have taken
it upon me, to which the nearness of our relation obliges me, and
especially because this temporal life is short, and Art is very dark and
you may therefore not attain the wished for end;--but my Son because so
precious a jewel belongs not to swine; and also this so great a gift of
God may be treated carefully and Christianlike, in consideration thereof
I do so largely declare myself to thee.
"I conjure thee with hand and
mouth sacredly;
"1st. That most especially thou
faithfully keep the same from all wicked, lustful and criminal
persons.
"2dly. That thou exalt not
thyself in any way.
"3dly. That thou seek to
advance the honor of thy Creator of all things and the good of thy
neighbor, preserve it sacredly that thy Lord may not have cause to
complain of thee at the last day. I have written here in this treatise
such a part of the Kingdom of Heaven, just as I myself have worked this
treasure and finished it with my fingers, therefore I have subscribed
all this work with my blood, lying on my deathbed in Leyden.
"THE PROCESS--In the
Name of God, take of the purest and cleanest salt, sea salt, so as it is
made by the sun itself, such as is brought by shipping from Spain, (I
used salt that came from St. Uber) let it be dried in a warm stove,
grind it in a stone mortar, as fine as possible to a powder that it may
be so much the easier dissolve and taken up by our Dew-water,
which is thus to be had in the months of May or June: When the Moon is
at the full, observe when the dew falls with an East or South East wind.
Then you must have sticks about one and a half feet high above the
ground when driven in the Earth. Upon two or three such sticks, lay some
four square plates of glass, and as the dew falls it easily fastens on
the glass like a vapour, then have glass Vessels in readiness, let the
dew drain from the sides of the glasses into your vessels. Do this until
you have enough. The full of the Moon is a good season, afterwards it
will be hard."
The solar rays descending from
the sun carry with them solar sulphur--the Divine Fire. These rays are
crystallized by contact with the lunar rays. The solar rays
are also met by the emanations pouring upward from the earth's surface
and are thus still further crystallized into a partly tangible
substance, which is soluble in pure water. This substance is the
"Magical Mountain of the Moon" referred to in the R. C. letter. The
crystallization of the solar and lunar rays in water (dew) produces the
virgin earth--a pure, invisible substance, uncontaminated by material
matter. When the virgin earth crystals are wet, they appear green; when
dry, white.
THE INVISIBLE MAGICAL
MOUNTAIN.
From Phililethales' Lumen de
Lumine.
On Page 24 of Lumen de Lumine,
Eugenius Philalethes describes the magical mountain as
follows:
"This is that emblematical magical
type, which Thalia delivered to me in the invisible Guiana. The first
and superior Part of it represents the Mountains of the Moon. The
philosophers commonly call them the Mountains of India, on whose tops
grows their secret and famous Lunaria. It is an Herb easy to be found,
but [for the fact] that men are blind discovers itself and shines after
night like pearl. The earth of these mountains is very red and soft
beyond all expression. It is full of crystalline rocks, which the
philosophers call their glass and their stone: birds and fish (say they)
bring it to them. Of these mountains speaks Hali the Arabian, a most
excellent judicious author: 'Go, my son, to the Mountains of India, and
to their quarries or caverns, and take thence our precious stones which
dissolve or melt in water, when they are mingled therewith. Much indeed
might be spoken of these mountains, if it were lawful to publish their
mysteries, but one thing I shall not forbear to tell you. They are very
dangerous places after night, for they are haunted with fires and other
strange apparitions, (as a I am told by the Magi) by certain spirits,
which dabble lasciviously with the sperm of the world and imprint their
imaginations in, producing many times fantastic and monstrous
generations. The access and pilgrimage to this place, with the
difficulties which attend them, are faithfully and magisterially
described by the Brothers of R.C." (Set accompanying
letter.)
Von Welling makes a suggestion
for the extraction of the solar life from stagnant water, but is
reticent both as to naming the essence extracted and also as to the
various processes through which it must pass to be refined and increased
in power. His hint, however, is both valuable and unusual:
"Take sweet clean water and
seal it in a large bottle, leaving about one-fourth empty. Place the
bottle in the sun for some weeks until it rots, showing a precipitation
in the bottom. This precipitation, when properly manipulated by
distillation, will produce a clear, fiery, burning oil, the constituents
and use of which are only known to the wise."
