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Flying Roll VII
Alchemy
By S.A. (Dr. W.W. Westcott)
Chemistry, the modern science of which investigates the constitution of
material substances, is the lineal descendent of Mediaeval and Ancient
Chemy. The syllable AL is the Arabic indefinite article, like the Hebrew
He, meaning ‘The' chemistry—the Higher Chemistry, treating
of the essential nature of the Elements, metals and minerals; while modern
chemistry rejoices rather in being a science of utilitarian and commercial
uses.
The earliest use of the word Alchemy is believed to be found in the works
of Julius Firmicus Maternus, the Astronomer, who lived in the time of
the Emperor Constantine. Firmicus wrote that ‘he should be well
skilled in Alchemy, who is born when the Moon is in the House of Saturn'.
So he was an Astrologer as well; what house does he mean? the Day house
(Aquarius), or the Night house (Capricorn) of Saturn? Or does he, like
some modern Astrologers, allot one of these, Aquarius, to Uranus?
The Imperial Library of Paris is said to possess the oldest Alchemic
Volume known; it is by Zosimus of Panopolis, written in Greek about 400
A.D. and entitled the Divine Art of Making Gold and Silver. The next oldest
tract upon Alchemy known to exist is by Aeneas Gazius, written in Greek
about 480 A.D.
The Mediaeval authors often call Alchemy ‘Hermetic Art', implying
an origin from Hermes Trismegistos of Egypt, the prehistoric demi-god,
or inspired teacher, to whom we owe the Emerald Tablet. It it stated by
one old Greek writer that the Hermetic secrets were buried in the tomb
of Hermes and were preserved until the time of Alexander the Great who
caused his Tomb to be opened, to search for these secrets, and that he
found the documents, but that his wise men could not understand them.
Many portions of human wisdom have from time to time died out of Human
understanding.
After the Fall of the Intellectual freedom of Alexandria, scientific
attainments were almost entirely restricted to the Arabs, who made great
progress in science—; yet some monks in Christian monasteries also
studied these matter in retirement and some have become famous as alchemists
and magicians; and further some of these rose to eminence also in the
Church, becoming Vicars, Abbots, and even Bishops. Those who succeeded
most, wrote least, and hence are almost, if not quite, unknown to us.
An infinity of books have been written upon Alchemy, and they are of all
sorts,—good, bad and indifferent; learned and superficial; wise
and foolish—some are by good men, some by great men, others are
by fools, some are by knaves. This is because Alchemy has existed as a
Science upon several planes; and there have been true and successful students
of Alchemy on each plane; and there have been fraudulent professors and
knavish authors concerned with the Alchemy of the lower planes.
Some modern students have written upon Alchemy wisely, and some unwisely;
but the modern error has notably been in going to extremes of opinion.
Some modern authors have insisted that all Alchemy was folly; some that
all Alchemy was Chemistry; and a third party, dominant at present, have
convinced themselves that all Alchemy was Religion.
I am firmly convinced that each class of teacher is partly wrong—let
me take the middle path.
The science of Alchemy has existed, has been studied and taught upon Four
planes.
Upon Assiah, there has been the Ancient occult Chemistry, the Chemistry
of the Adept; who added to facility and knowledge of materials, the magical
skill and Will Power of the ability to act on the ‘Soul of things'—their
astral counterparts. Here transmutation is a physical fact, and possibility.—This
was both practised and pretended, and real Treatises were written.
Upon Yetzirah, is psychic alchemy, the power of creation of living forms.—This
was practised, but rarely preached.
Upon Briah is Mental Alchemy;—the creations of Art and Genius,
the ensouled music, picture and statue;—this was practised and not
preached until modern times.
Upon the Highest Plane, the Spiritual, the practice was almost unknown
except to a few entirely hidden Magi; but it was written about by some
good and true philosophers, who couched their views on man's origin and
destiny, his descent from God, and his possible re-ascent to God, in the
language of the Material Plane to avoid persecution and destruction, at
the hands of the priests of established churches.
By the pretence of chemistry, they saved themselves from penalties for
heterodoxy: by the absence of Chemical apparatus, they saved themselves
from extortion and torture as Alchemists.
