LESSONS IN THE UNFOLDMENT OF THE 

PHILOSOPHER'S STONE

by

 Delmar DeForest Bryant

CHAPTER I   

"Behold I lay in Zion for the foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation. He that believeth shall not make haste."

No greater mystery was ever involved in human consciousness than that which is implied in the term "Philosophers' Stone." Although the greatest of mysteries, and one that seemingly defies analysis and baffles investigation, yet for that very reason if for no other, it fascinates and holds the minds of all who come in touch with the subject and credit the possibility of its attainment or discovery.

Setting out in search for this wondrous Stone is very much like undertaking a journey to the end of the rainbow for that fabled pot of gold. To attempt the solution of the mystery subjects one to the fate of those who tried to answer the Riddle of the Sphinx; yet from all the available hints and suggestions afforded us through the writings of numerous mystics it is apparent that the thing has been known and understood by many, and that it is simple of explication, once one has the key to it, as the famous Riddle.

The Sages all assure us that the Thing called Philosophers' Stone is a thing "seen by all but recognized by few." They say that it is a common element, or rather the Quintessence of all elements, Fire, Air, Earth, Water, and that virtually it is contained in all things, but more in some than in others. Again, they say that its simplicity is so great that if openly declared it would be utterly incredible.

Pythagoras, in his Fourth Table, says: "How wonderful is the agreement of the Sages in the midst of difference! They all say that they have prepared the Stone out of the substance which by the vulgar is looked upon as the vilest thing on earth. Indeed, if we were to tell the vulgar herd the ordinary name of our substance, they would look upon our assertion as a daring falsehood. But if they were acquainted with its virtue they would not despise that which is, in reality, the most precious thing in the world. God has concealed this mystery from the wicked and the scornful, in order that they may not use it for evil purposes." Such statements as these only add to the baffling nature of the mystery itself, since they carry complete confirmation of its reality, but throw little or no light upon its nature or means for its discovery. They serve to whet the zeal of those aspirants to the attainment of this wonderful Stone, but do not greatly aid them in finding it.

People in general, may be divided into two classes, viz., those who never heard of such a thing as the Philosophers' Stone, and they are the mass, and, those who have heard it mentioned, but who regard it as some medieval fake or fairy-tale. Just a rare few there are who take the subject seriously and believe in the existence of the Stone, and the possibility of its production. But of those who believe, we have two distinct classes. 1st; those who construe it as metaphysical, and 2nd, those who hold to the purely physical conception.

The former class, and they include probably the mass of our thinkers and writers, interpret the Philosopher's Stone of Hermetic Science to be some peculiar and abnormal psychic development of the individual, by and through which he acquires unusual powers, not only in the extension of the ordinary sense-faculties, but also in the acquisition of magical ability in dealing with the elements themselves.

The latter class, only a few of whom exist on this planet at the present time, read the writings of the Sages more literally, and see the Stone for what it purports to be, viz., a menstruum or means for prolonging life, as well as for the conversion of the baser metals into Silver and Gold.

The metaphysical alchemist regards all occult descriptions of minerals and metals, of salts and solutions, of principles and processes, as simply so many figurative expressions for certain mental and spiritual states and conditions, while the physical alchemist sees nothing whatever in these vague, symbolic statements with which the books of the sages teem, beyond allusion to a certain hidden, or lost, art of chemistry.

The writer was attracted to this subject in very early youth by finding a piece of old parchment on which was written what purported to be a recipe for making the Alkahest, or menstruum, by which lead was said to be converted into gold. This incident, and some peculiar circumstances in connection with it, was the means of leading the mind to give serious thought and investigation to the subject of medieval alchemy and later to Egyptian Hermeticism, which in the end was the means of necessitating a search through all literatures extant.

This search for reliable data on the subject extended over many years. One quite unfamiliar with the subject could have no idea of what a mass of testimony there is to be found bearing on the subject, nor did the writer follow the plan of certain omnivorous collectors with whom he has been brought in contact, who appear to think all they have to do is to collect books on the subject and read them over. An incident is recalled of meeting such a bibliomaniac at one time in New York City. This person was what we call 'daffy' on the subject of occultism, under which term he classed everything relating to alchemy, theosophy, astrology and mysticism in general. He had gotten together at enormous expense a most wonderful library, but it was soon evident in conversation with him that he had not the slightest illuminating with respect to the subject-matter of his vast library. Such reading had not increased the sum-total of his wisdom. Many similar cases are to be found.

In our earlier experience we followed an entirely different plan.

The imagination is the very Hammer of Thor, with which he cleaves the skies, and forges thunderbolts to do his bidding. Most people seem almost wholly devoid of it, which explains why they are crawling about upon a planet of dirt like so many flies or ants. Unless by some process Imagination be unfolded, it is impossible to acquire any sane or reasonable idea of the Philosophers' Stone. If we suggest conditions and processes that seem to be outside the pale of unusual experience, or unsanctioned by orthodox philosophy, it is purely for the purpose of arousing this greatest of all faculties of the human mind, Imagination. Freedom, travel diversity, Love--these are some of the conditions necessary to the unfoldment of imagination, and the Philosophers' Stone.

After collecting the testimonies of a large number of alchemical writers, a careful comparison of them was made, and one of the first things noted was the fact that, although these writers lived a different epochs, and wrote in different languages, yet a most striking similarity was observable in their styles of writing, and more especially in the symbols which they employed. From this the whole conclusion became irresistible that they all were discoursing of the very same thing, and something assuredly which they all understood in common.

This thing is called by a great variety of names in the books of the Sages, but all are said to signify One Thing, viz., The "Philosophers' Stone". And what, in brief, are the qualities and virtues attributed to the Stone? It is said to be a substance intellectually discoverable, and producible, but only by a secret process, known to a few advanced sages in the history of the world. Of course, it is impossible to know how many of such have existed, but very few are recorded. The Stone has the inherent, or developed, power of bringing everything with which it comes in contact into a state of harmony and perfection. It changes all the baser metals into gold, and restores man to perfect health.

Since neither the metaphysical nor the physical school of investigators along this line has apparently ever accomplished any miracle of this sort, or been able to discover any such wonderful "Stone" in their experience, it is not difficult to draw the conclusion that something has been at fault with their process, indicating a fundamental error in their interpretation of the meaning of the mystery itself.

So, without guide or compass, without so much as a friendly hint from a living soul, we set out to find the lost trail in a veritable jungle, the traces of which were apparently hopelessly obliterated. To follow other commentators seemed of little avail. One of the earliest of these, and about the only one printed in this country until our own works on the subject appeared, was a book by E. A. Hitchcock, entitled "Alchemy and the Alchemists," published about 1850.

The writer belongs apparently to the metaphysical school, for he assumes the "Conscience" as the thing glyphed by the Philosophers' Stone. In his work, which is cleverly written, he draws some very interesting parallels and deductions, which might prove convincing to the average reader; for the mass of humanity are mentally so constituted, that when they have assumed a hypothesis as a pivotal point around which they can argue, they appear satisfied, as if they had really come to the root of the matter. Just as humanity is satisfied with the hypothesis of a creator, or ruling deity, called God. It is the master hypothesis, undefined and unproved, and yet accepted as final by the mind of man. So in its solution of this Master Principle of nature, called by Hermes the "Philosophers' Stone," the orthodox mind may be quite satisfied to consider it as the "Conscience," believing as it does that the conscience is the most essential thing possessed by man.

But it takes only a very little logical reasoning to disprove the validity of this correspondence between the "Philosophers' Stone" and conscience. Can conscience produce gold from lead? Can the conscience heal a disease? And even if we take gold to mean Character, what really has conscience to do with the latter? No one can rationally regard Conscience as a panacea for human ills. It rather is the indirect CAUSE of all ills, inasmuch as it is the phase of mind that recognizes evil--that fears and broods over evil--and consequently is back of all evil and adverse realization in human experience.

If Hitchcock had made Consciousness, instead of conscience, synonymous with the "Stone," he would, from a purely metaphysical standpoint, have come nearer defining it. But even then the question remains, Consciousness of what? For consciousness to BE consciousness must be conscious of some THING--not necessarily a physical thing--it may be metaphysical, as Love, the consciousness of feeling, or Life, the consciousness of being. But whether concrete or abstract, it really amounts to the same thing.

We believe we have very clearly shown in previous lessons how that the abstract and the concrete are but different phases of one and the same thing. Nor can the mind be said to be master of a thing, until it understands how to convert it into one state or the other at will--that is, to make the metaphysical physical, or the reverse. And this essentially is alchemy, or transmutation.

This peculiar feature is to be observed in common with all the sages, namely, that while none of them ever attempt to reveal the art openly in so many plain words, and while they all apparently retire from the world as soon as ever they come into the supreme knowledge of the Stone, and never thereafter are seen to mingle with people in a general way, yet they all appear to have one common, deep, altruistic desire to write in such a manner concerning this great mystery as to lead those interested to investigate the subject for themselves, thus aiding them in their investigations.

A great deal is said in these writings about the worthiness of the student to come into possession of this knowledge, and that worthiness is made contingent upon his ability to discover, an ability which is evidenced by a rare disposition and character, and distinguished by indifference to worldly attainment, to honor and wealth and selfish gratification, and by great and unusual zeal in the acquirement of true wisdom and knowledge. With all this, the aspirant must be anchored by faith, which inspires belief in unlimited human attainment. He must know, through the unfoldment of rationality, that anything conceivable is possible of acquirement. And when the understanding of his UNITY with ALL-POWER becomes a matter of conscious knowledge, then he perceives clearly that this assumption of personal power rests upon a solid foundation.

