Karl von Eckartshausen
"The gold I'm looking for is Truth, my silver is Wisdom, and my philosopher's stone is the knowledge of my nothingness and the omnipotence of God in the depths of nature." [Karl von Eckartshausen]
Eliphas Levi
"The disciples of Hermes, before promising their adepts the elixir of long life or the powder of projection, counselled them to seek for the Philosophical Stone. What is this Stone, and why is it so called? The Great Initiator of the Christians invites His believers to build on the stone or rock if they do not wish their structures to be demolished. He terms Himself the cornerstone, and says to the most faithful of His Apostles, “Thou art Peter (petrus), and upon this rock (petram) I will build My church.”
This Stone, say the masters in Alchemy, is the true Salt of the Philosophers, which is the third ingredient in the composition of AZOTH. Now, we know already that AZOTH is the name of the great Hermetic and true Philosophical Agent; furthermore, their Salt is represented under the figure of a cubic stone, as may be seen in the TWELVE KEYS of Basil Valentine, or in the allegories of Trevisan.
Once more, what is this Stone actually? It is the foundation of absolute philosophy; it is supreme and immovable reason. Before even dreaming of the metallic work, we must be fixed forever upon the absolute principles of wisdom; we must possess that reason which is the touchstone of truth. Never will a man of prejudices become the king of Nature and the master of transmutations. The Philosophical Stone is hence before all things necessary; but how is it to be found?
Hermes informs us in his “Emerald Table”. We must separate the subtle from the fixed with great care and assiduous attention. Thus, we must separate our certitudes from our beliefs, and distinguish sharply the respective domains of science and faith, realizing that we do not know things which we believe, and that we cease immediately to believe anything which we come actually to know. It follows that the essence of the things of faith is the unknown and the indefinite, while it is quite the reverse with the things of science. It must be inferred from this that science rests on reason and experience, whilst the basis of faith is sentiment and reason.
In other words, the Philosophical Stone is the true certitude which human prudence assures to conscientious researches and modest doubt, whilst religious enthusiasm ascribes it exclusively to faith. Now, it belongs neither to reason without aspirations nor to aspirations without reason; true certitude is the reciprocal acquiescence of the reason which knows in the sentiment which believes and of the sentiment which believes in the reason which knows. The permanent alliance of reason and faith will result not from their absolute distinction and separation, but from their mutual control and their fraternal concurrence." [Transcendental Magic by Eliphas Levi]
Michael Maier
"Almost everybody who has heard about the philosopher’s stone and its power, asks where it can be found. The philosopher always answers twofold. First, they say that Adam has taken the philosopher’s stone with him from Paradise, and that it is now present within you, within me, and within everybody, and that the birds of far countries has taken it with them. Second, the philosophers answer that it can be found in the earth, in the mountains, in the air and in the river. Now what way should one seek? To me, both ways; but each way has its own way." [Michael Maier]
Manly Palmer Hall
Man must overcome the seven planets and transmute them into soul powers. Their negative forces are the seven deadly sins, which are overcome by a symbolic struggle with demons and dragons and, in turn, are transmuted into the seven cardinal virtues. This is the key to alchemy, for from the seven base metals, first spiritualized and then brought together as a secret compound, is produced the Philosophers’ Stone, the purified soul.
"In the journey of afterlife, when the lower nature has returned to the brutishness, the higher struggles again to regain its spiritual estate. It ascends the seven Rings upon which sit the Seven Governors and returns to each their lower powers in this manner: Upon the first ring sits the Moon, and to it is returned the ability to increase and diminish. Upon the second ring sits Mercury, and to it are returned machinations, deceit, and craftiness. Upon the third ring sits Venus, and to it are returned the lusts and passions. Upon the fourth ring sits the Sun, and to this Lord are returned ambitions. Upon the fifth ring sits Mars, and to it are returned rashness and profane boldness. Upon the sixth ring sits Jupiter, and to it are returned the sense of accumulation and riches. And upon the seventh ring sits Saturn, at the Gate of Chaos, and to it are returned falsehood and evil plotting.
"Then, being naked of all the accumulations of the seven Rings, the soul comes to the Eighth Sphere, namely, the ring of the fixed stars. Here, freed of all illusion, it dwells in the Light and sings praises to the Father in a voice which only the pure of spirit may understand. Behold, O Hermes, there is a great mystery in the Eighth Sphere, for the Milky Way is the seed-ground of souls, and from it they drop into the Rings, and to the Milky Way they return again from the wheels of Saturn. But some cannot climb the seven-runged ladder of the Rings. So they wander in darkness below and are swept into eternity with the illusion of sense and earthiness. [Manly Palmer Hall]
Jacob Boehme
"O man! seek thyself and thou shalt find thyself. Open the eyes of thy inward man and see rightly.
This is the noble precious stone, the philosopher's stone, which wise men find. O thou bright crown of pearl, art thou not brighter than the sun? There is nothing like thee; thou art so very manifest, and yet so very secret that among many thousand in this world thou art scarce rightly known of anyone. Yet thou art borne by many that know thee not." [The Confessions of Jacob Boehme, by Jacob Boehme, ed. W. Scott Palmer, c. 1920]
"In this Stone there lieth hidden, whatsoever God and the eternity, also heaven, the stars, and elements contain, and are able to do: There never was from eternity any thing better or more precious than this, and it is offered by God, and bestowed upon man; every one may have it that doth desire it; it is in a simple form, and hath the power of the whole Deity in it."
