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ALCHEMY
THE BLACK ART
By David Cherubim. Copyright 1999 e.v. All rights reserved.

Written in 1994 e.v. Los Angeles, CA, USA.

!TR"#$CT "!
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
In this scientific and technological age, the ancient Art and Science of Alchemy is looked !on as mere r ""ish of the !ast, a dark and fancif l clo d !on the sky of history. #et this, I vent re to say, is not the case at all$ and this I shall endeavor to demonstrate to yo thro gh %ords of !ractical insight and %isdom, since Alchemy, in o r modern school of tho ght, is the &r e Science of every %ise and !ractical Wo'an %ho lives !on the face of the earth. Alchemy is com!ara"le to the (reat S n of the Ages %hich ever shines "right in the infinite sky. It is not the fa lt of the S n if %e cannot see it$ it is d e to o%n lack of vision. #et the S n ever shines "right for those %ho have eyes to see, and in seeing the S n %e "ecome enlightened) *o% the %ord Alchemy is an Ara"ic term consisting of the article +al+ and the ad,ective +khemi.+ Aleister Cro%ley, the eminent (olden -a%n 'agician of the ./th cent ry, stated that this %ord means +that %hich !ertains to 0gy!t,+ and that a ro gh translation of it %o ld "e +The Egyptian Matter.+ &raditionally, Alchemy is s !!osed to have originated in ancient 0gy!t. Alchemists, also called 1ermetic 2hiloso!hers, recogni3e 1ermes &rismegist s, or + Thrice-great Hermes,+ as the legendary fo nder of their 4oyal Art, and 1ermes &rismegist s is identified %ith the ancient 0gy!tian (od &ah ti 5&hoth in the Co!tic6. Alchemy is called, among other things, the 7lack Art in reference to its alleged 0gy!tian origin. It is also called the 1ermetic Art or 1ermeticism in res!ect of its legendary fo nder. &he ancient Chinese %ere !erforming Alchemy as early as 8// 7.C. 7 t the science of Alchemy in China %as originally a s!irit al system, dedicated to a mystical end$ it %as later in the co rse of history that it took on other forms, %hereas in ancient 0gy!t the Art of Alchemy originated as a metall rgical craft. &he teachings of Alchemy as a s!irit al science can "e

fo nd in the sacred %ritings of the Chinese Sage Lao &3e, %ho %as the fo nder of the (rand 2hiloso!hy of the &ao. Alchemy !lays a vital !art in esoteric &aoism. It is, in fact, the secret tradition of &aoism, its inner teaching as o!!osed to its o ter !hiloso!hy. In the 7 ddhist 'ahayana Avatamsaka S tra reference is made to the alchemical 0li9ir of Life. It is %ritten in this S tra: + There exists a Hataka juice or essence. One measure of this solution can transform one thousand measures of bronze into pure gold .+ In the 1ind Atharva ;eda, %hich is older than 1,/// 7.C., there are also mystical %ords concerning the 0li9ir of Life. &he systematic !roc rement of this cele"rated 0li9ir constit tes the 'agn m <! s or (reat Work of Alchemy. &here is a legend %hich claims that Alchemy %as originally the Sacred Art of the Sons of (od mentioned in (enesis "efore the (reat =lood. &hese %ere the +=allen Angels+ or +=allen Stars+ of (od %ho mated %ith the %omen of earth and ta ght them their Sacred Craft. &here is another legend "ased on (enesis %hich states that A"raham %as the fo nder of Alchemy, as %ell as of the >a"alah$ that the Wisdom of Alchemy %as transmitted to his son Ishmael %ho %as "orn from 1agar, so that the Ara"s and S fis are the tr e holders of the sacred keys of the alchemical Art$ %hereas the >a"alah, %hich %as transmitted to A"raham?s son Isaac, %ho %as "orn "y Sarah, "ecame the sacred tradition of the @e%ish !eo!le. 2 tting aside all legend and myth, the act al fo ndations of the !hiloso!hic !rinci!les of Alchemy are to "e fo nd among the ancient (reeks, 7y3antines and Ara"s. &he !rinci!al (reek school for Alchemy %as fo nded "y Aosimos in Ale9andria aro nd the 4th cent ry A.-. Aosimos asserted that Alchemy %as the Sacred Art of the 0gy!tians. Alchemy traveled from Ale9andria to 7y3anti m in the 8th cent ry and it %as event ally ado!ted "y the Ara"s. After conB ering 0gy!t in the Cth cent ry the Ara"s contin ed their alchemical researches, and from the Cth to the 11th cent ries Alchemy %as introd ced to all the co ntries that they conB ered. =rom the 9th to 11th cent ries S!ain es!ecially "ecame one of the great 1ermetic centers of the %orld. Alchemists assert the famo s &a" la Smaragdina, the 0merald &a"le of 1ermes, to "e the chief e9!osition concerning their alchemical o!eration "y %hich they achieve the (reat Work of the S n. Legend has it that this 0merald &a"let %as discovered "y soldiers of Ale9ander the (reat in the hands of 1ermes? m mmy in the (reat 2yramid of (i3ah, %hich %as, according to legend, the &om" of 1ermes himself. 1ermes %as s !!osed to have engraved the sacred %ords %hich %ere discovered !on the 0merald &a"let. &he earliest record of the !hiloso!hy of the 0merald &a"le can "e fo nd in the Leyden 2a!yr s %hich dates "ack to a!!ro9imately D// A.-. and %as discovered in the year 1E.E in the tom" of an anonymo s 0gy!tian 'agician of Ancient &he"es.

Love is the law, love under will.

ALCHEMY: THE BLACK ART

BY #A% # CHER$B M

C"!TE!T&

CHAPTER I ALCHEMY IN THEORY CHAPTER II ALCHEMY IN PRACTICE CHAPTER III DE MAGNUM OPUS SOLIS
(ON THE GREAT WORK OF THE SUN)

CHA'TER ALCHEMY IN THEORY

Alchemy is called the 4oyal Art 5Ars 4egia6. <f this there are three "asic ty!es. &hese are Artisinal Alchemy, the < t%ard Work$ 'ystical Alchemy, the In%ard Work$ and Se9 al Alchemy, %hich, after a certain manner, !artakes of "oth these methods of attainment. Artisinal Alchemy is dedicated to !rod cing the + external gold+ of material s!lendo r, %hereas 'ystical Alchemy is dedicated to !rod cing the + internal gold+ of s!irit al s!lendo r. In either case, the act al o",ect of the (reat Work is one: to man fact re the Stone of the 2hiloso!hers. It is %ith this stone that the Alchemist !erforms his transm tations, %hether s ch "e s!irit al or material in kind. In a n tshell, Artisinal Alchemy is the art of transm ting "ase metals into gold. &o attain s ccess %ith this material form of Alchemy, %hen com"ined %ith the mystical as!ect, is said to "e an o t%ard sign of the accom!lishment of the in%ard %ork of S!irit al &ransformation$ this is, in fact, its only , stification in the %orld of 'agick. =or gold is a material sym"ol of a s!irit al reality, ty!ified "y the S n of Light. (old is the !erfect metal of all metals, the most e9alted form of the mineral kingdom. It is, in fact, the al!ha and omega of the mineral kingdom. In the 2hiloso!hy of Alchemy it is asserted that all "ase metals are im!erfections of gold, and that all metals are ordained "y *at re to "ecome the 2erfect (old of the S n. &he "ase metals are " t accidental !henomena d e to an nfavora"le environment in *at re. &he Alchemist seeks to remove from all "ase metals their disorderly im!erfections or "ase characteristics to "ring them to their tr e state of nat ral order and to transm te them into the Living (old of Sol. Whether or not the Alchemist can act ally convert "ase metals into gold, I cannot honestly say. I have never %itnessed nor have I ever attem!ted to !erform this ty!e of alchemical o!eration, at least not in this incarnation. 'y !rinci!al , stification for even %riting a"o t this !artic lar "ranch of Alchemy is that this material form of Alchemy is sym"olical of the s!irit al and !sychological as!ect. In fact many have denied the validity of Artisinal Alchemy, stating that s ch is ! rely sym"olical of an interior o!eration that is s!irit al and !sychological in kind. &his may in fact !rove tr e to many of yo , " t from the scientific and magical !oint of vie% it %o ld "e " t an act of folly to deny the !ossi"ility of transm ting "ase metals into gold. &h s did 0li!has Levi, the famo s =rench 'ag s of the 19th cent ry %ho Aleister Cro%ley claimed to "e in a !ast life, %rite the follo%ing %ords: + es! gold can be made really and

materially by means of the "tone of the "ages .+ 1istory f lly s !!orts the !ossi"ility of this !henomenon. We cannot ignore the e9!eriences of those in the !ast %ho have either s cceeded in this s "lime %ork or %ho have %itnessed it first hand. Let s, for e9am!le, take into acco nt @ohann 7a!tista van 1elmont, the famo s 7elgian 2hysician and Chemist %ho coined the %ord FgasG from the (reek %ord Fchaos.G 1e claimed to have !erformed an act al transm tation of merc ry into gold, and he recorded and ! "lished this fact in his %ork +&he (arden of 'edicine.+ In 1H1E this scientist %as one day visited "y an ne9!ected stranger %ho gave to him a fe% grains of !o%der. Concerning this !o%der, van 1elmont recorded: +# sa$ and handled the %hilosopher&s "tone. #t $as a saffroncoloured po$der! 'ery hea'y! and it glittered like splinters of glass .+ ;an 1elmont also recorded that the stranger %as seeking to +convince an ill strio s scientist %hose %ork is an hono r to his co ntry.+ ;an 1elmont %as, indeed, convinced of the validity of the o!erations of Artisinal Alchemy after s ccessf lly !erforming a transm tation %ith the !o%der, %hereas he !revio sly denied the !ossi"ility of this !henomenon. Let s also take into acco nt 1elveti s 5@ohann =riedrich Sch%eit3er6, the 2hysicianIinI ordinary to the 2rince of <range, %ho %as a vicio s o!!onent of Alchemy. 7 t on the .Cth of Se!tem"er, in the year 1HHH, a stranger a!!eared nto him %ho had %ith him a small ivory "o9 %hich contained a !o%der the color of !ale s l!h r. 4egarding this !o%der, the stranger said: + ou see this po$der! $ell! "ir! there is enough of the %hilosopher&s "tone here to transmute forty thousand pounds of lead into gold .+ &his stranger did not give to 1elveti s any of the !o%der, nor did he !erform a transm tation %ith it, " t he did sho% 1elveti s some gold %hich he said %as the !rod ct of a transm tation !erformed "y an Ade!t. 1elveti s %as not convinced, ho%ever, and demanded a demonstration. &he stranger ref sed his reB est, " t did say that he %o ld seek to o"tain !ermission from the Ade!t, and if the Ade!t agreed he %o ld ret rn in three %eeks time. 1elveti s, it sho ld "e noted, did manage to !ilfer a fe% grains of the !o%der nder his fingernail, " t %ith it he achieved nothing. When the stranger ret rned in three %eeks, he confessed this fact to the stranger %ho la ghed and told him that if an act al transm tation %as to "e achieved the !o%der m st "e %ra!!ed in either a l m! of %a9 or !iece of !a!er to !rotect it from the f mes rising from the "ase metal, %hich %o ld other%ise take from it the !o%er of transm tation. 1e de!arted shortly after this, saying that he %o ld ret rn the ne9t day. 7 t he did not ret rn. &hro gh the insistence and im!atience of his %ife, 1elveti s inevita"ly attem!ted the transm tation %itho t the assistance of the stranger, and, to his tter s r!rise, it %orked) 1e had first transm ted an old !iece of lead !i!ing %hich he ! t in a cr ci"le over a fire. When the lead !i!e melted his %ife dro!!ed the !o%der on to it, %hich %as contained and !rotected in %a9$ and at the end of a B arter of an ho r the lead %as s ccessf lly transm ted into gold. After this "ecame a kno%n fact, the transm tation %as s ccessf lly !erformed nder strict scientific o"servation in the official la"oratories. It has "een asserted that the famo s Alchemist 0irenae s 2hilalethes %as the stranger %ho a!!eared nto van 1elmont in 1H1E at his la"oratory in ;ilvorde and %ho visited 1elveti s in 1HHH at &he 1ag e, %hich is near Amsterdam. It is "elieved "y some that his real name %as &homas ;a ghan. 1o%ever, it is kno%n that ;a ghan died in 1HHH, and it %as in this same year that 2hilalethes a!!eared in Amsterdam after many years of traveling, at %hich time he gave to @ean Lange his "ook +&he <!en -oor into the Secret 2alace of the Jing+ to "e translated into Latin. Sir Isaac *e%ton, the father of Classical 2hysics, took this "ook to heart and st died it for over ./ years. &his Alchemist %as also m ch res!ected "y 4o"ert 7oyle, a famo s 7ritish 2hysicist and Chemist %ho en nciated the la% of the com!ressi"ility of gases