The philosopher of Leyden
continues: "Now when you have enough of your dew close your glasses
exactly, and keep it till you use it, that none of its spirits may
evaporate, which may easily happen. Set it therefore in a cool place,
that no warmth may come to it, or else the subtle spirit will rise and
be gone; which will not so happen if after you have filled your glasses
with Dew quite full, you close them very well with wax.
"Now in the Name of God, take
of this Dew-water as much as thou wilt, put in a clean dissolving glass,
then cast a little of your forementioned powdered salt into it to be
dissolved, and continue to put it in till your Dew-water will dissolve
no more or till the salt lies in it four days without being dissolved,
then it has enough, and unto your Dew is given its proper powder. Of
this compounded water, take as much as thou wilt, I took about a pound
and a half, and put it into a round vial with a short neck, fill it with
out water and lute it with a good lute, a cover and stopple that fits it
well, that the subtle and living spirit of the dew may not fume away,
for if they should the soul of the salt will never be stirred up, nor
the work ever brought to a right end. Let the lute dry very well of
itself, and set it in the furnace of B. M. to putrefy. Make a slow fire
and let it digest for forty days or fifty, and that the fume of the
water be continually round about it, and you will see your matter grow
black, which is a token of its putrefaction.
"As soon as you have taken it
out, have your dry furnace ready. Set your glass with the matter into an
inner globe to coagulate, give it a slow degree of fire, continue it
equally for twelve or fifteen days, and your matter will begin to
coagulate and to fasten round about your glass like a gray salt, which
as soon as you see and before it be two days, slacken the fire that it
may cool leisurely. Then have in readiness your putrefying furnace as
before. Set your glass therein and give the same degree of fire as
before. Let it stand twelve days, and again you will see the matter
resolve and open as before, and open itself, but you must every time see
that the lute and your glass is not hurt. When you set your glass in the
putrefying furnace, take care that the neck of your glass is covered
with a wooden or glass stopper that fits it exactly, that the moisture
of the water may not come at it.
"When you see it black set your
glass as before to coagulate and when it begins to be of a grayish color
and whitish, set it in a third time to putrefy, and coagulate to the
fifth time, until you see that your water in its dissolution is clean,
pellucid and clear, and that it appears in its Calcination of a fine
white like Snow. Then it is prepared and becomes a Salt fixed which will
melt on hot Silver plate like wax; but before you set this your Salt
out, set it again [in] the furnace of putrefaction that it may dissolve
of itself, then let it cool, open your Glass and you will find your
Matter lessened a third part. But instead of your former Salt Water you
will have a fine Sweet and very penetrating Water which the Philosophers
have hid under very wonderful Names--It is the Mercury of all true
Philosophers, the Water out of which comes Gold and Silver, for they say
its Father is Gold and its Mother is Silver. Thus hast thou the strength
of both these Luminaries conjoined in this Water, most true, in its
right Pondus.
"Prescription. 5 Drops
of this Water taken inwardly strengthens the understanding and memory,
and opens to us most wonderful and sweet things, of which no man hath
heard, and of which I dare not further write, because of the Oath I made
God to the contrary. Time and the holy use of this blessed Water will
teach us, as soon as you have taken it inwardly such influence will
happen to thee as if the whole heavens and all the stars with their
powers are working in thee. All Knowledge and secret Arts will be opened
to thee as in a dream, but the most excellent of all is, you will
perfectly learn rightly to know all creatures in their Nature, and by
means thereof, the true understanding of God, the Creator of us, Heaven
and Earth, like David and Moses and all the Saints of God, for the
wisdom of our fountain of living Water will instruct thee as it did
Solomon and the Brethren of our fraternity."
In his rare treatise on
Salt, Sulphur and Mercury, von Welling discloses a secret: not
generally revealed in alchemical writings, namely, that the alchemists
were concerned not only with the transmutation of metals but had a
complete cosmological and philosophical system based upon the
Qabbalah.