"This is the noble precious stone, (Lapis Philosophorum), the Philosopher's Stone, which the Magi [or wise men] find, which tinctureth nature, and generateth a new son in the old." [Threefold Life of Man by Jacob Boehme]
Manly Palmer Hall
"The alchemist realizes that he himself is the Philosopher’s Stone, and that this stone is made diamond like when the salt and the sulphur, or the spirit and the body, are united through mercury, the link of mind. Man is the incarnated principle of mind as the animal is of emotion. He stands with one foot on the heavens and the other on the earth. His higher being is lifted to the celestial spheres, but the lower man ties him to matter. Now the philosopher, building his sacred stone, is doing so by harmonizing his spirit and his body. The result is the Philosopher’s Stone. The hard knocks of life chip it away and facet it until it reflects lights from a million different angles." [Manly Palmer Hall, Initiates of the Flame]
"Man must overcome the seven planets and transmute them into soul powers. Their negative forces are the seven deadly sins, which are overcome by a symbolic struggle with demons and dragons and, in turn, are transmuted into the seven cardinal virtues. This is the key to alchemy, for from the seven base metals, first spiritualized and then brought together as a secret compound, is produced the Philosopher's Stone, the purified soul." [Manly Palmer Hall]
“Nature is the great book whose secrets he seeks to understand through her own wondrous symbolism. His own Spiritual Flame is the lamp by which he reads, and without this the printed pages mean nothing to him. His own body is the furnace in which he prepares the Philosopher’s Stone; his senses and organs are the test tubes, and incentive is the flame from the burner. Salt, sulphur, and mercury are the chemicals of his craft.
According to the ancient philosophers, salt was of the earth earthy, sulphur was a fire which was spirit, while mercury was nothing, only a messenger like the winged Hermes of the Greeks. His color is purple, which is the blending of the red and the blue—the blue of the spirit and the red of the body.
The alchemist realizes that he himself is the Philosopher’s Stone, and that this stone is made diamond-like when the salt and the sulphur, or the spirit and the body, are united through mercury, the link of mind. Man is the incarnated principle of mind as the animal is of emotion. He stands with one foot on the heavens and the other on the earth.
His higher being is lifted to the celestial spheres, but the lower man ties him to matter. Now the philosopher, building his sacred stone, is doing so by harmonizing his spirit and his body. The result is the Philosopher’s Stone. The hard knocks of life chip it away and facet it until it reflects lights from a million different angles.
The Elixir of Life is once again the Spirit Fire, or rather the fuel which nourishes that fire, and the turning of the base metal into gold is accomplished when he transmutes the lower man into spiritual gold. This he does by study and love. Thus he is building within himself the lost panacea for the world’s woe. The turning of the base metal into gold can be called a literal fact, as the same chemical combination which spiritually produces gold, will also do this physically.
It is a known fact that many of the ancient alchemists really did create the precious metal out of lead, alloy, etc. But it was upon the principle that all things contain some part of everything else; in other words, every grain of sand or drop of water has in some proportion every element of the universe therein. Therefore the alchemist did not try to make something from nothing, but rather to extract and build that which already was, and this the student knows is the only possible course of procedure.
Man can create nothing from nothing, but he does contain within, in potential energy, all things; and like the alchemist with his metals, he is simply working with that which he already has. The living Philosopher’s Stone is a very beautiful thing. Indeed, like the fire opal, it shines with a million different lights, changing with the mood of the wearer.
The transmuting process, whereby the spiritual fire passing through the furnace of purification radiates from the body as the soul body of gold and blue, is a very beautiful one.” [Initiates of the Flame, by Manly Palmer Hall]
Max Heindel
"During the course of his evolution, Man has become more and more enlightened concerning the mystery of Life; but nevertheless, it is only a few hundred years ago when life and liberty were endangered by the expression of opinions in advance of the commonly accepted views. It was for this reason that the alchemists who had studied more deeply that the majority, were forced to embody their teachings in highly allegorical and symbolical language.
Their teaching concerning the spiritual evolution of man, and their use of the terms SALT, SULPHUR, MERCURY, and AZOTH, so mystifying to the masses, were nevertheless rooted in cosmic truths, highly illuminating to the Initiate. The students of the Rosicrucian teachings who have learned how the world came into being and the process of gradual creation should have no difficulty in properly understanding every part of the alchemist's language.»
«This DUAL creative force thus expressed through the brain and larynx is the 'ELIXIR-VITAE' which springs from THE LIVING STONE of the spiritually hermaphrodite philosopher. The alchemical process of kindling and elevating it is accomplished in the spinal cord where the SALT, SULPHUR, MERCURY and AZOTH are found.
It is raised to incandescence by high and noble thought, by meditation upon spiritual subjects, and by altruism expressed in the daily life. The second half of the creative energy thus drawn upward through the spinal canal is a SPINAL SPIRIT-FIRE, the serpent of wisdom. Gradually it is raised higher and higher and when it reaches the pituitary body and the pineal gland in the brain, it sets them to vibrating, opening up the spiritual worlds and enabling man to commune with the gods.
Then this fire radiates in all directions and permeates the whole body and its auric atmosphere, and man has become a LIVING STONE, whose luster surpasses that of the diamond or the ruby. HE IS THEN THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE."
There are many other symbols and similes taken from the world of chemistry and applied to the processes of spiritual growth which eventually makes men living stones in the temple of God. But enough has been said in the foregoing to show what was meant by the ancient alchemists by such terms and the reason why they clothed their teachings in symbolical language.