It will be our aim in the forthcoming lessons to lead the mind of a student by a definite process of reasoning through a comparison of the statements of the Sages to a clear perception of what is intended to be conveyed by the term, "Philosophers" Stone;" whether one ever comes into actual conscious possession of such a boon is quite another matter. It is essential at the very outset that one lay aside egotism and personal bias long enough to grasp some idea of what it would mean to be in possession of such a masterly gift as the "Philosophers' Stone." Most people will get the idea that it is something that should be discovered, as Edison has discovered practical electric illumination, and then dealt out to them at so much per kilowatt, or ounce, as the case may be. In illustration of the very limited notion that even students of this noble Art sometimes have, we cite the instance of a learned man who once sent a dollar to us for a "piece" of the "Philosophers' Stone," as if we had it in boxes or barrels! He had read that if you had a small piece you could multiply it, and economy suggested to him the investment of a dollar only in the "raw product," whereupon he believed he could multiply it at will, something as the chemist does a bacterial culture.

We may say at the very outset that nothing is of greater value in this quest than common-sense and reason. The Powers that have possession of this knowledge, who may be said to be the discarnate adepts of the Chaldean and Atlantean periods, will see to it that it never falls into hands that could by any possibility misuse it, and the aspirant to this knowledge, once he takes the path, will be put to EVERY POSSIBLE TEST, before the true and full awakening comes.

Progress is made and assured through sincere motives and the awakening of the psychic faculty. All superior, magical knowledge is, as you may say, stored in a vast reservoir, and within reach of every individual if he will but use the proper tools to open and gain connection with this inexhaustible supply of wisdom. Our earlier suggestions in this course of lessons are all pertinent and germane to the desired attainment. No sage will ever write openly of this subject. You, yourself, would not if you became a sage. The very nature of the subject is such that a knowledge of it insures its protection. No person would foolishly reveal that which will stop his progress in life and handicap his progress, if he knows it. No sane man, if he discovers a mine, will run and tell every one about it. Jesus says that a man discovering a precious pearl will go and buy the FIELD.

Here, more than elsewhere, silence, secrecy, and indirection are demanded on the part of the neophyte. Of what avail to shout such things from the house top? Of what avail to cast pearls before swine? The unawakened mass are as the swine, content to wallow, and it is this mass that stands ready to "turn and rend you." Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's." To the latter belong this wisdom concerning the "Philosophers' Stone." By this wisdom Jesus was enabled to catch the fish that produced the gold to pay his taxes to Caesar, so that the knowledge of God takes care of the faithful in any situation. "Consider the lily," and do not bother about clothing and food for tomorrow, because He has power to produce these things at a moment's notice. Moreover, one possessing his power could say, "If a man smite thee on one cheek, turn the other," for the striking arm would drop from paralysis. And why could he NOT afford to give away both cloak and coat?

From the very earliest times of which we have any record, there are evidences that there have been those who possessed the knowledge of this wonderful Stone. Isaiah, Zechariah, and all the prophets speak of it. And before that time, Moses makes mention of it in his wonderful "Song." Even Abraham knew it. No doubt he learned it from Melchizedek, Prince of Peace, who came out to meet him. In Genesis 15.8 to 17, we have an occult account of divination which shows Abraham to have been an alchemist. The tale of the "molten calf" in the wilderness also reveals the fact that Moses was a very good alchemist, indeed, for to grind up a "golden calf," so that the Israelites could drink it, was a feat that only a good alchemist could perform.

There are those, like Jacob Boehme, who have been able to divine that Christ himself is but a figure of the Stone. (Christ is from the Greek for NShICh--358--NChSh, the serpent who tempted Eve. The Stone is therefore "The Anointed One," but this One is the same that brings about the Fall.) Indeed, he is called that throughout the Bible. But the true knowledge of the Stone will raise the mind above the contemplation of Christ as an isolated figure in history, and will reveal Christ as the dominant principle of life in the whole world, particularly in man himself, and in all that immediately relates to humanity and its needs.

Thus, while the principle of Christ, or the Stone, is metaphysical like TRUTH itself, yet it unfolds itself in myriad ways to the consciousness of man, and brings to life and its terrestrial experiences every joy. It is primarily the principle of abundance and supply. On the first planes it relates to the transmutation of the chemical into the vegetable, and higher up of the vegetable into the animal. It is, from start to finish, a molding of the abundance of life by Spirit, into desired and desirable forms. Its processes are absolutely magical, though many of them are so common and apparent that they cease to be considered wonderful.

There are two classes of such processes, those that have become established in any certain era of the world's progress, and these stand revealed in the seemingly fixed and varying forms of nature. However, we see that every form and its fixity are but illusions, for these are ever disappearing and reappearing, yet they manifest themselves apart from human consciousness and control. Then there are those processes which the mind of man may invent or devise, which give him certain definite powers over those natural forces that ordinarily are quite beyond his control.

It is manifestly the study and attainment of these processes that leads to adeptship. We wish to draw a wide line of demarcation between conjuring of spirits and the unfoldment of true Hermetic Wisdom. Thaumaturgy has no more to do with alchemy than has astrology. In fact, less, for the symbols of astrology were originally derived from alchemy, (no proof of this statement is offered, however) and there exists a subtle connection between the two sciences. The reason the stars govern men's lives is not to be found in the planets, but rather in certain alchemic correspondences in man himself.

The "Philosophers' Stone" may be looked upon as a fact or reality, though at the present time, for certain reasons, its knowledge is withheld from the mass of mankind. The time is at hand when this knowledge is to be restored at first to a faithful few, who will thus have power to rehabilitate and restore the fallen race. It will mean the abolition of poverty and disease. To those who are able to sense the glory of the New Jerusalem, descending as a Bride adorned, this unfoldment is possible and will come, if they are earnest and faithful to the end.

CHAPTER II

"For behold the Stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes; behold I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day."

---Zechariah, 3.9

One of our greatest Hermetic philosophers has written a tract called "The Sophic Hydrolith," which means, "The Water-Stone of the Wise." This writer tells how that "from the beginning of the world God-enlightened men and experienced philosophers diligently studied nature and fervently longed to discover if it contained anything that would preserve the earthly body from disease and death, and maintain it in perpetual health and vigor." At last, he declares, it was discovered, and was used by the patriarchs to restore their bodily vigor and prolong their lives, whereby they procured "length of days and boundless wealth."

Those who discovered it, he says, "always made it a point of conscience and honor to keep it secret. But that the secret might not be lost, but rather preserved to posterity, they expounded it most faithfully in their writings; nevertheless, they so clothed and concealed the truth in allegorical language, that even now only a few are able to understand their instruction and turn it to practical account."

"Lest any one," says our author, "should doubt the existence of this secret Art, or look upon it as a mere figment, I will enumerate some of the true Sages, (besides those names in Holy Scripture) who really knew this Art. They are, Hermes Trismegistus, Pythagoras, Alexander the Great, Rhasis, Acholaus, Rupecissa, Mary the Prophetess, Dionysius, Zachaire, Haly, Morienus, Calid, Constantius, Serapion, Albertus Magnus, Estrod, Arnold Villanova, Geber, Raymond Lully, Roger Bacon, Allan, Thomas Aquinas, Marcellus Palingenius, Bernard of Trevisa, Frater Basil Valentine, Paracelsus and many others."

This writer (Boehme) gives some very clear hints regarding this "most precious object, the "Philosopher's Stone," the most ancient, secret, natural, incomprehensible, heavenly, blessed, beatified and triune Universal Stone of the Sages." The reason for naming it a stone, he states, or likening it to a stone, was this: First, because its original matter IS really a kind of a stone, which being hard and solid like a stone, may be pounded, reduced to power, and resolved into its three elements (which nature herself has joined together), and then again may be re-combined into a solid stone of the fusibility of wax, by the skilled hand of the artist, adjusting the law of Nature.

The above paragraph contains some very valuable suggestions to one who will meditate thereon. A pertinent question may be asked right here: How is it possible to construe such statements as these as figurative or metaphysical? Surely, if they are designed to tell anything at all, it must be some plain fact in relation to some natural object. The original matter of the "Philosopher's Stone," it is stated by Boehme, is a "kind of-stone." Now, what can be possibly meant by this statement? It means that we must locate that particular "stone." The importance of starting with the exact knowledge of the First Matter of the Stone is largely dwelt upon by all writers, and naturally, because without this, progress is impossible.

It is said that the "matter of the Stone is found in One Thing, out of which alone our Stone is prepared, without any foreign ad-mixture." Naturally, the student or searcher for this mystery should look first for the said "One Thing," and never cease until he is SURE that he has it. It appears to be called by a thousand names, not so much to hide it, evidently, as to reveal it, if only the student will consider that each "name" given it implies some specific quality, condition, or appearance of the substance itself, whereby it may the more easily be recognized. It is never called by its actual name, that is, its common name; therefore, when the Sages say that it is "salt," "sulphur," "lead," "orpiment," or any other thing, know that they are not to be taken literally in what they say. Every alchemical writer says this, yet, despite the admonition, many will go right ahead on the assumption that it is this or that or the other thing mentioned in the books, particularly "sulphur" and "mercury," as these two substances are perhaps mentioned most frequently.

These names, let it be understood, are to be taken in their basic signification: SULPHUR (sol-pyr) is fundamentally SUN-FIRE, while Mer-cury (Mar-kurios) is "Lord of the Waters." The terms really signify occultly the inner principles of Fire and Water, having as little reference to actual fire and water as they do to mineral sulphur and mercury.

Another thing that gives rise to many puzzling, and seemingly contradictory, statements of the Sages, is the fact that the matter itself is described at so many different stages of the Stone's confection. At one time it will be likened to "gum and white water," and again it will be termed the "water of life." Not the water of the clouds, or of any common spring, but "a thick, permanent, salt, and dry water which does not wet the hand--a SLIMY WATER which springs from the fatness of the earth."

And by "earth" they do not mean the common ground on which we walk, but the "earth of the Sages,: which is a very part of the confection itself. In Genesis we read how that the "Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." And we note in nature how that all life springs primarily from the waters; and when it becomes "slimy," as in a stagnant pool, there we see abundant manifestation of infusorial and insect life-forms, springing spontaneously from the water as their natural matrix. The confection of the Stone appears to follow much the same law as that exhibited in ordinary water when subjected to the sun's ray, so that it is possible to draw a strong parallel between the Water of the sea, and the Water of the sages.

