The True Nature of Hermetic Alchemy Hermetic Alchemy remains the most misunderstood of occult sciences. The reason why alchemy is so misunderstood is that its nature and processes still remain the most carefully guarded secrets of the Western We stern esoteric tradition. There are numerous instances, however, where even a misunderstanding of the true nature of alchemy has proven to be a great boon to mankind. For eample, a literal and materialistic misinterpretation of the goals of alchemy led directly to the birth of many aspects of modern science. !seudo"alchemists, for eample, interested only in cooking gold inadvertently led to the birth of modern chemistry. #oger $acon%s and &ir 'saac Newton%s interest in alchemy also led to ma(or contributions of these individuals to modern science. !aracelsus) spagerical medicine, moreover, while likewise rooted in a misunderstanding of alchemy, nonetheless led to the birth of pharmacology as a cornerstone of modern medicine. All of these advances, however, as valuable as they are in their own right, reveal nothing about the true nature of Hermetic alchemy. alche my. The secrecy surrounding the nature of o f alchemy has also proven fertile soil to grow ne w, modern modern misinterpretations of alchemy. The *+th century &wiss psychologist, arl -ustav ung, for eample, used alchemical images to shore up his psychological theories, as evidence for what ung called )archetypes of the collective unconscious.) 'ndeed, the cryptic, symbolical nature of alche mical imagery readily lends itself to such a psychological misinterpretation. ung saw in alchemical images images what he wanted to, by pro(ecting his psychological theories upon their symbolical matri. /espite the fact that ung neve r grasped the hidden nature of Hermetic alchemy, his misunderstanding nonetheless led to a yet another contribution of alchemy to modern science, this time in the field of depth de pth psychology. Adam 0ac1ean is perhaps the greatest grea test living encyclopedist of alchemical tets and images. His 2alchemy website3 is a great contribution to mankind. 4nfortunately, however, however, 0r. 0ac1ean draws a mistaken distinction between 2physical3 alchemy and 2spiritual or philosophical3 alchemy to (ustify his own 2mystical3 interpretation of alchemy. alche my. As has already been the case with the 5gold"cookers%, medical spagerists, and depth psychologists, however, ho wever, even Adam 0ac1ean%s 5mystical% misinterpretation, although it misses the point entirely, entirely, will probably bear positive and unepected fruit nonetheless. The continuing secrecy surrounding the true nature of Hermetic alchemy unfortunately also enables hucksters and con men to deliberately deceive an unsuspecting public. )&chools of alchemy) based on hot air are popping up like mushrooms on the internet. Hermetic alchemy, however, remains an occult science that can only be properly understood by by initiates. To the uninitiated, alchemical truth forever remains a book sealed with seven seals. The initiatic keys that unlock the sublime secrets of Hermetic alchemy still eist today and are taught in &. 1. 0ac-regor 0athers) Alpha et 6mega. The A.6. announced in 7888 that we include Hermetic alchemy in our #oscirucian &econd 6rder, the #.#. et A.. As soon as we disclosed this, the pseudo" -olden /awn orders copying us on the internet (umped on the alchemical bandwagon as well. &uddenly, nearly every group calling itself 5-olden /awn% began to advertise on their websites that they teach 5alchemy.% 5alchemy.% &cratch the surface of these would be b e 5alchemical% schools, however, and you find nothing but !aracelsian spagery or nonsense about 2&piritual Alchemy,3 Alchemy,3 which is but a synonym synon ym for 2spiritual growth3 or a repackaging of ung%s psychological speculations. 'n response to such deception and misleading of the pubic, the Alpha et 6mega has decided to lift the veil and reveal something more substantial about the true nature of Hermetic alchemy. The problem with the 5-olden /awn copycats) is not only that they lack the initiatic keys to unlock the secrets of Hermetic alchemy, but that they have not even understood its true nature. Hermetic Alchemy 4nveiled /espite popular misunderstandings about a gold"making pseudo"science, Her metic inner alchemy
comprises the highest and most secret practices of both the Hermetic and #osicrucian traditions. Hermetic inner alchemy is in reality a system that uses the subtle fires of the human body, including love and seuality, as potent tools for spiritual development by transmuting the matter of the physical body into ever purer and more refined forms of energy. /eveloped as the )#oyal Art,) alchemy in ancient 9gypt was originally reserved for the !haraoh and the ruling class, as once was Taoist seual practice for the hinese 9mperors. From !tolomaic Aleandria with its confluence of Hellenic and 9gyptian cultures, Hermetic alchemy spread across the 0editerranean to 9urope with the -reek and the #oman 9mpires. 'n -reece, alchemy became enshrined in the !ythagoreanism, whereas in #ome it became a cornerstone of the Hermetic tradition. The emergence of hristianity posed a uni:ue threat to the survival of alchemy. To protect the )#oyal Art) from destruction with the emergence of hristianity, many of its practices were encoded in the rites and stories of the new religion, whose true meanings were secretly and carefully preserved by initiates for centuries. When the 'n:uisition arrived and the church be came more dangerously repressive, the myth of a materialistic pseudo"science was created whose aim it was to )manufacture gold.) Hermetic symbolism and allegory were used to conceal alchemical truth from the profane, yet nonetheless preserve and communicate it among initiates. 