The way of initiation is, however, and has always bee open to anyone who really an truly seeks for enlightenment and is willing to pay the price in the coin of self-denial and self-sacrifice. Therefore, seek the temple door and you shall find it; knock and it shall be opened unto you. If you SEEK prayerfully, if you KNOCK persistently and if you LABOR manfully you will in time reach the goal and you will BECOME The Philosopher's Stone." [Freemasonry And Catholicism: by Max Heindel]
Franz Hartmann
THE FIVE THINGS NECESSARY TO OBSERVE IN THE PRACTICE OF ALCHEMY.
1. To recognize the true PRIMA MATERIA.
It is to be found everywhere; but if you do not find it in your own house, you will find it nowhere. It is a living substance that can be discovered only in places inhabited by man. It is the only substance from which the Philosopher’s Stone can be prepared, and without that substance no genuine silver or gold can be made. In thirty pounds of ordinary mercury, there is usually not more than one pound of the true substance; and a hundred pounds of ordinary sulphur usually contain not more than one pound of that which is useful. It can only be found above the earth, but not below it. It is before everybody’s eyes; no one can live without it; everybody uses it; the poor usually possess more of it than the rich; the ignorant esteem it highly, but the learned ones often throw it away. The children play with it in the street, and yet it is invisible. It can be perceived by the sense of feeling, but it cannot be seen with the material eye.
2. Use for the preparation of the PRIMA MATERIA only the rose-coloured blood of the Red Lion and the pure white gluten of the Eagle.
Let your Will be strong, but without anger, and your Thoughts be pure from that which infects the lower strata of the earth’s atmosphere. Let the fire of the divine Will penetrate deeply within your soul, and elevate your mind to the highest regions of thought.
3. Obtain the sacred Fire.
It is not of man’s making; it cannot be bought, but it is given for nothing to those who deserve it.
4. Then follow Multiplication and Increase, for which purpose weight and measure are necessary.
Weigh all things with the scales of justice, and measure them by the rule of reason.
5. The fifth is the Application, that is to say the Projection upon the metals.
This will be accomplished by nature without artificial aid.
- In the pronaos of the temple of wisdom, c. 1890 by [Franz Hartmann]
COSMIC AWARENESS
HOW TO CREATE THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE - THE SECRET OF ALCHEMY WHICH CAN TURN LEAD INTO GOLD OR AN ELIXIR OF LIFE WHICH REVERSES AGING
(Excerpt from a CAC General Reading, April 10, 1992)
QUESTION:
A question from A.J. in Columbus, Ohio. "In a previous reading, you told us what herbs were consumed by Lee Chen Yung in China, who was reported to have lived to be 256 years of age. The medieval English writer, Roger Bacon, wrote in the 13th Century AD of an Arab named Artephius, who Bacon said lived to be 1,025 years of age at a time far later than the long-lived people listed in the Bible. I must say that I am very skeptical of this. If Bacon's report is true, this information would be in the Akashic Record. Is Bacon's report true?"
COSMIC AWARENESS:
This Awareness indicates that the entity Roger Bacon as one who was an alchemist. An alchemist is capable of creating that which is known as the Philosopher's Stone, for turning lead into gold, and also for rejuvenating self. This Awareness indicates that the entity, in describing this Arab, described a fellow alchemist, whom he had knowledge of, and that this fellow alchemist did indeed live an enormously long life. It appears there is some exaggeration in terms of years of his life, or the claims of the entity.
This Awareness indicates that the Philosopher's Stone as that which rejuvenates and helps to restore youthful energies in the system. This Awareness indicates that it appears to have been a valid assertion on the part of Roger Bacon.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:
He had a follow-up question: "If the answer is in the affirmative, what did he consume or do which caused him to live to such an extremely old age in times when the vast majority of people didn't even reach 50 years of age?"
COSMIC AWARENESS:
This Awareness indicates that this has been given: the entity consumed parts of that which is known as the Philosopher's Stone. This Awareness indicates that this Philosopher's Stone is that which is described in many of the old alchemy books, that it has been written of in its creation through coded writings speaking of Fire, Air, Water and Sulfur, Quicksilver (Mercury) and Eagle's Wings. It has been described as coming from the First Matter (Prima Materia) and being made from the most abhorrent element there is, that which is hated by all human-kind, and as having been pierced by the dagger of the alchemist.
There are many different codes and symbolism used to explain the secret approach to the alchemist's creation of the Philosopher's Stone. Once the Philosopher's Stone is developed, it serves as a kind of powder that can be put into the melted lead and its presence then turns that lead into gold, or it can be taken orally as a kind of elixir of life which turns the aged into a younger person.
This Awareness indicates that all this symbolism of the alchemists led many entities to experiment with elements of mercury, sulfur, etc., and eventually led to modern-day chemistry as it evolved out of alchemy.
This Awareness indicates that there are dangers involved in the study of alchemy. There are also certain requirements in terms of one's motives and spirits. This Awareness hesitates to explain the technique for creating the Philosopher's Stone because there are mistakes that can be made and entities are likely to risk those mistakes for purposes that are nothing more than greedy.
This Awareness indicates that entities playing with alchemy need to be extremely spiritual and avoid the greed aspects. It can turn against you. This Awareness indicates however, that it does appear that the time is right for some entities to become knowledgeable about this ancient science.
This Awareness will give a short summary in plain English of the ways by which the Philosopher's Stone is made, and suggests that before anyone begins studying and making this Philosopher's Stone, that they turn to the books and symbolism on alchemy and study these areas more thoroughly.