They tell us that this Water is found potentially everywhere, in everything, but in all its perfection and fullness in only one thing, seen by all but known by few. This author gives the following enigma: "It is in everything, so that everything contributes to the formation of this Stone. It is conceived below the earth, quickened in heaven, dies in time, obtains eternal glory." There is evidently but one thing that answers to this description.

There is a reason why all Sages are drawn naturally to the solitudes of the forest and elsewhere, for there Nature most surely reveals herself, though to the illumined the same voice may be heard everywhere. Every blade of grass, every shrub, every tree--all vegetation in fact--contributes to the formation of the Stone in Nature. All these are, as the Sages say of the Stone itself, "conceived below the earth, quickened above the earth--all die to obtain glory." Observe that the "glory" comes through death, indicating that their bodies must preserve their essence in a more glorified form.

How well we know this to be true, since, if you take common clay and subject it to intense electrical heat, beautiful rubies may be formed, showing that everything follows the spiritual law of transmutation by heat. But we are seeking, not rubies, but gold, which has quite another base, though equally simple and apparent, when the vision is opened to perceive it. And nothing in the world will so open the vision and unfold the spiritual nature of man as the search for this One Thing.

This Thing that nature produces ready-made for the alchemist, is described by our author as a "kind of stone." It is upon this that the alchemist must work. He further says, "Above all things, you must let it be your first object to solve this substance of first entity (that is to say, the original stone), which the Sages call the "highest material good." Moreover, he says, "It must be purged of its watery and earthy nature, for at first it appears an earthy, heavy, thick, slimy, and misty body, and all that is thick, nebulous, opaque and dark in it must be removed." By this process, we get the heart and inner soul contained in it, separate and reduce it to a precious essence.

How, then, is this done? Our Sage answers: "With our Pontic and Catholic Water, which in its refulgent course irrigates and fertilizes the whole earth (of the Sages), and is sweet, beautiful, clear, limpid, and brighter than gold, silver, carbuncles, and diamonds."

The essence extracted from the original Stone is what the Sages call this "crude Mercury," and that which develops this, through a long chemical process, is "our Pontic and Catholic Water," above -- mentioned. This water is often called "Sulphur," because it contains a hidden, generating Fire, for which reason it is called also the "Fire of the Sages."

Of this Fire we shall have occasion to speak more in detail in future lessons. That it is no ordinary fire, is evidenced by the saying of one of the Sages that "Chemists burn with fire, while alchemists burn with water." Therefore we are to infer that this is a kind of "fiery water." It must, indeed, be that to effect the wonderful changes described as taking place in our Matter.

It is customary to speak of the Mercurial substance of the Stone as the "wife," and of the other substance, the transmutive agent, as the "husband." These, they say, are shut up together in a sealed prison, and after losing their bodies, their spirits float above, being afterwards reunited in one body again, which is the true exalted hermaphrodite, the Powder of Projection, the perfected "Philosophers' Stone."

All this symbolism is greatly simplified, and the mind is led to a nearer apprehension of the subject-matter of the Sages, if one has the true key to their writings, and this is to be discovered through meditation on the sexual terminology, remembering that no human relationship is referred to. This idea has misled many people, and put them wide of the mark in this investigation. (Note D. D. B's subtle choice of language here, and in other references to sex, and popular notions of it - P.F.C.) There is, however, another science relating to sexology, which bears a very remarkable analogy to that of the science of the Stone. To this some allusion has been made in the Course on "Vitality," and more will be said along the same line in future writings. If people would read the writings or the Philosophers thoughtfully, and with due regard to their inner meaning, they would never get so confused.

It is, of course, absurd to suppose that two human beings could be shut up in a glass case without food, losing their bodies and later-regaining them in a more glorified form, yet we read of this very thing taking place, in the books of the Sages.

Something akin to this MAY actually happen in the Regeneration, but not by any such process, which is cited in the philosophical books merely to awaken a perception of the true method of confection. This philosophical confection of the Stone is a work of the laboratory, in a sense purely manual and mechanical, so far as the part which man plays in the work. With all that, it is something vastly above making brass tacks or compounding medicines. It demands a pure heart and a keen intellect, with unfolded reason and unbounded faith and reliance on spiritual guidance.

The two bodies referred to as Sulphur and Mercury, are the male and female principles of the Mixt, they are also called "Sun and Moon," or "Sol and Luna." D'Espagnet says: "Now that (abandoning all blinds) we may write candidly and truly, we hold that this entire work is perfected by TWO BODIES ONLY; to wit, Sol and Luna rightly prepared, for this is the mere generation which is by nature, with the help of art, wherein the union of male and female doth take place, and from thence an offspring far more noble than the parents is brought forth."

The whole process of the confection of the Stone is summed up by our author in the following words: "At first the earthly Body of the Sun is totally dissolved and decomposed and robbed of all strength (the Body, which was at first of a muddy impurity, changing to a coal-black color, called by the Sages the 'Raven's Head,' within the space of forty days) and is thus despoiled of its soul.

"The Soul is borne upward, and the Body being severed from the Soul, lies for some time as if dead at the bottom of the still, like ashes. But, if the Fire is increased and well tempered, the Soul gradually descends again in drops, and saturates and moistens the body, and so prevents it from being completely burned and consumed. Then, again, it ascends and descends, the process being repeated seven times. The temperature you must keep at the same point from point from beginning to end. Haste slowly--for it is of the greatest importance that the influence of the Fire should be brought to bear gently and gradually. In the meantime, you will observe various chemical changes (e.g., of color) in the distilling vessel, to which you must pay careful attention. For if they appear in due order, it is a sign that your undertaking will be brought to a prosperous issue." It is evident from the above, and from many other statements of the Sages, that the "Fire" alluded to must be in the Matter itself, being brought into operation through a species of chemism--somewhat akin in principle to the combustion of coal in the grate, which we know to be accomplished by the rushing together of two elements, oxygen and carbon. Now, the very same elements are in our chemical substances, though they are in a liquid form. There is nothing improbable about burning water, when we reflect that it may readily be decomposed into its two component gases, oxygen and hydrogen, each of which burns with an intense flame.

In this magic confection of the Stone, it is the cold,watery element that keeps the substances from burning themselves up. The Fire burning slowly in the midst of the waters of time dries them up, and causes the opposite natures to unite with each other in close and inseparable union, thus producing a Unique Thing in the world, viz., the "Philosophers' Stone." Now, if this were altogether a spiritual matter, as many try to imagine, how is it that it can be described as a "saffron-colored powder, very subtle, and almost impalpable, of a very pleasant odor," etc.? This only shows, as we have taught in earlier lessons, that the abstract becomes concrete, the metaphysical physical, the invisible visible, and so on. The two appearances are but conscious phases of the one eternal fact of being. Through the mastery of the Stone, man learns that he IS MASTER OF ALL ELEMENTS, and that he may manipulate them at will to his own advantage.

It is evident that the Stone assumes every known (and some unknown) form, i.e., it is first solid, then liquid, then gaseous, and finally a powdery essence, or quintessence, of all the elements, unlike anything known to chemistry at the present time. Chemistry itself is a science that has arisen in modern times from the experiments of those who in its early history were seeking to discover the Art of the Stone, and who were misled by the confusing and ambiguous statements of the early alchemists, the real Sons of the Doctrine. The science and art of chemistry to-day is devoted to the destruction and disintegration of forms, and is almost wholly an attempt to separate them into elementary principles which in themselves are but more or less arbitrary postulations of the chemists themselves. The science and art of alchemy, on the other hand, is devoted to the combining of natural principles into an actual creation. It is virtually a reproduction of the process employed in sprouting a seed or hatching an egg and bringing the same to maturity.

Our author, who was evidently a devout man (it was politic to be devout in those days when the Black Marie smiled to embrace all unbelievers), and he appeared to recognize the Divine Man, the Human God, Jesus Christ, as the type and symbol of this heavenly Stone, for he says, was he not declared to be "the Stone which the builders rejected, the same that has become the head of the corner?" And he draws an interesting parallel between the forty days required for the chemical digestion of the Stone, and the "Forty Days" frequently used in connection with scriptural events, as, the Forty Days' rain of the Deluge, the Forty Years of wandering in the desert, Elijah's Forty Days' flight from Ahab, the Forty Days' fast of Jesus in the Mount, the Forty Hours spent by him in the tomb, and his appearance to the disciples Forty Days after the resurrection. These, and many similar events seem most significant. Boehme says that if people will not believe God and his Holy Word, they might at least be enlightened by a study of our Chemical Art and the Union of Two Waters. This chemical compound in which the two essences have combined, is subjected to the action of Fire and is decomposed, dissolved and well digested; and in this process, before its consummation, it exhibits various chemical, chromatic changes, which afford a KEY to the entire work.

The confection of the Stone is spoken of by the Sages as "Our Magistery," and this it is which they seem to delight in describing under the most fantastic figures, and in such a variety of ways that they seem to have created an almost hopeless labyrinth of confusion, in which, if the learner allow himself to become entangled, he will hardly be able to find his way through or out. The number SEVEN appears to figure prominently in all alchemical descriptions. There are seven stages, seven colors, seven metals, and seven planets. Beginning with Saturn, or lead, the work proceeds to Jupiter, or tin, thence to Mars, or iron, to Venus, or copper, to Mercury, or quicksilver, and finally to the Moon, or silver, and the Sun, or gold.

It is not, however, to be understood as if the mineral lead itself actually transmuted into tin, and thence into copper, etc., but rather the SUBSTANCE ITSELF--the substance of the embryonic Stone--undergoes a series of changes or appearances, called planes ("planets" are "little planes" but only in D. D. B.'s etymology). A "planet" is a "wanderer" reaching perfection in what is called the Sun, or gold, which is not gold, however, but a power of high magic potency, that may be projected on molten Mercury, and cause the whole mass to change quickly INTO real silver or gold, as desired.

