Hermetic Science and The Alchemical Process

Hermetic Science and the Alchemical Process
The Denver Spiritual Community

Home Table of Contents Wisdom of the Ages
A COMPENDIUM OF OCCULT LAWS
Chapter IV
THE HERMETIC SCIENCE and the ALCHEMICAL PROCESS
Topics:
131 The Hermetic Concept

132 Hermetic Science and the Alchemical Process
133 The Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir of Life
134 The Greatest of Victories Is the Victory Gained Over the Carnal Self
135 The "Pearl of Great Price"
136 Men Sneer at Belief in God and Religion to Hide Their Ignorance
137 Instilling Man With the Spirit of Achievement
138 Vice Transmuted Into Virtue
139 The Human Nature of Man
140 Knowledge Which Should Serve Man Often Renders Him a Slave
141 The Divine in Man's Nature
142 Through Suffering Often comes Spiritual Enlightenment
143 Man Is the Subject of Hermetic Science
144 Conscious Communication With the Spiritual Hierarchies
The Fear of the Lord Should Be the Beginning of a Search for
145
Wisdom
146 There Is Reason for Secrecy
147 The Philosopher's Contempt for Death
148 Know Thyself
149 Creator and Creation Are One
150 The Law of Nature Should Be the Law of Man
151 God Has Placed His Eternal "Word" in Man
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152 "In Thee Is Hidden the Treasure of Treasures"

153 The Neophyte Possesses Keen Desire for Immortality
154 Arcane Science, the Straight and Narrow Path
155 Man Must Awaken His Soul to Activity
156 Unselfish Love Is the Uplifter
157 The Material Self Is Necessary to Spiritual Development
158 Material Success and Soul-Consciousness
159 The Human Body Is the Hall of Initiation
160 Body and Soul Represent Earth and God
161 The Aim and End of Man on Earth
162 Man's Greatest Foe Is Himself
163 Success in Every Department of Life
Instructions in the full and complete conquest of the mental faculties; the
development of all forces and energies; the emancipation of the will, and the
attainment of an absolute individualism.
THE HERMETIC CONCEPT
The Great Work of the Hermetic Art is before all things the
REcreation of man himself by means of transmutation that is to say:
First - The full and

complete conquest
of his faculties.
Second - The development
of all his forces
and energies.
Third - The perfect
emancipations of his
Will.
Fourth - The establishment
of manhood and the
attainment of
absolute
Individualization.
Man is not truly man unless he is a FREE man. So long as man is

shackled by limitations, whether self-created or by man-made legislative

enactments or by the dominion of the power usurped by other men, he is not a free
man; therefore, he is a slave to conditions, circumstances and environments.
This is in no wise indicative that man should ignore the statutes created by other
men. On the contrary, it stipulates that the free man is so proud of his inheritance
that he will not stoop to commit "sin" - a wrong against himself, other men or
society. Having attained such freedom from the domination of his own passions, he
is too noble to stoop to any unworthy act. It was written of such: "The men best
governed are those least governed," because these govern themselves.
The concept of Hermetic Science and Alchemical Processes is the development of

the threefold man: body, mind and Soul; the complete activation of all his forces,
powers and energies; the attainment of Soul
Consciousness here and now; and the severing of all
man-made shackles that hold him in subjection and interfere with his obedience to
the Divine Law .
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HERMETIC SCIENCE AND THE ALCHEMICAL PROCESS
The aim of Initiation:
"That the children of Darkness

Become the sons of Light!"
The study and mastery of Hermetic Science reveals to man the mysteries of his
nature, the secrets of his organization, the hidden potentialities with their
possibilities and the means by which he may attain happiness, the
successful achievements of his life's purpose and, lastly, a degree of perfection; in
short, the AIM and END of his destiny. This is the
secret of Initiation and has been
its purpose since the first man became conscious of his Soul or
Spiritual self and inaugurated the Mysteries whereby
all men might , if they so desired, attain
Spiritual Consciousness.
The "key" to this process is the hidden teachings in all sacred writings; it is the
basic foundation of all religious - Spiritual - inculcations.
The older Mysteries were dual in their object; that is to say the Masters had two
distinct purposes in view - a double doctrine.

The first object was to emancipate man from his state of barbarity (1) and civilize
him, and then take the cultured man and instruct him toward perfection. In other
words, to lead man, who was universally believed to be lost or fallen, back to his
first estate. According to this concept, man must become REgenerated, his
Spiritual nature brought to the ascendant; and this is only
possible through a process known as Initiation, the method being Alchemical and
the means transmutatory .
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(1) Unfortunately for mankind, just as we had about convinced ourselves that man
had at last mastered the inhumanity in his nature and had accepted the
Divine Law to govern his actions toward his fellow men, we
are confronted by the outburst of a cruelty heretofore unknown, even in a state of
utter barbarity, thought foreign to reasoning human beings. No time in the history
of man, not even in the conquests of Mexico and South America, was there known
to be such wanton destruction of undefended property, innocent men, women and
children. How far (at least a part of) humanity has retrogressed is readily seen
when we compare the actions of officials of enemy forces during the Revolutionary
War to the tactics of present wars. During the American Revolution, the enemy
officers would not permit the burning of homes unless it was absolutely essential
for their success or protection; and certainly there is little or no record of the
killing of defenseless men, women and children, or capturing them for purposes of
slavery. Compare this with the inhuman destruction of life in Russia and many
other countries during their revolutions. Many of these nations, by so doing, set
themselves back by fifty thousand years.
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The second object was to discover the means whereby gross matter
could be raised to its first nature, the secret which was lost to all but the very few.
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THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE AND THE ELIXIR OF LIFE
Gold became the symbol of the first matter and has so remained because gold is
the purest substance known to man; it is capable of resisting even fire, the
universal cleanser. Fire is to matter what the Æheric Fire is to the Soul;
thus, Initiation had two divisions:
In the first division only the propensities were purified; only the "man" was put
through the crucible. This was a Spiritual Alchemy, a process
of transmutation , a human transformation,
Arcanely known as Initiation.

The second step in the process dealt with the mysterious operations of Nature and
was an initiation of the"body," the material.
In the one process was contained the search for the Cornerstone of the Philosophic
Temple of Mankind, and with ingenious symbolism it taught the Neophyte that all
humanity should and could be reunited into one great
fold of universality, differing in expression, but united
as to objective - without interfering with
each other, harmonizing instead.
In the second division, the Neophyte was taught to search for that which led back
to a new Golden Age, the Philosopher's Stone of turning failure into success, and
the Elixir of Life, which not only maintains health and well-being but also prolongs
life.
The object of all this philosophy and of all Initiation is to obtain the knowledge and
the art to make perfect that which either Nature has not yet perfected or that man
has degraded by the misuse of his Free Will; and then to apply this force to the
benefit of himself first and then to his fellow man, recognizing the Alchemical
knowledge that man's first duty is an unselfish one to himself.
Afar in the past, when man's first Spiritual awakening

commenced to reflect on himself, he became aware that, though knowing and
approving the good, he was strongly inclined to do what was not to the ultimate
benefit of himself or others; this in itself proved that the strength of his desires
was far greater than his reason. He enjoyed only partly, or in appearance only, his
inheritance of Free Will. It quickly became apparent to him that if he utilized his
right of choosing and of determining his actions throughout his life, he must
subdue those unruly passions which controlled his very being. From thence sprang
the first idea of the sage to be a free man and master of himself. Every institution
and philosophy which has in view the making of Masters and Adepts must
primarily have in view this self-mastery.
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THE GREATEST OF ALL VICTORIES IS THE VICTORY