Cosmic Awareness Breaks the Secret Code
This Awareness is simply breaking the code for you to allow you to study those alchemy books in light of the code revealed. This Awareness indicates that It does not wish to get involved further in helping you to create your Philosopher's Stone after revealing this code. Your responsibilities in this action are those of your own.
The "First Matter"
This Awareness indicates that the First Matter for alchemist normally referred to as water, is that element known as urine. This Awareness indicates that the urine is taken at the time of the spring or fall, at the eclipse of the moon. This is often referred to in alchemy as the "Slaying of Diana," Diana being the Goddess of the Moon. This Awareness indicates that this is to be put into a cornerless jug, in other words a jug that is bulbous in shape, without any corners, so that the urine can flow without being caught in any corners.
The urine or First Matter, is sometimes described as Mercury and Sulfur; mercury because it flows in a liquid form, and sulfur because of the sulfur content in urine. This Awareness indicates that in this rounded bulbous bottle there needs to be a cork or seal, preferably a cork, that can be put in after 40 days. The bulbous bottle with the urine in it is kept at room temperature approximately 80 degrees, or 75 degrees, relatively warm, during that 40 days.
After the 40 days, it may be capped with a cork, to continue fermentation. The fermentation that occurs during the first 40 days requires that you have it somewhere that can allow for the odor to escape without offending others. This Awareness suggests that this may be in a garage or room or shed, someplace where it can be kept warm, such as in a bucket of sand that is on a hot water tank or some place that keeps the temperature up. A light bulb in a box, after the sand has been heated may keep the box warm enough and may keep the bulb bottle warm enough.
The "Eagle's Wing"
This Awareness indicates that after the 40 days, the substance is corked, the cork put in and sealed with wax, dripping wax around the cork so that no air can enter or leave. This Awareness indicates that the temperature remains warm, but below body temperature, and time passes. After several months you will see a rainbow-like oil on top. This is referred to in the alchemical symbolism as the "Eagle's Wing." It is colorful in that the oil, when light strikes it, causes a rainbow effect so that there are colorful reflections on the oil that surfaces or floats to the top of the mixture.
This Awareness indicates during this time, the substance grows dark, almost black, and the Eagle's Wing, or the oil floating on top becomes more vivid. This Awareness indicates that as the year comes to a close, the oil begins to turn red in color, a more reddish color, and eventually, near the end of the year, it should become more or less dried out as a whitish colored powder.
Creating the "Starter"
This Awareness indicates that the white powder is the Philosopher's Stone, which then can become a product for creating more Philosopher's Stone by adding more urine and simply allowing it to ferment and evaporate. It works faster once it has a starter. Much like the starter in sourdough, it creates the starter for the more rapid creation of the Philosopher's Stone being repeatedly created.
This Awareness indicates that of course, the cork is removed after one year and new urine is added, and allowed to ferment and evaporate, creating still more Philosopher's Stone as it moves through the process. It does not become necessary to recap the bottle after the first year, but by simply adding to it, the mixture evaporates, leaving more residue as Philosopher's Stone.
This Awareness indicates that from this brief description, It suggests that entities wishing to study further should read some of the alchemy books available, but not to become too hung up in those books for many of the alchemy books are written by entities who do know what they are talking about, unless these are from the 16th Century. Many of the modern-day writers are speculating and guessing, and the main information you seek should come from books they quote from the 16th Century, or books from alchemists such as Saint Germaine, or Roger Bacon.
This Awareness indicates that once the symbolism is understood, you will be able to gather more meaning from these alchemy books, but it is important not to talk too much to others about what you are doing and it is important to work and grow spiritually as you progress with your alchemy experiment.
This Awareness indicates the main reason for studying the alchemy books is to look for those symbols so that you can convey the information symbolically to other alchemists and not have to talk in plain English, in areas and in situations that would be undesirable to you.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:
The urine used, I assume is that of the alchemist.
COSMIC AWARENESS:
This is in the affirmative. This Awareness indicates that once the first Philosopher's Stone powder is made, additional urine can be added to the bottle, and the substance can be heated enough to allow it to evaporate at a more accelerated rate; however, it should never be raised above body temperature.
QUESTION:
While we're on this subject, we had a letter from K.K., Indianapolis, Indiana, which we checked out with Sam Millar (CAC Tarot Reader), who said his motives were sincere, and I'd like to read this and ask if the information just given would be sufficient for this entity to work with. He writes: "I was pleasantly surprised to see the mention that some information has been 'interpreted' by Ralph Duby on the subjects of alchemy and metallurgy. My spiritual studies, meditations, contemplation, writings, etc. lead me to believe that some of the principles of Nature (human, etc.) also applied to the mineral kingdom. And I began serious laboratory work in spiritual chemistry (alchemy) beginning in early 1988. The progress towards accomplishing the Magnum Opus has been steady and satisfying. And I feel confident in accomplishing the work. Over the years I have dreamt of the possibilities — to help C.A.C., the Aquarian church, and other humanitarian activities. I believe these are strong possibilities to come in the future. I have thought of writing to ask Awareness for insight to help me with the work, but so far I have gone it 'alone'. So, while I was first inspired to write in order to ask for the information that Ralph Duby 'interpreted' years ago that pertain to the subjects, at this point perhaps we should ask Awareness about my situation specifically, to see if any help may be offered. If you would like to ask in general that would be great. Consequently I could compile a short list of (not too technical) questions that would help me. The art of Alchemy is in the 'domain' of Natural Philosophy, so the philosophical insights, at the very least, would be very interesting to the readers, I believe." And that basically was his request and I'd like to ask Awareness if the information just given would be satisfactory to this entity?