The very same powder, taken in homeopathic doses, has power to purify the blood, raising its vitality, or vital quality, thus banishing from the system every known form of disease. Paracelsus declares that the virtue of the Stone as a universal medicine lies in its power absolutely to purify the blood. Modern physicians themselves agree that perfect blood means perfect health, disease being always caused by some impurity or obstruction in the blood itself. Moreover, it is unquestionably true that if the blood of an adult be changed to that of the youth, then youth itself is regained. "The blood is the life thereof," hence the ancient law against the shedding of blood.

Joshua is figured in the Biblical description as the type of the Stone. The ancient prophets, or alchemists, took this method of expounding this natural wonder, personifying it as has been done often by later writers. Joshua is Hebrew for Jesus, and in fact, if you understand it, Jesus is but another and later personification of the very same idea, as all medieval Hermetists and alchemists recognized.

Joshua is figured in the legend also as "a brand plucked out of the fire," which when rightly understood, is very literal indeed. He was "clothed in filthy garments, and stood before the angel." This also is quite true. The "angel" is Mercury, the clear, limpid water that washes and redeems Joshua. The angel, Mercury, utters this command: "Take away the filthy garments from him." And to Joshua he says: "Behold I will cause thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with a CHANGE OF RAIMENT." "Then they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. Thus saith the Lord, Hear now O Joshua, the high priest, behold I will bring forth my servant, THE BRANCH," and this branch is the "Stone with seven eyes," that has power to remove iniquity (disease) in one day. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, "shall ye call every man his neighbor under the vine and fig tree." THAT DAY is verily at hand, though it SEEMS to be very far off, when we contemplate the millions that are engaged in slaughtering each other. But these are the "terra damnata," the refuse at the bottom of the still, utterly without the spirit of love and truth, the spirit of constructive altruism, and must first be "cast into outer darkness, where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth."

Those who take the sword will perish with the sword, the Scripture says, and how true it is! But the Lord of Hosts is about to inaugurate another kind of warfare, which will terminate in that wonderful, "peace on earth, good will to men" era. All that the Master said 2000 years ago is being literally fulfilled to-day. The end of ignorance and superstition is in sight. Wisdom will soon reign triumphant on earth. Through business policies is developing the perception that the honest, the good, and the true alone redound to personal advantage and interest.

CHAPTER III

"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by FIRE; and the Fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is."

--- 1st Cor. 3:13

The greatest natural mystery in the whole world is Fire. For ages in the early history of the race the means of its production was unknown. No animal has the slightest idea of fire, and experiences only terror at the sight of it, until accustomed to it. The Greeks have a legend that Prometheus stole it from heaven, and for the theft was chained to a rock, in which situation a Vulture continually lacerated his side, opening the wound as soon as ever it was healed. This, like most of the early legends of ancient mythology, is purely alchemical in its origin, and was devised by the Sons of the Doctrine to keep the sacred wisdom intact, handing it down traditionally. Prometheus is that Divine Element which the modern chemist calls "Oxygen," which is known to be the cause of fire. The "heaven" that this "god" steals the fire from is the "Water" known to Sages as their "Sulphur." It is termed "Heaven" because in the so-called "Mixt," where Sol and Luna unite in the confection of the Stone, Luna is ever drawing down the Solar influences from above, exactly as earth draws sunlight to itself.

Sol shines above in its resplendent, humid atmosphere, transmitting its warm rays to the cold earth beneath, which in this case is represented by the thick, slimy, opaque, mercurial Body, known to alchemists as "Luna." The result of this is the awakening of a species of chemism, quite analogous to the electric ray of the sun itself, piercing the atmosphere and thus reviving the cold, moist earth, so that it brings forth all the things which go to beautify and diversify the landscape.

This action alchemically in the Vase of Art has the effect of turning all that was black into a deep, crimson red, and this is expressed in the legend as a "Vulture, plucking at the vitals of Prometheus and causing the blood to gush forth." We have said that without Imagination no progress is possible in this sublime Art, and this we wish again to emphasize. Every tale of ancient lore, all the allegories of scripture, etc., may be interpreted as having a direct bearing on the confection of this Wondrous Stone of the Wise, if one is sufficiently illumined to unveil their inner meaning. This demands true psychic unfoldment of a high order.

The great mystery that pervades all that we see in nature is the lifeforce itself. Scientists have discovered that the smallest particles of matter manifest all the qualities of life, such as organization, growth and reproduction, but these phenomena are exhibited only under certain condition which may best be expressed by the term "polarization." When the positive and negative electric polarities are brought into play, then matter manifest the qualities of life, otherwise not. And this, indeed is the secret underlying the confection of the Wonder Stone. The matter of which it is composed would lie dead and inert for ages, and indeed does so lie, until subjected by the right polarity, by which the inherent, magnetic CREATIVE life-forces are aroused and set in operation. It appears plain from all experiments that matter is one thing and spirit is another, and that life is the combination of the two. And from the Natural Philosopher's viewpoint this is most true. The eternally appearing "Father-Mother-Son" (N.B.: Ehben, the Stone is ABN, which conceals AB, Father, BN, Son, and AIMA, Mother, because AIMA = 52 = BN) is manifested as Spirit - Matter - Life, and the greatest of all phenomenal exhibitions of this principle is found in the confection of the Stone, as we shall see.

Man at last learned to make fire by friction. Even this day, fire is produced by the natives of Australia and some of the islands by whirling one stick rapidly against another. (See Jung for descriptions of the peculiar ceremonies connected with fire-production) Our forefathers not very long ago had no better means of producing fire than the "flint, steel and tinder." The friction match is one of the modern discoveries. And still we have no more idea of what fire really IS, than the most ignorant savage.

Some of the early Hermetists class fire as an element, while other writers more advanced, like Vaughan, declare it to be rather a spiritual principle acting THROUGH the triple element, "air-water-earth." Tyndall, the well-known scientist, declares it to be simply a "mode of motion." The correlation of heat, light, electricity, gravitation and magnetism is truly a great discovery. It proves all forms of Force to be identical. To illustrate: The waterfall which is produced by the action of gravitation is readily convertible into electricity, and that in turn into heat, light and magnetism.

Heat or fire, then, is seen to be but an expression or state of the one eternal principle, which we call motion or life. It is a sensible attribute of the Divine Being. Little wonder the ancients worshipped fire, and its apparent source, the Sun. Every religion has its origin in such worship, and all the gods and goddesses and other figurative beings held sacred by various religious devotees are but personifications of the aspects of the one great life force, the most ordinary expression of which is Fire. And the whole world virtually worships this same principle to-day when it calls into service the forces of heat, light and electricity. Is there one living who does not continually BLESS these forces? Is there one who does not recognize life as being absolutely dependent on them? Are they not still our chief deities, in whose presence we may be said to "live, move, and have our being?" And if you insist that these are merely "material and mechanical," and there is something higher, as love, emotion, feeling, thought, intelligence, etc., we must reply that all these various phenomena are reducible to the fundamental principle of MOTION, manifested throughout the universe as electricity, heat, light and magnetism, etc. They are, in truth, the very attributes of God.

There is nothing the Sages have tried so hard to conceal as their "Fire"). It would seem from all descriptions of it to be unlike any fire that we have any knowledge of in daily life. And yet it is said to be simply the "Meat of Generation," the very same that hatches the egg or causes the seed to burst and sprout. Medales says, "The Fire of the sages may be extracted from all natural things, and is called the Quintessence. It is of earth, water, air, and fire." This is rather vague. Nundinus says: "The Fire which includes all our chemical processes is three-fold: the fiery element of the air, of water, and of the earth. This is ALL our magistery requires." Here we get a much closer view of the matter. We see that if we have the Philosophers' Fire, we really have ALL that is necessary. Let us search on. Bondinus, another sage, says: "Our Stone is Fire, and has been generated in Fire, without, however, being consumed by Fire." This gets more and more interesting. What is it that could be made by Fire, and yet not be destroyed by Fire? This is the fabled "Salamander," which is said to "live in the fire, which imparts to it a glorious hue."

Rosinus says: "Two things are hidden in two things, and indicate our Stone." Listen closely to what he further says. "In earth is Fire and air in Water, yet there are only TWO outward things, viz., Earth and Water." According to the statement of this Sage, just two things enter into the composition of the Stone, viz. Earth, containing the Fire, and Water, containing the Air. These are what is known as Sulphur and Mercury. Neither the Earth nor the Water of the Sages exhibits anything like fire, or even heat, outwardly to the senses, until they are brought together in intimate contact in a vacuum or vase, excluding the outer air. Then the air in the water begins to stir up the heat in the earth. From start to finish it appears as a conflict between heat and cold, in which the heat finally triumphs, yet it is to the tempering effect of cold that we owe a perfect digestion and maturation of the Stone.

This natural phenomenon has been variously figured by the sages of all ages, who seem to have vied with each other in inventing "fairy tales" to illustrate it. It is alluded to as a fight between a red dragon and a white eagle, or again it is the lion and the unicorn, again the wolf and the dog. All this becomes as real and intelligible as setting a hen on eggs, once we perceive the real substance involved in the Art of the Sages. Aros says, "Our Medicine consists of two things, and one essence. There is one Mercury and a fixed and volatile substance composed of body and spirit, cold and moist, warm and dry."

The "one essence" is the invisible SOMETHING that creates itself out of the two things. It is in reality the life-force that creates all things. Matter seems to be its origin and base, but in reality Matter is simply its sensible vehicle, its servant in the production of forms. The "fixed body" is cold and moist, while the "volatile body," or rather spirit, is warm and dry. Now, let us set to work in earnest to see if we cannot reason this thing out, for surely if others have done it, we can do it. D'Espagnet says in "Hermetic Arcanum": "The more acute students, by their constant reading of grave and credible authors, and by the radiant sunlight, have attained unto a knowledge of Sulphur, but are at a standstill at the entrance of their search for the Philosophers' Mercury; for writers have twisted it with so many windings and meanderings, involving it with so many equivocal names, that it may sooner be met with by the force of the seeker's intuition, than be found by reason or toil."