GAINED OVER THE CARNAL SELF
Alchemical Science had its origin in Arabia and was closely associated with
religious rites. Geber is its accredited founder. The Egyptian Priests were initiated
into its mysteries, it being part of, and closely associated with, the Hermetic
Science. Alchemy postulated an orderly universe, but Alchemy was richer in its

varied details, far more picturesquely embroidered, more prodigal of strange

concepts to make it interesting than the Initiatory Art and Science of Egypt. The
Alchemist constructed his ordered scheme of nature on the basis of a universality
of life. The Alchemist saw life in everything and that life was threefold in its aspect.
He recognized the manifestation of life in the form or body of a thing; in its spirit
and in its Soul.
Things may differ materially in appearance, in size, taste, smell and other outward
properties; yet, according to Alchemical Science, be intimately related because
they were produced from the identical principles and animated by the same
universal Spirit or activating force. On the other hand, things might
resemble one another closely in their appearances outwardly yet differ in their
essential qualities; because, according to Alchemy, they were formed from
different elements and in their Spiritual properties were
vastly different. The transformation of one thing into another, according to this
Science, can only be affected by Spiritual means, acting on
the spirit of the thing, because the true transformation consists essentially in
raising the substance to the highest perfection whereof it is capable.(2)
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(2) Within man there are two constantly active fires . One
is his creative energy, while the other is his Divine Principle. All men are familiar
with their creative energy, how it governs and controls their every action. Because
of lack of control, all the crimes in the catalog are committed daily. It makes a
monster out of a weakling and a demon out of a physical wreck. Under control, it is
the impetus of the imaginative faculty, and men become inventors, artists, scenists
musicians, authors, physicians, masters of science; but still no more than men. But
when this creative energy, this creative fire is raised up - Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness - to its highest perfection, then the meek and lowly man
becomes an Initiate, a master, one of the gods, a free man in
every sense of the term; and to be truly free , no longer under the
dominion of any other man or set of men, or any force or circumstance, is the
highest that man can attain in this mundane sphere; it is the Odyssey sought by all
philosophers.
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THE "PEARL OF GREAT PRICE"
How man may use his forces and express them harmoniously is the secret of the
Alchemic, Hermetic and Arcane philosophy, and is the "Pearl of Great
Price." A deep and earnest study and a steadfast purpose on the part of the
Neophyte to live the life - the concept and the work of the Hermetics - as taught in

the instructions and by the counselors, will in due time open his vision to the true
and most wonderful meaning of this philosophy. All this philosophy would be of
little value unless actually related to man's moral character and ultimate freedom.
The true understanding of this philosophy gives us a natural religion and verifies
our faith; it is the connecting link between earth and heaven; between moral law
and material law; and between the microcosm and the macrocosm.
Morals are the basic statutes of religious and Spiritual

inculcations, while Spirituality is religion itself. God about
us , in our very presence, not somewhere else, is a stronger influence than any
theory can be, however elaborate. We must have more than a conjectured God.
Our own intelligence resides somewhere in some
thing . Which is the substance? Is it the most subtle, homogeneous and
ultimate element of our bodies - and what?
"Dissection," says William Hemstreet, in the text, Mind Is

Matter , "has laid open to our eyes the secret channels, battery and
paraphernalia of an electric fluidic life. Thus may not the Creative Intelligence
inhere in the universal ether? This is the `image' in which we have been created."
And further, "The plant needs actual contact with sunshine, not to
possess in itself a `theory' about sunshine nor a `belief' in sunshine. Man is in need
of a God(3) with whom he can actually associate, with his
Spiritual and physical particles in reality of contact, like the
proximity of one we love, not a theory of God, not a belief in a distant God."
Lacking this contact, man will continue to be forced to rely on other men like
himself; and the chances are that it will be someone with lesser enlightenment and
intelligence than himself, and in consequence the tendency is ever
downward and away from perfection.(4)
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(3) Is this concept so difficult to understand and realize? All basic concepts of God
are that He is LOVE. The one, man or woman, who has really experienced love,
or who is IN love, feels himself to be a dual person. That love which is
real to him is as much A PART OF HIM as is his material self.
(4) This downward tendency, away from individuality and toward universal
serfdom, has been proceeding rapidly within the past decade. Before the first
World War, while kings and emperors still ruled many nations, the universal
tendency was toward freedom and individualism. Millions were fighting within
themselves to awaken sufficient courage to risk their own life and possessions to
gain freedom from the dominion of others; and we were well on the way toward an
earthly democracy where men would be judged by what they truly
were ; then, came the second World War, ostensibly to bring such freedom
for all men, but with just the reverse
result . Untold millions who were well on the way toward such

freedom have completely reversed themselves or permited

themselves to become
so weak that they are
more completely bound,
body, mind and Soul,
than the serfs under
Ivan, the Terrible ; and there is no
written history to indicate that there ever was a time when king or emperor in any
land dared to set himself up as unto God as do the egomaniacs of today, nor did
they dare to command and force into obedience the millions as is done today in
many lands. Even the czars of Russia gave their condemned subjects a chance of
living by sending them to Siberia, whereas now there is wholesale execution of the
most cruel, diabolical and unreasoning kind. Within a decade or less, humanity has
lost the freedom and right of self-determination it has been fighting for since
civilization began due to inertia, blood pollution and immoralities that would
shame Babylon.
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MEN SNEER AT BELIEF IN GOD AND RELIGION

TO HIDE THEIR IGNORANCE AND DEBASEMENT
Hermetic Science is upheld by Holy Writ. The men who wrote the moral and
Spiritual precepts of the Scripture had minds and hearts
imbued with lofty concepts. For their moral reasoning, great
Spiritual insight and fine intuition, they were giants
compared with modern money-and-power-mad human creatures, encrusted with
modern materialism and the lusts of flesh. Based upon mere human standards we
should revere their views. They taught, as do the Initiate Schools of today, that
virtue, love, hope, graciousness, forgiveness and strength to fight for the right are
the Beatitudes of the Soul; Whereas vice, guilt, covetousness and infringement
upon the rights of others are diseases and death to the Soul.
"For to be carnally
minded is death,
but to be
spiritually minded
is life and peace."
__St. Paul
When we give our minds earnestly to a study of the mere transitoriness of mortal

life and affairs and yet can feel how continuous our hopes and loves may be,
we then realize the utter incompatibility of the Soul with all that is carnal.
We, then, see and realize that the human successes and earthly possessions may
fade, literally and surely, like the sunset behind the mountains. All personal
grandeur, popularity, business or political success, official station and power,
property and even empires pass away like the clouds. None of them is abiding,
simply because the physical is temporal - of a few days and known no more. If the
body were everlasting, if all things did not undergo mundane changes, if the earth
and time were eternity, then mundane aspirations would adapt to physical life. It
requires an eternity to fully know the fullness of human love. Our ambitions are
more than commensurate with earth and time. Is there an answer to the demand
of every heart for permanence? We walk, act and build for permanence with
scarcely any thought of death, although we are upon quicksand. Is there one place
that is safe and certain? Yes! As seeds sown in the ground have innate qualities
drawing them upward unto the air and sunshine, so do we
have innate qualities
drawing us upeard to ethereal
realms, if we give heed to feelings and seek to manifest them. if we give heed to
feelings and seek to manifest them. One who can contemplate a lily or a rose, a
newborn babe or the devotion of a mother in the sick room and say there is
nothing higher than mundane life, is simply Soulless and without
Spiritual perception. Such a one deserves the serfdom that is
becoming the lot of most men in the present egomaniac age.
When we assume with scientific certainty that the mind of man is linked with a
durable vehicle, such as a Spiritual entity, and that this has
the boundless ether as its realm of life and activity, then we are ready to emerge
from our earthworm condition and enter into the sunshine with the assurance of
an eternity. Suns and planets may perish, but in the final crash they cannot harm
the Soul that has dared to search for enlightenment and freedom from
entanglements that are not of its own creation.
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INSTILLING MAN WITH THE SPIRIT OF ACHIEVEMENT
As, one by one, men, co-operating in earnest simplicity with the Divine forces of
which by nature they are the repository, perceive upon a purified mentality clear
imaging of the essential union within themselves of each form and
force, and of recovered lost faculties throughout the subtler intricacies of surface
sense of enacting that biunity, they come to understand the past and future of
their fate; what has been done and what yet remains for them to do; what was the

actual growth that struggled up through the "snows" of their outer nature; and
how much still waits within to develop and come forth. They will face life with a
new incentive to be active, to overcome and to achieve.
The vices, no less than the virtues which characterize the present generation with
such marked vigor, are prophetic and initiatory of the rapid and inevitable change
that must supervene throughout societarian life, both in its lesser and greater form
of family, nationality and universality. The vices and weaknesses, the utter servility
of today, must be transformed into virtue, fair dealing and strength; or
the present races, with few exceptions of those who in Arcane
parlance seek the Path to attain self-mastery, will be self-destroyed and
lost to history; and well this should be, because at no time in the age of man have
there been greater opportunities than at the present moment.
Since the time when the incorporation of Spiritual

potentials began to create reflection on the qualities of
the desires which were produced within man, he has, in the rough-
and-ready fashion of a relative inexperience, solved the mental problem suggested
by the phenomena of his moral emotional nature. Men simply announced
themselves to be constituted of elements of opposite kinds, generating forces of
conflicting tendencies. For centuries, a temporary but necessary purpose has been
served by epitomizing the work of all Nature struggling upward toward perfection,
as the flight of a good (constructive and elevating) against the evil or destructive
within or about man. This view was the only one under past
conditions whereby the battle of life could be faced and maintained.
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VICE TRANSMUTED INTO VIRTUE
Either the misdirection and inflammation or force called evil -

because it endangers
freedom, harmony and
life - must be suppressed, or the instincts for equable distribution of
affectional vigors - which are called good, for want of a better term, because they
engender justice, peace and progress - must be largely reinforced from the hidden
sources of life(5) before a deeper insight can safely be acquired into
the secret (hidden) force.
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(5) These sources of life and power have been hidden from the vast humanity
because the powers in control have decreed it should be so in order that the few,
properly prepared and with the necessary moral strength, might successfully
govern the many. All knowledge that had a tendency to give man strength and