COSMIC AWARENESS:
This Awareness indicates this as being sufficient for the entity to create that which is known as the Philosopher's Stone; that there are many entities who attempt to deal with alchemy using metals; that this is not the proper understanding of the science. They can have many rewards in that direction also in terms of the action of chemistry.
Proof of Alchemy in British Museum
This Awareness reminds entities there is a coin in the British Museum that is half lead and half gold. It is divided, not pressed together or made of two pieces of metal, but it is divided as one piece of metal, half of which is gold in nature, the other half as lead. These markings on the coin suggest that it was lead to begin with, and that the gold simply was a transmutation that occurred to the coin.
CLOSING MESSAGE:
This Awareness indicates that there was a time when the disclosure of information relating to alchemy would have been certain death to entities disclosing such information, but because alchemy as a science has more or less died out, is no longer seen as valid, and the books on the subject are so confused with symbolism, speculation, and double-talk, it is at a stage now where there are no alchemists around to protect their sacred science, and therefore, information on the subject is only available when given in plain English. The rest is nothing but confusion.
This Awareness indicates however, that It does wish entities to understand the symbolism of alchemy relates to far more than turning lead into gold. It relates to turning the philosopher, the alchemist, also into a golden being, a being of high spiritual nature. Without the spiritual qualities, it is unlikely that the Philosopher's Stone will ever have truly high quality.
The quality of the individual helps to go into the making of the Philosopher's Stone. It is related to the Law of Sympathetic Vibration: that whatever the alchemist is in his own vibration, that vibration resonates in the crystal of the Philosopher's Stone, and thus, the Philosopher's Stone is of the same frequency as the philosopher or alchemist. This Awareness indicates that as the Philosopher's Stone is created to develop a high spiritual frequency and then is ingested by the philosopher himself, the alchemist; that frequency of a spiritual level then enters into the physical body to become a catalyst for altering the physical cells to that same high frequency and it is in that manner that the rejuvenating effects take place.
(End of Reading; The Law of Gratitude is given.)
ED's Note: I believe this "Law of Sympathetic Vibration" is a new Cosmic Law. (There is the Law of Vibration, but that is different.) Please add this to your booklet of Cosmic Laws and Precepts of Cosmic Awareness. Also, anyone successful in making the Philosopher's Stone, we would like to hear from you. The idea that taking the liquid can add 500 years or so to one's life has possibilities!
Arthur Edward Waite
"There follow some Methods of Recognising our Stone.
Know that our Stone is one, and that it is justly called a Stone. For it is a Stone, and could bear no name so characteristic, as that of the Stone of the Sages. Yet it is not any one of our existing stones, but only derives its appellation from its similarity to them. For our Stone is so prepared as to be composed of the four elements.
On this account it has been called by different names, and assumes different forms, although it is one thing, and its like is not found upon earth. It is a Stone, and not a stone in the sense of having the nature of any one stone; it is fire, yet it has not the appearance, or properties, of fire; it is air, yet neither has it the appearance, or properties, of air; it is water, but has no resemblance, or affinity, to the nature of water. It is earth, though it has not the nature, or appearance, of earth, seeing that it is a thing by itself.
Another way of Knowing our Precious Stone.
An ancient philosopher says: Our Stone is called the sacred rock, and is divided, or signified, in four ways. Firstly, into earth; secondly, into its accretion; thirdly, into fire; and fourthly, into the flame of fire. If any one knows the method of dissolving it, of extracting its salt, and of perfectly coagulating it, he is initiated in the mysteries of the Sages. Therefore if the salt turn white, and assume an oily appearance, then it tinges.
There are three stages in our Art. Firstly, the transmutation of the whole thing into one salt; secondly, the rendering of three subtle bodies intangible; thirdly, the repetition of the whole solution of the whole thing. If you understand this, set your hand to the work. For the Matter is only one thing, and would remain one thing, though a hundred thousand books had been written about it, because this Art is so great a treasure that the whole world would not be a sufficient compensation for it. It is described in obscure terms, yet openly named by all, and known to all. But if all knew its secret, no one would work, and it would lose its value.
On this account it would he impious to describe it in universally intelligible language. He to whom God will reveal it, may understand these dark expressions. But because most men do not understand them, they are inclined to regard our Art as impossible, and the Sages are branded as wicked men and swindlers. Learned doctors, who thus speak of us, have it before their eyes every day, but they do not understand it, because they never attend to it And then, forsooth, they deny the possibility of finding the Stone; nor will any one ever be able to convince them of the reality of our Art, so long as they blindly follow their own bent and inclination In short, they are too wise to discern it, since it transcends the range of the human intellect, and must be humbly received at the hand of God.
Yet Another Way of Knowing our Blessed Stone.
The philosopher, Morienus, calls our Stone, water: and he had good reasons for the name. O water of bitter taste, that preservest the elements! O glorious nature, that overcomest Nature herself! O thou that resemblest Nature, which dissolvest her tractable nature, that exaltest Nature—that art crowned with light, and preservest in thyself the four elements, out of which the quintessence is made!