As to Material Alchemy, the first mentioned, but few professors confessed
to success and most of them lost their lives thereby. No man's life would
be safe, or even tolerable—even today, who succeeded in transmutation,
and confessed to it. I am entirely convinced that Transmutation of the
lower metals to Gold and Silver is possible and that it has been often
done; but not by Chemistry only, but by correlating with physical processes,
the Will-action, and the power over the ‘Soul of Nature', and the
‘Soul of things', which the purity of life, and the training of
the Adept can alone supply.
The true Alchemist would be the last to publish his success to the world—and
if he did, he would probably thereby lose his power. His elixirs and powders
that succeeded but yesterday, would be powerless today,—for Isis
does not sanction any tampering with the Virgin purity of Her shrine.
Personal aggrandisement, as an end, or as a result, would wreck any success
in practical magical working; and the last student to succeed, would be
he who cast a look behind upon the lusts of the flesh, pride of Life,
and the ambition of the Devil.
Let no man study Alchemy to enrich himself. Let no man study Occultism
to secure the gratification of passion; it is the unpardonable Sin. Hence
we may say that even Material Alchemy is a high and gracious art, for
success proves purity, Adeptship and spiritual power; the Chemist alone,
may be successful in his limited sphere, whatever his character, and however
soiled be his ego—intellect alone sufficeth him.
Pardon this digression, but alchemy has a moral and spiritual aspect,
although it seems to me that my dear friend Anna Kingsford erred, when
she saw Religion and morals in every Alchemic process. The Alchemist professed
the knowledge and encouraged the pupil to search for three things above
all:
The Red Elixir to transform Base metals to Gold;
The White Elixir to transform Base Metals to Silver;
The Elixir Vitae to administer to Vegetable and animal; to intensify the
life, to prolong life, and to expand the life.
Health and length of Life are much to be desired, for art is long, I
believe the first and second Elixirs were not sought so much for their
own powers, as because they were steps leading to the Elixir Vitae—the
art of prolonging life and opportunities of the Adept, that he might lose
less time in his progress to a spiritually exalted goal—less than
he would lose by living more and shorter lives—with passive intervals.
Surely there is an advantage in living years after ‘Adeptship in
the Inner' is gained : — rather than early death followed by long
periods of rest and then childhood. To the true student who learns to
teach other men now, individuals and, perhaps, in higher lives—to
guide nations; surely continuity is an advantage!
Spiritual progress, which hastens to be done with man and Earth is not
(say the Easterns) the highest form of Buddhahood or Enlightenment. The
Buddha of compassion, who renounces spiritual joys, to assist the grovellers
upon earth, or near it,— is a higher type.
I believe then in the three chiefs of the Rosy Cross whose earthly years
of work count by hundreds; they are allegoric and symbolic possibly in
name and number of years, but they express a truth, that progress in adeptship
links some great Souls to earth workers: and that such a goal for usefulness,
is a worthy aim and aspiration for every one who enters here, and views
the symbolic form of the Master C.R.
If I am asked why the Alchemic Books are so full of the Transmutation
to Silver, and to Gold, I answer that these steps being necessary precedents
to the art of the Elixir Vitae, have naturally had more attention and
experiment, and more professors than the third superior step, which is
almost altogether shrouded from the profane.
I must supplement these remarks by saying that I believe that many of
the Alchemic treatises were really treatises written in the light of the
Chemistry of the Age, and record real attempts at chemical processes in
search of the secret of transmutation into Gold, by people who were really
the chemists of the day, who did want real Gold, and who had no spiritual
intuitions, and who did nothing but fail in Transmutation.
To return to physical chemistry and Alchemy on the plane of Assiah.—Note—the
curious, and not denied, statement that certain Gold frames have been
known to be struck by lightning and discoloured by the Flash, and that
this discoloration has shown traces of Sulphur.—What of this incident?
Either the Sulphur was in the Gold, as ancient Alchemy taught ‘a
Sulphur was'; or the Sulphur was in the Lightning, which modern Science
says is Electricity and contains no Sulphur. But added Sulphur is not
found in other matters which contain none, when they are lightning struck.