and %ho discovered the !art !layed "y o9ygen in com" stion. 7oyle also financed the ! "lication of *e%ton?s +2rinci!ia+ and he has "een called the father of modern Chemistry and the har"inger of the +Scientific 'ethod+. 7oyle himself %as a lover of Alchemy, " t al%ays ske!tical at heart, yet he did attem!t to transm te "ase metals into gold, " t to no avail, %hich fact he admitted in 1HH1 in his im!ortant treatise called +&he Ske!tical Chymist+. 'oreover, let s take into acco nt the infamo s Sir 0d%ard Jelly, %hose real name %as &al"ot. Sir Aleister Cro%ley asserted that he %as &al"ot in a !ast life. &al"ot %as "orn at Worcester, 0ngland, in 1888. After "reaking the la% and having his ears cro!!ed, he de!arted from Worcester for Wales %here he ! rchased for one !o nd sterling an alchemical man scri!t and t%o forms of a !o%der, one %hite and the other red, from a man %ho took them from the tom" of a Catholic 7isho!. 7eing na"le to nderstand the man scri!t, he secretly ret rned to London and contacted the astrologer -r. @ohn -ee, %ho %as a"le to deci!her it, and "y it they s ccessf lly !erformed a transm tation. &his res lted in the develo!ment of a most !ec liar relationshi! "et%een Jelly and -ee %hich has left its strange mark on history. *o% Jelly %as not a very modest man, and he sa% no harm in "oasting of his !o%er. 1e !erformed ! "lic transm tations in 2rag e, the ca!ital of 7ohemia. As a res lt of this he %as invited to !erform a transm tation in the co rt of the 0m!eror 'a9imilian II of (ermany, %ho, "eca se of Jelly?s s ccess, conferred !on him the rank of 'arshal of 7ohemia. 7 t soon he %as im!risoned "y the 0m!eror for not "eing a"le to make more of the !o%der "y %hich he !erformed his transm tations. -ee, seeking to hel! Jelly, told the 0m!eror that he %o ld assist Jelly to make more of the !o%der, and the 0m!eror released Jelly. &hey failed, ho%ever, in their efforts$ and Jelly, o t of fr stration, killed a g ard and %as again im!risoned "y the 0m!eror. #et in ,ail he %rote an alchemical treatise called +&he Stone of the Sages+, %hich he sent to the 0m!eror !romising to reveal the secret of the !o%der if the 0m!eror %o ld set him free. &he 0m!eror, ho%ever, did not "elieve him. Jelly therefore attem!ted to esca!e from ,ail, " t he only managed to "rake "oth of his legs and t%o ri"s in the !rocess. 1e died as a res lt of these in, ries in 189C. *o% %ith regard to 'ystical Alchemy, its form la and o!eration is s!irit al and !sychological in kind. &he famo s 2sychologist Carl ( stav @ ng and the %ellIkno%n (olden -a%n 'agician =rancis Israel 4egardie %ere "oth inclined to inter!ret the o!erations of Alchemy from a ! rely !sychological !oint of vie%. @ ng %rote a %ell kno%n "ook called +2sychology and Alchemy+ 5198D6 and 4egardie %rote an ill minating "ook called +&he 2hiloso!her?s Stone+ 519DE6. 7oth of these a thors make it an evident fact in these "ooks that they envisage Alchemy to "e nothing more than a !sychological o!eration dedicated to a mystical end. @ ng %as com!letely fascinated "y Alchemy, and he invested an immense amo nt of his time investigating the sym"ols and !rinci!les of this Art. 4egardie himself %as an Ade!t of Alchemy, and tho gh he envisaged Alchemy to "e a !sychoImystical !rocess of initiation, he nevertheless did e9!o nd the se9 al secrets of Alchemy in his magick "ook +&he &ree of Life+ 519D.6, yet %ith the essential, magical !oint of vie% that this !hysical as!ect of Alchemy is also dedicated to a s!irit al ca se. =rom the !oint of vie% of 'ystical Alchemy, the 2hiloso!her?s Stone is not a !o%der or any sort of material o",ect, " t rather is it a s!irit al o",ect, "eing a sym"ol of the &r e Self. &he 'ystical Alchemist, also called the Alchemystic 2hiloso!her, does not seek to man fact re the 2hiloso!her?s Stone to !rod ce the material gold of *at re, " t rather to !rod ce the -ivine (old of the S!irit. &o attain the 2hiloso!her?s Stone is, in this !artic lar case, the attainment of enlightenment, %hich is the ill mination of the a ra or So l of *at re %ith the

-ivine Light of Sol, and %ith this comes the !o%er to ill mine the %orld %hich is the -ivine (old of the S!irit. &he 0astern System of J ndalini #oga affords s a "asic cl e into the interior o!erations of 'ystical Alchemy. J ndalini #oga aims at the a%akening of vario s centers of !sychic force in the 0thereal 7ody. &hese are called Chakras. Altho gh there is literally a Chakra for every nerve in the "ody, there are seven in !artic lar %hich are of vital im!ortance in the Science of J ndalini #oga. &hese Chakras are sym"oli3ed "y seven Wheels ascending the s!inal col mn %hich the #ogi endeavors to initiate into %hirling motion, to a%aken their s "tle energies and vitali3e his conscio sness %ith their occ lt c rrents of !o%er. &his is accom!lished "y %ay of a%akening the 2rimary *erve C rrent kno%n as the J ndalini or Ser!ent 2o%er. &he Ser!ent 5J ndalini6 is a !hallic sym"ol, re!resenting the creative force of re!rod ction or Se9 al 0nergy. &he J ndalini is Se9 al 0nergy II the Li"ido II also called Shakti 52o%er6 in the Sanskrit tong e. It is "y this Se9 al 2o%er that the Chakras are literally transformed into verita"le centers of cosmic radiation, ill minating the so l, mind and "ody of the #ogi %ith the Celestial Light of the S n. &he seven Chakras, %hich are also called 2admas or Lot ses, are the occ lt centers of !sychic energy in the h man "ody. &hey are not really a !art of the h man "ody, " t rather corres!ond to certain !arts of it, th s %e call them occ lt 5secret6. &he Chakras are secret centers %hich generate 2rana and are a !art of %hat is termed the S "tile or 0thereal 7ody. As Lot ses they e9ist !side do%n ntil the a%akened J ndalini strikes !on them and makes them right side !. In this they are slain and transformed, ! rified and consecrated. It is an essential o",ect of the training of the 'agician in the *e% <rder of the (olden -a%n to a%aken the J ndalini, and there"y accom!lish this inner %ork %ith the Chakras. Any !ro!er system of initiation m st necessarily a%aken the conscio s e9!erience of these centers at some level, as they re!resent the tr e initiation of the so l. &here are seven ste!s to this internal initiatory o!eration of #oga. &hese seven ste!s corres!ond %ith certain alchemical, astrological and magical !rinci!les. &he n m"er seven is of great im!ortance in 1ermeticism. *ote that there are seven letters in the %ords S l!h r, 'erc ry and ;itriol, %hich are names for the three alchemical 2rinci!les. &here are also seven alchemical 'etals %hich are linked %ith the seven traditional 2lanets of Astrology. And to corres!ond %ith these and other im!ortant conce!ts of the Se!tenary, there are seven Ste!s of Initiation in the *e% <rder of the (olden -a%n. &he sym"ol of the *e% <rder of the (olden -a%n is, in fact, a (old Cross 546 s rmo nted "y a White &riangle 5D6, giving s the n m"er seven. &his sym"ol re!resents the (reat Work of Alchemy. S ch is also the alchemical sym"ol for S l!h r %hich denotes the SECRET F RE o! Al"hemy. &his S0C40& =I40, %hich is the First #atter o! the $reat %or& , is the 'u(dali(i or Serpe(t )o*er of #oga. 'oreover, the Cross re!resents the fo r (rades of Aelator, Ade!t s 'inor, Ade!t s 'a,or and Ade!t s 09em!t s$ and the White &riangle re!resents the three grades a"ove the A"yss called 'agister &em!li, 'ag s, and I!sissim s. In alchemical terminology the Cross re!resents the fo r soIcalled Aristotelian 0lements called =ire, Water, Air and 0arth$ and the &riangle re!resents the three 2rinci!les of &rimaterialism called S l!h r, Salt and 'erc ry. &he Cross f rther re!resents the fo r elemental Chakras of #oga called ' ladhara, Svadhistthana, 'ani! ra, and Anahata$ and the &riangle re!resents the three higher Chakras called ;ish dhi, A,na and Sahasrara. ' ladhara is the 4oot Chakra, Svadhistthana is the *avel Chakra, 'ani! ra is the Solar 2le9 s Chakra, Anahata is the 1eart Chakra, ;is ddhi is the &hroat Chakra, A,na is the 2ineal

Chakra, and Sahasrara is the Cro%n Chakra. In Alchemy these Chakras are linked %ith the seven 'etals called Lead, Iron, &in, > icksilver, Co!!er, Silver and (old. &hese Chakras are also linked %ith the seven traditional 2lanets of Astrology called Sat rn, 'ars, @ !iter, 'erc ry, ;en s, L na, and Sol. &he seven 'etals and seven 2lanets corres!ond %ith the seven Chakras as follo%s: Lead and Sat rn correlate %ith the ' ladhara Chakra$ Iron and 'ars correlate %ith the Svadhistthana Chakra$ &in and @ !iter correlate %ith the 'ani! ra Chakra$ > icksilver and 'erc ry correlate %ith the Anahata Chakra 5or alternatively the Sahasrara Chakra6$ Co!!er and ;en s correlate %ith the ;ish dhi Chakra$ Silver and L na correlate %ith the A,na Chakra$ and, lastly, (old and Sol correlate %ith the Sahasrara Chakra 5or alternatively the Anahata Chakra6. <f the seven Chakras, only si9 are visi"le to the inner eye of the #ogi. Sahasrara, the soI called seventh Chakra, is an invisi"le and ineffa"le centre %hich cannot "e classified as a Chakra !er se. #et it is %ith this Invisi"le Chakra that the #ogi or 'agician seeks to integrate himself. =or this soIcalled Chakra re!resents the &r e Self of the #ogi or 'agician %hich, in Alchemy, is sym"oli3ed "y the Stone of the 2hiloso!hers. *o% there are inn mera"le centers of 2rana in the S "tile 7ody called *adis %hich are commonly defined as *erves. 2rana is the vital, creative energy in *at re %hich animates and maintains all life and it is the s "tle link "et%een the visi"le and the invisi"le. *adis are s "tle nerve channels of 2rana. &he %ord *adi is derived from the Sanskrit root +nad+, %hich signifies motion. &he vario s !etals of the Chakras are *adis. 2rana moves or circ lates in the *adis, governed "y the c rrents of the S n and 'oon. 2 rification of the *adis is one of the most f ndamental e9ercises of #oga !ro!er. &here are three !rinci!al *adis of #oga. &hese are called Ida, 2ingala, and S sh mna. <f these three the latter is the most im!ortant. S sh mna starts in the lo%est Chakra ' ladhara 58 cm. a"ove the an s and 8 cm. "ehind the !enis6. Within the S sh mna is another *adi called the ;a,rini %hich contains yet another *adi called the Citrini. &he inmost !art or centre of the Citrini is called the 7rahma *adi. 1o%ever, it is not really a *adi, " t a vivara, that is, a hollo% !assage. &he o!ening of the Citrini initiates the !rocess or makes o!en the gate thro gh %hich the J ndalini can enter the J la 'arga or 4oyal 4oad to the Cro%n Chakra. S ch is called 7rahmaI-vara. &he J ndalini is aslee!, closing %ith 1er mo th the entrance to the S sh mna, ntil She is a%akened in the ' ladhara Chakra. When the J ndalini 5Shakti6 is a%akened, "y %ay of !ro!er initiation, She enters the 4oyal Way in the S sh mna and rises thro gh it to nite in orgasmic ecstasy %ith 1er lover Shiva %ho is concealed in the 7rahmarandhra 5Sahasrara Chakra6. In 1er ascension to the 7rahmarandhra She !ierces %ith ! issant !assion the vario s !etals of the Chakras %hich, in effect, "lossom into "ea tif l and fragrant Lot ses of Light. And %hen Shakti em"races Shiva in the Sahasrara, then are all the Chakras made one in the "lissf l, eternal "lossoming of the S !ernal Lot s of infinite !etals. Ida and 2ingala, like S sh mna, start in the ' ladhara Chakra and rise to the A,na Chakra, " t, nlike the S sh mna, they rise %ith an inverse, ser!entine movement. Ida is to the left of the S sh mna and its nat re is l nar and feminine. 2ingala is to the right of the S sh mna and its nat re is solar and masc line. When Ida and 2ingala meet at the A,na Chakra they enter the S sh mna, making a tri!le knot, and again they are se!arated and, ergo, annihilated. &hat is, they are discharged of their 2rana %hich then rises thro gh the S sh mna to !enetrate and kindle the Sahasrara Chakra, allo%ing for the ecstatic, orgasmic