Thou art for the simple, seeing that thou art most simple in thy operation. Having conceived by a natural process, thou bringest forth vapour, and art a good mother. Thou needest no outward help; nature preserves nature, and is not separated from nature by the operation of nature. The thing is easy to find, the knowledge is easy, altogether familiar, yet it is as a miracle to many. Thy solution is great glory, and all thy lovers are named above. Thou art a great arcanum and to the many thou appearest impossible!" [The Glory of the World: or Table of Paradise by Anonymous]
From: [The Hermetic Museum, Vol. I, by Arthur Edward Waite, 1893]
Mircea Eliade
"We must also point out that this paradoxical ubiquity and inaccessibility of the Philosopher's Stone reminds one of the general dialectic of things sacred.
The hierophanies, owing to the very fact that they manifest the sacred, change the ontological regime of things: base or insignificant, a stone, a tree, a stream, as soon as they incorporate the element of the sacred, become prized by those who take part in this religious experience. The alchemist's emergence on another spiritual plane, with the aid of the Philosopher's Stone, may be compared with the experience of the homo religiosus who assists in the transmutation of the cosmos by the revelation of the sacred.
The paradox of the hierophany consists in the fact that it manifests the sacred and incarnates the transcendental in a 'base thing'; in other words, it brings about a break in level. The same paradox is evident in the Philosopher's Stone: it is beyond the comprehension of the uninitiated, though children may play with it or servants throw it into the streets; although it is everywhere, it is also the most elusive of things.
Alchemical experience and magico-religious experience share common or analogous elements. The use of religious terms by Western alchemists was not necessarily a safeguard against censure by the Church. The opus alchymicum had profound analogies with the mystic life.
Georg von Welling writes: 'that our intention is not directed towards teaching anyone how to make gold but towards something much higher, namely how Nature may be seen and recognized as coming from God, and God in Nature'. A disciple of Paracelsus, Oswald Croll, declares that alchemists are 'holy men who by virtue of their Deifick Spirit have tasted the First fruits of the Resurrection in this life and have had a foretaste of the Celestial Country'.
In the mind of many alchemists, the procuring of the Philosopher's Stone is equated with the perfect knowledge of God. This, moreover, is why the Stone makes possible the identification of opposites. According to Basil Valentine, 'evil must become the same as good'. Starkey describes the Stone as 'the reconciliation of Contraries, a making of friendship between enemies'.
We are here face to face with the very old symbolism of the coincidentia oppositorum, universally widespread, well-attested in primitive stages of culture, and which served more or less to define both the fundamental reality (the Urgrund), and the paradoxical state of the totality, the perfection and consequently the sacredness of God.
Nevertheless, the first virtue of the Stone is its capacity to transmute metals into gold. In the words of Arnold of Villanova, 'there abides in Nature a certain pure matter which, being discovered and brought by Art to perfection, converts to itself all imperfect bodies that it touches'.
Here then, very much alive, is the primitive idea that the Stone or the Elixir completes and consummates the work of Nature. Frate Simone da Colonia wrote in his Speculum minus Alchimiae: 'This art teaches us to make a remedy called the Elixir, which, being poured on imperfect metals, perfects them completely, and it is for this reason that it was invented.' And an alchemistic codex studied by Carbonelli tells us that: 'this matter, if it had been better conducted by Nature into the viscera of the Earth and had not inadvertently been mixed with impurities, would have been the Holy Sun and the Moon'.
The notion that the Stone accelerates the temporal rhythm of all organisms and quickens growth is to be found in the Pratique by Lully: 'In spring, by its great and marvellous heat, the Stone brings life to the plants: if thou dissolve the equivalent of a grain of salt in water, taking from this water enough to fill a nutshell, and then if thou water with it a vinestock, thy vinestock will bring forth ripe grapes in May.'" [The book The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structure of Alchemy, by Mircea Eliade]
Rosinus
“Know that the object of your desire is one thing, out of which all things are made.” [Rosinus "The Golden Tract Concerning The Stone of the Philosophers"]
Stone of the Philosophers
"As concerns the Matter, it is one, and contains within itself all that is needed. Out of it the artist prepares whatever he wants. Its "Birth is in the sand," as the philosopher Anastratus says in "The Crowd": "Nothing is more precious than the red sand of the sea; it is the distilled moisture of the Moon joined to the light of the Sun, and congealed."
That only this one substance is required is attested by Agadmon in the same book. He says: "Know that unless you take my body [sulphur] without the spirit [mercury] ye will not obtain what ye desire. Cease to think of many things. Nature is satisfied with one thing, and he who does not know it is lost."
In the same way Arnold, of Villa Nova, writes in his "Flower of Flowers"; "Our stone is made out of one thing, and with one thing." To the same effect he says to the King of Naples: "All that is in our stone is essential to it, nor does it need any foreign ingredient. Its nature is one, and it is one thing." And Rosinus says: "Know that the object of your desire is one thing, out of which all things are made." Lilium: "You have need only of one thing, which at any stage of our experiment can be changed into another nature." So Geber says in his "Summary": "Our stone is one, one medicine, to which we add nothing, from which we take nothing away, only removing that which is superfluous."
Again, Scites in "The Crowd" says: "The essence of this Art is in like manner a certain one thing which is stronger and more exalted than all other things, and is called the most powerful acid, because it changes gold into a clear spirit, without which there is neither whiteness, nor blackness, nor redness. When the spirit is joined to the body it becomes one with it; and yet again becomes a spirit, and is saturated with the spiritual and unchangeable tincture, and thus again by combination receives a bodily tincture which cannot be annihilated." [The Golden Tract Concerning The Stone of the Philosophers
by Anonymous, c. 1678]
Gloria Mundi
"An ancient philosopher says: Our Stone is called the sacred rock, and is divided, or signified, in four ways. Firstly, into earth; secondly, into its accretion; thirdly, into fire; and fourthly, into the flame of fire. If any one knows the method of dissolving it, of extracting its salt, and of perfectly coagulating it, he is initiated in the mysteries of the Sages. Therefore if the salt turn white, and assume an oily appearance, then it tinges. There are three stages in our Art.
