CHAPTER II ALCHEMY Alchemy! The name alone evokes mental images of the transmutation of base metals into gold, of mysterious chemical apparatus and manipulations unknown to modern science. Thanks in part of course to Disney and Speilberg! What were they really like, these alchemists? Were they merely the forerunners of our modern organic and inorganic chemical sciences? Were they a group of misguided medieval researchers seeking to change lead or mercury into gold? Or is it just possible that they followed a spiritual discipline that held out the promise of the transfiguration of the alchemist himself rather than the crude chemicals with which he allegedly worked? As a matter of fact, there were alchemists who did attempt the transmutation of base metals into gold. There were also alchemists who were the forerunners of our modern day chemists and there were alchemists who practiced spiritual alchemy. They truly sought the Philosophers Stone (which was simply a symbolic stone, not a real one), and which constituted the transfiguration of the alchemist. It is this spiritual transfiguration, transmutation or projection which interests us. Not that it really had too much to do with spirituality in the religious sense, because it didn't. It was simply a matter of good politics for the alchemists (and just about everybody else!) to pretend a religious background to all their researches because if you did not, the church was quite capable of murdering you as a heretic and devil worshipper! Our interest concerns this spiritual aspect of alchemy, yet since alchemy has a peculiar underlying double format we must take into account that the chemical discipline is perceived as a sole aspect by the uninitiated. You must remember that alchemy is at one and the same time both a chemical and a spiritual discipline. Our interest is restricted to the spiritual aspect of alchemy. An aspect that dates back to a dim and distant pre- historic past when some nomadic Shaman discovered that it was possible to mentally manipulate the human machine at the sub-cellular level. I very much doubt that whoever made the initial discovery thought about it in those terms, but they accomplished it anyway when either by accident or by inspiration, their mental probing affected the chromosomes. What it actually did was to knock out a couple of genes from the double helix of DNA that helps constitute a chromosome. A couple of genes that in this case controlled the aging process. The immediate noticeable result was that someone went on living, while his or her contemporaries continued to age and die in the normal fashion. This initial circumvention of physical death provided time for both thought and continued experimentation by the initial discoverer and as a result the accomplishment was finally linked to a specific procedure. This enabled the Shaman to replicate the process (at least in some instances) and suddenly, practical immortality was a partly understood reality! Now, whoever it was who possessed this secret lived in a nomadic hunting society consisting of small, highly mobile units committed to labor intensive food gathering procedures. There was seldom sufficient spare time to carry out a cultural experiment no matter how important it seemed to the Shaman. The end result of this is that the knowledge of the new procedure was spread very slowly in strictly Shamanic circles, if it was initially spread at all. My own guess, chronologically and geographically speaking, is that the discovery was made somewhere in the African continent at a time when humanity was on the verge of making the successful adaptation from a nomadic hunting society to an agricultural society. Probably sometime within the last thirty or forty thousand years. Within this time-slot, a group or an individual who possessed this knowledge, settled in the rich agricultural lands of the Nile delta, in what was soon to become ancient Egypt. As the changeover from a hunting to an agricultural society proceeded apace, it was paralleled by the emergence of a new pantheon of Gods. This is understandable, the old totemistic tribal guardians were lacking the attributes necessary in the new society, so in the normal course of events new Gods took over in the hearts and minds of men. This signaled the emergence of a new priestly elite who, as was the case with the Shamans, were required to interface between the congregation and their new Gods. Nothing really changes and since the new elite possessed improved intellectual qualities, the changed situation was, from our point of view, a pretty good arrangement. As a matter of priestly practicality, the new elite picked over the bones of the old religion pretty thoroughly. Anything that appeared to be of value, special festivals, rituals for specific purposes, the odd orgy and so one were quickly seized upon, worked over a little and incorporated into the new theology. Among these acquisitions was the procedure that could lead to immortality. It is possible to be even more specific and to pinpoint the particular group who now held this secret. I stated previously that as the old tribal Gods faded into oblivion they were replaced by a new pantheon. Ra, the Sun God, Osiris, one of the first of the company of Gods, God of the dead and the underworld. Horus, Nut, Isis - wife of Osiris, and a God named Thoth! Thoth. He of the human body surmounted by the head of an Ibis bird. Recorder of Souls, Scribe to the Gods, author of the Book of the Dead and the Book of Breathings! It was the priestly college devoted to the service of Thoth who possessed the secret of immortality. In the formative years of the new religion the initiates had their work cut out for them. Not only did they minister to the spiritual requirements of their flock, on a more practical level they used the temples of the God as a sort of community center devoted to health care as well as a center of learning. Hard work and long hours! Of course, things were different after the new religion was well established, but in the beginning the priesthood