em"race of Shakti and Shiva %hich, as yo might gather, constit tes the greatest victory in J ndalini #oga. In the Science of Alchemy, the seven Chakras are linked %ith the seven 2lanetary 'etals$ S sh mna, Ida and 2ingala are linked %ith the three alchemical 2rinci!les called 'erc ry, S l!h r and Salt$ and J ndalini is linked %ith A+,T-, the SECRET F RE o! Al"hemy %hich is the )rime Age(t of the Caloric <!eration of the S n. &his S0C40& =I40, or the AA<&1 of the Sages, is the Serpe(t )o*er %hich transm tes the "ase metals into the 2erfect (old of the S n. AA<&1 is also a name for the Stone of the Wise, and this gives s a cl e into the nat re of the S0C40& =I40 itself. It is %ritten in the Si9th Jey of 09od s: + Our "tone is an (stral )ire $hich sympathizes $ith the *atural )ire! and $hich! as a true "alamander recei'es its nati'ity! is nourished and gro$s in the Elementary )ire! $hich is geometrically proportioned to it.+ AA<&1 %as the name of the (rand Secret !ost lated "y 0li!has Levi, %hich he also called the (reat 'agical Agent, concerning %hich he %rote: + This (gent! disguised by the ancient philosophers under the name of the )irst Matter! determines the forms of modifiable substance! and $e can really arri'e by means of it at metallic transmutation and the +ni'ersal Medicine. This is not a hypothesis, it is a scientific fact already established and rigorously demonstrable.+ 7asil ;alentine, a fifteenth cent ry (erman monk of the <rder of Saint 7enedict, em!loyed the %ord AA<&1 for the S0C40& =I40, %hich is not the common fire of *at re, " t the Inner =ire of S!irit %hich cannot "e seen %ith the eyes. In !arado9ical lang age, it is a Watery =ire or a =iery Water. It is the Universal S!erm of Creation, the Semen of Shiva, the Seed in the 'etals, the 2rime Agent 52rim s Agens6, also called ;irgin?s 'ilk and the Water of the Wise. It is the Alkahest of 2aracels s %ho %as the famo s (erman S%issI"orn Alchemist, 4osicr cian and 2hysician of the 1Hth cent ry. It is the =ire Water, 1ell Water, of @ohann 7a!tista van 1elmont, %hich ! rifies and dissolves the metals, and %hich he descri"ed as a salt. 0li!has Levi defined it as the =l idic and Living (old of Alchemy. S ch is also called 2hiloso!hical 'erc ry, concerning %hich 4oger 7acon, a famo s Alchemist of the 1Dth cent ry, said: +# could transmute the seas! $ere there enough Mercury .+ &his SECRET F RE is "oth male and female, solar and l nar, fiery and %atery in nat re. 0rgo, it is also called the SECRET %ATER and is sym"oli3ed "y the (reat Sea. It has "een said: +-hemists use fire for burning, $e use $ater .+ &his Secret 0lement has a do "le nat re$ it is a dry heat com"ined %ith a %arm moist re. &he first real task of the Alchemist is to discover this =ireIWater 0lement. &h s it is called the =irst 'atter of o r %ork. 1o%ever, it is not only the =irst, " t also the Last 'atter of o r %ork. &h s did 0li!has Levi call it + the efficient and final principle of the .reat /ork.+ *ote, in this connection, that the %ord AA<&1 is com!osed of the first and final letters of the >a"alistic Al!ha"et, that is, Ale!h and &av. =or it re!resents the Al!ha and <mega, the 7eginning and the 0nd of < r 4oyal Art. &o transm te the "ase metals into the 2erfect (old of *at re or, in other %ords, to o!en and transform the Chakras, the Alchemist m st discover for himself the S0C40& =I40 of Alchemy, the AA<&1 of the Sages, the Ser!ent 2o%er or J ndalini of #oga, %hich is the (reat Arcan m itself. *o one can reveal to another the mystery of this S0C40& =I40$ it can only to "e discovered for and "y oneself. It is %ith this S0C40& =I40 alone that the Alchemist ! rifies the seven 'etals and e9tracts from them the three 2rinci!les of Alchemy called S l!h r, Salt and 'erc ry. &he S0C40& =I40 of Alchemy is sometimes called 'erc ry, " t also S l!h r or Salt. &his,

ho%ever, is a "lind, " t it is also a cl e into the nat re of AA<&1. It serves to indicate its !rimary nat re, %hich is threefold. AA<&1 contains %ithin itself the three 2rinci!les of S l!h r, Salt and 'erc ry, %hich are not act al chemical s "stances, " t rather are they the three modes of the o!eration of &he <ne &hing. -e!ending on the conte9t of its nat re and a!!lication, this S0C40& =I40 can "e given the name of any one of the three 2rinci!les. *o% according to the Alchemist 4aymond L lly 51..9I1D186: + #n order to make gold $e must first ha'e gold and mercury.+ &o this he added: +0y Mercury! # understand that mineral spirit $hich is so refined and purified that it gilds the seed of gold and sil'ers the seed of sil'er.+ 0li!has Levi, commenting on this, said: + 1oubtless he is here speaking of O1! or (stral 2ight. "alt and "ulphur are ser'iceable in the $ork only for the preparation of Mercury, it is $ith Mercury abo'e all that the Magnetic (gent must be assimilated and as if incorporated .+ Levi?s <-, or Astral Light is, of co rse, the S0C40& =I40, %hich is the 2rime Agent of < r 'a,estic Work %hich, %hen com"ined %ith gold, !rod ces more gold. In this regard, let s diligently take into acco nt the ill minating %ords of 2hilalethes: +#n addition to gold! $hich is the body and the male element in our /ork! another sperm is needed! $hich is the spirit! the soul! or the female. This element is fluid Mercury, it looks like ordinary 3uicksil'er but is purer and more tenuous .+ &he 'erc ry referred to a"ove as the S0C40& =I40 is not the 'erc ry %hich goes to make ! one of the mem"ers of the alchemical &rinity of 2rinci!les. 4ather is it the 2hiloso!hical 'erc ry, %hereas the 'erc ry of &rimaterialism is called 2hiloso!hers? 'erc ry or > icksilver. &he only similarity "et%een these t%o 'erc ries is that neither of them has any link %ith the chemical 'erc ry. <ther from this they are se!arate s "stances, tho gh B ite often, as %e have %itnessed a"ove, the %ord 'erc ry is sed in a general manner, even for 2hiloso!hical 'erc ry. 2hiloso!hical 'erc ry is the Salt or S l!h rated 'erc ry %hich is e9tracted from the =irst 'atter "y the s ccessf l a!!lication of the S0C40& =I40. 0li!has Levi %rote: + To kno$ ho$ to extract from all matter the pure "alt $hich is concealed in it is to possess the secret of the "tone.+ In this may yo consider that the Salt to "e e9tracted from the =irst 'atter is d al in nat re$ it is a synthesis of 'erc ry and S l!h r. &he (reek letter U!silon re!resents this d al nat re of Salt. It is divided into t%o "ranches %hich s!ring from one root. &he t%o "ranches are sym"ols for S l!h r and 'erc ry, %hereas the root sym"oli3es Salt. In color sym"olism, one "ranch is red and the other is %hite, and the root is "lack. Salt is the fo ndation or root of this %ork$ and it is the means %here"y S l!h r is nited %ith 2hiloso!hers? 'erc ry. Levi informs s: + (ll that is material contains "alt! and all "alt can be con'erted into pure gold by the combined action of "ulphur and Mercury .+ Aosimos of 2ano!olis, a famo s Alchemist %ho lived in the 4th cent ry, said: + Our .old $hich possesses the desired 3uality can make gold and tint into gold. Here is the great mystery - that the 3uality becomes gold and it then makes gold .+ And %hat is this (old %hich %e m st have to make more goldK In the +4osari m 2hiloso!hor m+ 5188/6, %ritten "y an anonymo s a thor, it is said: +A r m nostr m non est a r m v lgi+ 5< r gold is not the common gold6. And 4oger 7acon informs s: + .old is the perfect substance! composed of mercury! that is pure! homogeneous! brilliant! red, and of e3ually pure! stable! red sulphur that is incombustible. .old is perfection .+ It %as the famo s (e"er 5@a"ir i"n 1ayyan6, an Islamic Alchemist and S fi of the Eth cent ry, %ho !ro!osed that all minerals are com!osed of S l!h r and 'erc ry. &hen came AlI4a3i, another Islamic Alchemist, %ho !ro!osed a third elemental ingredient. 0li!has Levi !ro!osed that these three alchemical 0lements, %hen volatili3ed and fi9ed alternately, com!ose the

AA<&1 of the Sages. 2aracels s said that everything in *at re is com!osed of these three 0lements. In the >a"alah these three 0lements are <-, <7 and A<U4, %hich are the three modes of the o!eration of &he <ne &hing II the Active, 2assive, and 0B ili"rated II re!resented on the Cad ce s of 1ermes "y the t%in Ser!ents and the central glo"e on the staff aro nd %hich the t%in Ser!ents ent%ine. As stated a"ove, Salt is a synthesis of S l!h r and 'erc ry, %hich are also called (old and Silver, Sol and L na, =ire and Water. &he seven 'etals are formed from the com"ination of S l!h r and 'erc ry in the Salt of the 'etals, and the difference "et%een the 'etals is "ased on the !ro!ortion of these t%o 2rinci!les in their com!osition. 7 t 'erc ry is o t%ardly 'erc ry and in%ardly S l!h r, and S l!h r is o t%ardly S l!h r " t in%ardly 'erc ry. 0ach one of the three 2rinci!les are d al in nat re, and are therefore similar in their essential com!osition. &h s to !ossess kno%ledge of the nat re and a!!lication of one of these 2rinci!les is to !ossess the kno%ledge of all three 2rinci!les. We are therefore instr cted to discover and e9tract the Salt from the 'etals and thro gh this are %e a"le to e9tract the S l!h r and 'erc ry from the same. &his Salt is like nto a secret seed or s!erm %hich contains the other t%o 2rinci!les. S ch is the =irst 'atter of < r 'a,estic Work %hich makes for the s "lime conversion of the 0lements %hich, may yo note it %ell, constit tes the attainment of the (reat Work. As Arnold of ;illa *ova, a 1Dth cent ry Alchemist, declared: +-on'ert the Elements! and you shall ha'e $hat you desire .+ In the (olden &reatise of 1ermes &rismegist s it is %ritten: + #n the ca'erns of the metals there is hidden the "tone that is 'enerable! splendid in colour! a mind sublime! and an open sea.+ &he caverns of the metals can "e linked %ith the Chakras of #oga. &o e9tract the stone from the caverns of the metals is, in J ndalini #oga, the e9traction of the 2rana from the Chakras that is accom!lished "y the J ndalini %hich is o r S0C40& =I40. &his stone, or 1eavenly Salt, is re!resented "y a C "e made of si9 sB ares. S ch is the =olded Cross of si9 sB ares %hich is the 4osicr cian Cross %ith the 4ose in its centre. &he 4ose is hidden in the centre of the C "e or =olded Cross$ it re!resents the (reat Secret itself. 7y the nfolding of the C "e is this (reat Secret revealed. 4ecall, in this regard, that the stone contains and is the !rod ct of S l!h r and 'erc ry. &he 4ose that is in the centre of the C "e is the Secret of the Union of S l!h r and 'erc ry. &o nfold the C "e, %hich is to e9tract it from the metals, and to acB ire the 4ose on the Cross, is to also e9tract the S l!h r and 'erc ry from the metals. In terms of J ndalini #oga, the nfolding of the C "e is the o!ening of a Chakra "y the J ndalini %hich e9tracts from it the 2rana %hich contains in itself the c rrents of the S n and 'oon. =rom the !oint of vie% of @ ngian 2sychology, S l!h r and 'erc ry are the Anim s and Anima. Anim s is S l!h r or the =iery 'asc line 2rinci!le of the S n, and Anima is 'erc ry or the Watery =eminine 2rinci!le of the 'oon. @ st as S l!h r is o t%ardly S l!h r " t in%ardly 'erc ry, and , st as 'erc ry is o t%ardly 'erc ry " t in%ardly S l!h r, so is the Anim s the So l of a Woman and the Anima the So l of a 'an. And , st as the Anima is nconscio s in man and the Anim s nconscio s in %oman, so is 'erc ry concealed in S l!h r and S l!h r concealed in 'erc ry. S l!h r and 'erc ry are, in <riental 2hiloso!hy, the cele"rated #in and #ang. In the sym"ol of #in and #ang it %ill "e o"served that #ang contains #in and #in contains #ang. &he Child of the inter!lay of #in and #ang, and also the so rce of their "alanced activity, is the 'ystical &ao. &his &ao, %hich is the Salt in metals, is also the Stone of the 2hiloso!hers that is o"tained "y e9tracting the Salt from the metals, and from this Salt do %e e9tract the S l!h r and 'erc ry to re nite them in the 1ermetic ;essel. In !sychological terms, s ch is the attainment of the "alance "et%een the t%o e9tremes of

conscio sness, or the t%o as!ects of the 2syche, %hich, in other terms, is the c ltivation of harmony "et%een the t%o cere"ral hemis!heres of the "rain %hich are the S l!h r and 'erc ry of o r ne rological system. Let s no% take into acco nt the history of the develo!ment of the theory of the soIcalled Aristotelian 0lements %hich !lay s ch an im!ortant role in the 2hiloso!hy of Alchemy. &his theory commenced %ith a (reek 2hiloso!her named &hales 5H4/I84H 7.C.6, %ho !ro!osed that all things %ere com!osed of one element, %hich he claimed to "e Water. Ana9imines 58H/I8// 7.C.6, a contem!orary of &hales, agreed %ith his theory, " t !ro!osed that the element %as Air. 1eraclit s 58DHI4C/ 7.C.6 !ro!osed that the element %as =ire. 0m!edocles 549/I4D/ 7.C.6 !ro!osed that there %as more than one element, and that Water, Air and =ire, to %hich he added another element called 0arth, %ere the !rimary elements of the Universe. 2lato 54.EID4E 7.C.6 !ro!osed another element %hich he said %as the tr e 2rimary 0lement of %hich the other fo r elements %ere made. &his fifth element Aristotle called 1 le. 2lato !ro!osed that 1 le %as the !rime matter of the Universe %ith fo r f ndamental !ro!erties of hot, cold, moist, and dry, and that it %as the com"ination of these !ro!erties in !airs %hich !rod ced the fo r elements. =ire is hot and dry, Water is cold and moist, Air is hot and moist, and 0arth is dry and cold. Aristotle later !ro!osed another fifth element, the > intessence or 0ther, %hich he claimed to "e like fire. &he theory that all things %ere com!osed of these !rimary elements remained strong till the 1Cth Cent ry, %hen 4o"ert 7oyle ! "lished +&he Ske!tical Chymist+ in 1HH1, in %hich he made a critical e9amination of the Aristotelian theory of the elements. =rom the !oint of vie% of modern day science, this theory of the ancients is a closed "ook. 7 t from the !oint of vie% of 1ermeticism, this theory is still a sef l tool to "e a!!lied in the o!erations of the (reat Work, !artic larly in that "ranch of 1ermeticism called 'ystical Alchemy. &his, as %e shall see, is a most !ractical !oint of vie%, for the a!!lication of this ancient theory takes on a ne% meaning in the %orks of 'ystical Alchemy, since in this "ranch of 1ermeticism the soIcalled Aristotelian 0lements are inter!reted in a different light than that of ancient science, tho gh the theory of these elements is still !ro!osed in a similar manner as it %as done "y the ancients. 2 tting aside all modern day criticism of this theory, let s each , dge for o rselves %hether or not this ancient theory still holds any val e for s today %hen a!!lied to the (reat Work. &he elements of this theory, as they are !ro!osed in 1ermeticism, are not the elements %hich the ancients tho ght to com!ose the Universe, " t rather do they denote em!irical !rinci!les %hich !lay a vital !art in the constit tion of o r e9istential lives. Let s therefore inter!ret this theory in the ill minating light of meta!hor, and not in the literal sense %hen %e a!!roach it in this lesson %here it is a!!lied to the !ractical a!!lications of 'ystical Alchemy. *o% from the !oint of vie% of Se9 al Alchemy the (reat Work is to man fact re the 2hiloso!her?s Stone "y the skillf l a!!lication of the se9 al act "et%een a man and a %oman. In this material form of Alchemy the sim!le adage holds tr e: + #t takes t$o to tango)+ &his constit tes the f ndamentals of Se9 al Alchemy, %hich %e call < r 'aster Work and the La"o r of 1erc les, " t most es!ecially the 'ass of the 1oly (host. &he %hole secret of this 'agn m <! s is sym"oli3ed "y the Union of the 4osicr cian 4ose and Cross. &his sym"ol is the same as the sym"ol for ;en s, %hich is a modification of the 0gy!tian Ankh, %hich is itself a com"ined sym"ol of the Cross and Circle. &he Cross sym"oli3es the 'asc line 2rinci!le and the Circle or 4ose sym"oli3es the =eminine 2rinci!le. &he form la of this (reat Work is f rther re!resented "y the geometrical sym"ol of the