The Hermetic doctrine is that all Matter is but one in its essence, and
is the lowest fall of the spirit, the most passive aspect of the Lux.
Spirit — Matter
Active — Passive
Motor — Moved
From the one Eus, came two contraries, thence three principles, and four
elements;—on all planes of matter, the one base is Hyle—of
the Greek philosophers. Then arose from the Homogeneous—variation.
The Heterogeneous arose by development. Under Sephirotic impulse on the
plane of Assiah, differentiation spread, and forms and combinations were
produced during ages of time. During the ages of gradual concretion, and
setting together of atoms, the elementary substance of modern chemistry,
the Metals and the Matalloids, the halogens and the earths, became definite
types and permanent of constitution. They became fixed in their molecular
structure, and are now in the Kali Yuga, so far in time from their origin;
practically Elements in the Modern sense of structure indissoluble to
all known material processes. I assert that to the Adept they are still
convertible and analysable, but even apart from Adeptship, some so called
Elements will be even yet disintegrated by modern science alone. But while
science prides itself on its progress, it is fatuous enough to demand
implicit belief in its attitude of authority day by day. Modern Science
howls down today the man who will tomorrow succeed in demonstrating its
error. Science is but little less a Bigot than has Religion ever been.
The Metals then, and our present Elements must have been formed, defined,
and set in their present type by the work of ages. By the slow processes
of Nature, by heat, by light, by electricity, by condensation, by pressure,
have the metals grown in the veins of stone. Sudden, and violent agencies
no doubt also produced an effect, perhaps some metals, have been only
produced by the convulsions, and not by the gradual processes of Nature.
Who knows but that the Gold found native and pure, as few metals are found,
was produced by the Lightning and the Earthquake. Intense pressure and
intense heat, would be likely to make a new combination from existing
ones. Gold is intense in its weight—its specific gravity: intense
pressure and high fusion point, would be likely to produce such a body,
pure, homogeneous, heavy.
The Alchemist taught that the well known Metals, now called Elements,
were not so—were not simple substances. The ‘Elements' of
the Alchemicist were states; states and processes. They taught that each
metal, say lead, consisted of a Metallic Root, and certain other matter—sulphurs.
The nature and quantity of their sulphurs, determined the Metal.—By
taking a low metal,—coarse, common, easily altered metal, by purging
it from these sulphurs, stage by stage, they taught that each metal might
be produced in turn, until the last transmutation produced Gold. I believe
the theory is true, I believe the practice is possible, by working in
the astral, contemporaneously with action on the physical basis. But if
Gold could be so made, Cui Bono? What good would that be? No sooner is
Gold thus made, as it were from nought—than its value ceases—it
is the rarity of Gold that makes it of commercial value—that makes
it buy bread and luxuries. If it be produced at will, it will be of no
more value than any other dust.
As to the Alchemist, who, as adept, does succeed in making transmutation,
he will be so constituted that riches have no temptation for him and pride
no attraction. He will know too, that wealth will be but ill spent, when
gained, if squandered upon those who will not help themselves: he will
know that individual progress, national progress, and world progress depend
not on doles which pauperise, but on the will and effort of individual,
nation, and world.
The temptation to wish one could but transmute a little, just to help
some one friend, or neighbour, just to provide oneself with some thing
earnestly desired—for one's good—is I believe a folly, and
would be an evil if attained.
How few of us have not wished this tribute to our efforts?
How few men of the world do not wish it? What proportion of men who are
wealthy, spend daily on themselves what is best for them and no more,
and give the remainder to the friend, the neighbour, the deserving? Do
you say—oh, I am an initiate, I should do differently? My friend—with
greater opportunities, comes a great responsibility. I will not judge
such, nor you, but in my heart, I thank God I have not the power of transmutation
now. God knows,—and I know—how easy it is to fall.
But I constantly digress into the Spiritual, although what I really came
to say, is a word on the material and physical aspect. I still defer these
remarks, however, to quote two passages, one in prose narrating the sequence
of the process of Alchemic work: and the other a poem written in English,
translated from an old French prose account of Alchemic work, in allegoric
language and myth. The first quotation is Astrological, and Astrology
is inextricably mixed up with Alchemy. The second is beautiful in its
poetry, and will well repay contemplation.