power to make him free and self governing was forbidden knowledge," and was
only for the few, and had to be taught sub rosa and in Secret
Schools.
Man's Soul was in the keeping of kings and priests and, to tell the truth, was
permitted to be dormant, having no more light or wisdom at death than when it
was incarnated in human form. Thus the millions were as pawns held in the grasp
of a few men, and they fully realized that once man awakened to the fact that he
possessed Spiritual potentialities which would make him as
great or even far greater than those who held him in bondage, absolute authority
would be at an end.
Advancement for three hundred years was rapid, and man began to achieve the
acme of freedom, only to resell himself , body,
mind and Soul; and there is greater danger that the mass will be hurled into far
greater slavery than ever known before, for man's downfall and degradation are on
a par with the heights he had attained.
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Evil, in the individual, whatever its nature, cannot be eliminated by forces outside
of himself but from within himself, and only as he recognizes both
his weaknesses and the evils that are present. These weaknesses and evils are the
"tares" continually mentioned in THE LEGEND OF THE SOWER. They should not be
destroyed any more than the wise farmer does on his land, but are plowed under in
order that they may become the nourishment for the soil; so in like manner, man
becoming conscious of his "tares," TRANSMUTES THEM, and they become the
substance for his advancement and attainment.
An unknown Initiate, an Alchemist, has interpreted the Legend in this wise:
"The tares in the field must be permitted to grow as a protection to the

virgin soil for future service. When the husbandman is ready for the
planting, he will turn under these tares that the virtues and potencies -
the living elements in them - may be transmuted into life giving
substances for the seeds or the plants which will replace the tares.
Thus, the evils within man, even his degrading vices, if the
degeneration has not progressed too far, become the life and the
Light of the Soul, and wherewithal upon which all success
and attainments are based."
The conception of life and force, which outgrows from man's present mentality,
suggests to him that which his daily life and all the universal phenomena verify,
that life and force are one. The direction of its currents, however intricate or

interpretative, all refer to the same series of impulsions: that the whole range of
facts constituting the suffering and errors of mankind, are but abnormal
phenomena of this life-force. The ordinary sensitiveness of man to the life-force
greatly varies among different individuals, and is generally exceedingly superficial.
His nerves, though markedly more acute than the nerves of men who lived some
ages ago, are still extremely dense and convey to his consciousness no more than a
few of the strongest waves of the forces that sustain him. He is able to recognize
the fact that his blood rushes to and fro between surfaces and centers, and
concentrates and disperses forces and energies to his benefit.
The most profoundly and minutely sensitive depths - even in exceptional natures,
unless Spiritually or Soulfully developed, which the
mirror of external consciousness succeeds in reflecting - afford as yet to man only
suggestions of the immensities of the life-forces resident in his being. Similarly the
inner vision, to the degree man has developed it, affirms the vastness throughout
the infinite worlds beyond this one. This suggests that life-force transcends
analysis, prevents comprehension through normal faculties and can be understood
only by those who have opened their Soul-sight by developing their
Spiritual nature to the same degree the physical nature has
been developed by time and environments.
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THE HUMAN NATURE OF MAN
At the present stage of human progress, it is as unintelligent as it is cowardly to

view human nature and affirm its weakness and its viciousness, and
attribute thereto the
necessary prolongatin
of suffering on earth. (6)
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(6) Man's viciousness, which is the basic cause of man's inhumanity to man, has
been excused on the ground that it was "human nature" and, therefore,
unavoidable. This concept is gradually giving way to a better understanding of the
reality, and the new conception is that viciousness is not natural - is no part of
nature - except to the criminal, the perverted, the degraded nature in man, and it
must be eliminated by the Alchemical transmutation of the unnatural, i.e., evil
inherent in the carnal nature. The vicious animal is either confined or destroyed.
The viciousness in the individual must likewise be either self-governed (confined
within the person) or transmuted into the Beatitudes. If the person is not willing to
control himself, then it is society's responsibility to do so.
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The fatalism of this popular concept is an insult to both God and those men who
have become God-conscious, and to the whole accomplished work of the
multitudinous form animated by the one and eternal force. Men no longer gape
aghast at the fixed depravity of men; they know better if they will permit the ever-
present situation of Wisdom to speak. The knowledge one man
may have of himself, if he will use it, is sufficient knowledge to be the focal point of
knowledges he should have of all the other millions. Let man be wise to register
and to protect and direct each delicate movement that may thrill every fiber of his
deep Soul, and he beholds the beginning of Wisdom, but only its beginning. He,
thus, opens to himself the first page or the book of Nature according to his reading.
Gazing into the realm of his own spontaneity, man comes to realize that among the
atoms of stirring consciousness is something the he cannot create or command. It
demands conscious, effortful development.
A something appears to "float" to him, streams of vast inapprehensiveness, and

becomes a part of him within his little domain, impregnating him
with its essence of individuality. It surcharges all the vessels of his innermost
being until there will be an outpouring of power and energy; and it will make of
him a man apart, kindred to both his fellow men and God; yet, free and
independent, related to all; yet, separate from the unworthy and undesirable,
exemplifying the Biblical command: "Be among men but not of (like) them."
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KNOWLEDGE WHICH SHOULD SERVE MAN OFTEN RENDERS HIM A

SLAVE
Freedom to be himself is at the basis of man's nature. Protection for his central life
- emotions and education of the faculties for consciousness in the pure region of
his being are not only necessities for man, but are the conditions which cannot be
maintained without his perfect sanity or balance of mind and Spirit .
If a man claims his freedom, demands this protection, seeks this education, he
isolates himself amidst an impending and irascible mass of views, opinions and
dogmas that dictate and coerce throughout every department of life - in religion,
philosophy, politics, science, art, sociology and even business - by virtue of and in
defense of the vested interests and prescriptive rights on which their influence and
personal benefits and profits rest.(7)
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(7) This is the basic reason why the Arcane Initiatory Fraternities of
all ages have been maintained in secrecy and have kept the identity of their
Neophytes shrouded in mystery. It cannot be said that this necessity no longer
exists. There is, in truth, greater need for its secrecy today than for centuries past.
Although we live in a supposedly enlightened age, where freedom of thought is

apparently guaranteed to all men, nevertheless, the restrictions are greater today
than for a long time past. This is true even in democratic nations, while in other
nations fraternal organizations have been generally outlawed.
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Men wound themselves with their own "arrows"; the knowledge that should serve
them often renders them slaves. They kneel in helpless superstition before the
"gods" of their own creation - mental imaginings - a fear-
God, self-created . Still the high
manhood, deeply enveloped in superstitions, waits for an opportunity to grow forth
and manifest itself. It is this to which all men should turn - NOW - with
watchfulness, faithful study and application.
"In the holy depth in man, where God makes sensible the qualities of
pure human desires, is latent all that should
be learned. It is the keynote of the reality of all that makes human life
desirable, enlivening the consciousness of each man at the center of his
personal emotions. Veritable perception is alone the registry of these
emotions. Honest investigation and estimation of all the phenomena
produced by other men remain impossible, unless they are based upon
the personal experience of the Soul, from which the necessary
hypothesis of the existence of human instincts is alone deducible.
Silence at the sanctuary of his nature, where the all-holiness which man
fails to comprehend deigns to meet in simplest intimacy with his frail
capacities of sensational consciousness, makes silence of all harmonies
and their joys throughout the whole productiveness of every other
faculty that he puts forth. However, brilliant or attractive may be the
mental work of teachers who fail, or who refuse to hear these deep
vibrations, their influence rests upon the lives of men as weight and not
as light; it moves throughout convictions, cooling - never impassioning;
it creates in hearts negation rather of veritable sentiment than
aspiration for greater depth of feeling."
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THE DIVINE IN MAN'S NATURE
"The legitimate claim of each person, whether man or woman - a claim

most difficult to exact of social exactions - is to be
himself . The universal tendency of today for
universal
regimentation is
against this, despite the fact that

individuality is the only

basis of that perfect altruism which alone can retrieve
society. In the sanctuaries of profound emotion, man can only be that
which makes him a man ; that
phenomenon of power and Will for perfectness; that machinery for
passionate intention for universal rightness; that form impregnated by
the Divine quality which should govern man's life on earth. Then, and
only then, can he be a wise ruler of man. Alas! sad man, foolish
creature, bearing within
his breast this gem
of a faculty for
every perfectness,
he, nevertheless,
lies down in
sheeplike weakness
to be crushed by
the social customs
of his own making,
the Juggernauts
that he helps to
establish . For the semblances of power that he
gains by little increases in science, education, wealth, political
influence, which command a relative obedience and superficial
admiration; for the semblance of pleasure that he can extract a little
while from portions of his nature by pampering them to abnormal
growth, he misses, for the most part, all the power and well-being
which are the essential attributes of his deep, human sense of being.
"The evolution of humanity suggests the proper methods and

contrivances for the general improvement and convenience of man, but
evolution cannot use them, not daring yet to seek the consciousness of
those qualities at its vital heart-centers which are the mainspring of
material and intellectual productiveness and which would dictate the
most helpful application of the organizing material provided by science
and invention.
"Among the peoples who have led the progress of the world and among
whom the sense of manifold experiences, needs and aspirations
increases hourly, generating the growth called civilization, two lines of
tendencies are to be marked. These are the tendencies to develop
higher and subtler qualities painfully, and to gain experience in the
recklessness of pure and noble sentiment. The highest growth
transcends all pain; the keenest pleasure must be free of all debaseness

to reach the highest goal. Men must grow toward perfection; and they
must live with joy. Whatever in man is pure, true, human,
Divine , is essentially both progressive and satisfying."
|Top|
THROUGH SUFFERING OFTEN COMES SPIRITUAL