According to von Welling, the
universal salt (in watery form) is a positive cure for all the physical
ailments of mankind; it is in every living thing, but from some things
it is more easily secured than from others: especially is this true of
virgin earth; it is the universal solvent, the alkahest. The same writer
also states that in the first stages of its preparation this salt will
cure any and all diseases of the heart. The anonymous philosopher of
Leyden continues:
"Would you now proceed further
with our blessed Water to the forementioned intention of preparing a
Tincture for Metals, hearken my Son--
"Take in the NAME of the Lord,
of thy Paradisiacal Water, of heavenly Water of Mercury, as much as thou
wilt, put it into a glass to dissolve, and set it in a slow heat of
Ashes, that it may just feel the warmth, then have ready well purified
Gold for the Red, or Silver for the White Elixir, for in both the
Processes are the same. Let your Gold or Silver be beaten as thin as
leaf Gold, cast it by degrees into your dissolving Glass, that contains
your blessed Water, as you did in the beginning with your Salt, and it
will melt like Ice in Warm Water, and continue so to do till your Gold
or Silver lie therein four days without dissolving, then it has received
its due Pondus. Then put this dissolution as before into a round Glass,
fill it two thirds parts full, seal it hermetically as before, let your
Sigillum be well dried. Set it in the furnace of Balneum Vapori, make a
fire and let it remain forty days, as before, then will the Gold or
Silver be dissolved radically and will turn of the deepest black in the
world, which as soon as you see, have your other drying furnace in
readiness."
Continuing: "Philosophers say
there is no true solution of the body without a proceeding coagulation
of the spirit, for they are interchangeably mixed in a due proportion,
whereby the bodily essence becomes of a spiritual penetrating nature. On
the other hand, the incomprehensible spiritual essential virtue is also
made corporeal by the fire, because there is made between them so near a
relation or friendship, like as the heavens operate to the very Depth of
Earth, and producing from thence all the treasures and riches of the
whole World.
"Admirandum Naturæ
Operationem in Archidoxes Cognitam.
"With this Powder--You
may as follows project on metals. Take five parts of fine Gold or Silver
according as you work, and melt it in a Crucible. Wrap up your Medicine
in Wax, cast it therein, give a strong fire for an hour, then take the
Crucible out, as it were, calcined, then cast one part on ten parts of
imperfect metals, be it what it will, and the same will be immediately
changed into purer Metal, than what is brought out of the Mines and
produced by Melting; and when you augment it in strength and virtue by
resolving and coagulating, the fifth time it will resolve itself in
three days and be coagulated in twenty-four hours time, to an incredible
and most highly pellucid Stone or Red Shining burning Coal. For the
white work it will become like a white stream of Lightning.
"Of this last coagulation take
one part, cast it upon five thousand of melted Gold or Silver as before.
It changes the same into perfect Medicine, one part whereof will tinge
one hundred thousand parts of melted imperfect Metals into the very
finest Gold or Silver. So far I have brought and further I would not
come, for as I would set in the matter [to distill] six times in twelve
hours, it subtilized so highly that the most part (like somewhat most
wonderful to behold) past through the Glass causing an inexpressible
odoriferous Smell. Take heed that it happens not to you.
"Many more wonders of this holy
Art might be added, namely how to prepare therewith all sorts of
precious Stones, and other most admirable things, but it would require
too great a book to express the whole as it ought to be, especially as
the Art is endless and not to be apprehended with one view, and my
purpose has been, Loving Cousin and Son, devoutly to lead thee into the
Mysteries of Nature and this holy Science, and I have faithfully
performed it."
In conclusion, the letter
states: "Go thou to work as I have done before thee, fear God, Love thy
neighbour from the bottom of thy Soul sincerely. So will in the Manual
operation, everything to thee, and when thou art at work therein many of
our brethren will reveal themselves to thee, of our holy order,
privately; For I have on my part by the Eternal God wrote the truth
which I found out by prayer and searching into Nature, which work I have
seen with my eyes, and with my hands extracted. Therefore also I have
subscribed this Testament with my own blood, the last day of my Life on
my deathbed. Actum Leyden, 27 March 1662."
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