9nlightened modern attitudes toward seuality today permit the true nature of the )#oyal Art) to be revealed as the )alchemy of love.) Although the erotic nature of Hermetic alchemy has been kept secret in the West for centuries, any other interpretation is based on misunderstanding. Whereas certain plant eliirs prepared using spagyry ;commonly known as )plant alchemy)< do indeed have medicinal value in themselves, the processes of so"called, )laboratory) alchemy are b y and large merely analogous for the actual processes of Hermetic inner alchemy. 'ndeed, the mistaken, literal interpretation of )laboratory) alchemy has cost certain, would"be alchemists their lives by foolishly poisoning themselves, consuming :uicksilver ;mercury< in eliirs prepared with literally misunderstood, )laboratory) processes. #eading Alchemical &ymbolism Among classical alchemical literature, there eist three classes of documents. Firstly, there are series of alchemical images clothed in Hermetic symbolism. &econdly, there are documents that describe laboratory processes, yet conceal certain parts using hermetic s ymbolism or other code devices. 'n addition to this symbolical veil, the laboratory processes themselves are fre:uently analogous for hidden processes of Hermetic inner alchemy, the original )alchemy of love.) Finally, there are fakes prepared by non"alchemists having no inherent value. 'n certain instances the meaning of alchemical imagery is :uite obvious for those with eyes to understand. For eample, the images of the #osarium !hilosophorum, as illustrated below, clearly depict the erotic nature of Hermetic alchemy. That images or descriptions of processes may be taken literally ;as in the case of the above image from the )#osarium !hilosophorum)<, however, tends to be the eception rather than the rule. 'ndeed, the vast ma(ority of authentic alchemical documents or series of images must be read as poetry rather than as prose. 'n other words, one must look beyond the content, beyond the obvious, and attempt to understand as in poetry what is intended by analogy and by metaphor. This becomes is a simpler task once the erotic nature of Hermetic alchemy is understood. 't is also helpful to bear in mind why alchemical documents and images were created to begin with= in order to communicate certain truths between alchemists, yet simultaneously preventing understanding them.understanding by non"initiates. This alchemical image, for eample, contrasts popular misunderstandings about )laboratory) alchemy ;as a proto" or pseudo" science< with its true nature as the )alchemy of love.) This is not obvious, however, to anyone unaware of the erotic n ature of Hermetic alchemy. Here we see a supposed alchemical laboratory to the right in the image, with all of its attendant apparatus= oven, retorts, flasks, etc., labeled as the )0echanical 6pus.) To the left, however, we see a disrobed and winged female figure
seated upon a tree, upon which are inscribed the words )Natural 6pus) in 1atin. Thus we may best read this image as saying> ?Nature calls to the true alchemist, revealing to him that the )6pus 0agnum) ;-reat Work< is not a dry operation to be carried out in some dark laboratory, but rather with love in the heart of nature.? The erotic nature of the Hermetic alchemy is symboli@ed not only by the female figure, but also by the fire which burns beneath her. Her wings indicate that, for a man woman holds the wings to spiritual ascent. Finally, she is crowned with the symbols of the seven ancient planets. This indicates the importance of astrology and astrological cycles in Hermetic alchem y. The Aim of Alchemy 't is only by understanding the relationship between astrology and alchemy that the allegory of the transmutation of lead and lesser metals into gold may b e correctly understood. The traditional correspondences between the alchemical metals and the ancient planets are as follows> &aturn " 1ead, 0oon " &ilver, 0ercury " uicksilver, Benus " opper, upiter " Tin, and &un " -old. &aturn is the planet associated in astrology with time and that rules over matter. Thus )1ead) in Hermetic alchemy actually represents our physical bodies, the )prima materia) or )first matter) with which we may begin the )6pus 0agnum) ;-reat Work<. Thus the allegory of the transmutation of lesser metals into gold actually represents the transmutation of the physical bod y into ever more refined forms of energy and the cultivation of ever more subtle bodies and higher consciousness. Thus the hermetic and alchemical traditions do not view )soul) as something eisting inherently and e:ually in all human beings, but rather to be actively cultivated and developed. According to the Hermetic tradition, each of us possesses only the seed of a soul. 't is up to each of us to cultivate this seed or not. Thus the transmutation of 1ead into -old refers by analogy to the cultivation of soul, the refinement of matter into ever purer forms of energy, and ultimately the giving birth to a )body of light) or )solar body.) At the moment of death, the alchemist pro(ects his or her consciousness into this )solar body,) achieving liberation from further incarnation and becoming consciously immortal. This transmutation occurs using the transmutative properties of the )!hilosopher)s &tone.) The true nature of the &tone is one ot the greatest secrets of Hermetic alchemy. Although Hermetic rules prohibit the direct revelation of the true nature of the !hilosopher)s &tone, much has been said about it, including that ?it is a most potent eliir of life, hav ing both the power to prolong youth and to confer immortality.?