ENLIGHTENMENT
The suffering growth-seekers cling to their brave endeavors, because

they cannot yet divest themselves entirely of impressions stamped on
their mentality from without, from social prejudice and injustice, from
religious formulas and commercial skulduggery and all the rest that
offers to man's minds conditions which they would wield and dominate,
but which unfortunately control, limit and dominate them. The slow
degradation that corrupts the heartless pleasure seekers results in a
malady from the hyperdevelopment to which they urge a limited set of
faculties and the absolute atrophy to which they leave the larger wealth
of those with which, as human beings, they are inherently endowed.
These forms of suffering are signs alike of man's strange ignorance of

the great powers to which he only is inherent. He will be able to escape
from each if he will but turn faithfully toward that gathering-ground of
all essential forces
within his quivering
Soul. Let those who
dare, let those who
Will, feel their way slowly along the shadowy way of life
today and take what comes; and dream that they do not change except
for the better.
"Those who wonder, those who want, those who suffer, one and all,
because of that clear presence of the fine all-life that sparkles in the
breast of man at this triumphant hour of his labor, will find that they
belong to a new race with which the world is to be
gifted after the deluge of Armageddon; and that their pain, their
weakness and their folly was due to their ignorance and disobedience.
Man and woman, let loose the powers of nature in you that God may
incarnate. Study the inspired writings of the old Masters as herein made
clear, and let the clear voice of the simple instruction ring to your
adoration on Mount Sinai to which you rise at every hour of the sweet
repose when life impours. Hurl right and left and far, all thoughts that
served old time, if they still cling to your skirts and burden your ascent.

"One claim uprears itself in holiest lawfulness, inflaming the altar of

your heart - the world's cry for redemption - and lo! the God who meets
you in the eternal sanctuary of yourself, comes but for that." |Top|
MAN IS THE SUBJECT OF HERMETIC SCIENCE
The subject of Hermetic science is man, while the object is the

perfection - the all-round development - of man, and centers in a
certain unity with Divine Nature to which man is correlated.
The work of Spiritual

transmutation is accomplished by
means of a certain method of life, plus the development of the
Spiritual faculties, including the Will and
Imagination, the two grand faculties essential to success.
Eliphas Levi, one of the great Master Teachers of the past century,
recommends the postulant in the profanos of the Spiritual Temple to
rise daily at the same hour - an early hour - to bathe summer and
winter before breakfast in cool or cold water; never to wear soiled
clothing, even if it is necessary to wash them himself; to exercise
privations voluntarily that he may be better able to bear the involuntary
ones; finally, to impose silence on all desires except that which involves
the accomplishing of the Great Work of his own
REgeneration. This is simply a preliminary preparation of the physical
temple for the greater work to be done which is of another and
different character.
Another Master Teacher, Vaughn, describes it as Soul chemistry, an

Alchemical Science, a process of triadic character. This triadic process is
the transmutation of the gross physical
body by the Spiritual desire within
it, the exultation and transfiguration of the Soul, and the Illumination
and Deification of the Soul by contact with the
Universal
Consciousness generally known as God.
This process accomplishes the REgeneration of the whole man, turning
him into a Spiritual Temple, the true objective of
the Acarne philosophy.
|Top|

CONSCIOUS COMMUNICATION WITH THE SPIRITUAL

HIERARCHIES
The inculcations of the Hermetic Master Teacher are that when this
modification or New Birth has been accomplished, the Initiate is placed
in communication with the creative and constructive forces of the
Universe. The avenues of Spiritual (Soul)
perception, which are narrow, difficult and full of barriers to the
psychologists of the materialistic schools, are open to the sincere
Neophyte for unlimited exploration, and the illuminated adept may
proceed to the Invocation of the celestial intelligences, the Souls of
those who have fully attained in their Spiritual
Consciousness and become members of
the Hierarchies.
"The depths and heights of his own Immortal nature are

also revealed to him, and from the pinnacle of his
Spiritual center he may soar into
ecstatic, yet Conscious, communion with the
Spiritual
Hierarchies ."
The Hierophants of old, far less materialistically and more

Spiritualistically inclined,
were familiar with a far deeper understanding of
Spiritual science than we are today. They could
have easily laid claim to advances on the Path - wherein we
are slowly and painfully traveling - and obtained a permanent
possession of a power and knowledge which was dangerous or
impossible for them to reveal, except to a few chosen ones, and which
they consequently spoke of in veiled language - the "jargon" of the
Alchemists. They, nevertheless, endeavored to extend this knowledge
to those properly prepared, in order that it might be perpetuated, and
to this end they invented their symbols and allegories in the hope that
either a Divine Light would illuminate deserving seekers and
enable them to penetrate to their inner perceptions, or that the Secret
Schools and Initiate Masters would continue to exist and teach and
guide willing Neophytes.
The Alchemical Initiates lay claim to the possession of tremendous

secrets, to invincible power over certain forces; above all else, all their
energies were directed toward one goal - the gaining of Wisdom and

the power that comes with knowledge.

|Top|
THE FEAR OF THE LORD SHOULD BE THE BEGINNING

OF A SEARCH FOR WISDOM
"Happy is the man that findeth Wisdom and the man that getteth
understanding.
"For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and
the gain thereof than fine gold.
"She [the Divine Sophia] is more precious than rubies, and all the
things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
"Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and
honor.(8)
"Her ways are of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. "She is the
"Tree of Life" to them that lay hold upon her [in the Spirit of
righteousness]: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
"Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the
words of her mouth.
"Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee; love her, and she shall
keep thee.
"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."
____Proverbs 3:13-18; 4:5, 6, 23
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(8) Refer to frontispiece in the text, EULIS.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
These sayings are perfectly congenial with the teachings of Alchemical

Science and in perfect harmony with the subject and the object of its
work.
Knowledge and Wisdom were not synonymous in the Ancient Schools.

Sandivogius told his readers:
"There is an abundance of knowledge, yet, but little truth known. The

generality of our knowledge is but as castles in the air or groundless
fancies. I know of but two ways that are ordained for getting Wisdom;
viz., the Book of God (the Soul) and the Book of Nature (the body); and
these only as they are studied with reason and confirmed by
experience. Many look upon the former as something belonging to them
or as something without existence; upon the latter, as a ground for
atheism and, therefore, they neglect both. It is my judgment that as to

search the Scriptures is most necessary, so without reason it is

impossible to understand them. Faith without reason is but implicity. If
I cannot understand by reason how a thing is, yet, I will see that a
thing is so before I will believe it to be so. I will ground my believing of
the Scriptures upon reason; I will improve my reason by philosophy.
"When God made man after His own Image, how was that? Was it not
by making him a rational creature? Men, therefore, who lay aside
reason in the reading of the mysteries do but unman themselves and be
come further involved in a labyrinth of errors. Hence, it is that formal
religion is wisdomless and degenerated into irrational notions. It may
govern or control but it is unable to enlighten."
All Initiates would have the followers of Alchemical Science test all
teachings by what they call "the possibility of Nature," or its
applicability to man's physical and Spiritual
needs. Hence, the test of philosophy is not a written record with them;
and consistent with this principle, no Initiate urges his opinion upon
authority,(9) but always in the style of : "Dear Neophyte, listen to my
words, apply them and thereby prove them ," or
he might say with Stl Paul , one of the most
zealous, bold and independent reformers the world ever know, "Prove
all things, hold fast to that which is good."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(9) This is one of the "landmarks" of the Ancient Fraternity, and for this
reason neither the authentic Order nor any of its Neophytes or
members may urge the acceptance of its teachings upon the profane,
nor may they urge them to associate themselves with the
Arcane Schools. Advertising, proselyting and high-
pressure salesmanship such as we are cognizant of today, all of them
are expressly forbidden by the Organic Law of the Secret Schools.
|Top|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
THERE IS REASON FOR SECRECY
Notwithstanding St. Paul's dictum, he who accepts truth only because it

may be proved, or demonstrated to be advantageous to body, mind and
Soul, or all three, and disregards mere authority, is still stigmatized as
other than a desirable associate.
The Initiates, therefore, who stood upon this ground, would have been