Perhaps the greatest "blind" in regard to this Mercury of the Philosophers lies in the fact that they are accustomed to apply the term "Mercury" to so many phases of the Work. In the first place it is the name applied to the crude substance, partially refined, on which they begin their operations. It is then called "quicksilver: from its resemblance, especially after its conjunction with the Sulphur of the Sages, for it gathers into drops at the bottom of the still, and becomes like quicksilver, shining and opaque. Here, as in all operations, we note that it is the appearance of substances that is responsible for their many fanciful names.

The most useful thing in our art, save one, Mercury, would be of no use to us in its crude state. It has to undergo further refinement by a process quite unknown to chemistry, has to be "tried in the Fire of the Sages" that the work of each may be manifest, according to the text. At each different stage of sublimation it is still called "Mercury," and after the final union with Sulphur in the form of the Stone, it is called the "Perfect Mercury," the "hermaphrodite," since it is a union of the male and female principles, the positive and negative, in fixed and inseparable union, THIS it is that "God hath so joined together that no man CAN put asunder." (Rebis )

This Hermaphrodite, the union of Hermes and Aphrodite, wisdom and love, embodies all principles in one. But there is a great difference between the crude Mercury of the first confection and the finished Mercury of the final stage as there is between a piece of black coal and a diamond, though it is well known that one is derived from the other, exactly as in our Art the Perfected Stone is derived from crude Mercury. Spiritually, too, we conceive of Mercury somewhat as the ancients did, as the "cup bearer or messenger of the gods" --the invisible principle working incessantly between the substances of the Mixt, causing sublimation, solution and congelation, on which the progress and success of the whole work depend.

The author of the "Glory of the World" says: "Take Fire, or the quicklime of the Sages, which is the vital fire of all trees, and therein doth God himself burn by divine love." This statement seems to be the plainest of all. The Fire is declared to be the "vital fire of all trees," thus indicating its origin, and it then only remains for us to learn the principle and method of its extraction.

In this fire, they say, purify Mercury, and mortify it for the purposes of our Art. The Mercury which lies "hidden in this water," or Fire, is therein FIXED OF ITSELF. Now we are getting towards the Light! We are plainly told that the Fire IS a kind of Water (remember, alchemists "burn with Water"), and in this very Fire-Water, Mercury itself becomes decomposed, clarified, coagulated and fixed with indelible, living DIVINE FIRE, of that kind which God has placed in the Sun itself.

This Fire goes by many names, which appear sometimes very fanciful, yet for the most part the names have a bearing on the form and features of the Substance of our Art, aiding the thoughtful student in its discovery. "Fire placed in the Stone," says d'Espagnet, "is Nature's Prince, Sol's sons and Vicar, moving and digesting matter and perfecting all things therein. Nature useth fire, so also doth Art after its example, as an Instrument and Mallet in cutting out its works. Fire is Master and Perfector, wherefore the knowledge of Fire is most necessary for a Philosopher."

Now, a great deal is said in the books of the Sages about "Coction," or cooking. We all know that to cook we have to have fire, and yet we are constantly warned not to use the ordinary fire of cook-stoves in our Art. This appears to have been a great stone of stumbling to many would-be alchemists. They attempted to use the fire of coals, or some sort of stove or furnace, working thus upon all sorts of minerals and metals, which is all in direct contravention of all the rules laid down by the Sages.

Such workers as these are called in derision by true alchemists, "bellows-alchemists," and we admonish all who wish to obtain this Pearl of Greatest Price to steer clear of such foolish operations. Although some of the greatest adepts will openly advise you to employ Fire in the operation, yet this admonition has a double meaning. For example, Basil Valentine, in the Postscript to his famous "Twelve Keys," seemingly mystifies the whole matter by saying: "When you have thus obtained the material, the regimen of FIRE is the only thing on which you need bestow much attention. THIS IS THE SUM AND GOAL OF OUR SEARCH. For our fire is a common fire,"---and now see how subtly he throws dust into the eyes of the unwary---" and our furnace is a common furnace. And though some of my predecessors have left it in writing that our fire is not a common fire, I may tell you that it was only one of their devices for hiding the mysteries of our Art."

By this apparently frank statement, Valentine has probably been the means of throwing thousands off the right scent. He goes on to say: "The fire of a spirit lamp is useless for our purpose, nor is there any profit in 'horse-dung,' nor in the other kinds of heat in the providing of which so much expense is incurred. Neither do we want many kinds of furnaces. Only our three-fold furnace affords facilities for properly regulating the heat of the fire. Our furnace is cheap, our fire is cheap, and our material is cheap. He who has the material will ALSO find a furnace in which to prepare it, just as he who has flour will not be at a loss for an oven in which it may be baked." The simile here is not quite accurate, for the oven is NOT the flour, while the material DOES constitute the furnace of the Philosophers. This is the very thing Valentine is trying to convey to you, at the same time that he is deceiving the millions who are not quick-witted enough to pick him up. In the statement he has actually named the subject of the art, but has done it so adroitly that hardly any one will be able to discover it.

Ethelius says: "When the moist and the dry have been separated, the dry lies at the bottom and is called 'our Stone.' It is as black as a raven. It must be subjected to the COCTION OF OUR WATER." This shows plainly enough that the heat of Fire is in the WATER ITSELF, does it not. He says: "It must be separated from it until it loses its blackness and becomes white as dazzling marble. Then is THIS the Mystic Stone, which by coction has been transmuted into fixed Mercury, and this with the blessing of God."

This same writer says that this coction requires that "sulphur be added to sulphur for their mutual preservation." He means that though after separation of spirit and body (which takes place slowly, but early in the work, by the action of Fire), there seems to be two substances, but in reality it is only one substance. It is what the sages call "Rebis," or "two-thing." The Body which is below is called "sulphur," and the spirit liquified above is also called "sulphur," when the spirit enters the body, which it does gradually by long coction, one sulphur is added to the other, and they are bound together, as it were, in a"lesgue of eternal unity" together as it were in a "league of eternal amity."

One of these sulphurs appears white (that is, transparent), and it is that which is derived from the initial black sulphur. It is the "Swan" coming from the "Crow's Head." The other sulphur is red, and lies beneath, being the embryo of our "Ruby Stone," consituting the so-called Body. This gradual amalgamation of the "two sulphurs" or waters is spoken of as restoring the Spirit to its body, and when this is fully accomplished, we have the true Stone of Art, the "Pearl of Great Price." In the wonderful tract, entitled "Lambspring", by Delphinis, we read the following:

"For there is only ONE substance

In which all the rest is hidden.

Therefore keep a good heart;

Coction, time and patience are what you need.

"The Sages will tell you that two fishes are in our sea

Without any flesh or bones. Cook them in their own

water.

Moreover, the Sages say

That the two fishes are only one, not two;

They are two, and nevertheless they are one.

"Cook the sulphur with the sulphur

And hold your tongue about it.

Conceal your knowledge to your own advantage

And you shall be free from poverty.

Only let your discovery remain a close secret."

The above appears to be a VERY plain statement indeed, and one that practice assuredly will verify. For the Sages do not lie. The "two sulphurs" become one by coction. Time and patience are the main things required for results. Unless there were a most remarkable affinity between the two substance, they surely would never behave as they do, and ultimately unite in the wondrous Stone. When once one comes to understand it, they will appear as brother and sister, both being derived from the same stock, though one is some ages older than the other. Solomon, who is "black and comely," alludes to this when he says in the Songs, "My sister and my spouse."

This Ancient One is spoken of as Saturn or Time. The myth of Saturn (the Chronus of the Greeks) swallowing his children one after another is but another tale of the confection of the Stone. According to this legend, as he was about to swallow little Jupiter, his wife Rhea handed him a Stone instead to lunch on, and Jupiter was spirited away, and brought to maturity by two nymphs. These nymphs are the "two doves of Diana" often alluded to in alchemic literature. They represent the spiritual, working principle of the two sulphurs respectively, working incessantly back and forth, "feeding" as one may say, the growing Stone, which is represented by Jupiter, god of wealth and good fortune. The word Jupiter itself is from Ju, Iu (Eu) meaning "good," while Piter or petros means "stone," hence the word Jupiter means simply "the GOOD STONE." (False etymology, but true doctrine. P. F. C.)

See how wonderfully this all works out in Hermetic Philosophy. In the confection of the Stone, Saturn stands for the cold, moist principle, inhering in the Mercurial Water, whereas Jupiter is the warm, dry principle or the Sulphur. Throughout the work, we see first one of these principles triumphing, then the other, exactly as in human life; for after all, man himself is but a more unfolded example of the Stone. He is the Macrocosm of which the Stone is the Microcosm, and the parallelism between the two is marvellous. That is why the Stone has so great an affinity for man and becomes the panacea for all his ills. Those who desire to unfold this treasure must voluntarily fulfill all conditions to the mastery thereof.

CHAPTER IV

"The Stone which the builders rejected is become the headstone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes:.

---Psalms 118: 22,23

According to the legend, a certain Stone, more valuable than all the rest, was thrown out by the workmen amid the rubbish of the Temple. King Solomon, knowing its value, ordered diligent search to be made for the same, and it was finally discovered among the refuse, cut into shape, and made to form the Key-Stone of the ROYAL ARCH.

Now this legend could never have persisted as it has through all these many ages unless it betokened something more important than the mere historical fact as cited in the story; and the strange thing about it is that such a tale should ever have been written, after passing traditionally from generation to generation, no one apparently understanding what it meant, and yet surviving and maintaining its interest. Something like the tale of "Santa Claus," which seems, by the way, to be another version of the very same idea, once it is analyzed.