The first quotation reads:
The Great Work must be begun when the Sun is in the
Night house of Saturn: the Blackness appears in
forty days when Sun is in the Day house of Saturn:
the Blackness deepens into the Night house of Jupiter on reaching Aries
a separation occurs. The Whiteness of Luna develops when the Sun is in
the house Cancer of Luna The Sun begins his special form of change in
Leo his own house.
Redness is produced in the day house of the Red metal of Copper, Venus,
this is Libra, next Scorpio follows, and the Work reaches completion in
Saggitarius the day house of Jupiter.
This is a good example of Allegoric description, which has no doubt a
physical basis,—and clearly refers to the Soul of things, matters,
seasons and processes on the astral plane of evolution.
The second quotation reads:
I
Within the golden portal
Of the garden of the wise,
Watching by the seven sprayed fountain,
The Hesperian Dragon lies.
Like the ever burning Branches
In the dream of holy seer;
Like the types of Asia's churches
Those glorious jets appear.
Three times the magic waters
Must the Winged Dragon drain
Then his scales shall burst asunder
And his Heart be rent in twain.
Forth shall flow an emanation
Forth shall spring a shape divine,
And if Sol and Cynthia and thee
Shall the charmed Key be thine.
II
In the solemn groves of Wisdom
Where black pines their shadows fling
Near the haunted cell of Hermes,
Three lovely flowrets spring:
The Violet damask tinted
In scent all flowers above:
The milk white vestal Lily
And the purple flower of Love.
Red Sol a sign shall give thee
Where the Sapphire Violets gleam,
Watered by the rills that wander
From the viewless golden stream:
One Violet shalt thou gather—
But ah—beware, beware ! —
The Lily and the Amaranth
Demand thy chiefest care.
III
With in the lake of crystal,
Roseate as Sol's first ray
With eyes of diamond lustre,
A thousand fishes play
A net within that water
A net with web of gold
If cast where air bills glitter
One shining fish shall hold.
IV
Amid the oldest mountains
Whose tops are next the Sun,
The everlasting rivers
Through glowing channels run,
Those channels are of gold
And thence the countless treasures
Of the kings of earth are rolled.
But far—far must he wander
O'er realms and seas unknown
Who seeks the Ancient Mountains
Where shines the Wondrous Stone.
You have already been taught two symbolic schemes for allotting the metals
to the Sephiroth—each is capable of defence —for pointing
out certain alliances and the alchemical relations of these Metals. I
add here a scheme, of my own, for allotting to the Decad ten non-metallic
lighter elements recognised by modern chemistry.
Binah = Nitrogen, always a Gas—very passive—neither supports
life nor combustion.
Fluorine = a Gas—very active, almost intangible.
Chlorine=a Gas—yellow in colour like gold, acrid, caustic.
Bromine = heavier, baser, red liquid.
Iodine a red copper and hermaphraditical Brass.
Carbon is Tiphereth, is the most notable non-metal—it combines with
others, forming alliances with other elements of immense number—all
vegetable and animal substances are compounds formed on Carbon as a Basis.
Phosphorous and Sulphur, represent Yesod and Malkuth, both solids, and
complete the scale.
The analogies are very curious, and can be greatly extended. It may be
possible also to rank the true metals along with the Sephiroth in the
Chemical Order of their actual purity and as they the more nearly approach
pure Basic Hyle, or the ‘one matter', in addition to the G.D. Forms.
The Sephiroth are progressive Emanations, each less exalted than the former,
and they pass down plane after plane, and may be looked upon each as more
material than the last. And in Assiah there may be scales alike of Metals,
Metalloids, and other substances, in similar ratios. If such were the
case, the Alchemical theory of successive steps of purification would
in natural course transmute each metal into the one above. The Lead into
Copper, the Copper into Silver, the Silver into Gold, the Gold into the
Elixir Vitae, the gold of Vegetable and Animal life.