persecuted had they published their opinions openly, for they lived for
the most part at a period when it was agreed by those in authority that
coercion, violence of proscription, should be legitimately employed to
force men into the established faith(10); and the imagined enemies,
besides being held up to public abhorrence, were often burned at the
stake.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(10) With the ending of the Inquisition, men breathed more freely; and
it was confidently expected that, having passed through the Dark Ages,
man would nevermore be enslaved or bound to opinions unacceptable
to his reason. No man could foresee, as civilizations supposedly
advanced, that the mass would be come so weak and servile as to
permit the establishment of any system which would be more brutal
than the older regimes had ever dared to be. Yet it has come to pass
that in numerous countries fraternal organizations have been forced to
disband; they are expressly forbidden; citizens of other than the
accepted faith are maliciously mistreated, scattered and their property
confiscated; detention camps are filled with political dissenters and
treated in a manner such as animal herds never experienced; and
purges are the rule, not the exception. Even in the dark day of the
Inquisition no man, however debased, could conceive of a time when
mass murder would become possible and continue in defiance of all
human reason, understanding and sense of right.
Even Americans no longer have any positive assurance of safety,

because the agents of the anti-Christ countries and others with
degrading ideologies are active within our country, and practice and
proselyte without interference or molestation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
One author thus affirms:
"Believe ye that I conceal these things out of envy? No,

surely, for I protest to thee that I grieve from the very
bottom of my Soul that we are driven, as it were like
outcasts from the face of the Lord throughout the world. We
are of many nations,(11) like vagabonds, and dare not take
upon ourselves the care of a family; neither do we possess
any fixed habitation. And although we possess all things, yet
we can use but few. What, therefore, are we happy in,
excepting speculation and meditation only, wherein we
meet with great satisfaction of mind?

"Many do believe that, if they could enjoy them, they would

do such and such things; so also even we did formerly
believe, but being more wary, by the hazard we have run,
we have chosen a
more secret
method . For whosoever hath once escaped
imminent peril of his life will (believe me) become more
wise for the time to come."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(11) This has no reference to any nationality.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The practice of secrecy(12) was never discontinued, and those who

have continued in authority in the Arcane Schools were
most wise in this, as time has so well vindicated them and their age-old
system. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
(12) For its authenticity refer to the text: MASTERSHIP; THE DIVINE
LAW.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|Top|
THE PHILOSOPHER'S CONTEMPT FOR DEATH
"THE LAW," said Apollonius of Tyana, "obliges us to die for liberty, and
Nature ordains that we should die for our parents, our friends and our
children. All men are bound by these duties. But a HIGHER duty is laid
upon the sage; he must be
willing to die for
his principles and
the truth he holds
dearer than life .(13) It is not
the Law that lays this choice upon us, it is Nature; it is
strength and
courage of our own
Souls . Though fire or sword threaten man, it will not
overcome his resolution, or force from him the slightest falsehood; but
he will guard the secrets of others and all that has been entrusted to his
honor as religiously as the secrets of his Initiation. And I know more
than other men, for I know that of all that I know, I know some things
are for the good, some for the wise, some for myself, some for the gods
but naught for

tyrants .
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(13) In the early days men gave no thought as to whether the
acceptance of a Spiritual concept might endanger
their lives.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Again, I think that a wise man does nothing alone by

himself, no thought of his is secret but that he has himself
as witness to it. And whether the famous saying, `Know
thyself," be from Apollo or from some sage who learned to
know himself and proclaimed it as a good for all, I think the
wise man, who knows himself and has his own
Spirit in constant comradeship at his right
hand to fight, will neither cringe at what the vulgar fear, nor
dare to do what most men do without the slightest shame."
In these statements we have the true philosopher's contempt for death;

and also the calm knowledge of the Initiate, the comforter and adviser
of others to whom the secrets of their lives have been confessed; and
no torture can unseal his lips. Here, too, we have the full concept of
what is Consciousness (of the
impossibility of hiding evil in the INNER world), and also the conception
of the dazzling brilliance of the higher ethics.
|Top|
KNOW THYSELF
To the Occult, Alchemic and Arcane Initiates, the ancient

injunction, Know Thyself , as inscribed upon
the Temple of Apollo, attributed by some to Pythagoras, by others to
the Greeks, and yet by others to the Egyptians, was the sum and
substance of all Wisdom. In this knowledge of self was found, they
believed, the knowledge of God; the
knowledge that God
lies in the nature
of man .
The Initiates were not acquainted with the later theory of our supposed
descent from apes. They possibly did not realize the significance in
Nature of the law which regulates the survival of the fittest and
best prepared . They did not need

science to teach them that the weakest were always the prey of the
vicious unless they were protected by the strong. They, however, were
acquainted with the capacity for improvement in all substances and in
all the departments of Nature.
They believed, as we today, in the existence of undeveloped potencies

in every kingdom of being. They studied the mysteries of
correspondence and the great Law of conditional improvement. They
investigated the operations of energy and force in the direction of
developments.
They did what we fail mostly to do; their aim was to teach men to
comprehend and fulfill the laws of Nature to become reasoning,
intelligent human beings in order to correct defectiveness and refine
coarseness. They believed, as we teach, that a change could be affected
in all substances; and they sought to work up to the archetypal idea
which dominated each department of Nature. In other words, they
endeavored to realize the Ideal to produce perfection in any or every
substance.
In this manner the material Alchemist elaborated the potencies of

metals in order to obtain gold while the Spiritual
Alchemist, the Initiate, sought to produce, by development and
Spiritualization , the archetype,
and to realize the ideal humanity. We find throughout the Alchemists'
writings and processes a clear proof of their acquaintance with the Law
of Spiritual Evolution which is discernible by a
rigorous analogy with that of the physical world. Modern science,
regrettably, concerns itself but little with the possible future of
humanity. Conversely, underlying all Alchemical Science there is the
consciousness of a grand future for both
Spiritual and physical transfiguration; perfection,
beauty and visible illumination - things outward being an index of
things inward - are possible, perhaps inevitable, for man; and this
future can at any rate be achieved
by the elect , those who refuse to darken
- veil - the vision of the Soul.
As conducted at present, our modern experiments are devoid of

practical results except that they animalize and brutalize man and
decrease his humaneness, while they increase his mass consciousness
toward nihilism. The lines of investigation reach a certain point and
then fade into chaos or nothingness insofar as man's consciousness is

concerned.
|Top|
CREATOR AND CREATION ARE ONE
In their instructions, the Hermetic Initiates protect their knowledge

and secret teachings from the profane by means of allegorical
language, legends and the use of symbols, leaving their veritable
meaning to be divined by the really sincere student with the help of an
insight imparted from the developed
Subconsciousness
within . They likewise perpetuate their secrets by means
of the Initiation of fully prepared disciples of unquestioned discretion,
to whom they liberally lay open the great treasures of their
accumulated knowledge.
Perceiving that the Creator of all beings, before ever they were brought
forth, created the same in His "mind" - even the little world, man the
microcosm, as well as the greater world, the macrocosm, according to
the sacred writings - must not the world which is the greater and the
world which is the lesser (that is, man) have their Creator as their
origin and beginning within , so that neither the Creator
nor His creatures are actually separated from each other? Realizing,
then, that it cannot be said that perfection is attained before the end
has reached its beginning and the beginning united itself with the end
in sequence to a new berth, the question is whether both the greater
and the lesser worlds, in order to reach perfection, must not in all their
workings aim at this, that they may return to their beginning to be
united with them? Cryptic? Yes. It is the Arcanum , the
Spiritual concealed.
All the creatures of God, for their melioration and His glorification,
stand in an endless evolution on the Path toward perfection
and must become known and comprehended. A thing cannot be known
except by its end and operation or outworking, i.e., manifestation, as a
tree is known by its fruits. The lesser world is the end and comprisal of
all creatures and works of god and consequently an outbirth of the
great world or macrocosm wherein all other creatures are comprised.
The question, then, is can there be any other way by which man may
attain a correct knowledge of the great world with, and in, all its parts
than in and out of
himself Man in the end is an abridgement of all things,

the beginning has manifested itself, for the end is nothing but the
beginning wrought out and the
beginning of
something still
greater ; that is, displaying into act and manifesting, so
that the end is hidden in the beginning as the beginning is manifested
in the end. As a consequence of this, both the worlds, the greater and
the lesser, have a great affinity for each other, and a perfect likeness;
yea, and a unity, one
with the other ; they must be
wrought out with one another and thereby reach their highest
perfection. Admittedly, this is the "jargon" of the Alchemists. and only
the attainment of Spiritual
Consciousness has the key to its solution.
There is no denial that many of those who become interested in