All through the Bible allusions are made to this rejected "Stone." Moses in his Song alludes to it. Job speaks of it. Also David, Solomon, Isaiah and Zechariah. It is also mentioned by the apostles in the New Testament, who in some vague, mysterious way, connect the Stone with Christ and his appearing.

Even the Mohammedans preserve a record of the tradition in Heliogablus (the Sun-Moon), a Black Stone which hangs suspended in the mosque at Mecca. The tradition is that this Stone fell from heaven in the desert of Arabia, and was found by Mohammed, who brought it to Mecca, where it has since remained, an object of awe and reverence.

We ourselves spent many years, wandering in many places, to find out the meaning of this strange legend, feeling that it must be a key to deeper mysteries, and at last we unearthed it in conversation with the spirit of a very old and learned Arab, who informed us that the Black Stone was originally formed of the interior essence of the leaves of the palm, with other leaves and grasses, which is why it was called by the singular name, "Heliogabalus," or "Sun-Moon stone," these things growing and thriving under influence of the heavenly luminaries.

How it became reduced to the form of a Black Stone was a very great mystery, which could be solved only by the two sole inhabitants of the desert, the camel and its rider. First the camel ate the vegetation, which in its series of stomachs passed through a peculiar chemical transformation or reduction, into the form of a stone. The virtue of this stone was revealed to Mohammed in a dream, wherein the Angel of the Lord descended, and, taking a piece of this Stone, burned it upon live coals until it became outwardly black, but interiorly resplendently white. Whereupon Mohammed rejoiced exceedingly, realizing that he held within his possession the Pearl of Greatest Price. Afterwards this discovery became the chief source of wealth to the Mohammedans, so that really it is little wonder that they still revere Heliogabalus, and look to it as a source of miraculous endowment, refusing to disturb the gold of the mines, which is believed to belong to Mohammed, and will be claimed by him on his return to earth.

The significance of this Stone is as utterly lost to the modern Muslim as to the modern Christian, both of whom have buried the true doctrine of the Stone in the rubbish of religious personalizations, itself a form of the grossest idolatry, although the devotees of either sect pride themselves upon being the only "true worshippers." What is the difference between worshipping a wooden or a stone image, or a live man, or again the imaginary figure of an anthropomorphic God? Christians and Mohammedans are both idolaters of the commonest type, not a whit beyond the pagans they so violently condemn.

The original revelation concerning both Christ and Mohammed relates solely to this wonderful STONE, and to nothing else whatever. But both have become so confounded by religious vagaries that none of the adherents to either religion have at present any conception of the real meaning of the Stone, and still less of the nature of its figures, Christ and Mohammed. (D.D.B., therefore, has read the mind of every Christian and of every Mohammedan. One wishes, sometimes, that occult philosophers would learn how to write what they mean. In this instance I presume he means to say that few adherents of either religion seem to have any true idea of Christ or Mohammed as being symbols of the Stone -P.F.C..) They imagine all allusion to this Stone in their scriptures is merely symbolic of the permanence and enduring nature of their idol, or prophet. But we see more deeply than this, perceiving the Stone to be that great natural mystery, the true unfoldment of which means the perfecting and redemption of humanity.

Because under certain conditions the Stone appears as a form of matter, our "spiritually" obsessed and metaphysically bewildered brethren object to its taking its rightful place as the very Lord of the World. But let them stop to consider that man himself, the very masterpiece of creation, appears in visible, material form, and in a perishable vehicle, while the Stone, when once perfected, is imperishable and immortal, having as you may say a body worthy of human emulation. It is worthy to be called "Lord," being an expression of omnipotence and omniscience.

This Stone is revealed in nature in a myriad forms and guises, which effectually conceal its real nature. If you look at the tallest tree that grows, or the tiniest blade of grass springing from beneath your feet, there you behold it, and yet you do not actually see it. It is the Lily to which the Master called attention, and truly, whoever shall behold this Lily, understanding the mystery of its growth, will no longer have need to labor for "the meat which perisheth."

Above all things, at the outset of this study and investigation, it is necessary that you should thoroughly divest the mind of all racial skepticism in relation to the existence of this Stone, otherwise not so much as the first inkling of its nature will ever enter the mind. Its unfoldment comes only through faith and belief. It is impossible that you should actually, sensibly, perceive and KNOW this thing, until you have literally crystallized it out from the thin air. You must believe in its existence as you do in that of your own soul, which you have never seen, before it will begin to make itself manifest or give any clue as to its nature and characteristics.

The very best basis for this belief is the scripture intelligently interpreted. Where did Solomon get the gold with which to adorn the Temple? It is estimated that there were millions of dollars' worth of gold used in the various altars, images and vessels of the Temple. This gold came from Tarshish (blackness). ThRhISH = 1210. Also name of angel of Geburah of Briah. It is the name of a precious stone, derived from TRSH = 900, to be strong, firm, hard. Josephus identifies this stone with chrysolite, the modern topaz; in the Auth. Ver. it is rendered as beryl; others think it is amber. The last is probably the real derivation, since it agrees with other alchemical symbolism. Note, however, that blackness is not the true Hebrew meaning.) And was designated by the term "Ophir." (AVPIR=297, also ABIR=291, and AVPR=287.) And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to King Solomon." (I Kings 9.28) Job speaks, too, of this gold of Ophir: "Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brook." (Job 22.24).

(APIR=291=ARTZ, Earth. AVPR which is AVR with the letter of Mars, P, added, is 287=ZOIR, Zoar, the city into which Lot escaped at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. ZOAR means "Little," and the passage in Gen. 19 which refers to Lot's escape from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah specifically mentions Fire and Brimstone, while Lot's wife is turned into a pillar of SALT. Sodom=SDM=S added to DM, "blood"=104=DTZI, 'fish-hook," and SDM means "burning, or conflagration." Gomorrah=OMRH=315, the number of GBISh, 'petrified, frozen; ice, crystal," of ITxIRH, Yetzirah, "formation." Gomorrah means "submersion, or woodland" and is probably from the root OMR, to sprout. Compare NVN, to sprout. Thus Sodom represents FIRE and GOMORRAH represents WATER. They are two of five cities in the vale of Siddim=ShDIM=354, a metathesis of the digits of 345. This word means plain, and it is the present site of the Dead Sea. The other three cities in this plain were ADMH, Admah "fruit-ground"=50; Zeboiim, TxBIIM," place of hyenas," and Bela, or Zoar.)

The alleged site of this gold as being in the "Black Land" gives us an important clue, identifying it with the black stone of the Mohammedans. It was mystic gold, nevertheless it was "good," solid gold, and did not float away, like some spirit materialization. In Ezekiel there is said to be a secret key given in a sort of cryptogram--Notariqon the Hebrews called it--being in the initial letters at the heads of various chapters and verses, telling just where this gold is buried, buried at the time the Jews were taken into captivity in Babylon.

This place is in an ancient aqueduct that formerly supplied a precinct of Jerusalem with water. The water, it is said, was turned aside in order to enable the priests to enter and secrete the golden vessels of the Temple, this place is believed to be known to this day by a rare few, and when the present war is ended an attempt may be made to induce the government of Turkey to allow an excavation to find these treasures, which will be restored to the Jews, who are about to reinvest Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. The rediscovery of the Great Art comes about, it seems, about at the same time as the rediscovery of these ancient golden vessels.

It is not commonly known, but considerable of the gold of the world's commerce was manufactured by certain alchemists of the Middle Ages, and much more of this is buried in certain places throughout Europe and Asia. But still, the world in general is less interested in this fact than in the tales of buried wealth of Captain Kidd. And really what should interest us most is the restoration of the Art, rather than its product.

One might think, why call such emphatic attention to this matter? Might not the curiosity of chemists be aroused to the extent of setting to work to resurrect the Art? Of this there is little danger. For if every chemist in the world should set to work on the problem tomorrow, and should follow the general lines of chemical research and reasoning, not one in a thousand years would ever discover it. For, while it is called a chemical art, it has nothing in common with ordinary chemistry. An old woman occupied in setting hens is far more likely to discover it then any learned chemist of the modern school.

A very true and pertinent saying that the Gnostic writers put into the mouth of Jesus is this: "The only sign that shall be given is that of Jonas the prophet, as Jonas was three days and nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and nights in the heart of the earth." This "sign" relates to the dark state of the matter involved in the confection of the Stone. The Sages say that the sign of successful accomplishment or their work lies in Blackness at the start. It is when their "sun" appears to set, or becomes "eclipsed" in their "earth," the result being a state of blackness, or corruption of the matter, for a period of three days. The Sages then refer to the Body as the Black Soil in which there is concealed a fixed salt, which, like seed, will soon spring up and bear excellent fruit. Others call it the Black Raven which has in its maw the White Dove. Again they describe it as the union of man and woman, or body and spirit, by means of which the Child is conceived in the Water, and the whiteness extracted from the black Body. Thus under a variety of figures the thing is apparently concealed; and yet, if you know to what the Sages actually refer, these figures become luminous, revealing in themselves the entire rationale and process of the thing.

It is said that the Sages never lie. What they do is simply to withhold the actual name of the substance employed in their Art, but otherwise they give us virtually the entire process, so that it becomes, as they say, "like woman's work and child's play," once it is understood. Nor can we blame them at all for this reticence in disclosing the whole art. Does any one discover a vein of gold, and then run and publish the fact, telling of the richness and location of his find? Hardly. He goes to work and stakes out his claim, and sets to work as quietly as possible. Nevertheless, if he be generous-hearted, he may throw his intimate friends a few hints, so that they may get in and stake out similar claims adjacent to his own. He will be satisfied with a small mine, if its wealth be inexhaustible, as is the mine of the philosophers.

All the seemingly exaggerated descriptions of the composition and confection of the Stone, are, as you may say, fairy tales invented by the Sages, or suggested by their imagination, as they watch the changes which the matter undergoes in its process of unfoldment. We are told by those who have witnessed this phenomenon that it is a sight to inspire the most wonderful metaphors, which serve the double purpose of expressing the nature and qualities of the Stone, and of concealing it from the comprehension of the vulgar herd, who would be certain to misuse and abuse it, if they possessed any definite knowledge of it.