1e9agram. &his ancient sym"ol of 0astern origin is com!osed of t%o interlaced triangles indicating the Union of =ire and Water. It also indicates the nion of the 2hallos and Jteis. &he !right triangle is the 2hallos, %hereas the inverted triangle is the Jteis. And these t%o triangles nited into a single fig re sym"oli3e the Child of the 2hallos and Jteis, %hich %e call < r La!is 2hiloso!hor m, the Stone of the 2hiloso!hers. &he 1e9agram is a geometrical sym"ol of the Stone of the 2hiloso!hers, also called La!is 'erc ri s, the Stone of 'erc ry. 0rgo, it is a sym"ol of %hat %e call + the Mystery of Mysteries+ and +the "ecret of "ecrets+, %hich is also sym"oli3ed "y the 1ermetic Androgyne or 1erma!hrodite %ho is the 'erc ry of the Sages. =ire and Water nited !rod ce the element of Air %hich is sym"olic of the 'erc ry of the Sages, or of the 'erc ry that is !rod ced "y the Secret Union of S l!h r and Salt. S ch is the magical form la of the 4ose and Cross, %hich is the central mystery of the &r e 4osicr cians$ and "y the !ro!er se of this magical form la %e may accom!lish the (reat Work and transm te the "ase metals into the 2erfect (old of the S n. In the sym"olism of the 4osy Cross, the 4ose is synonymo s %ith the 'oon and the Cross is synonymo s %ith the S n. &he Ade!t of Se9 al Alchemy is one %ho accom!lishes the (reat Work of niting the 4ose and Cross or S n and 'oon to !rod ce the Stone of the 2hiloso!hers, the 0li9ir of Life, and the 'edicine of 'etals. Another im!ortant sym"ol of Se9 al Alchemy is the &riangle s rmo nted "y a Cross. 0li!has Levi %rote: +*o$ the Triangle surmounted by a cross signifies in (lchemy the end and perfection of the .reat /ork.+ And in the *eo!hyte Ceremony of the *e% <rder of the (olden -a%n, it %as !roclaimed to the Candidate: + The -ross surmounting a Triangle has many special meanings. 0ut principally it represents the "tone of the /ise! the Medicine of Metals! and the Elixir of 2ife! $hich is the object of the .reat /ork! the 4no$ledge of $hich is concentrated in the "ecret "anctuary of our Holy Order. This "tone of the /ise is the "ecret of "ecrets! the .rand (rcanum of the "acred Mysteries. 0y its po$er! all manner of miracles can be accomplished. 0y its po$er! the (depti of Magick can attain eternal youth! perfect joy! and true $ealth. 0ut most especially can it assist you in the attainment of the 4no$ledge and -on'ersation of your Holy .uardian (ngel and in the accomplishment of your True /ill .+

CHA'TER ALCHEMY ! 'RACT CE

Let s "egin this !ractical !art of o r lesson %ith the s ",ect of 'ystical Alchemy. As !revio sly e9!lained, the 2hiloso!her?s Stone in this "ranch of Alchemy is not a !o%der or any sort of material o",ect$ it is rather a s!irit al o",ect, "eing a sym"ol of the &r e Self. &o acB ire this stone in 'ystical Alchemy is to attain the ideal identity of o r inmost nat re. In the 2hiloso!hy of 'agick, s ch is called +the attainment of the Jno%ledge and Conversation of the 1oly ( ardian Angel.+ It is "y this attainment alone that the 'ystical Alchemist is a"le to transm te all "ase metals into the 2erfect (old of the S n, conforming all things to hisLher &r e Will. 7 t there are vario s forms of alchemystical !ractice to attain the Stone of the 2hiloso!hers and to effect this S !reme &ransm tation. 'ystical Alchemy can "e !racticed thro gh the 0astern techniB es of J ndalini #oga. 1o%ever, there is a form of <ccidental J ndalini #oga. S ch is one of the central mysteries of the royal system of initiation in the *e% <rder of the (olden -a%n. &his system, as

!revio sly e9!lained, is sevenfold, having seven !rinci!al grades or ste!s of initiation. 0ach one of these initiatory ste!s directly corres!onds to the a%akening of one of the seven Chakras. &he act al alchemical !rocess "egins %ith the =irst (rade of the Aelator. In the &helemic Ceremony of the Aelator, the 1iero!hant !roclaims the follo%ing to the initiate: +The $ord 5elator is from the ancient Egyptian 5aruator! signifying 6"earcher for Hathoor.& Hathoor is other$ise called Het-Heru! that is! the House of Horus. This House of Horus is *ature Herself! the Temple of the Elements! of $hich you are a zealous student.7 'oreover, the 1iero!hant !roclaims: 75elator is further the title of the assistant of an (lchemist $ho must keep the )ire burning in the (thanor or (lchemical )urnace. The (lchemist of the Operation is the #nner "elf! the (thanor is the human body! and the )ire is the "acred )lame of the True /ill. (s a 5elator you must keep this )ire burning in your body and brain! by constant dedication of yourself to the .reat /ork of doing your True /ill! that you may fulfill the 2a$ of Thelema .+ Unkno%n to many, the t%entyIt%o At of &hoth or 'a,or Arcana of &arot sym"olically descri"e a form of <ccidental J ndalini #oga or an alchemical o!eration of SelfI&ransformation. &hey re!resent !artic lar stages in the (reat Work, or stages in %hat is called the + process of indi'iduation+ in the field of 2sychology. &he &arot is, to all intents and ! r!oses, a sym"olic "ook of SelfIInitiation, a method and means of reali3ing "y oneself the %isdom of one?s &r e Self %itho t the g idance of a visi"le teacher, " t "y %ay of an invisi"le teacher %ho is, in fact, the <ne &eacher of %hich every visi"le teacher is only a sym"ol. In &arot this <ne &eacher is &hoth, %ho is the 'erc ry of the Sages. In the 'asonic "ook +'orals and -ogma+, "y Al"ert 2ike, %e find the follo%ing comment on !age CCC: +He $ho desires to attain to the understanding of the .rand /ord and the possession of the .reat "ecret! ought carefully to read the Hermetic philosophers! and he $ill undoubtedly attain initiation! as others ha'e done, but he must take! for the key of their allegories! the single dogma of Hermes! contained in his Table of Emerald! and follo$! to class his ac3uisitions of kno$ledge and direct the operation! the order indicated in the 4abalistic alphabet of the Tarot. + &his comment contains one of the most im!ortant cl es to the !ractical nderstanding of the 4oyal Art and Science of Alchemy. In my o%n o!inion, for %hatever %orth it may hold for yo , %itho t &arot the Art of Alchemy is a meaningless o!eration, and this e9tends to all other fields of the 1ermetic Science. &h s did 0li!has Levi declare: + (ll secrets of the 8abalah and Magic! all mysteries of the elder $orld! all sciences of the patriarchs! all historical traditions of prime'al times! are enclosed in the Hieroglyphical 0ook of Thoth .+ It has "een said that the %ord &aro is derived from the 0gy!tian terms &ar 54oad6 and 4o 54oyal6. &h s the &arot is the 4oyal 4oad of Initiation. &o travel this regal road %e %ork %ith the t%entyIt%o At of &hoth in accordance %ith the >a"alistic scheme of the &ree of Life, commencing o r alchemical ,o rney %ith the Ser!ent?s &ail at the !lace of At MMI at the 2ath of &av on the "ottom of the &ree of Life, and %e end at the Ser!ent?s 1ead at the !lace of At / at the 2ath of Ale!h at the to! of the &ree of Life. &he Ser!ent em"races %ithin its coils the t%entyIt%o 2aths and it ascends from &av to Ale!h. S ch is the 2ath of Initiation "y %hich the 'ystical Alchemist can attain the Stone of the 2hiloso!hers to effect the S !reme &ransm tation. &he Ser!ent in this o!eration is, of co rse, the S0C40& =I40 of Alchemy or the J ndalini of #oga %itho t %hich nothing can "e accom!lished. &here is, ho%ever, another method of traveling the 4oyal 4oad, " t concerning this I m st maintain a certain degree of silence, lest I reveal %hat m st "e discovered for and "y oneself. #et the nat re of this secret o!eration is so o"vio s that it is like a light that is so "right that it

makes one "lind. In this tarotic alchemystic o!eration the >a"alistic scheme of the &ree of Life is not em!loyed in the same manner as it is in the o!eration that is e9!lained in the a"ove !aragra!h. It is rather an o!eration that is inde!endent of the system of initiation that is o tlined on the &ree of Life, yet it does in fact !artake of the mysteries of this system after another manner. 7 t this o!eration is only for the fe%, and th s it is concealed "eneath the veil of the o"vio s. It is only revealed to them %ho are d ly !re!ared to e9ec te its form la. &o others it %ill seem a meaningless !ath. Astrology, the Science of the Stars, also has a story to tell s. In this science there are seven traditional 2lanets and t%elve Signs of the Aodiac. As !revio sly e9!lained, the seven traditional 2lanets are linked %ith the seven Chakras of #oga and seven alchemical 'etals, and they also re!resent seven stages in the (reat Work. 'ost sevenfold systems of initiation are "ased on the astrological model of the seven traditional 2lanets. &he alchemical 'etals themselves gro% in the "o%els of the earth nder the magical infl ence of the 2lanets. In the 'ithraic 'ysteries the initiate clim"ed seven metallic ste!s re!resenting his ascent into the seven 2lanetary S!heres, and Aosimos defined Alchemy as the 'ithraic 'ystery. &he Signs of the Aodiac also re!resent distinct stages in the (reat Work, " t there are t%elve of these stages instead of seven. &hese t%elve stages are defined "y the nat re of the Aodiacal Signs themselves %hich have !lanetary and elemental attri" tions. &he Circle of the Aodiac, called the 2ath of the S n, is the Circle of Initiation, containing t%elve distinct Signs or stages. Like the images of the At of &hoth, the Signs of the Aodiac are images of archety!es in the Collective Unconscio s %hich can "e systematically evoked and conscio sly e9!erienced for the attainment of the 2hiloso!her?s Stone. In each of these methods the !rinci!al theme is the reali3ation of a single o",ect: the &r e Self. S ch is the Indivisi"le Self of the Universe, the <ne %itho t a second. &he great secret of Alchemy can "e s mmed ! in a fe% sim!le %ords: +All is <ne.+ &his is the meaning of the (reek motto +en to !an+ %hich, note it %ell, is com!osed of three %ords %ith seven letters, %hich relate to the &hree 2rinci!les and =o r 0lements of Alchemy, to the seven alchemical 'etals or Interior Stars, and to the seven Ste!s of the (reat Work %hich are the seven (rades of Initiation. <ne of the sym"ols of the (reat Work is < ro"oros, a Ser!ent forming a Circle "y s%allo%ing its o%n &ail and %hich "ears this (reek motto !on it. &he Circle that is formed "y this Ser!ent gives s a cl e into the nat re and o!eration of the (reat Work itself. *o% this <neness or Unity of All is concealed in a secret s "stance called =irst 'atter 52rima 'ateria6, %hich is not matter in the common sense, as it is !erceived "y o r h man senses$ it is the !otential rather than the act al$ it is matter in its meta!hysical sense. According to &homas ;a ghan: +#f thou dost kno$ the )irst Matter! kno$ also for certain that thou hast disco'ered the "anctuary of *ature .+ In the #oga System of 2atan,ali, the =irst 'atter is called 2rakriti, the !rimal so rce of the three ( nas or > alities of *at re. 2rakriti is the So l of the World 5Anima ' ndi6, also called the (reat 'other. In the >a"alah, She is *eschamah, the higher So l of *at re %hose formless form remains ! re and nchanged "ehind all change and diversity in form. She is the eternal essence in all things, the secret s "stance of all visi"le and invisi"le o",ects in *at re. +The s3uaring of the circle+ is one of the most im!ortant inter!retations and definitions of the (reat Work of Alchemy. &he Circle re!resents Unity, the =irst 'atter of o r %ork, and the SB are re!resents the =o r 0lements of *at re %hich emanate from and ret rn to the Circle. In Alchemy it is asserted that the metals are com!osed of the =o r 0lements, %hich the ancient !hiloso!hers called =ire, Water, Air, and 0arth. &he act al differences "et%een the metals are the res lt of the !artic lar !ro!ortions in %hich the elements are com"ined in the