Alchemical Science did so in expectancy for material gain, but it is
clearly indicated that their labors were overshadowed by the portents
of a higher achievement and that even their works read obviously in
two ways, literally and transliterally; also, their operations had two
objects, and both of these objects were pursued from the very
beginning of the science, and this is both just and right. Material gain
may be our vocation while Spiritual development
is our avocation; there is nothing inimical in this if the intent is as it
should be.
|Top|
THE LAW OF NATURE SHOULD BE THE LAW OF MAN
The Spiritual interpretation was not an

afterthought nor was the Spiritual search. The
secrets of the ancient Sanctuaries and of the Holy Assemblies, as the
Holy of Holies of the Initiates was known, embraced both the physical
and the transcendental. It was known that one law, variously applied,
obtained in all departments of Nature in regards to the development of
both species, the potential
energies in all
things.
Their acquaintance with the Law enabled the Alchemists to develop the
latent possibilities of the mineral world, possibilities that resided not in
the different species bit in the common elements; and so chemistry was

born. Their acquaintance with the identical law also enabled them to
elaborate the transcendental potencies in man. Thus Initiation and
Soul Consciousness became
possible. In the vulgar parlance, they could transmute metals, and they
could likewise transmute or transfigure humanity.
|Top|
GOD HAS PLACED HIS ETERNAL "WORD" IN MAN
Hermetic Science in its literature enshrined both processes, which

accounts for its composite character, like a skein of silk in which two
colors - distinct, though almost inextricable - are entwined into
harmony. The evolutionary Doctrine of Alchemy is scarcely a subject for
formal quotation from the sequence of Alchemical literature, for it is the
foundation and sum total of that literature. There is, of course, the
hackneyed maxim ofttimes cited by the champions of the "spoliated
past" which puts tersely, after the manner of the Wisdom of old, the
whole story of the development of the species into a nutshell: "The
stone becomes a plant, the plant an animal, the animal a man, and man
a god." This is fundamentally and scientifically true: rock ground into
dust becomes food or fertilizer for plant life, plant life feeds the
animals, animals becomes food for man, and man, then, has the
opportunity to develop
himself into a god .
However, this is not the evolution but the changing of one thing into
another. We are not here concerned with the mode in the manifestation
of the Law which differentiated species but rather with a fundamental
principle, and a philosophical reason for the principle which Occult and
Alchemical Science applied in practice.
Thus, we return to our beginnings and accept the dictum that the
highest Wisdom consists in this: "man, know thyself," because
in man God has placed His Eternal "Word" - part of Himself. By His
Eternal "Word" all things were made and upheld to be man's
Light and life, and by which he becomes capable of knowing
all things, both in time and eternity. Therefore, let the sincere inquirer
and delver into the deeper mysteries of Nature learn first to know what
there is within himself; and by the Divine power
within , let him "heal" himself, i.e., make himself whole by
transmuting the dross into Spiritual substances;
then let him seek to unravel the mysteries and wonders of God in all
natural things.

|Top|
"IN THEE IS HIDDEN THE TREASURE OF TREASURES"
"He who possesses the knowledge of the microcosm cannot long be

ignorant of the knowledge of the macrocosm. This is that which the
Initiated of the past so loudly proclaimed - that everyone should KNOW
himself. But I admonish thee, whosoever thou art that desirest to delve
into the innermost parts of Nature, if that which thou seekest, thou
findest not WITHIN thee, thou wilt never find it without: `As within, so
without.' If thou knowest not the excellency of thine own house, why
dost thou seek and search after the excellency of thine neighbor's
house? The universal orb of the world contains no greater mysteries
and excellence than a little
man, formed by God
in His own image . Even though
there were no God, then man would be greatest, and all the mysteries
would reside with him awaiting
revealment.
"He who would be great among the students of Nature will nowhere
find a greater or better field of study than himself .
Therefore, will I here follow the example of the Egyptians (Initiates)
and from my whole
heart and certain
true experiences
proved by me, speak
to my neighbor in
the words of the
Egyptians ; in thee is hidden the Treasure of
Treasures."
Alchemical and Hermetic Science is the one

and only avenue of
gaining knowledge
concerning the
agsolute of being ; and in this
claim there is nothing narrow, intolerant or exclusive, for the simple
fact is there are no other claimants. It is open to anyone to reject on
the ground that we cannot know; it is also the privilege of everyone to
be indifferent about positive truth; but if that truth does exist, and
thereby a way known to its attainment, then, Initiation is

that way . It is the metaphysical foundation of

Spiritual chemistry; it is that art, both ancient
and infinite, to which those who seek Wisdom must apply themselves.
|Top|
THE NEOPHYTE POSSESSES KEEN DESIRE FOR IMMORTALITY
The search after positive truth applicable to man's manifold

development can be pursued only in one direction. There is but one
certain system, only one science, which can lay claim to possess
the Way . That system, that philosophy, that science is
Alchemical , it is the Hermetic method of
transmutation .
It is not alone a question of the Soul or just men made perfect nor, yet,
of establishing correspondence with those exalted Hierarchies of
existence whose interior development transcends whatsoever can be
imagined at the apex of human evolution; it is a
question of the
opening of man's
individual
Consciousness of his
Immortal Soul, of
his inalienable
interior self-
possession in the
universal
Consciousness of God .
To be qualified to become an Initiate, man is not called upon to make

any sacrifice of his reason. He must exercise it to the fullest extent;
he must apply it to
his personal
improvement and his
progressive
development .
He is not required to profess any definite creed. Initiation is concerned

with the attainment of knowledge, the gaining of Wisdom, not the
enunciation of dogma; but it is undeniably required of the Neophyte
that he should be possessed of Spiritual
aspirations and, above all, of a keen desire for Immortality which is the

testimony of the interior self to the truth of Immortality and is

confirmed by a testimony without, in the external facts of
Spiritual possibilities.
Whosoever is acquainted with these facts has a certain and substantial

knowledge on what to base his faith which will induce him to greater
effort for self-improvement, and, thus, the science in which he now
operates is transfigured. Even now he may reasonably anticipate in the
future a solution of many problems to which, as yet, he has found no
key.
|Top|
ARCANE SCIENCE, THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW PATH
Whether we call it Occult, Alchemical, Hermetic or Arcane

Science, it offers a key to the future progress of humanity and a
practical modus operandi for the
evolution of the perfect man. These statements may be reduced within
even narrower limits, and we say that the Alchemical Science or
Spiritual Initiation comprises a physical
demonstration concerning the unseen which is around us; whence it is
the Alchemical intritus in
veram atque
inauditam physicam , and an
interior
Illumination concerning the unseen which
is within , together with a way to
God, or the
understanding of
the Law , the end of all human development. It
embodies a system of practical living toward the perfect life; it is both
physical and Spiritual , not to mention the
ultimate in worldly attainment.
These, it is admitted, are sufficient reasons for the dissemination of its

doctrines and principles. But we may advance beyond this initial basis
of action and affirm that a way to Wisdom and a method to the perfect
life are the essential elements required in that new regime, call it
religion if you wish, toward which all higher forces in humanity seem to
be instinctively moving - moving into that new regime which shall
realize the best aspirations and constitute a transfigured synthesis of
all previous creeds. Existing creedal systems are incommensurate to

existing modern requirements; faith is less than but essential to

knowledge and as knowledge is required by the age, the development
of humanity has not by any means been perfectly accomplished by
systems that are based purely on faith but that lack accompanying
action. The statement, "Thy faith hath made thee whole," is a
contradiction of the Law, "FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD."
As Hermetic Science is in harmony with the conclusions of modern

science and with the theorems of modern philosophy, in harmony with
the best aspirations of all religions and is itself committed to no
arbitrary doctrines, it is incumbent on those who receive it to spread
the knowledge which they possess, to endeavor by personal experience
to increase this knowledge and to undertake, so far as in them lies the
ability, to begin the education of humanity in the perfection promised
by the Master Teacher and the Secret Schools.
|Top|
MAN MUST AWAKEN HIS SOUL TO ACTIVITY
The Spiritual self has the power, when the body

has been made free of pollution and carnality and the heart cleansed of
malice and offense, to act upon any matter whatsoever. Therefore, it is
said that all potentialities are resident in the Soul. The
Great Work is to bring the dormant, yet
dominant power of the true, pure, living and breathing
Spirit into activity.
It is one of the most difficult tasks in the world to take a man in what is
called his natural state - St. Paul's natural
man - after he has for years indulged in all of his passions (having in
mind what are called the worldly honors and pleasures, and ill-gained
wealth) and make him sensitive to the mere abstract claims of the
Right or Spiritual verities and, then,
incite him to become willing to relinquish one single passion in
deference to the Spiritual verities. When this first
step is accomplished, the Great Work is less
difficult.
Consider a man ever seeking only what may gratify some selfish
passions, a stranger to all praise worthy impulses, unconscious,
perhaps, of their existence, or only regarding their manifestation in
others as evidence of imbecility and weakness. How is such a man to be