was fighting to consolidate their congregations as a secure base from which to expand their proselytizing. The pay was pretty good and it beat working in the fields! Under these circumstances everybody had his or her work cut out for them and I would imagine that succeeding generations of priests were able to devote only a minimal amount of time to polishing the psychological technique that would eventually enable them to obtain predictable results whenever the immortality technique was used. Naturally, the benefits of priestly research of this and other more pressing matters were wisely attributed to the God rather than his priests. That kept everyone happy. The priesthood (whose sinecure was strengthened as a result), the congregation (who were even more convinced of their God's supremacy) and the ruling classes who were in some cases able to personally benefit from this research. By the time of the inevitable decline and decay of the once mighty Egyptian civilization, the technique leading to immortality had been developed into an integral part of the spiritual system that we now recognize as Alchemy. It was reasonably well understood (considering the level of medical, psychological and anatomical knowledge of the day) and above all, it was surprisingly simple! The Egyptian method was based upon hypnotism (as are all succeeding variations). The individual undergoing the procedure voluntarily placing his or her critical faculty in abeyance while the instructions culminating in immortality were impressed upon his or her receptive sub-conscious. That was about all there was to it. The technique was very labor intensive but to all intents and purposes, it was fully developed. No further research was either necessary or desirable and it was not until several thousands of years later that even enhancements would become available. Historically, the eclipse of an important and influential culture is paralleled by the emergence of its successor and this proved to be the case with the decline of the glory that was Egypt. As the mightiest civilization the world had yet known began its slow descent into decadence and obscurity, the democratic city-states of ancient Greece began their upward social movement that was to culminate in the full flowering of the classical Grecian period. As successors to the spiritual and philosophical heritage of a now waning Egyptian influence, part of their inheritance included the arcane knowledge of the priests of Thoth, founders of alchemy and possessors of the secret of immortality. By this time of course, such knowledge was committed to paper and constituted a body of alchemical knowledge known at the Corpus Hermetica. This knowledge, as it related to alchemy, was summarized on an Emerald Tablet that was supposedly found in the legendary tomb of Hermes Trismestigus. Thoth had recently been incorporated into the Greek pantheon as Hermes and as a result of the Thoth aspect, henceforth became Hermes Trismestigus, Hermes the Thrice Greatest, -- Priest, Philosopher and King. Here are the twelve precepts of alchemy: THE EMERALD TABLET 1. In truth, certainly and without doubt, whatever is below is like that which is above, and whatever is above is like that which is below. To accomplish the miracle of the one thing. 2. Just as all things proceed from one alone by meditation on one alone, so also are they born from this one thing by adaptation. 3. Its father is the Sun and its mother is the Moon. The wind has borne it in its body. Its nurse is the earth. 4. It is the father of every miraculous work in the whole world. 5. Its power is perfect if it is converted into earth. 6. Separate the earth from the fire and the subtle from the gross, softly and with great prudence. 7. It rises from earth to heaven and comes down again from heaven to earth and thus acquires the power of the realities above and the realities below. In this way you will acquire the glory of the whole world and all darkness will leave you. 8. This is the power of powers, for it conquers everything subtle and penetrates everything solid. 9. Thus the little world is created according to the prototype of the great world. 10. From this and in this way marvelous applications are made.* 11. For this reason I am called Hermes Trismegistus, for I possess the three parts of wisdom of the whole world. 12. Perfect is what I have said of the work of the Sun. * Precept 10 has another interpretation, from the original Arabic, which I feel is both more appropriate and of considerable interest: 10. This is the way traversed by the sages. Heavy going, but required reading in the field. Study the precepts well, they will help you to understand the truth upon which alchemy is based. As Greek philosophical thought enfolded the body of Egyptian hermetic knowledge, Greek philosophers not only taught its precepts, they put them to practical use. This may be readily verified by considering the proceedings of certain of the Mysteries that were fairly common at that place and in that time. These Mysteries were composed of the secret religious rites of a particular God or Goddess. Massively supported, they were of great religious and cultural significance and widely attended by the devotees of the various cults supporting them. As a particular example we might consider the Eleusinian Mystery, which originally centered upon the town of Eleusis. It consisted of two parts, the celebration of the Lesser Mystery at Agrae, near Athens. This was followed by the celebration of the Greater Mystery which took place in the Telestrion at Eleusis. Conducted as always by an elite priesthood, the thrust of the Eleusinian Mystery owes part of its content to the ancient priesthood of the Egyptian God Thoth. The rituals of both groups held much in common, but in particular the matter of immortality offered to certain wealthy or politically important candidates during their initiation. The Mystery at Eleusis continued for several hundred years, until the 4th. Century AD when the Visigoths, under Alaric I (who obviously didn't know