metals. (old itself is the nat ral res lt of a !artic lar com"ination of the elements. &he other metals of Alchemy are also com"inations of the elements. 7y e9tracting and ! rifying the elements in the "ase metals, there"y red cing the metals to their ! re state of 2rima 'ateria, and then "y skillf lly converting the act al !ro!ortions in the com"inations of the elements %hich constit te the life of the metals, the metals can "e transformed into gold. 7y ! rifying an o",ect of the =o r 0lements %e are left %ith a fifth element %hich %e call the > intessence and the =irst 'atter of o r %ork. In Wo'an this fifth element is called hisLher S!irit. *o% in 'ystical Alchemy the elements re!resent the h man senses. =ire is the sense of sight, Water is the sense of taste, Air is the sense of smell, 0arth is the sense of to ch, and S!irit is the sense of so nd. &he fifth element of S!irit, nlike the others, has a direct link %ith o r &r e Self, %hich is the Cro%n of o r alchemystical %ork. &o attain this fifth element %e m st first ! rify or de!rogram o rselves. &hen m st %e recreate or re!rogram o rselves in accordance %ith o r &r e Will. When the &r e Self is attained thro gh its soIcalled ! rification, or, in other %ords, %hen %e rise a"ove the elemental senses, it is then that %e are a"le to !ro!erly recreate o rselves, to re!rogram o r systems, or to recom"ine the elements to fit in %ith o r ne% !ers!ective. 7 t first %e m st ! rify o r systems$ only then are %e tr ly fit and freely a"le to !ro!erly consecrate o rselves to the (reat Work, to re!rogram o rselves in accordance %ith o r &r e Will, and to effect the S !reme &ransm tation. &o de!rogram o rselves is not really an act of elimination " t of ! rification. In this case the elemental senses are to "e ! rified. &he senses, as commonly a!!lied in the %orld, are material in nat re, ca sing an identification of conscio sness %ith the material !lane at the e9!ense of the s!irit al. 7 t %e cannot reali3e o r &r e Self if o r senses are "o nd to the material %orld$ they m st "ecome the vehicles of o r &r e Self. &he senses m st "e ! rified and then magically dedicated to the (reat Work if %e are to attain the same$ and this dedication m st not "e !artial, " t %hole. =or the senses are the instr ments %hich %e m st se in the o!eration of the (reat Work$ they are the essential, creative vehicles of o r &r e Self %hich need to "e com!letely l strated and then magically consecrated to the &r e Self for the !ro!er e9ec tion and essential f lfillment of its &r e Will %hich is the attainment of the (reat Work itself. What is needed first is for yo to reali3e yo r &r e Self "eyond yo r elemental senses "y eliminating yo r identification %ith them and their inn mera"le desires, and in this !rofo nd reali3ation is the very act of ! rification. If a Wo'an can %itness something, it means that heLshe is "eyond that thing, for a%areness is transcendence. We are al%ays %itnessing o r senses in the form of desires, s ally "ecoming identified %ith them. We take into acco nt no meas re of the &r e Self %hich is "eyond the senses and desires, " t instead %e "ecome slaves to o r senses. 7 t if %e go %ithin and ackno%ledge o r &r e Self "eyond o r senses, and "ecome a %itness rather than an animal, then do %e transcend o r senses and gain the !o%er to master them. &he &r e Self is the ltimate so rce of the elements, therefore %e m st "e the &r e Self to master them. 7 t this does not mean that %e have to give ! o r senses %ith all their delicio s desires. It is all a matter of %hat %e are identified %ith, o r &r e Self or o r desires. We are not o r desires, " t they are a !art of o r !ersonality %hich is the divine e9!ression of o r so l. &he la"oratory %herein to !erform and accom!lish this alchemystical %ork is nat rally the 7ody of Wo'an. And since a Wo'an?s "ody is hisLher o%n and not another?s, it is a sim!le fact of *at re that only that Wo'an can %ork !on himLherself to accom!lish the (reat Work. *o !erson can do the %ork for s$ %e m st all do it "y o r o%n individ al efforts. 'ystical Alchemy is a !ersonal science, a s "lime and effective system of SelfIInitiation. <nly yo , as

a single individ al, can calc late and follo% yo r %ay ! the (reat 'o ntain of 1ermetic Attainment. It is entirely a matter of yo r o%n !ractical a!!lication and devotion. All essential g idance is %ithin yo , in the inmost centre of yo r heart %here yo r o%n 1oly ( ardian Angel, or Inner Self, resides. &o de!end !on any other thing than yo r o%n 1oly ( ardian Angel to accom!lish the (reat Work is to ins lt yo r Angel %ho is %ith yo to instr ct and g ide yo . All essential %isdom "y %hich to achieve the (reat Work is to "e ascertained only %ithin yo $ no%here else %ill yo find the &r th. 7 t eno gh of all this mystical talk) Let s no% tackle the more m ndane as!ect of Alchemy. S ch is contained in the ancient Science and Art of Se9 al Alchemy, %hich %as the great secret of the 0gy!tian 'agicians, the (nostics, the <!hites, the Initiates of 'ithras, the Jnights of the &em!le, the =reemasons, and the 7rethren of the 4osy Cross. Aleister Cro%ley envisaged Se9 al Alchemy to "e the flo%er of 'agick and the key to the f t re !rogress of h manity. 7y it %e are a"le to !artake the S !reme Sacrament of the (olden -a%n, to create dynamic changes in accordance %ith o r &r e Will, and to make Light, Life, Love and Li"erty o r chosen lot. 'em"ers of the *e% <rder of the (olden -a%n are instr cted in the mysteries of Se9 al Alchemy "y %ay of +ceremonial sym"olism,+ %hich im!resses on their minds the niversal form la of the (reat Work "y %hich they may "ecome Ade!t in < r 4oyal Art to accom!lish their &r e Will. In Se9 al Alchemy there are certain em"lems linked %ith the &etragrammaton. &hese are the 4ed Lion for #od 5=ire6, the White 0agle for 1eh 5Water6, the Ser!ent for ;av 5Air6, and the (l ten for 1eh final 50arth6. &he 4ed Lion is the male o!erator, the White 0agle is the female o!erator, the Ser!ent is that %hich s%ims in the 7lood of the 4ed Lion, and the (l ten is the 'enstr m of the White 0agle. &he 0gg %hich is laid "y the White 0agle is fertili3ed "y the Ser!ent. &he instr ment or a!!arat s of the male o!erator is the Athanor or = rnace. &he instr ment or a!!arat s of the female o!erator is the C c r"ite or 4etort. *o% %hen the 7lood of the 4ed Lion is one %ith the (l ten of the White 0agle, and %hen the Ser!ent and the 0gg are !erfectly f sed, then is the Stone of the 2hiloso!hers man fact red. In this the Lion e9changes his 4ed 7lood for the White (l ten of the 0agle. &he 4ed Lion t rns White, and the White 0agle t rns 4ed. &he =ire " rns ! the Water and the Water e9ting ishes the =ire. S ch is the cons mmation of the 4oyal 'arriage of the S n and 'oon in the 1ermetic ;essel. 7asil ;alentine %rote: +2et the 2ion and Eagle duly prepare themsel'es as %rince and %rincess of (lchemy -- as they may be inspired. 2et the +nion of the 9ed 2ion and the /hite Eagle be neither in cold nor in heat...*o$ then comes the time $hen the elixir is placed in the alembic retort to be subjected to the gentle $armth...#f the .reat /ork be transubstantiation then the 9ed 2ion may feed upon the flesh and blood of the .od! and also let the 9ed 2ion duly feed the /hite Eagle -- yea! may the Mother Eagle gi'e sustainment and guard the inner life .+ I %o ld no% like to !resent to yo an alchemical rit al called +&he Ceremony of the S n and 'oon.+ &his rit al contains the %hole secret of the (reat Work from the !oint of vie% of the material !lane. It is a Se9 al Ceremony designed to nite the S n and 'oon to !rod ce the Stone of the 2hiloso!hers. &his rit al is s!ecifically designed for the se of t%o !artici!ants. &hese are the 2riest of the S n and the 2riestess of the 'oon. In this rit al the S n and 'oon are invoked in the 2riest and 2riestess %ho then nite in ecstasy to !rod ce the 2hiloso!her?s Stone. It is a &helemic 'arriage Ceremony com!osed "y my o%n hand in the year 1991 e.v. "y the magical ins!iration, and nder the g iding light, of the S n and 'oon. As s ch, it is a niB e contri" tion to the 'agick of &helema, and it is the first ceremony of its kind to o!enly

reveal the secrets of Se9 al Alchemy. =or it is a &r e Ceremony of the 4ose and Cross, only to "e nderstood "y those men and %omen of the earth %ho live and "reathe in the Secret Sanct ary of the (nosis. S ch are the 1oly 7rothers and Sisters of the 4osy Cross, %hose names are %rit %ith "lood in the Stone of 0ternity. THE CEREM"!Y "( THE &$! A!# M""!

7eing a 4it al of 'arriage designed for the Con,oining of t%o so ls in * it and 1adit.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
The Arra(geme(t o! the Temple

&he &em!le shall "e arranged accordingly. In the centre shall "e the Altar, having !on it a C ! of Wine, t%o Cakes of Light, the 'agick Wand, the 'agick 7ell, the 1oly <il, t%o 'agical Links for the 2riest and the 2riestess 5t%o consecrated 4ings6, and &he 7ook of the La%.
The )reparatio( o! the Ceremo(y

&he 2riest shall %ear a 4ed 5or White6 4o"e and the 2riestess shall %ear a 7l e 5or 7lack6 4o"e to sym"oli3e =ire and Water 5or Light and -arkness, that is, 'ale and =emale6. &he 2riest shall %ear a Lamen of the S n and the 2riestess shall %ear a Lamen of the 'oon. &hey shall d ly ! rify their "odies "efore they ro"e. &o "egin this 1oly Ceremony of the S n and 'oon, let the 2riest d ly "anish in the &em!le "y the !ro!er magical method. 52erform the 7anishing 4it al of the Star 4 "y, Li"er MM;.6 &hen shall he a!!ly the 1oly <il to himself and the 2riestess shall do the same to herself, consecrating their Wills to this (reat Work of Union. &hen shall they kiss, niting hands as they do so. &hen shall they !osition themselves in their a!!ro!riate stations in the &em!le, the 2riest in the 0ast of the &em!le and the 2riestess in the West of the &em!le, facing each other. 7efore cond cting this 1oly Ceremony, the 2riest and the 2riestess sho ld meditate in their hearts !on verses DD and D4 of Cha!ter I of &he 7ook of the La%. Also they sho ld meditate in their hearts !on verse D8 of Cha!ter II of &he 7ook of the La%. Let them !erform this 1oly Ceremony in accordance %ith these holy in, nctions of &helema. &hey sho ld es!ecially meditate !on and ! t into !ro!er effect the holy in, nction: +the rit als shall "e half kno%n and half concealed.+
The )ro"lamatio( a(d the ,ath

Priest: 5In the 0ast facing 2riestess in the West.6 Do *hat thou *ilt shall be the *hole o! the .a*.