brought out of this pathetic state into a more reverent aspect

Spiritually? How is he to become even more appreciative of the material
things that concern his daily living?
Generally, it will be as the result of suffering, material loss or the need

of companionship and knowledge that will not fail. Thus, we have the
reason why the Divine Law brings about the universal suffering - in
reaction.
Consider the man whose Soul is corrupted by all types of evil passions
until he has become morbidly sensitive to everything that in any
manner interferes with his personal comfort; one who is petulant,
irritable and morose. How is such a man to be awakened?
We might speak of downright sins which breed a class of men who find
their temporal homes in prison and other institutions or who must
expiate their crimes upon the block. How are such men to be halted on
their career and brought to a sense of responsibility? Unquestionably,
the greatest difficulty in all such cases is to bring into action the
conscience which is dormant within, yet, though buried and inactive, is
not altogether dead. The great awakener is suffering and sorrow, the
actual loss of something beloved; let it be remembered that the basis of
most sorrows is the loss of affection or the loss of a dearly beloved
person or thing.
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UNSELFISH LOVE IS THE UPLIFTER
When the Will is educated and liberated through knowledge from the
entanglements of materiality and animality, new and noble virtues are
formed. This is naturally true because man is bound to either virtue or
vice, God or the "devil," and when one is eliminated, the other takes its
place. This is the doctrine of substitution or, in its higher phase,
transmutation , the replacement of one
thing by another. As such substitution of the lesser by the greater takes
place, the individual becomes a self-conscious center of evolutionary
forces; this, united with unselfish love, uplifts all that comes into
contact with it, for it is through such a purified desire and Will that
REgeneration and reconstruction are possible.
Moreover, the Will, through Wisdom and aspiration, brings Illumination

and the knowledge of Divine Truth by which man's Consciousness may

expand and contact the Consciousness of God. It is then that all the
potentialities of Nature - all creation - are opened to man, together with
an innate realization of the capability of attaining to the utmost along
every avenue of endeavor.
There is another and more common class, those who are distracted
between contrary passions and desires, such as love of pleasure or of
money or of both; or a love of glory and of ease. What peace can they
find or how is it possible for them to enjoy tranquillity? These require
an almost complete change of character or disposition. So, also, with
those who, under a vague notion of being in the right, have no more
solid foundation for it the self-conceit - who think the whole world is
wrong, and are uneasy and unhappy with everything around them that
does not happen to be adjusted to their particular wishes and
predilections, or with everyone who does not accept their concept of
what is right and wrong.
Such people often look with an evil eye upon Providence -

the functioning Law -
which, without interruption, proceeds to its general ends in total
disregard of all incongruous individualities. How are these people to be
dealt with? To point out their errors plainly is certain to arouse their
enmity, antagonism and opposition. the only
way is to ignore
their defects, to
arouse in them a
desire for that
which is both
permanent and of
immediate and
future value to
them; and to permit
the conversion from
on state to
another to take
place subconsciously
within .
The only sense of peace and well-being there is results from man's deep
love for some truly worthy object and the application of all one's
energies to the achievement of that desire. The self, then, is forgotten
in obeisance in the attempt to achieve; peace quickly comes to those
who are able to forget themselves.

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THE MATERIAL SELF IS NECESSARY TO SPIRITUAL

DEVELOPMENT
When our inordinate attachment to material things has ceased, when

we are no longer dependent upon things for every sensation and
pleasure, we are able to judge them at their true value and appreciate
them for what they really are - beautiful and necessary stepping stones
toward a higher attainment. It is an utterly false philosophy or religion
that teaches men to hate all the things of the world and classify them
as of the devil; for nothing exists which has not its proper use and
purpose and is , therefore, invaluable in its naturalness. The ignorant
misuse of things and powers, in themselves pure and useful, causes
pain and sorrow, which we foolishly mistake for evil. However, we
should accept such sorrows as the means toward awakening us to truth
and reality.
When we learn to acknowledge the importance of the material as a

basic part of life, we will give it its proper place in our environment.
Then, too, we will grasp the purpose of life - the descent of the
Spirit into matter, of the Soul into bodies (houses
created out of the dust). As an Ancient Initiate has well said: "The
angels aspire to become men, because the perfect man, the man who
has attained godhood, is even above the angels"; while another
teacher, St. Paul , has said: "Know ye not that ye
shall judge angels." The man who attains Soul
Consciousness is far more capable of
serving his fellow man than are the angels of heaven, for through his
correct knowledge and the compassion which is born of his experience,
he is equipped above and beyond them in his capacity to uplift and
redeem humanity.
Self-sacrifice, when for a noble and practical purpose, is the highest

influence and the only one whereby the enlightened Soul may hope to
advance to greater heights. In wise self-sacrifice lies true greatness; in
renunciation of the unworthy is the only realization of peace. From this
we can understand why one of the great Souls, the
Nazarene , who had worked consciously and in
harmony with the Law, said to his followers: "He that would be greatest
among you, let him be the servant of all." He who would be Master
must first be willing to serve that he may learn the duties the Master

may command.
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MATERIAL SUCCESS AND SOUL-CONSCIOUSNESS
Hermetic Science has, through the experiences of the ages, been able
to demonstrate that the identical principles which work secretly and
mysteriously in the Soul of the Neophyte can be applied exteriorly in
the development of the body of man. This science in its higher
significance deals with the Soul's development and its potentialities,
but it also, and conjointly, has in view the universal improvement of
man's physical being. It does not end there; its intermediate service is
in mental illumination and exaltation, and the achievement of material
success and advancement. It is a double duty and of double benefit,
and it is made clear in the command: "Render therefore unto Caesar the
things (the material) which are Caeser's; and unto God the things (the
Spiritual ) that are God's." _____St.
Matthew 22:21.
The so-called" salvation of the Soul" must be accomplished in

conjunction with the redemption of the body and the elimination of
mental and physical slavery. At no time must we be foolish enough to
underrate the vehicle of interior perfection nor the directing power of
the mind; otherwise, we are incarnate here to no purpose. The
combined laws of evolution and development must fulfill their course in
both the inward and the outward man.
Through our physical being pulsates the animal, and so long as we

remain on this plane, we will be subject to laws of the material
kingdom, both physical and animal. When the mortal has been
awakened to the Consciousness of the
Higher Self through which the Spiritual
dominates, a plane has been attained where it is possible to control the
lower by the higher. At this point it is the God in man who assumes
sovereignty, manifesting the god-like powers which are the possession
of those who have overcome.
Through the understanding and

application of these Hermetic laws, a power
is created which is easily capable of controlling the material self, and
man may continue in both physical and mental vigor so long as he cares
to use the body as a habitation and the locale from which to direct his

Spiritual activities and perform important duties.

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THE HUMAN BODY IS THE HALL OF INITIATION
Man has reached a degree in his physical evolution where he must rise
in the higher current of vibratory forces and place himself in harmony
with it; cast off the old carnal bondage to which he has been so long
subjected; govern instead of being governed; be a master, at last,
instead of a vassal.
The body of man is the Hall of Initiation wherein man's Soul must be
awakened. Within , the Master, the great Initiator, the
Transmuter, takes all of the baser passions and changes them into
Spiritual essence or
Spiritual Fire . Here, in this Hall,
experience is built into strength, uplifted by virtue; it is by means of
these virtues, which are often sublimated from the baser passions, that
the Soul of man - the Light - is developed to the ultimate and attains to
the status of a Hierarch in the White Brotherhood.
The incentive must be a holy intent, drawn from the bottom of a pure
and sincere heart and conscience; free from selfish ambition, hypocrisy
and all the vices that have an affinity with selfishness, such as
arrogance, pride, love of luxury, petulancy, oppression of the weak.
These are to be eradicated from the heart, so that when the Acolyte
prostrates himself before the throne of grace to obtain health, strength
and enlightenment, he may do so with a conscience free from unholy
and degrading feeling. All that is unworthy is transmuted into a Holy
Temple of God, wherein uncleanliness has been purged and weakness
replaced by strength, ignorance by Wisdom and hatred by compassion.
Man commences the Alchemical Process by purifying the desire-nature,

and he takes this lower nature under control to purge it of everything
that is selfish, selfish in the sense that it will benefit the self only and
cause loss and sorrow to others. How can he, thus, free himself? He
may not wish to destroy, for that which he has gathered together is
experience; and experience has been built into elements, and
transferred into power. He now has need of all the powers that he has
been gathering during the climb that lies behind him; he needs to
change these powers into constructive force and energy. He would need
much less patience and effort to destroy some of these qualities which

are part of him, and he may feel by destroying them he would be well
rid of them. But it is not by such means that he can enter into the
Temple of the Higher self. He must sacrifice them at the Temple,
perform the harder task of purification or transmutation, and save the
essence of the Spirit thereof to incorporate in his new
life.
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BODY AND SOUL REPRESENT EARTH AND GOD
There are two Hermetic operations, the one