anything about immortality) conquered Eleusis. Unlike their Western successors of the middle ages, the Greek philosophers did not develop a complex symbolism to conceal their art and disguise the depth of their knowledge, although even the ancient Greek Philosophers did not treat the subject of immortality as openly as this book does for example. How did they treat the matter? Plotinus (204 - 270 AD), whose thought dominated Greek philosophy until its decline in the 6th. Century, described the psychological make-up of humanity as corresponding to the larger world. His physical body equated to the physical world, his soul (the level of everyday consciousness) to the world soul and his higher intuitive faculties as corresponding to the intellect. Compare the concepts of Plotinus to the precepts of the Emerald Tablet! He either goes astray or is concealing something in the remainder of his basic teaching, in which he also taught that in most men and women, these higher faculties are dormant. His method of awakening them was through philosophical reflection and aspiration, which simply doesn't work. Probably the remainder of the equation was taught in secret, or at least, never committed to paper. Plotinus did not teach either religious or magical methods (at least, not openly) but there is little doubt that he was well aware of them. His teachings provide a notably close resemblance to later alchemical teachings in relation to Quicksilver (Mercury), Sulfur and Salt. In any event, the world keeps turning and what goes around comes around. The Greek ascendancy in its turn crumbled beneath the hobnailed sandals of the Roman legions (Rome was in an expansionary mood at the time). Of course, they were generally in an expansionary mood anyway, and as one of the results of this expansion, it was the turn of the Greeks to lose their military and philosophical position of leadership in the Mediterranean area. Oddly, Rome was somewhat light on philosophy, although heavy on pragmatism. The fact is that although they could have adopted Grecian philosophical thought (which included knowledge of the immortality principle), they didn't really put forth much of an effort. One result of this apparent lack of enthusiasm is that it is very difficult to know if the Romans knowingly inherited the secret of immortality or just picked it up by default. There is certainly very little in their writings to indicate that they were aware of it. Ancient Greece, India and China all benefited from and added to the storehouse of philosophical knowledge that they inherited from a collapsing Egyptian empire. In particular, both China and India developed their own version of the alchemical tradition. So did Greece for that matter. Rome never did. During the early centuries of the Christian era Rome also succumbed to its inevitable destiny. The Pax Romana or Roman Peace became a legend and the Empire, in desperation, recalled the Legions back from the provinces to defend Imperial Rome herself from the incursions of the barbarians who threatened her. This proved to be impossible and as was the case with its predecessors, Greece and Egypt, Rome rapidly fell to become a shadow of her former self and no longer a power to be reckoned with. The dimming of the luster of the Roman eagles was matched by the emerging brilliance of the Arabian influence. A brilliance that increased in direct proportion to the failure of Roman power. The Arabian domination of philosophical thought, (as well as military and naval ability), rapidly encompassed the already ancient Hermetic knowledge that had originated in Egypt. This was seized upon immediately by the Arabian philosophers, who were so enamored of it that by the early 8th. Century there were several important Arabian schools of Hermetic thought. All of them produced a tremendous quantity of very high quality Hermetic research and texts. I don't really know for sure just what word was used to define alchemy prior to the Arabian brilliance, but the word we now use, alchemy, is itself part of the Arabian legacy. The word 'alchemy' is derived from the Arabic (Al Kimia), which in turn is derived from the Greek 'Chemia.' The word Chemia, unsurprisingly enough seems to have referred to something like the 'Egyptian Art.' Full Circle! One of the most notable of the Arabic alchemical texts was written by an Arab known to history as 'Gerber.' This was his 'Summa Perfectionis' which exemplifies the alchemical conventions prevalent at that time. Gerber stated: 'One must not explain this, our art, in obscure words only. On the other hand, one may not explain it so openly that all may understand it. I therefore teach it in such a way that nothing will remain hidden from the wise man, even though it may strike mediocre minds as quite obscure. The foolish and ignorant will understand none of it at all.' This reliance upon the intellect of the reader to comprehend or not comprehend the alchemical message was, in Gerber's opinion, sufficient to limit access to alchemical knowledge. In all truth it is probably all that was ever needed! Meanwhile, in western Europe our own alchemists were already developing their version of alchemy and making some pretty determined efforts to conceal any knowledge they may have possessed. Born of the westward flow of goods, knowledge and philosophy that occurred during and after the crusading period, the western schools developed a method of concealing knowledge based upon symbolical allegory and misleading analogy. Today, we are still at a loss to understand the reason for this paranoia other than that the Christian church was keeping a close and jaundiced eye upon alchemical research in what was their prerogative! The western adepts were, as a result, pathologically jealous of the knowledge they guarded. So much so in fact, that after a couple of hundred years of development, no one was really sure if western alchemy was a spiritual system or if it was a chemical process involving a few simple chemicals that could be manipulated to change them into gold. As a