Priestess: 5In the West facing 2riest in the 0ast.6 .ove is the .a*/ .ove u(der %ill. Priest: %hat is thy %ill/ , .ady o! the 0ight1 Priestess: t is my %ill to sa"rame(tally 2(ite. A(d *hat is thy %ill/ , #a( o! the Su(1 Priest: t is my %ill to be"ome as ,(e. Priestess: A(d by *hat #agi"& Spell shall *e *or& our %ill1 Priest: By the Spell o! this Ritual3s #ysti"& Seal. Priestess: A(d *hat shall *e ma&e by this a"t 2(&(o*(1 Priest: A mysterious ob4e"t "alled the )hilosopher3s Sto(e5 Priestess: Art thou prepared to do thy %ill1 Priest: am prepared to a""omplish the $ra(d #ira"le. Priestess: %ill you ta&e a( ,ath to "omplete this Rite1 Priest: *ill ta&e the ,ath a(d *e *ill 2(ite. Priestess: The( seal thy *ords *ith a pre"ious 'iss A(d so shall *e u(ite i( i(!i(ite Bliss5 &he 2riest and 2riestess go to the Altar and the 2riest kisses his 2riestess on her li!s. &hen shall they nite hands a"ove &he 7ook of the La% on the 1oly Altar, and together they shall take the <ath. Priest and Priestess: ( !reedom *e ta&e this ,ath o! .ove To a""omplish our %ill o( earth as above5 %e promise a(d s*ear/ a(d i(!i(itely aspire/ To u(ite as o(e 66 our hearts desire5 By Fire a(d %ater *e *ill parta&e this hour The -oly Sa"rame(t o! #agi"& )o*er5 Priest and Priestess: A(d so shall *e *or& our %ill to 2(ite A(d attai( the 7ui(tesse("e o! this Rite5 This ,ath *e promise8 this ,ath *e s*ear As *e e(!lame ourselves *ith )rayer5 ( the 0ame o! Thelema 66 the .a* o! .iberty/ As *e *ill/ So mote it be5
9 The (vo"atio( o! the Eleme(ts

&he 2riest advances to the a!!ro!riate 0lemental B arters and invokes the 0lements "y %ay of the Unic rsal 1e9agram and the a!!ro!riate ver"al invocations. Priest: 5Advances to the 0ast, traces the Unic rsal 1e9agram of =ire, and invokes:6 -oly art Thou/ , .ord o! the Fire/ Thou .ord o! .ight/ to *hi"h *e aspire5

, Thou Flashi(g Flame o! Eter(ity/ Come Thou !orth *e say u(to Thee5 52riest goes to the So th, traces the Unic rsal 1e9agram of 0arth, and invokes:6 -oly art Thou/ , .ord o! the Earth/ Thou .ord o! .i!e/ our esse("e o! birth5 , Thou soul o! all !orms that *e see/ Come Thou !orth *e say u(to Thee5 52riest goes to the West, traces the Unic rsal 1e9agram of Air, and invokes:6 -oly art Thou/ , .ord o! the Air/ Thou .ord o! .iberty/ to *hi"h *e adhere5 , Thou perpetual Breath o! E"stasy/ Come Thou !orth *e say u(to Thee5 52riest goes to the *orth, traces the Unic rsal 1e9agram of Water, and invokes:6 -oly art Thou/ , .ord o! the %ater/ Thou .ord o! .ove a(d #ysti"& Rapture5 , Thou i(s"rutable Depth o! the Sea/ Come Thou !orth *e say u(to Thee5 5&he 2riest no% goes to the Centre of the &em!le, com!leting the Circle. 1e then gives the Sign of the Cross, and declares:6 -oly art thou/ ye Eleme(ts Divi(e/ (vo&ed a(d i(spired to per!e"tly "ombi(e ( this Temple "o(se"rated to .ove To a""omplish belo* That *hi"h is Above5
9 The (vo"atio( o! the Su( a(d #oo(

&he 2riest and 2riestess no% e9change stations, so that the 2riest is facing 0ast and the 2riestess is facing West. Priest: 5'akes Unic rsal 1e9agram of Sol and invokes:6 i(vo&e Thee/ , Thou $lorious Su(/ To "ome Thou !orth that our %ill be do(e5 .et Thy .ight illumi(e this Temple #a&i(g true the #agi"& o! this -oly Ritual5 Priestess: 5'akes Unic rsal 1e9agram of L na and invokes:6

i(vo&e Thee/ , Thou Soul o! 0ight/ To "ome Thou !orth that *e may 2(ite5 .et Thy .ove *or& its #ighty Spell To ma&e as o(e/ both -eave( a(d -ell5
9 The Co(4oi(i(g o! the Su( a(d #oo(

&he 2riest and 2riestess shall no% nite to !rod ce the 2hiloso!herGs Stone, that they may d ly charge their 'agical Links %ith the invoked C rrent of this Sacramental Ceremony of Love for the accom!lishment of their Will to Unite. When this is com!lete, let the 2riest cons me the 0li9ir and administer the same nto his 2riestess.
9 The Chargi(g o! the #agi"al .i(&s

A !ortion of the 2hiloso!herGs Stone shall "e sed to charge the 'agical Links %hich are designed to "ring a"o t the desired magical effect of this 1oly Ceremony. &hey shall "e im" ed %ith the invoked force of the Stone. &hese links sho ld "e in the form of consecrated 'agical 4ings %hich shall "e %orn "y the 2riest and 2riestess as tr e tokens of their cons mmation of this Sacramental Ceremony. &he 2riest shall do "est "y tracing the Sigil of the 'oon on the 4ing %hich he %ill administer to his 2riestess, and the 2riestess shall do "est "y tracing the Sigil of the S n on the 4ing %hich she %ill administer to her 2riest. Priest: 5When tracing Sigil of L na, let him declare:6 This ri(g bless to u(ite my soul *ith the )riestess o! this -oly Ritual5 &he 2riest shall no% kiss the 4ing and !lace it on the !ro!er finger of his 2riestess. Priestess: 5When tracing Sigil of Sol, let her declare:6 This ri(g bless to u(ite my soul %ith the -igh )riest o! this -oly Temple5 &he 2riestess shall no% kiss the 4ing and !lace it on the !ro!er finger of her 2riest.
9 The )ro"lamatio( o! the Ri(gs o! )o*er

Priest and Priestess: 2po( our !i(gers there is #agi"& )o*er/ Ri(gs o! a Spell/ by *hi"h *e empo*er ,ur %ill to u(ite i( .ove a(d .iberty 66 A #ysti" delight !or all eter(ity5 Priest and Priestess:

These Ri(gs o! .ove *e do pro"laim As .i(&s o! a )o*er *e do a""laim5 By their #agi"& *e e(!or"e our %ay To *or& our %ill both 0ight a(d Day5
: The )ro"lamatio( o! the 2(io( o! the Su( a(d #oo(

Priest and Priestess: This *e pro"laim8 that *e are Bou(d ( #ysti"& .ove a(d Freedom )ro!ou(d5 ,ur divided souls are *ed i( E"stasy; %e are ever 4oi(ed i( .ove a(d .iberty5 Priest and Priestess: This *e pro"laim8 that *e are ,(e; ( the Su( a(d #oo( our %ill is do(e5 %e shall (o* "elebrate *ith %i(e a(d Ca&e This blessed 2(io( *hi"h *e u(derta&e5
: The Celebratio( o! the Su( a(d #oo(

Priest and Priestess: %e parta&e the Ca&e8 *e parta&e the %i(e; The bread a(d the blood 66 sa"rame(ts divi(e5 Let the 2riest and the 2riestess no% !artake the Cakes and the Wine. When this is d ly accom!lished, they shall then declare: Priest and Priestess: %e revel *ith 4oy i( this a"t o! <eal/ )arta&i(g the eleme(ts *ith .ove u(der %ill5 &he 2riest and the 2riestess shall no% em"race their "odies in ! re !assionate ecstasy and ,oy, ending all %ith a sacramental kiss of delicio s delight as a final token of their 'ystick Love.
: The $reat %or& A""omplished

&he 2riest and the 2riestess shall no% strike the 'agick 7ell. &he 2riestess shall hold the 7ell on high, and the 2riest shall strike the 7ell DI8ID %ith his Wand. When this is d ly accom!lished, they shall then "oth !roclaim: ABRA-ADABRA5 &his final Word of 2o%er seals this Sacramental Ceremony of Love %ith the 'agical C rrent of the (reat Work of &helema, of %hich it is a !ro!er magical gly!h, "eing the gly!h of the

'agick =orm la of the 'ystick Union of the 4ose and Cross. It is the great 4e%ard of < r Lord 4aI1oorIJh it, administered nto them %ho are chosen and nited in * it and 1adit. &o !ro!erly end this 1oly Ceremony, the 2riest shall d ly !erform the 7anishing 4it al of the Star 4 "y 5Li"er MM;6. &hen shall the 2riest and 2riestess de!art the &em!le in nison, %ith hands ,oined to sym"oli3e their going forth together to do their Will among the legions of the living$ yea, to do their Will among the legions of the living.
Love is the law, love under will.

CHAPTER III DE MAGNUM OPUS SOLIS

(ON THE GREAT WORK OF THE SUN)
*o%, o my "eloved "rethren of the (olden -a%n, shalt tho read herein the %ords of 1ermes &rismegist s, &hrice greatest Lord of < r 4oyal Art and Science, %hose ;oice is Wisdom and %hose &ho ght is Light. And this, o my "eloved "rethren, is 1is 1oly 7ook, dedicated to 1is 4oyal Work, the 'agn m <! s of the S n. It is made of thirtyIsi9 verses in all, "eing a manifestation of the (lory of 'erc ry, from %hence it %as %ritten in the mind of a 'agician. It is the magical fr it of the Invocation of 1ermesI'erc ri sI&hoth, the &hreefold Lord of < r 'a,estic <! s of the S n, in %hose 1oly Image it %as %ritten. 'ayest tho !artake of the s!lendo r of its &r th, tasting the s%eetness of its Wisdom, to fortify and ill mine thy so l, mind and "ody %ith the Life and Light of the S n %hich is the Eternal Spirit of the Golden Dawn.

)THE B""K "( ALCHEMY*

Received and scribed by David Cherubi ! "#$$ e%v% (C& en's (ri''en in "##) e%v%)
1. &he (reat Work is <ne: Attain &ho &hat. All things are modes of e9!ression of &hat <ne &hing and Its 0ternal > est for Unity %ith Itself in the Immeas ra"le Light of Its Universal 1oliness. 5Comment: &he <ne is the 'any. &here are as many great %orks as there are stars in the Universe. &hat %hich +&ho + shalt attain is yo r o%n (reat Work, %hich is the f lfillment of yo r o%n &r e Will. All things !artake of that great nion "et%een the h man and the divine$ all is a necessary !art of that great !lay of yo r o%n &r e Self. &he Immeas ra"le Light is Jether, the first Se!hira on the >a"alistic &ree of Life %hich re!resents the #echidah or the &r e 0ssence of the so l, yo r 1ighest Self.6 .. &his is the 1ighest Will of All: Union %ith &hat. 5Comment: &he 1ighest Will of All is to attain nion %ith &hat, yo r Jether Self, or yo r &r e Self, %hich is the All in All. And this can only "e achieved thro gh yo r &r e Will, %hich is yo r &r e Self in action.6

L BER ALKHEM

D. &hat Alone is &r th$ and this that tho kno%est is a necessary com!lement thereof. 5Comment: &he only valid tr th in the Universe is yo r &r e Self as indicated "y the dynamic motion of yo r &r e Will$ and yo r !hysical conscio sness is a necessary, com!lementary !art of yo r &r e Self, made manifest for yo to accom!lish its <ne Will on earth.6 4. Wherefore We charge ye to kno% the &r e *at re of &hat <ne &hing. 5Comment: It is in the nat re of the Secret Chiefs to instr ct all in the kno%ledge of their &r e Self. &h s they have delivered one of their o%n nto the %orld, to initiate this kno%ledge in the minds of men and %omen. 7 t the &r e *at re of that <ne &hing is for each individ al to discover in hisLher o%n %ay, since it !artakes of the very essence of hisLher o%n niB e nat re. It cannot "e reali3ed thro gh another$ it m st "e o"tained "y oneself, for oneself and in oneself. All that another can do is to assist yo to the 2ath, to initiate this kno%ledge in yo . 7 t once yo are on the 2ath, only yo can master that kno%ledge in accordance %ith yo r o%n &r e Will.6 8. &herefore shall We also charge ye to kno% the <ne 'eaning of &hat <ne &hing, as ye shall learn in the co rse of thine initiations, thro gh the many lives of thy fa"ricated karma, to the =inal Ill strio s S mmit of &hy &r e Will in the 0ternal and Secret A"ode of L;M$ yea, in the 0ternal and Secret A"ode of L;M. 5Comment: &he <ne 'eaning of the &r e Self is in the Way of its &r e Will. &he &r e Will is the mystery of initiation and incarnation. &he 0ternal and Secret A"ode of L;M is the 1ome of o r &r e Self, the 2lace of the 2alace of 2erfection.6 H. &he (reat Work of the S n is !roclaimed: Attain &ho the 'ystic Cro%n of the Ages) 5Comment: &he (reat Work of the S n is to attain o r Jether Self, %hich is the All in All, defined a"ove as the &r e Self. &his 4oyal Work makes for the attainment of the 2hiloso!her?s Stone, %hich is a sym"ol of o r &r e Self. It is %ith this stone that the Alchemist can transm te all "ase metals into the 2erfect (old of *at re. 7 t this is only a meta!hor for the S !reme &ransm tation of the h man into the divine. As 0li!has Levi %rote in N-ogme et 4it el de la 1a te 'agieN: + The Great Work is something more than a chemical operation: it is an actual creation of the human Word initiated into the power of the Word of God Himself .+6 C. 1ere is a !ro!hecy of divinity, most s "lime for many f t re Ade!ts. &his 4oyal 7ook of < r &ranscendental Science %ill remain amongst men of this little earth for many generations to come. 'any ade!ts in the f t re %ill nderstand this 1oly 7ook and a!!ly its secret gnosis to the accom!lishment of the (reat Work$ and there"y %ill they secretly !artake of the Ineffa"le 'ystery of the &r e Stone of the Wise, %hich is hidden in the Sanct m Sanctor m of the 0ternal &em!le of the 1oly 'agick of Light. 5Comment: &his holy "ook can "e com!ared to the famo s 0merald &a"le of 1ermes, %hich has e9ercised a !rofo nd infl ence on many Ade!ts of the 1ermetic Art. &his alchemical "ook shall also infl ence, in a most !rofo nd manner, many Ade!ts in the coming generations, and it shall "e the ca se of m ch s!ec lation among them. 7 t of these many %ill come to an nderstanding of the (reat Work and there"y attain the Stone of the Sages.6 E. 7y the Ageless Wisdom of 1ermes &rismegist s, &hriceIgreatestI<ne, %ho is the Lord of < r 4oyal Science and Sacerdotal Art, is this 1oly 7ook made !ossi"le for the children of men. 5Comment: &he Ageless Wisdom !ertains to the Se!hira called Chokmah on the >a"alistic &ree of Life. Chokmah is the Logos. 1ermes &rismegist s, or 1ermesI'erc ri sI&hoth, is the