Spiritual and the other material, and these two
are as mutually
dependent as are body and Soul. For the rest, all
Hermetic Science is contained in the doctrine of Hermes which is said to
have been originally inscribed upon an Emerald Tablet. The first articles
have been expounded, and those that follow are concerned with the
operation of the Great Work .
"Thou shalt separate the earth from the fire, and the subtle from the
gross, gently - with great industry. It rises from earth to heaven, and
again it descends to earth, and it receives the power to things above
and of things below (according to the Law of Duality). By this means
shalt thou obtain the glory of the whole world, and all darkness shall
depart from thee. It is the stronger power of every power, for it will
overcome all that is subtle and penetrate all that is solid. Thus was the
world created."
To separate the subtle from the gross in the first operation, which is
wholly INTERIOR, is to set the Soul FREE from prejudice and all vices -
both destroyers - and is accomplished by the direction of
Wisdom, perdonal
skill and application ; and,
finally, by the use of energy and the Fire
of the awakened Will .
By these are we enabled to change into Spiritual
gold things which are least precious - even the refuse (evil passions and
propensities of human nature).
That which is above is proportional to that which is below, and is

reciprocal. The word art , when reversed read after the manner
of sacred and primitive characters from right to left, gives us three

initials which express the different grades of the Great

Work . "T," signifies triad, theory and travail; "R," realization,
and "A," adaptation.
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THE AIM AND END OF MAN ON EARTH
When the Masters of Hermetic and Alchemical Science say that but a
short time and little money are required to accomplish the Work
of this science; and, above all, when they affirm that one vessel alone is
needed; when they speak of the great and unique Athanor(14), which
all can use and is ready for each man's hand - they
all possess it
without knowing it - they
allude to the philosophical and Spiritual Alchemy,
the transformation of man. As an indisputable truth, a strong and
determined Will - by strict obedience and application - can arrive in a
short time at absolute
Individualization;
the aim and end of
man on earth . We are all in possession of
this chemical instrument, the great and sole Athanor, which answers
for the separation of the subtle from the gross, and the fixed from the
volatile. This instrument, the intelligent, reasoning,
awakened human mind, complete as the world, and
precise as mathematics, is represented by the sages under the emblem
of the pentagram or the five-pointed star which is the absolute sign of
human intelligence.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(14) This admittedly, is the "Jargon" employed by the Alchemists to
protect their lives. It is "jargon" to the profane not initiated into
Spiritual verities; but it is a simple, though
difficult, procedure to those who are in the Spirit.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|Top|
MAN'S GREATEST FOE IS HIMSELF
The first step is to let Love - not the purely human passion, but the
emotion which embraces within itself generosity, justice, forgiveness,
strength, compassion, manhood and affection - reign supreme, so as to
leave no room in the Soul for hate or any of the other debasing

passions. To do this is to recognize the utility and beauty of all

existence not distorted by human passions. "Love your enemies,
bearing no-ill or other debasing feelings, and we soon learn to
recognize that our greatest enemies are the carnal
passions and low
desires within us . A man's
greatest foes are those of his own household, the enemies within
himself," said the great Teacher. It will not be difficult to "love," which
is to forgive, these emotions when we realize their past utility; that
they have actually been the means of our evolutionary advancement
and of our ascent from carnality, for through sensations, most
unpleasant, they gave us experience. But now we have learned the
lesson, we have assimilated all that the passions in their lower aspect
can teach us. What more, then, to do with them? Are we to cast out and
destroy an old servant merely because his apparent usefulness is
ended? To do so will prove a fatal mistake, although this would be a
much less difficult task than what is required of us, for it is far easier to
destroy a passion than to purify or transmute it;
yet such
transmutation is
the means to the
Higher Self.
As we advance toward Initiation, every faculty must be

uplifted and
developed - evolved - to serve us on a higher level
of manifestation, for the opposite pole of every vice is a virtue into
which the vice must be transmuted . This is the
Great Work , the Hermetic Science, the
Alchemical Process.
Take covetousness, for example, the cruel, grasping passion which is

pre-eminently the vice of this competitive and, frequently called,
mongrel age. When it completely possesses a man, there is no depth of
selfishness, degradation, cruelty of barbarism to which he will not
descend. He will stand unmoved, live thoughtlessly in luxury, while all
around him are misery, suffering and want. It will induce him to
"corner" the necessities of life - of which he already possesses a
superfluity and in reality can gain nothing further for him - while
thousands may suffer for lack of food, shelter and even warmth.(15)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(15) Those in the Secret Schools are not unmindful of the fact that in
the majority of instances the reason for the misfortunes, misery and

degradation of the masses lies in part in their inertia in preparing

themselves for a more desirable existence. They fail to put forth the
effort that would bring them all the things they require for a purposeful
life. However, that does not excuse the avarice of those who give little
or no thought to those who live in misery.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUCCESS IN EVERY DEPARTMENT OF LIFE
When the Light of the higher self and the love of the Soul is
turned on all aspects of life, everything changes; the point of view and
the concept are changed. No longer do the purely material things of life
seem ultradesirable. The narrow self, which has seemed so separate
from our fellow men, enlarges and includes them also, for we realize
that they are but an extension of ourselves and that so long as they are
bound, we cannot be entirely free. Although as of old, we still long to
have and to hold, the things we now covet are Spiritual treasures; we
seek them not only for our individual selves, but for our larger selves,
including and embracing our fellow men.
As we expand interiorly and transmute each vice and passion, we

become conscious that we have made a wonderful advance in
Consciousness, in
mental prowess, in
human achievement
and in our station
in life ; the mission which brought us into the earthlife.
Hermetic philosophy is not a doctrine; it is

properly a practice
- an exact mode of
life . It is the practice of justice, kindliness, compassion and
Spiritual precepts to the end that man may
properly develop and bring into manifestation all of his
dormant and Spiritual forces, energies and
possibilities, that he may attain freedom from the shackles - which have
bound humanity for eons - making him no less than the "angel," the
unembodied Christos or Divine
Spark , which left heaven to become a human creature in
order to attain Godhood.
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Hermetic Science and The Alchemical Process

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Hermetic Science and the Alchemical Process

The Denver Spiritual Community

A COMPENDIUM OF OCCULT LAWS

THE HERMETIC SCIENCE and the ALCHEMICAL PROCESS

131 The Hermetic Concept

http://www.denverspiritualcommunity.org/Wisdom/OccultLawChpt4.htm (1 of 41) [29/08/2009 17:40:16]

152 "In Thee Is Hidden the Treasure of Treasures"

THE HERMETIC CONCEPT

First - The full and

Man is not truly man unless he is a FREE man. So long as man is

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shackled by limitations, whether self-created or by man-made legislative

The concept of Hermetic Science and Alchemical Processes is the development of

HERMETIC SCIENCE AND THE ALCHEMICAL PROCESS

The aim of Initiation:

"That the children of Darkness

http://www.denverspiritualcommunity.org/Wisdom/OccultLawChpt4.htm (3 of 41) [29/08/2009 17:40:16]

THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE AND THE ELIXIR OF LIFE

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Afar in the past, when man's first Spiritual awakening

THE GREATEST OF ALL VICTORIES IS THE VICTORY

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varied details, far more picturesquely embroidered, more prodigal of strange

THE "PEARL OF GREAT PRICE"

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Morals are the basic statutes of religious and Spiritual

"Dissection," says William Hemstreet, in the text, Mind Is

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freedom have completely reversed themselves or permited

MEN SNEER AT BELIEF IN GOD AND RELIGION

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INSTILLING MAN WITH THE SPIRIT OF ACHIEVEMENT

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Since the time when the incorporation of Spiritual

VICE TRANSMUTED INTO VIRTUE

Either the misdirection and inflammation or force called evil -

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An unknown Initiate, an Alchemist, has interpreted the Legend in this wise:

"The tares in the field must be permitted to grow as a protection to the

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THE HUMAN NATURE OF MAN

At the present stage of human progress, it is as unintelligent as it is cowardly to

http://www.denverspiritualcommunity.org/Wisdom/OccultLawChpt4.htm (12 of 41) [29/08/2009 17:40:16]

A something appears to "float" to him, streams of vast inapprehensiveness, and

KNOWLEDGE WHICH SHOULD SERVE MAN OFTEN RENDERS HIM A

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THE DIVINE IN MAN'S NATURE

"The legitimate claim of each person, whether man or woman - a claim

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individuality is the only

"The evolution of humanity suggests the proper methods and

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THROUGH SUFFERING OFTEN COMES SPIRITUAL

The suffering growth-seekers cling to their brave endeavors, because

These forms of suffering are signs alike of man's strange ignorance of

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"One claim uprears itself in holiest lawfulness, inflaming the altar of

MAN IS THE SUBJECT OF HERMETIC SCIENCE

The subject of Hermetic science is man, while the object is the

The work of Spiritual

Another Master Teacher, Vaughn, describes it as Soul chemistry, an

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