Alchemy taught that all metals consisted of the Mercury of the Philosophers
and of a Sulphur, which fixed it—made it solid.
The Merc. Phil. was not the Quicksilver of commerce, not the Hydrogen
of the modern Chemist—the one fluid metal.
Our Mercury they called Hydrardgyram,—Water of silver— fluid,
silver-coloured. They thought it to be Silver in a state of ‘low
temperature fusion'—They also called it ‘Proteus' = of diverse
forms. The Alchemists found Gold to be extremely heavy, so they experimented
chiefly with those other metals which were most heavy;—lead, quicksilver
and copper, believing they must be nearest to Gold in order of steps of
change, or that each heavy metal needed fewer processes for conversion,
or less purification.
They argued—for example—Lead nearly resembles Gold in weight,
therefore Lead consists almost entirely of Mercury Philosophorum and Gold.
If a body be found, which will so work on the Lead, as to burn out of
it all that is not Mercury Phios, and then we fix that Mercury by a Sulphur,
we should obtain Gold as the result.
Relative weights of equal bulks are about —
Gold 19
Mercury 14
Lead 11
Silver 10
Copper 9
Iron and Tin 7
Antimony 6
Arsenic 5
Many of the ‘Elements' so called from 1750 to 1800 have been since
broken up, by analysis; notably Potash and Soda, which were shown to be
compounds in 1807—by Davey. The Alchemist recognised three principal
ways of making Gold.
First, by Separation; for many minerals contain some Gold.
Second, by Maturation, by processes designed to subtilise, purify, and
digest Mercury; which convert it into a heavier body, and at last into
Gold itself.
They looked on Mercury as an Alloy of Gold and Something: by processes
of Fire, and by adding suitable material for combustion; the impurity
was to be burned off and pure Gold to remain.
Thirdly, by fusing with base metals, some of that peculiar compound,
the Stone of the Philosophers, a perfect transmutation was to occur, the
faeces would be burned off, and the Metallic Root appear as Gold.
For example of Alchemical argument, I have read ‘if we take 19
ounces of Lead and fuse it with a proper Agent, and so dissipate 8 ounces
we shall have 11 ounces remaining, and this can be nothing but pure Gold,
because Gold and Lead are as 19 to 11. Otherwise if the process be gradation,
and we reduce 19 to 14 first, the result will be Mercury, but then the
process may be continued and the further reduction to 11 will equally
be Gold, as without the middle step'.
From another point of view, they said ‘the Stone of the Philosopher's
is a most subtle, fixed and concentrated fiery body which when it is added
to a molten metal does, as if by a magnetic virtue, unit itself to the
Mercurial body of the metal, vitalises and cleans off, all that is impure,
and so there remains a molten mass of pure Sol.'
But as aforesaid,—I believe it is useless for any one to waste
time on purely chemical experiments. To perform Alchemical processes,
requires a simultaneous operation on the Astral plane with that on the
physical. Unless you are Adept enough to act by Will power, as well as
by heat and moisture; by life force, as well as by electricity, there
will be no adequate result.
So far as I know,—I do not speak by order—power of transmutation
may arise, side by side with other magical attainments—Labor omnia
vincit. It is not conferred by any Grade—it is occasionally rediscovered
by the private student: it is never actually taught in so many words.
It may dawn on any one of you,—or the magic event may occur when
least expected!
1Le Dictionaire Mytho—Hermetique, states ‘The Fountain found
within the Garden', is the ‘Mercury of the Wise', which comes from
divers sources because it is the ‘Principle' of the seven metals,
and is formed by the influence of the seven planets, although the Sun
alone is properly speaking the Father, and Luna, the Mother. The Dragon
who three times drinks, is the putrefaction which overcomes the matter,
and is so called from its black colour, and this Dragon loses his scales,
or skin, when the Grey colour succeeds the Black. You will only succeed
if Sol and Luna aid thee; by means of the regimen of Fire you must bleach
the Grey colour to the Whiteness of the Moon (and then obtain the redness
of Sol as the last stage). By the ‘Fishes', is meant bubbles in
the heated crucible. ‘Lake' often means vase, retort, flask, alembic'.
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