Logos, and 1e is the &hreefold Lord !residing over the alchemical Art. &his is none other than 1is 1oly 7ook for the ill mination of the Ade!ts in the generations to come.6 9. 1e that hath an ear to hear, let him hear the %ondro s and melodio s s!lendo rs of 1igh Wisdom, immanent yet concealed %ithin these s%eet celestial %ords of the vast s "tlety of the Cro%n of Creation. 5Comment: &he tr e teachings of this holy "ook cannot "e fo nd in the %ords %hich go to make ! its e9ternal form, " t can only "e int itively reali3ed "y the interior ear of the S!irit. &hese are the %ondro s and melodio s s!lendors of the Logos %ho is the Cro%n of Creation.6 1/. &ho shalt discern the im!erisha"le golden s!lendo rs of these holy r nes of magick in the 0ternal ;ision of Wisdom, and %ith the Inner 0ar of &hy S!irit, and also "y virt e of a certain key of kno%ledge %hich is n!rono nced and nrecogni3ed amongst the men of this little %orld of cor!oreal e9istence. 5Comment: #o shall int it the interior meanings of this holy "ook in the ageless light and intelligence of the Logos, and "y %ay of yo r inner ear, and also "y virt e of a certain key of kno%ledge %hich, %hen discovered, nlocks all the mysteries of < r 4oyal Art and Science. &his key is o!enly revealed in the inter!retations that follo%.6 11. &hese secret s!lendo rs reveal the highest glory for the !erfect attainment of the <ne &r th in man. 5Comment: &he interior !arts of this holy "ook are its tr e revelations. &hese interior tr ths are %hat constit te the attainment of the (reat Work. &o reveal is to remove a veil, to nveil a 'ystery. &he highest glory is the Jno%ledge of o r Jether Self, %hich alone makes for the !erfection of o r so l.6 1.. =or all that is recorded herein is a tr e testimony of things seen %ith the Inner 0ye of < r So l, and of things heard %ith the Inner 0ar of < r S!irit. 5Comment: &his holy "ook is a tr e testimony of the Wisdom of the Secret 7rethren of the 4ose and Cross. 7 t I have no !roof of this fact$ only !ersonal e9!erience can demonstrate the a thenticity of my %ords. Ill stration: #o cannot convince a "lind man that there is s ch a thing as light. A greater fool is he %ho tries to convince him)6 1D. &his 1oly 7ook is a fo ntain of tr th, "y %hich ye shall come to nderstand the Invisi"le Agencies %hich direct the hidden o!erations of the (reat Work thro gho t the infinite s!aces of Infinity, %ith %orlds %itho t end, a"ove and "elo%, left and right, "efore and "ehind. 5Comment: &he Invisi"le Agencies of Alchemy are s !ernal and niversal in kind. &hey are the very forces of infinity, %hich constit te niversal creation, !reservation and destr ction. &hese are manifest in all things, and all things are " t com"inations and modifications of these Universal 2rinci!les.6 14. &hese S "tle Agencies are three in n m"er, ca!a"le of great and vast transformations thro gh ! re m lti!lication and e9altation of their infinite and elastic elements of "ecoming. 5Comment: In the >a"alah these three Agencies are linked %ith the three S !ernal Se!hiroth on the &ree of Life. &hese are Jether, Chokmah, and 7inah. &hese three Se!hiroth are the hidden ca se of all transformation in the Universe. &hey are a"stract, synergistic, cons!iratorial 2rinci!les %hich cannot "e defined in any concrete or linear terms, for they are "eyond all manifestation, e9isting in %hat %e may call +the interior niverse.+ &hese three

Agencies are the very forces %hich constit te the (reat Work in "oth 'acrocosmos and 'icrocosmos, and they are the hidden ca se of all celestial and terrestrial changes thro gh the m lti!lication and e9altation of the s "tle forces %hich are the niversal, central instr ments of creation.6 18. #et there is " t <ne Jno%ledge of the <ne &r e =orm la of those &hree Arcane Agencies %hich constit te the accom!lishment of the (reat Work, %hich hath "een comm nicated !artially in diverse %ays thro gho t the aeons of time, %ith each %ay declaring itself the <ne A"sol te &r th. 5Comment: &he <ne Jno%ledge of the <ne &r e =orm la of these three Agencies is sim!ly the kno%ledge that they are <ne. &hese three 2rinci!les are nified selfItransformations and selfI!er!et ating !rod ctions of each other. &his <ne Jno%ledge has "een the s ",ect of many a school of tho ght, yet nder the dire s!ell of monistic thinking. &here is, ho%ever, a f rther mystery.6 1H. 7 t herein is a great and mighty misfort ne, %hich hath "o nd many candidates of < r 4oyal Art to the "alef l chains of ignorance and death. ninitiated

5Comment: As !ointed o t in the "eginning of these comments: the <ne is the 'any. &he <ne Jno%ledge of < r 4oyal Art is, in !oint of fact, infinite in kind, "eing as diverse as the stars in the Universe. &his may seem !arado9ical to the mind, " t to the so l it is a fact as sim!le as the nose on yo r face. 'onism and monotheism, may yo note it %ell, are dangero s "eliefs %hich have corr !ted o r %orldvie%. < r Universe is m ltidimensional, and there is nothing in *at re that is not a !henomenon of m lti!licity.6 1C. =or many are the %ays %hich lead to the grand (olden 2alace of < r 'agn m <! s, and in each %ay tho shalt find a lesser form la of kno%ledge a!!lica"le to the <ne 0nd$ yet are all these lesser %ays " t mere reflections of the <ne &r e and Unkno%n Way of Attainment. 5Comment: &he are many !aths %hich lead to the !erfection of the so l$ and since all !aths lead to the same !lace, they are all reflections of the <ne, that is, they are all reflections of each other. Again, I m st em!hasi3e, the <ne is the 'any.6 1E. &here are also three lesser agencies %hich concentrate and synthesi3e the &hree 1igher Agencies into the inn mera"le %orlds of < r Infinite Universe. 5Comment: &he three lesser agencies are, of co rse, S l!h r, Salt and 'erc ry %hich, according to 0li!has Levi, constit te the Stone of the Sages %hen they are thrice com"ined in AA<&1 "y a tri!le s "limation and a tri!le fi9ation. AA<&1, the =irst 'atter of o r %ork, can "e com!ared %ith the Atom, and the three agencies %hich constit te AA<&1 can "e com!ared %ith the !roton, the ne tron and the electron %hich are the three "asic indivisi"le com!onents or !articles %hich com!ose the Atom. &he !roton and the ne tron are contained in the central n cle s of an atom, and o tside of this n cle s is the electron. *o% all atoms are identical in s "stance$ that is, every atom has an identical, f ndamental, internal str ct re$ the !rotons, ne trons and electrons in one atom are identical to those in any other atom. &he atoms of one element differ from those of another element only in the n m"er of their !rotons and electrons. Also note that atoms cannot "e created or destroyed$ they can only "e rearranged "y chemical reactions. It %as -emocrit s of A"dera O4// 7.C.P %ho !ro!osed the theory that all things %ere com!osed of atoms and em!ty s!ace, tho gh the theory of atoms did not "ecome a living !art of scientific thinking till the latter !art of the

1Eth cent ry. S l!h r, Salt and 'erc ry can also "e linked %ith the three ( nas or > alities of #oga 2hiloso!hy, %hich are the three f ndamental modes of 0nergy. S ch are called &amas O2assivityP, 4a,as OActivityP and Sattva O0B ili"ri mP. &amas is Salt, 4a,as is S l!h r, and Sattva is 'erc ry. &hese corres!ond %ith the At of &hoth called +&he 'ag s+ OSattvaL'erc ryP, +&he 0m!eror+ O4a,asLS l!h rP, and +&he 0m!ress+ O&amasLSaltP. Aleister Cro%ley, regarding these three 2rinci!les, %rote in N&he 7ook of &hothN: + Sulphur is Activit ! Energ ! Desire" #ercur is $luidit ! %ntelligence! the power of Transmission" Salt is the vehicle of these two forms of energ ! &ut itself possesses 'ualities which react on them .+6 19. If tho canst discover the e9oteric o!erations of these three lesser !rinci!les of *at re, tho shalt like%ise o"tain a holy glim!se of the &hree 1igher 2rinci!les of %hich We s!eak. 5Comment: &he three lesser agencies are reflections of the nat re of the three 1igher Agencies of the Universe. Salt reflects the essence of 7inah, S l!h r reflects the essence of Chokmah, and 'erc ry reflects the essence of Jether. &o discover the e9oteric o!erations of these three lesser 2rinci!les of *at re is, in the ltimate sense, a scientific !rocess. &he model of the Atom affords s a %ealth of information in this regard.6 ./. 0ach lesser !rinci!le is a sign of the higher, " t after a certain manner most secret and most mysterio s. 5Comment: As !revio sly indicated, the lesser is a reflection of the greater. &h s it is %ritten: +As a&ove so &elow! and as &elow so a&ove! for the accomplishment of the #iracle of The (ne Thing.+6 .1. <n earth shalt tho find these !rinci!les reflected and made es!ecially manifest in thy %orks of !hysical nion. 5Comment: In the se9 act is reflected the mystery of the o!eration of the three 2rinci!les. Works of !hysical nion are, in fact, the most s ita"le means of attaining an nderstanding %ith regard to the inner %orkings of *at re for the !rod ction of the 2hiloso!her?s Stone. &h s did Sir 0d%ard Jelly %rite in his NStone of the 2hiloso!hersN: + %n short! our whole #agistr consists in the union of the male and female! or active and passive! elements through the mediation of our metallic water and a proper degree of heat .+ And in the N4osari m 2hiloso!hor mQ it is %ritten: + $rom a man and a woman make a circle! then e)tract from this a s'uare! and from this e)tract a triangle! and then make a circle! and ou will o&tain the Philosopher*s Stone.+6 ... &here is fire, and there is %ater, and then there is Air: there is s l!h r, and there is salt, and then there is 'erc ry. 5Comment: =ire re!resents the 'asc line or Solar 2rinci!le called 4e9, the Jing$ Water re!resents the =eminine or L nar 2rinci!le called 4egina, the > een$ and Air, %hich is Water coag lated "y =ire, is the !rod ct of their nion, the Androgyno s or 'erc rial 2rinci!le called 4e"is or 4eg l s, the little Jing. &hese are the 'ale and =emale o!erators, or the 4ed Lion and the White 0agle, and their <ne Will to Unite. S l!h r is the 7lood of the 4ed Lion, Salt is the (l ten of the White 0agle, and 'erc ry is that %hich res lts from the dissol tion of the S l!h r in the Salt, %hich is also the Chymical 'arriage of S l!h r and 'erc ry, or the Union of the =i9ed and the ;olatile. S ch is also called the 1ierosgamos of the S n and 'oon and the Con, nctio of =ire and Water.6 .D. Seest tho not the tr e nat re of these thingsK

5Comment: *ot all are a"le to nderstand these alchemical mysteries, to !ierce the ;eil of Isis, no matter %hat is said on the s ",ect or ho% m ch of it is revealed. &h s do I s!eak so fearlessly and o!enly regarding these alchemical mysteries, kno%ing that none may nderstand my %ords %itho t already having in their !ossession the secret keys to this kno%ledge.6 .4. Ah) tho hast not yet trained thy mind to com!rehend the treas res of earth, %hich are not material %ealth, nor are they material goods$ " t rather are they holy treas res %hich, %hen fo nd, make a man to sell all that he hath for them. 5Comment: &he tr e treas res of earth are the treas res of life itself. &hey are incom!ara"le in nat re, "eing inval a"le elements in the constit tion of e9istence. Witho t these tr e treas res there is no life, no creation, no evol tion.6 .8. 7 t the &hree 1igher 2rinci!les of the Universe are "eyond these, "eing s "tle, ineffa"le and s !ernal. All three of these greater !rinci!les are eB al in essence to one another$ there is no difference "et%een them in the meas re of infinity %hich they contain %ithin themselves: each one of these 1igher 2rinci!les is eB ally infinite. 5Comment: &he &hree 1igher 2rinci!les of the Universe are immaterial a"stract energies, meta!hysical in nat re, %hich remain nchanged in their vario s com"inations %ith each other and in the modifications of their manifestations in matter thro gh the activity of the three lesser 2rinci!les %hich are their direct reflections on earth.6 .H. *o% let it "e nderstood amongst the holy circle of Initiates that in thine o%n 1oly 4ose (arden there dominates these &hree 1igher 2rinci!les of the ;ast Unkno%n of the Celestial 7eyond. 5Comment: &he 1oly 4ose (arden is, of co rse, the h man "ody, the La"oratory or La"oratori m of < r 'agn m <! s, %herein are concealed the &hree 1igher 2rinci!les of the Universe thro gh their s "tle inter!lay in matter "y %ay of the three lesser 2rinci!les of *at re. In +&he 7ook of the 0lder Jings+, scri"ed "y my hand in the year 19EE e.v., it is !roclaimed "y the 7rothers of the 4ose and Cross: + (urs is the Sevenfold Path of %nitiation: thou shalt transmute the &ase lead into the su&tle Aurum Solis & rising on the Stairwa of the Heavens in th Secret +a&oratorium on earth, Here is the E)cellent Wa - The steps of the Stairwa are seven" the +a&oratorium is (ur Hol House of Song and (ur Hol .ose Garden! which thou knowest so well, /et to those who are vulgar! it is a secret even though the themselves possess it.+6 .C. &ho shalt first sec re Understanding$ then shalt tho attain Wisdom$ and so shalt tho o"tain the Ageless Cro%n of 0ternal S!lendo r. &hese are the &hree Ineffa"le 'ysteries of the 2alace of the Stars) 5Comment: Understanding is 7inah, the third Se!hira on the >a"alistic &ree of Life$ Wisdom is Chokmah, the second Se!hira on the >a"alistic &ree of Life$ and the Cro%n is Jether, the first Se!hira on the >a"alistic &ree of Life. S ch are the &r e Jeys to the (olden 2alace of < r 'agn m <! s.6 .E. &hey are also the eternal secrets of the (reat Lam! of Wisdom: there is the light, and the oil, and the lam! itself. 5Comment: &he Lam! of Wisdom is %hat g ides the so l on its ,o rney to the s mmit of the (reat 'o ntain of 1ermetic Attainment. &he Lam! is held in the ?hand? of o r &r e Self %ho is