Firstly, the transmutation of the whole thing into one salt; secondly, the rendering of three subtle bodies intangible; thirdly, the repetition of the whole solution of the whole thing. If you understand this, set your hand to the work. For the Matter is only one thing, and would remain one thing, though a hundred thousand books had been written about it, because this Art is so great a treasure that the whole world would not be a sufficient compensation for it.
It is described in obscure terms, yet openly named by all, and known to all. But if all knew its secret, no one would work, and it would lose its value. On this account it would be impious to describe it in universally intelligible language. He to whom God will reveal it, may understand these dark expressions. But because most men do not understand them, they are inclined to regard our Art as impossible, and the Sages are branded as wicked men and swindlers.
Learned doctors, who thus speak of us, have it before their eyes every day, but they do not understand it, because they never attend to it And then, forsooth, they deny the possibility of finding the Stone; nor will any one ever be able to convince them of the reality of our Art, so long as they blindly follow their own bent and inclination. In short, they are too wise to discern it, since it transcends the range of the human intellect, and must be humbly received at the hand of God." [The Glory Of The World - Gloria Mundi by Anonymous, c. 1620]
Arcana Divina
"The philosopher's stone is first of all a sublime gift and grace from God. One can see in it not only all the marvels of God, but also scrutinize and penetrate all the treasures and mysteries in this divine work. It also gives the faculties to know oneself better. It brings wealth, honor, love and friendship to man. It preserves the one who wears it from all misfortunes.
It infuses him with all wisdom, strengthens memory, pacifies all enmity, heals all illnesses, rejuvenates man, prolongs his life for several hundred years, if the Will of God allows it, by invoking his goodness with fervor and from the bottom of the soul. Finally, this blessed stone restores all human infirmities and inconveniences." [Arcana Divina: The Divine Arcana by Anonymous]
C. G. Jung
"As a result of the projection there is an unconscious identity between the psyche of the alchemist and the arcane substance, i.e., the spirit imprisoned in matter. The “Liber Platonis quartorum” accordingly recommends the use of the occiput as the vessel of transformation,- because it is the container of thought and intellect. For we need the brain as the seat of the “divine part.” The text continues:
Through time and exact definition things are converted into intellect, inasmuch as the parts are assimilated [to one another] in composition and in form. But on account of its proximity to the anima rationalis the brain had to be assimilated to the amalgam, and the anima rationalis is simple, as we have said.
The assumption underlying this train of thought is the causative effect of analogy. In other words, just as in the psyche the multiplicity of sense perceptions produces the unity and simplicity of an idea, so the primal water finally produces fire, i.e., the ethereal substance—not (and this is the decisive point) as a mere analogy but as the result of the mind’s working on matter. Consequently Dorn says: “Within the human body is concealed a certain metaphysical substance, known to very few, which needs no medicament, being itself an incorrupt medicament.”
This medicine is “of threefold nature: metaphysical, physical, and moral” (“moral” is what we would call “psychological”). “From this,” Dorn goes on, “the attentive reader will conclude that one must pass from the metaphysical to the physical by a philosophic procedure.”- This medicine is clearly the arcane substance which he defines elsewhere as veritas:
There is in natural things a certain truth which cannot be seen with the outward eye, but is perceived by the mind alone [sola mente ], and of this the Philosophers have had experience, and have ascertained that its virtue is such as to work miracles.
In this [truth] lies the whole art of freeing the spirit [spiritus ] from its fetters, in the same way that, as we have said, the mind [mens] can be freed [i.e., morally] from the body.
As faith works miracles in man, so this power, the veritas efficaciae, brings them about in matter. This truth is the highest power and an impregnable fortress wherein the stone of the philosophers lies hid.
By studying the philosophers man acquires the skill to attain this stone. But again, the stone is man. Thus Dorn exclaims: "Transform yourselves from dead stones into living philosophical stones!" Here he is expressing in the clearest possible way the identity of something in man with something concealed in matter." [C. G. Jung Collected Works Volume 12 Psychology And Alchemy (376, 377, 378 item)]
Albert Poisson
"The Great Work or preparation of the Philosopher's Stone, was as we have already said, the main goal of the alchemists, their treatises generally only focus on this single subject, so in the chapters which follow, we will speak exclusively of the Great Work . But before giving the key to the Hermetic symbols we will explain in a few months the procedure followed by the Alchemists for the preparation of the philosopher's stone, then we will take up each part separately.
The material of the Great Work was Gold and Silver, united with Mercury and prepared in a special way. Gold was taken as rich in Sulphur, Silver as containing very pure Mercury , as for quicksilver it represented Salt, a middle term of union. These three bodies prepared according to certain processes were enclosed in a glass matrass, the philosophical egg, carefully closed. Everything was heated in a furnace called Athanor.