In a book called the "Turba Philosophorum", Zimon, one of the assembly, says: "Know that the secret of the work consists in male and female, i.e., an active and a passive principle. In lead is found the male, in orpiment the female." Now, reading a statement like this, the literalist would doubtless think that it is mean to combine "lead and orpiment;" but if this be done, there is no result whatever, and such a one might then throw down the books, and rail against the sages as prevaricators and frauds. But the wise investigator knows from the start that the one thing most carefully concealed in all the writings of the sages is the substance of the Art, for if that were known, the whole art would soon become common property, and gold would get to be as common as cobble-stones, and of no more value, so what would be the object in making the knowledge common? (I suspect that D. D. B. is availing himself of the alchemical usage which permits writing with a double meaning.)

By "lead" our sage simply means Blackness, which is a temporary condition of the Matter at a certain stage, as so many writers plainly affirm. By "orpiment" is meant the yellow water, or "fire," which brings the Whiteness out of the Blackness, thus creating the base of the Silver.

The same writer goes on to say: "The male rejoices when the female is brought to it, and the female receives from the male a tingeing seed, and is colored thereby." Nothing truer or more to the point could possibly be said, for the "female" surely IS colored by this Fire, assuming thereafter a brilliant red, or burnt-wine color. Before the end of the work, all colors, many more than are contained in the spectrum, appear.

Richard, an English sage, says: "The Stone is One, the Medicine is One, which, however, according to the philosophers is called Rebis, being composed of two things, viz., a body and spirit (Red and White.)" But over this many foolish persons have gone astray. Bernard, Count of Trevisan, puts it straight when he says: "Our work is performed by means of one root, and two crude, mercurial substances, drawn and extracted from a mineral, pure and clear, being conjoined by the heat of friendship, as this matter requires, and carefully cooked, until the two things become one."

A certain German philosopher who wrote anonymously says that though he studied the art for 17 or 18 years, yet he had, after all, to wait for God's own time, and accept it as a free gift. "No one," he says, "need doubt the truth or certainty of this art. It is as true and certain, and as surely ordained by God in nature, as it is that the sun shines at noontide, and the moon shows her soft splendor at night."

Knowing this, believing it to be true, who would not be willing to search for a life-time, if need be, to find so wonderful a treasure? And yet the mass of doubting Thomases will reject it, betaking themselves to laborious and fruitless occupations, grinding out their little lives in misery and want, when they might, with proper devotion to this Art, revel in munificence, promised by Christ to all true disciples of the doctrine.

The planets are used by the sages, like the various colors, and also the metals, to express certain conditions in their substance, which they universally declare to be One Thing, assuming many forms and states. Thus the substance in its original Black Stage is called "Saturn," and as Saturn is the same as Chronos, ot Time, they often give us the symbol of Father Time, wearing a wooden leg, all of which is significant.

What are we to make of this symbol? Simply this. The tincture of Saturn is both mineral and vegetable, and the Fire created and sustained by their juxtaposition causes the blackness of the matter, which very much resembles lead in color, and being so cold and apparently lifeless is called Saturn. At this stage it is so unpromising that an ignorant man would be constrained to dump it into the alley, not realizing that he would be throwing away something of priceless value, as the builders threw the Stone into the rubbish of the Temple.

By another famous writer, this Matter at the dark stage is called "Antimony, the chariot of the King." (See Tarot VII). It is so called because of the brilliancy of the blackness assumed after solution. The Sage rejoices when he sees the blackness, for he knows what it portends. Paracelsus say that an ignorant man often picks up and throws away a stone of more value than a cow. This is literally true, so that this very saying of the great alchemist becomes a Key to the Art itself.

Aphicius says, "The Philosopher's gold may be bought at a low price". Morienus says, "All that is bought at a high price is false. With little gold we buy much." From all these hints it is evident that poverty will prove no handicap to the true sage in working out the problem. All he needs is a few pennies to purchase the material, and after that, time and patience. He would even be justified in picking up enough of the substance of the Stone in the streets, as the Arabs did on the desert, provided he could get it in no other way. The end justifies the means.

Once he is in possession of the ore of the Stone, and has convenient the Fire of the Sages, he will not find the process of confection at all difficult. As Arnold plainly says: "The object of the Sages is to dissolve the Stone into its Mercury, or elementary matter." He might have added "It is then their object to congeal it, into a more refined form of matter, which is the perfected Sulphur of the Sages."

Geber says: "Our stone is one, one medicine, to which we add nothing, from which we take nothing away, only removing that which is superfluous." And this, as we understand it, is accomplished by the action and reaction of the substances themselves, called by different writers by various names, as cohobation, solution, congelation, albu- faction, trituration, grinding, etc. They will tell you to do all these things to the matter, and yet they tell you the work is accomplished without the laying on of hands. The truth is, the matter takes care of itself, and goes through these various phenomena or performances spontaneously. "The mills of the gods grind slow, but they grind exceedingly fine."

Here we see exhibited in a most marvelously fascinating manner the action, counteraction, or interaction, of the four elements, whereby they are reduced to their original essence. The atoms are so dessicated that they relinquish their individual hold or attraction upon their several Ions, and these becoming free, unite in due proportions to make the perfect metal, or substance, known as the Stone, something that never is or can be produced in external nature in any tangible form, though of course the principle and potency of the Stone are at work everywhere, affecting all the visible formations in nature.

But a man might grind the world up fine, and run every grain through the finest sieve, and he would still be unable to discover a grain of the Philosophers' Stone. It is like looking for the soul of man in the body. The soul can become apparent only through the perfecting of the body, or vehicle of expression. So the Stone has to be made, created of the elements themselves, and this may be accomplished in an easy, natural manner, if man will but open his eyes to perceive the nature of the Body to be operated on, and at the same time reflect on the Spirit that performs the operation.

Nor will the veil be likely to remain long over his eyes, if he will but seek out a sedulous companion, go into retirement, and devote himself to the work. The WORD has gone forth, and will be heard and apprehended where the tympana are sufficiently sensitized to hear. Not long since we received the following from a long-time student, who had been studying nights and working at a forge by day, for his daily bread: "Eureka! At Last! I am about to disappear. You will not hear from me again, till I lay the finished product at your feet."

We have of late received other gratifying evidences that the seed we have sown in the past has not all fallen by the wayside. One by one they are springing up. This is the age for the reincarnating of the Atlanteans, who are here to form a new race. And the restoration of this sublime Art goes hand in hand with, and in fact forms the foundation of, the New World structure. Let those who are touched by the fire of sincerity and the zeal of truth not despair nor refrain from their search into this myster, which when unfolded, qualifies them as administrators of the New Time.

CHAPTER V

"To him that overcometh will I give to east of the hidden Manna, and will give him him a White Stone, and in the Stone a new name written; which no man knoweth saving he that recieveth it".

--- Rev. 2.17

In one of the earlier lessons we have a metaphysical interpretation of this text, but we desire to say that, like all similar texts, it is capable of several different interpretations; and, since the Apocalypse bears unmistakable evidence of having been written by a Gnostic, we feel justified in viewing this particular text hermetically.

The mysticism of Egypt, known as Hermeticism, was transported to Greece in the early centuries, where it was known as "Gnosticism"--that which knows. The central figure or personification of this Gnosis in Egypt was exoterically Horus, esoterically, Iesu, which came by way of Chaldea or Babylon, into Judaism as "Jesus," the complete Hermetic IDEA finding expression in "Jesus the Christ," who we may say is the carnalized, metamorphosed hermaphrodite, HERMES, the Mercury of the Greeks and Romans, or to bring it down to Rosicrucian times, the PHILOSOPHERS' STONE. All are ONE THING under different names.

It will become evident, once this great mystery is clearly defined and unfolded in consciousness, that there has existed a deeper reason for the spread of idolatry among all primitive peoples than simply ignorance or superstition. There is a spirit in Stone as in Wood which strives to speak to humanity in various ways, and this Spirit is shown to be the Master Principle of the world, then it will be clearly seen how that idolatry, the worship of stone and wooden images, comes naturally in the line of evolutionary unfoldment. It will also be seen that there is no impiety or sacrilege whatever in alluding to Jesus Christ as a "Stone," even as did the prophets and apostles, and later, alchemists. He, or IT, surely is the Principle by which Ions into Atoms and the Atoms into Molecules, and these into aggregations called a "Stone." But more specifically do we apply the symbol to a certain Stone, unlike any other in the world, and this is the "White Stone" referred to by the Gnostic writer of Revelations, "St. John" as he is known, but in reality, Apollonius of Tyana.

"To him that overcometh"--overcometh what? First of all, doubt and ignorance in relation to the existence and nature of this Stone, which places him in position to overcome all natural obstacles to its full attainment and complete mastery.

And this "hidden manna," what is this? Manna is said to be a corruption of Hebrew, "man-hu," meaning "What is it?" It is described as "a small, round thing, like hoar frost, "that disappeared with the riding of the sun. There is a great deal of mysticism associated with the Mosaic account of manna-how it fell to feed the wandering Israelites. We may find as we go more deeply into the scriptures that this whole tale is nothing more than a poetical version of some early Oriental rhapsodist relative to this very mystery of the Stone. St. John, or the author of the Apocalypse, seems to hint at this.

Now let us see what light the alchemists throw on the White Stone. Pythagoras says, "Our Stone is a Stone and not a Stone. It has neither the appearance nor the properties of a Stone, and yet it is Stone. Many have called it after the place where it is found, others after its color." By this we take it that its ore must be a species of stone, but that in its development it becomes something that in no way resembles a stone. But this is nothing so very strange or unusual. Any stone can be melted and assume a liquid state, or under extreme heat gaseous state, in which states it in no wise resembles a stone. Even trees and animals, including man, are stones sublimed.