re!resented in &arot "y +&he 1ermit+. &he 1ermit holds this Lam! on high that %e may com!rehend the threefold nat re of the (reat Work to ill mine o r 2ath and make "right o r %ays.6 .9. St dy tho %ell this threefold teaching of 1ermesI'erc ri sI&hoth, &hriceIgreatestI 'aster of the <! s of the S n$ and so shalt tho accom!lish the (reat Work of the Aeon. 5Comment: &he 1ermit is the image of 1ermesI'erc ri sI&hoth, as one %ho has attained the (reat Work and stands ready to ill mine all others "elo% 1im on the 2ath %ith the threefold teaching of the ages. #et only those %ho are tr ly fit for 1is &eaching can recogni3e 1is Wisdom. &he nfit cannot recogni3e 1is Wisdom, since they are "lind and st !id, na"le to see or com!rehend the o"vio s, the Light that is even no% !on them.6 D/. &ho shalt also kno% that the &hree 1igher 2rinci!les of %hich We s!eak are mysterio s revelations of a more Ineffa"le &rinity of Inscr ta"le Unity. 5Comment: &his seems to im!ly a mystery of >a"alistic significance in %hich Jether, Chokmah and 7inah are " t reflections of three higher a"stract conce!ts, called Ain O*othingP, Ain So!h O&he LimitlessP, and Ain So!h Ao r O&he Limitless LightP. &hese are the three ;eils of *egative 09istence %hich are "eyond the &ree of Life. =rom them, ho%ever, emanate the three S !ernals, and from these the remaining Se!hiroth.6 D1. *o% the In%ard Work is threefold$ and the < t%ard Work is threefold. 0ach is a &hreefold Unity of So l, 'ind and 7ody. 5Comment: &he In%ard Work is, of co rse, 'ystical Alchemy and the < t%ard Work is, of co rse, Se9 al Alchemy. 7oth of these o!erations are com!rised of three "asic stages. &hese three stages are called *igredo, Al"edo and 4 "edo, or the 7lack, the White and the 4ed. *igredo is the stage of -issol tion, %hich is the 2 trefaction of o r %ork$ Al"edo is Coag lation, %hich is the Synthesis of o r %ork$ and 4 "edo is S "limation, %hich is the ' lti!lication of o r %ork. &hese three stages are re!resented "y three fig res, %hich constit te the Astrological &rinity of Scor!io. &hese are the Scor!ion, the Ser!ent, and the 0agle. &he Scor!ion is *igredo, the Ser!ent is Al"edo, and the 0agle is 4 "edo. &he latter of these three is the astrological eB ivalent of the alchemical 2hoeni9 and 2elican. It re!resents the (reat Attainment, the re"irth of the so l or stone, %hich can no% transfig re all "ase metals into the 2erfect (old of *at re. &h s the great em"lem of the *e% <rder of the (olden -a%n is the 0agle %hose ;ast Wings re!resent the Li"erty of the Ade!t to accom!lish the (reat Work. &he three stages in 'ystical Alchemy, or the three states of the stone, are transm tations of a most !ec liar kind. &hey are, in fact, metamor!hic in nat re, constit ting act al B ant m , m!s or a"r !t transitions from one state of develo!ment to another$ they do not necessarily follo% a logical !attern of change. &he stone itself remains contin o s thro gho t the o!eration, " t the changes it end res are not connected %ith each other in any !henomenological or o"serva"le sense. 0ach stage is a com!lete transformation of the stone, a verita"le death and re"irth of its so l from one state of e9istence to another. 0ach stage, tho gh it is the nat ral res lt of o r %ork, comes a"o t ne9!ectedly$ it is an n!redicta"le event in the s!aceItime contin m. *o% in this threefold e9!erimental o!eration the saline stone of < r 'a,estic Work first ndergoes a critical death or disintegration !rocess, %hich is also a ! rification of its so l, mind and "ody. It then "ecomes the White &inct re of o r %ork, %hich is a magical consecration of the stone, and this White &inct re transm tes "ase metals into the Silver of

the 'oon. &hen it "ecomes the 4ed &inct re of o r %ork, the 0li9ir of Life, %hich transm tes "ase metals into the Living (old of the S n. In 0gy!tian mythological sym"olism, this threefold o!eration is re!resented "y the slaying of <siris "y his "rother Set, 1is revival thro gh the 'agick of 1is %ife Isis, and 1is mysterio s res rrection in 1is son 1or s, %ho is the A r m A rea or (olden -a%n of < r 4egal Art, and %hose holy image is the Solar 0agle. S ch is the death and re"irth of &1A& %hich is like nto itself: s ch is the (reat 09!eriment of the 4oyal Art of the S n) -ISS<LU&I<* is the =I4S& J0# to the (40A& W<4J. It is the ! rification of S l!h r and 'erc ry. C<A(ULA&I<*, the second key, is the nification of S l!h r and 'erc ry %ith the aid of Salt. &hese t%o keys correlate %ith the alchemical form la +solve et coag la+. SU7LI'A&I<*, the third key, is the m lti!lication of the stone "y re!eating the act al o!eration, and the effect of this !rocess is the e9altation of the 2hiloso!her?s Stone. 0li!has Levi %rote in N-ogme et 4it el de la 1a te 'agieN: + This stone is &oth one and manifold" it is decomposed & anal sis and recomposed & s nthesis, %n anal sis it is a powder! the alchemical powder of pro0ection" &efore anal sis and in s nthesis it is a stone .+ &he analytical decom!osition of the stone is the dissol tion of o r %ork$ it is the volatili3ation of the fi9ed. &he synthetic recom!osition of the stone is the coag lation of o r %ork$ it is the fi9ation of the volatile. &hese t%o alchemical !rocesses res lt in the !rod ction of the 2hiloso!her?s Stone, " t only in !otential form. It is not ntil the stone is s ",ected to S "limation that it is com!letely regenerated and, ergo, ca!a"le of transm ting "ase metals into gold and conferring immortality. S "limation ltimately "ecomes an eternal selfIgenerating !rocess %hich regenerates the stone time and time again, making of the stone an immortal so l, and an eternal traveler on the (reat Circle of 2er!et al Initiation. S "limation makes for the immortali3ation of the stone$ it is the 2rinci!le of 0ternal Change, the magical !er!et ity of the stone, %hich constit tes its immortal e9istence. As the (reek !hiloso!her 1eraclit s once said: + There is nothing permanent e)cept change.+6 D.. &he 1idden Stone of the Ages is th s o"tained, even here and no%. Let the S n and the 'oon nite$ let them "ear an 1erma!hrodite) Let a child "e "orn: it shall "e the Stone of the Sages, the 'edicine of 'etals, and the 0li9ir of Life. 5Comment: It is "y the scientific a!!lication and e9ec tion of the threefold o!eration of Alchemy that the Stone of the 2hiloso!hers is to "e o"tained, here and no%. &he S n is man$ the 'oon is %oman$ and the 1erma!hrodite is the magical !rod ct of their nion. &his 1erma!hrodite is &%oIinI<ne$ SLhe is the 4e"irth of the S n and 'oon. S ch is called their 'agical Child and is the (reat Secret of Alchemy, the Arcan m Arcanor m %hich constit tes o r tr e !o%er and %ealth on earth, the key to o r immortality and orderly !er!et ation as an evolving s!ecies. &he 'agical Child is also kno%n as the Stone of the Sages, 'edicine of 'etals, Universal 'edicine, 0li9ir of Life, Universal Solvent, -e% of Immortality, Amrita, Soma, 'ana, 0 charist of the S n, Wine of the Sa""ath, 2o%der of 2ro,ection, 4ed &inct re, Ung ent, 2ill of 2o%er, 2ota"le (old, and the > intessence. S ch is the mystery of Samson?s 4iddle: +What is sweeter than hone ! and stronger than a +ion K+ It is also the mystery of %hich 2aracels s %rote in N&he A rora of the 2hiloso!hersN: + The Son of Hamuel sa s that the Stone of the Philosophers is Water 1oagulated! namel in Sol and +una, $rom this is it clearer than the Sun that the matter of the Stone is nothing else &ut Sol and +una .+ In 'ichael 'aier?s +Chemical Secrets of *at re+, it is %ritten: + The offspring of the Sun and #oon is the Philosopher*s .ed Stone! floating upon the li'uid in the cruci&le .+ 4oger 7acon in his +'irror

of AlB imy+ %rote: +Al'uim is the science that teaches the preparation of a certain medicine or eli)ir which! if it is poured over &ase metals! &rings them on the instant to a state of perfection.+6 DD. Also the &hreefold Unity A"ove is e9!anded into a sevenI!etalled 4ose$ and on each !etal there is inscri"ed in fire one of the seven letters of ;I&4I<L. 5Comment: Jether, Chokmah, and 7inah, in their s "tle inter!lay of orgasmic ecstasy, !rod ce seven other emanations or Se!hiroth on the &ree of Life. &hese are Chesed, (e" rah, &i!hareth, *et3ach, 1od, #esod, and 'alk th. &o these corres!ond the seven 'etals of Alchemy, the seven Chakras of #oga and the seven traditional 2lanets of Astrology. S ch form a sevenI!etalled 4ose %ith the letters ;I&4I<L inscri"ed in fire on its !etals. ;I&4I<L is a *otariBon for + 2isita %nteriora Terrae .ectificando %nvenies (ccultum +apidem +, %hich is Latin for +;isit the interior !arts of the earth$ "y rectification yo %ill find the secret stone.+ ;I&4I<L is the name that 7asili s ;alentines O7asil ;alentineP a!!lied to the Universal Solvent, a secret dil ent salt. ;I&4I<L re!resents the "alanced com"ination of S l!h r, Salt and 'erc ry. And ho% is this achievedK + #ake the fi)ed volatile 3 unite the fugitive male with the fi)ed female.+ 7asil em!hasi3ed a third 2rinci!le in the (reat Work %hich he called Salt, concerning %hich he %rote: +Salt is the fire! the water that does not wet one*s hands .+ ;I&4I<L is a name for this third 2rinci!le$ it is also a name for the 2hiloso!her?s Stone. In the %ord ;I&4I<L is contained the form la of the (reat Work "y %hich the Ade!t can attain the Secret Stone thro gh the rectification of the salt and its s "seB ent regeneration.6 D4. Also each rose !etal is of a different color$ fo r !etals are mi9ed, and the other three are virgin. Also each !etal has a niB e scent, taste, and to ch to it. All these come forth from the Centre of the Cross, that is, from the 2lace of the 2alace of the Stars in the midst of it all. 5Comment: *et3ach, 1od, #esod and 'alk th are im! re, they are mi9ed !rinci!les, com"inations of the inter!lay of Chesed, (e" rah, and &i!hareth, %hich are reflections of Jether, Chokmah, and 7inah. Colors !ertain to sight, the sense of =ire. Scent is Air, taste is Water, and to ch is 0arth. &hese fo r elements are manifestations of the seven Se!hiroth "elo% the A"yss %hich come forth from the Center of the Cross of the S n. *ote also that in the Sevenfold System of Initiation in the *e% <rder of the (olden -a%n O&helemic <rder of the (olden -a%nP there are fo r o ter stages and three inner. &he fo r o ter stages are the fo r gates to the 2alace of the Stars in %hich %e e9!erience the &hree Invisi"le 4ites of Initiation. &he com!letion of these seven stages of initiation make for the attainment of &1A& %hich e9ists "eyond the 2lanetary S!heres: it constit tes the transcendence of the 2lanetary S!heres and the s "seB ent attainment of the (nostic <gdoad, %hich is the eighth s!here of Celestial Wisdom.6 D8. And in each letter of fire on the seven !etals of the Sacred 4ose there is concealed a vision and a voice. And in each vision and voice there is concealed a divine s!lendo r of ns!eaka"le transm tations of ineffa"le mystery and %onder. All these inner s!lendo rs are different stages of < r 'aster <! s of -ivine &ransformation %hich can "e inter!reted in many %ays in many lands. 5Comment: In each Se!hira there is concealed a vision and a voice corres!onding to its o%n !artic lar nat re. &his is the vision and the voice of initiation. And in each vision and voice there is concealed a divine s!lendor %hich !artakes of the nat re of the initiation that corres!onds thereto and %hich is ca!a"le of "eing inter!reted and defined in a variety of

%ays.6 DH. So saith 1ermes &rismegist s, Lord of < r 4oyal and Sacerdotal Art of Alkhemi, %ho is also the Wisdom of the (ods and the Logos of the Ineffa"le Unkno%n. 'ysteries revealed are mysteries concealed$ and none " t the Wise may deci!her them. &his 1oly 7ook of the 'agick of 1ermes is hermetically sealed$ and none " t the Wise may nravel its s "lime s!lendo rs of 1igh Wisdom for the accom!lishment of the (reat Work of the S n$ yea, for the accom!lishment of the (reat Work of the S n. 5Comment: In this holy "ook are many mysteries of < r 4oyal and Sacerdotal Art revealed "y the ;oice of the Logos 1imself$ " t, it is a tr e saying: + That which guides the Wise misleads the foolish.+ &his holy "ook is sealed %ith the S!irit of Wisdom itself, and only the Wise may int it and comm ne %ith that S!irit to attain the (reat Work, the S mm m 7on m, &r e Wisdom and 2erfect 1a!!iness.6 Co!yright R .///I./1.. -avid Cher "im. All rights reserved.