result, there was a chemical analogy that paralleled the spiritual system wherein the transfiguration of the alchemist was equated with the production of the Philosophers Stone, which turned lead or mercury into gold or silver. All very confusing to the semi-literate students of the art in the early middle ages! No wonder! If you are not particularly well versed in alchemy, try taking a few books on the subject from your local library and see if they are not initially confusing! Try figuring out the pictorial representation of the alchemical system and see if these latter are not totally confusing! Essentially, the psychological stages leading to the transfiguration of the alchemist were transposed into the various stages of a chemical manipulation. This involved three simple chemicals and two pieces of equipment. They were: SULFUR - Representing the tendency towards movement. SALT - Representing the spiritual tendency towards inertness. MERCURY - Which unites the opposites of Sulfur and Salt. THE ATHANOR - The furnace which applies heat to the Aludel. THE ALUDEL - The alchemical egg, or vase which holds the chemicals. This chemical set-up has been widely known for centuries, yet the psychological set-up which is concealed by it has not.. Or if it has, the knowledge has been restricted. Nothing about alchemy is as simple as it appears to be. Both the physical and the spiritual disciplines proclaim that their end result is the transmutation of base metals into gold. Both are correct. The one is hidden within the other! I suppose that I should at least mention in passing that while this chapter is really devoted to spiritual alchemy, that there have been some unexplainable successes in the field of practical alchemy. More than one alchemist has claimed to have made the Projection whereby the Philosophers Stone has been achieved and to have physically transmuted base metal into gold as a result. Further, the old texts speak of an Elixir obtained during the physical process that also confers immortality! Whether or not this is possible is something that is best left to private research. I will express no opinion here. In this book our interest is restricted to the spiritual aspect. In the matter of research into physical alchemy it should be noted that western texts became more and more symbolical and deliberately confusing in describing the manipulations leading to transformation as time went by. The various references to the 'Fire of the Sages', 'Philosophers Salt' and 'Philosophers Mercury' and the like would almost lead a researcher to believe that the alchemists had developed a parallel table of altered chemicals completely unknown to the uninitiated. Nothing could be further from the truth. The authors were writing in code to other alchemists. There was no physical treatment of mercury, sulfur or salt that could elevate it into a philosophical substance. When and if you come across references of this nature, you must understand that the writer was invariably conforming to the conventions of the period, and concealing the facts to which he was really referring, from outsiders. As it turns out, once one is familiar with this convention and encounters it in an alchemical text, it is a dead give-away that the author is speaking only of spiritual alchemy. There is, however, a warning that I would like to share with potential physical alchemical researchers. It is this. The physical manipulations in part involve the use of a considerable quantity of mercury (quicksilver), one of the most deadly of poisons. It can be ingested orally or by inhalation of the fumes after heat is applied. The results of prolonged exposure can range from a quiet insanity to the lethally spectacular. For example, one of the more unpleasant symptoms of mercury poisoning is necrosis of the jaw! If you must, then you must but at least make sure that you observe more precautions than the early alchemists did. The fact that they all too often suffered from an over exposure to mercury can be attested to by many of their manuscripts, which not uncommonly bear the stamp of madness! Something else you may wish to consider. One of the major obstacles to comprehending alchemical texts and the early books on the subject is the fact that the apogee of alchemical thought and the various early texts and books on the subject, has long since passed. The peak of western alchemical teaching and its accompanying influence was reached several centuries ago and we, as a culture, have changed considerably since that time. A culture regulates the thought and reasoning processes of the individual, filtering his or her emotions and thereby influencing the manner in which he or she understands the world. Ultimately, this filtering effect determines his or her perception of the world from his or her position within that culture. Our current perception of the world is drastically different from that prevailing during the alchemical heyday, hence the added interpretation difficulties. This may or may not be a good thing. The abilities of our minds are limitless and we will, if we apply ourselves, be able to empathize with the old manuscripts, even though our belief system limits both our powers and our talents. Finally, whether or not your interests lie with the spiritual or the chemical aspects of alchemy, remember that one does not achieve knowledge of any subject by sitting on the bed and waiting for the arrival of a Master to come and teach you the answers. It is the personal search that lights the way and whoever has reached this state of appreciation can find clues in a book, a conversation or even a movie! When one creates a need for something, that something will eventually come to him or her. Here, in the dying years of the 20th. Century, practical alchemy is really a thing of the past. There were two French alchemists who practiced prior to World War II, but I have heard nothing of them since. To all intents and purposes then, practical alchemy has reached its end. Perhaps this is not to be the case with spiritual alchemy!