As soon as the fire was lit, the Great Work itself began; different phenomena occurred: crystallizations, release of vapors which then condensed, etc., these constituted the operations. During these operations, Matter took on various colors, which we called the Colors of the Work. Finally the color red announced the end of the Work. We took the matter, we communicated to it a greater power of transmutation using an operation called fermentation and we finally had your Philosopher's Stone." [Theories and Symbols of the Alchemists The Great Work by Albert Poisson, c. 1891]
Eliphas Levi
"The magnum opus is pre-eminently the creation of man by himself, that is, the full and complete conquest which he can make of his faculties and his future; it is pre-eminently the perfect emancipation of his will which assures full power over the Great Magical Agent, This Magical Agent, which the old Hermetic philosophers disguised under the name of the First Matter of the Magnum Opus, determines the species of modifiable substance, and metallic transmutation, as well as the universal medicine, can be really attained by its means, This is no hypothesis, it is a fact already tested, and rigorously demonstrable.'" [Eliphas Levi]
Paul Foster Case
"The Philosophers' Stone, which is the Hermetic Symbol for the things made by the Great Work, is not a physical substance manufactured in a chemical laboratory. It is a transmuted and perfected state of human personality. By means of this transformed personality, the true Stone of the Wise, are effected the works of power which give an alchemical adept command over all forms and forces of the physical plane.
It is true that success in the Great Work enables an alchemist to transmute metals and cure diseases by means of physical things external to his body. Yet he cannot make this transmuting agent, nor perfect the Universal Medicine unless he himself has become the true Stone." [Paul Foster Case]
Elias Gewurz
"The alchemists of old illustrated this pilgrimage of man towards liberation by their various processes, tinctures, and manipulations. Their vessels, laboratories, metals and transmutations were so many names for the one and the same thing, namely, the illumination of the human soul and her redemption from matter.
The well-known saying, "To dissolve and to coagulate" meant nothing but to tear asunder the bonds of passion binding the soul to matter and having dissolved even the most subtle threads of desire and attachment, to turn the life stream upwards and to coagulate it with the pure elements of the Soul. The vessel in which this process takes place is the body of man. This vehicle of manifestation is the crucible in which the pure gold is tried and proven, the alloy and the dross burned away, so that only the sterling substance remains." [Elias Gewurz]
The Six Keys of Eudoxus
“He who knows how to sublime the Stone philosophically, justly deserves the name of a philosopher, since he knows the Fire of the Wise, which is the only instrument which can work this sublimation. No philosopher has ever openly revealed this Secret Fire, and this powerful agent, which works all the wonders of the Art: he who shall not understand it, and not know how to distinguish it by the characters whereby it is described, ought to make a stand here, and pray to God to make it clear to him; for the knowledge of this great Secret is rather a gift of Heaven, than a Light acquired by the natural force of reasoning; let him, nevertheless, read the writings of the philosophers; let him meditate; and, above all, let him pray: there is no difficulty which may not in the end be made clear by Work, Meditation, and Prayer.” [The Six Keys of Eudoxus]
Paul Foster Case
"The Philosophers' Stone, which is the Hermetic Symbol for the things made by the Great Work, is not a physical substance manufactured in a chemical laboratory. It is a transmuted and perfected state of human personality. By means of this transformed personality, the true Stone of the Wise, are effected the works of power which give an alchemical adept command over all forms and forces of the physical plane.
It is true that success in the Great Work enables an alchemist to transmute metals and cure diseases by means of physical things external to his body. Yet he cannot make this transmuting agent, nor perfect the Universal Medicine unless he himself has become the true Stone.
The records of Hermetic Art include the histories of several persons, not themselves adepts, who by one means or another came into possession of the external physical agent we have just mentioned. Sometimes they received it as a gift, sometimes they found a certain quantity of it.
Always they were the worse for their unmerited acquisition of unusual power. While their supply of the agent lasted, they effected marvelous cures and performed metallic transmutations. Because they could not make the substance whereby they achieved these results, not having become the Hidden Stone, when their supply was exhausted they could not replenish it.
Moreover, since they had not undergone the inner transmutation which enables one to employ the external agent wisely, their foolish display of power brought disaster upon them." [Paul Foster Case, "The Great Work", c. 1930]
Johannes Daniel Mylius
"It must be known that there are four principal regimens of our stone, namely to dissolve, wash, conjoin and fix, such as you see in the second scheme. To dissolve is to divide bodies, and to make matter.
To wash is to inhumate, to distill, to ascend and descend.
To conjoin is to impregnate, to whiten and to redden.
To fix, however, is to ferment and to betroth.
Solution converts the stone into its first matter, that is, its water, washing into air, conjunction into fire, fixation into spiritual and tincturing earth.
Whence the Philosopher: When you have water from air, and air from fire, and fire from earth: then you will have the full art: Because when the four elements are then well and perfectly prepared, and all these the master of the work and fire does well in one vessel alone, in four grades, namely of the four colors of conversion." [Philosophia Reformata, c. 1622 by Johannes Daniel Mylius]
Salomon Trismosin
"The one thing must be done with the other, if the Stone is to be made perfect.
The reason why all natural things are put together in a body is, that there may be a united composition.." [Splendor solis; c. 1582, by Salomon Trismosin]
Oswald Wirth
"Gold symbolizes the Truth, as can be conceived by man who has abandoned deceptive illusions. To possess the Philosopher's Stone one must know how to change error into truth. Through lack of discernment men make mistakes; they create their unhappiness through lack of intelligence and comprehension. When the healthy reason of the sun enlightens them, they will be happy, for they will avoid hurting each other." [XIX - The Sun, Tarot Of The Magicians by Oswald Wirth]
Salomon Trismosin
"The one thing must be done with the other, if the Stone is to be made perfect.
The reason why all natural things are put together in a body is, that there may be a united composition.." [Splendor solis; c. 1582, by Salomon Trismosin]
See Also
Alchemy
Forty-seventh Proposition of Pythagoras
purify thy mind