As to its color, we have very specific data concerning it: The order of colors it assumes is black, white, red. Blackness seems to be a characteristic of the ore, and is only a temporary condition apparently. The Stone under proper treatment goes from black to white, and this is termed the work of Luna, or Silver. Great patience and skill are required to reach this stage. The whole work is accomplished by "our Water," which dissolves the Body over and over, each time becoming thicker. Hermes used to say when he saw the water grow gradually thicker and harder, he rejoiced, for thereby he knew he should find what he sought.

It is the action of this Water that coagulates the water, which then becomes white, flaky earth, described by one writer as the "brilliant coruscations of the Moon." This it is that corresponds to Manna, for it is the heavenly food which the ravens, or blackbirds, bring to Elijah at the Brook, and which falls for the Israelites in the (dark) wilderness. In all these symbols we are shown that blackness is a necessary precedent to the white stage of the Matter. D'Espagnet says: "In making the Crow white, extract the elements, and distil them according to the order prescribed, until they be fixed in their Earth, and end in snow-like, and most subtle dust, which being finished, thou shalt enjoy thy first desire, the White Work"--said to be finished in the sign of Cancer, under rule of the Moon.

He that has proceeded thus far may be said to have "overcome" all obstacles, and the Stone, having imbibed the "heavenly manna", becomes a brilliant white, so that this in itself is equivalent to "receiving a new Name," a name that might be Master, Priest, or King, for there is no earthly title that such a one would not be qualified to assume--qualified far and beyond all those pretenders to power who do assume such titles.

While this is not by any means the end of the Work, yet it betokens that the end will be successful. The great sage, Alze, gives us some very clear and satisfactory directions. He says: "By one operation and way, by one substance, and by one mixing, the whole work is accomplished, while its purity also is one; and it is perfected in two stages, each consisting of a dissolution and a coction, with the repetition of these.

"It must be your first object," he says, "to elicit the whiteness of the substance by means of gentle and continual coction or heat. I know that the sages describe this simple process under a great number or misleading names. But this puzzling variety of nomenclature is only intended to veil the fact that nothing is required but simply coction. This process of coction, however, you must patiently keep up, until the King is crowned and you receive your great reward."

Avicenna, another great Sage, says that "natural heat operating in humid bodies first causes blackness, and finally causes whiteness, as may be seen in calyx." "Coction," says Alze, "causes the substance to become first black, then white, then red, all by the separation of waters. The waters being divided, cook the matter and the vapor until coagulation takes place, and there is made a White Stone."

The whole process of the Stone is shown very comprehensively, though mystically, in the Fifteenth Figure of the Book of Thoth (The Tarot), which is that of the Devil, or Saturn. The two pigmy figures chained to the block at his feet represent the two active forces engaged in the work of coction or transmutation. Saturn has the right hand raised, the left pointing downwards. Inscribed on each respectively are the words Solve, dissolve, and Coagula, coagulate. This is the chief sign of the operative work, dissolution and coagulation.

The solution of the problem is rendered less difficult by the fact that only two substances in the world when combined will behave in this manner. A great many sages contend that there is a third substance added to the mixt, which they term "Salt," but let not this either deceive or confuse you at the outset of your work. You will be shown the proper time, place, and manner of adding this "Salt." Besides, you have much to learn concerning the nature and kind of salt used, before you attempt to add it to so precious a confection.

D'Espagnet assures us that the entire work is perfected by Two Bodies, namely, Sol and Luna. "Let none, therefore," he says, "be deceived by adding a third to two; for love admitteth not a third, and wedlock is terminated in the number Two; love further extended is not matrimony." This is a good example of the striking sexual symbolism employed by the alchemists, which seems to have had the effect of misleading many narrow-minded people, who have seen in it only some subtle reference to the human sex-relationship.

"The means, or demonstrative signs, are colors, successively and orderly affecting the Matter. The first is black, which is called the Crow's Head, because of its extreme blackness, whose twilight (crepusculum) showeth the beginning of the action of the fire of nature and solution, and the blackest midnight showeth the perfection of liquefaction and confusion of the elements. Then the grain putrefies and is corrupted that it may be the more apt for generation. The white color succeedeth the black, wherein is given the perfection of the first degree, and of the White Sulphur. This is called the blessed Stone; this Earth is white and foliated, wherein, the Philosophers do sow their gold."

The above is the clearest and most straightforward description of the process ever set down, and no aspirant to this knowledge should rest content until he has witnessed these demonstrative signs or colors appearing in the Work, before his very eyes. As for the time it takes for this phenomenon to transpire, none of the Sages have written definitely. One says three days, another forty days, another six months, another eighteen. Some say that it is the work of years, which is probably more correct. From our own experience, we think it impossible to state the time with accuracy, as this will depend upon the skill of the operator, as well as on the proportions and purity of the matter worked upon, and on other conditions that each will have to test out as he proceeds. It would take ten ordinary life-times to make all the possible experiments leading to the confection of the Stone, therefore it is well to use reason, and ask for heavenly guidance in the matter.

At one time we made fully a thousand experiments before catching a single gleam of sunlight, which was at last afforded by seeing our Spring turn a melon color in the bottom of which was discovered a most beautiful ruby. We believe that almost any one who sets to work in dead earnest will be led to discover the Alpha of the Art, and when this is done, he will find a Master standing ready to save him more weary years of uncertain wandering, showing him the Omega IN the Alpha. As Jesus expressed it, "The last shall be first, and the first shall be last," meaning that they are both one and the same. So we may say all steps are contained in the first step, and THIS consists simply in the discovery of the true matter.

As an example of what earnest research will accomplish, we know of one student who started out without a penny in his purse, and who wandered over hill and dale in search of this One Thing. At last he discovered it in abundance, and in a very short time had unearthed nearly a million dollars worth of it, and this, too, without at the time realizing its true value, which was greatly beyond what he actually received for it. After he had sold the ore commercially, though the money received made him independent for life, yet so great was his grief and disappointment in having thus foolishly parted with his treasure at so low a price, that he could never forgive himself for his stupidity.

Again, we know another person who is eking out a miserable existence trying to farm a poor piece of land, and he will probably die in ignorance that only a few feet below the surface of his farm there lies inexhaustible wealth. Now and then there is a man more observing of nature than the rest, who utilizes his observation to advantage.

A few years ago a most unpromising-looking man, dressed as a tramp, went into a certain district of Ohio, and negotiated for what was considered by all in that part of the country as the very poorest piece of land in the country. It was, in fact, nothing but stone, with very little soil above the rock. Even grass would grow in only a few places. He bought the farm cheap enough, and instead of attempting to farm it, began digging and quarrying the rock. In a short time it developed that he had discovered and possessed the largest ledge of pure grindstone rock in the country. This was "Old Man Baldwin," who became wealthy from his grindstone industry, and who built a university named for him. This was at one time moved, as it was found to stand on valuable rock.

Thus some people get rich from very common stones, and many more walk over them without appreciating their value. Men burn up, and otherwise destroy, enough ore daily in very common and unprofitable occupations to make them richer than Rockefeller, IF they but understood the process of its refinement. Again, men travel to distant countries, and endure rigorous climates like that of Alaska, with all sorts of hardships, just to hunt for gold, which when found is extracted only with great labor and much expense from its hard matrix of rock, buried deep in the earth; when with a millionth part of the labor expended they could manufacture more gold than the Guggenheims ever dreamed of possessing.

These are sober facts, but where will you find a mining man that would credit them? And yet old miners will tell you that gold grows in the earth, and that it is formed of water and a certain gas that is prevalent in mines. But these people never put two and two together. They must go after the finished product laboriously with pick, shovel, and blasting-powder. To acquire the coveted "dust," they proceed in the most laborious and expensive fashion, because they are lacking in imagination and faith, because also they are really ignorant of the virtues of certain common ores. And if you were to tell them plainly what the ore of gold really is, they would laugh you in the face, and look upon you as a freak or an ignoramus.

So how is one going to reform the world, composed as it is of a majority of people so wise in their own conceit? What their grandfathers did not believe, they will not credit, neither will exert themselves to find out. But you would think the chemists, the college-bred fellows, would listen. But you can hardly get near enough to them to expound your views. Their first question is. From what school did you graduate? What is your authority for this? In what work on chemistry or geology is the subject treated? And there you are. You can never hope to crack the hard shell of those committed to "authority." It is too dense, like the heads of those wiseacres who go on melting and distilling, combining and compounding, spending their days and nights with alembics, or peeping through microscopes.

Thus you see our Precious Wisdom is reserved for the precious few who happen to be so endowed by the Creator that they can grasp the meaning of this mighty mystery in all its sublime simplicity, unraveling its intricacies, till the whole truth stands clear as noon-day, and they exclaim with old Archimedes, "Eureka!" Here again we see that the wisdom of God is foolishness with men, and the reverse is equally true, for all that men know of this wisdom is as a pinch of dust or a puff of wind.

There is nothing left for one to do but to work on the one tangled skein as the Sages have handed it to us, winding it over and over, in and out, loosening this know and that, till at last we find the ravel end of it. Then the snarl will soon disappear, and we shall easily come to the other end of the line, rewinding the whole in an orderly manner.

We would most earnestly advise the student to bend his mind first toward the solution of Sulphur, for it is less veiled, and much more clearly expounded than Mercury; and once IT is discovered, it becomes a most valuable key, being, of course, invaluable in the work of the Stone. If you try common sulphur, you will find it insoluble, and it might as well be rejected first as last, for it is really NOT true Sulphur at all, but only a crude mineral to which the blundering chemists of the early centuries attached the name of "sulphur," which it has borne ever since. It is not our "divine catholic water," our "Holy Water" from the Virgin Spring, which alone is rich in pure sulphur or sun-fire.

Sulphur is universally accounted the male, or active, principle of the Work. Without it no work could possibly be accomplished. There are many descriptions of this Sulphur in the books of the Sages, and the student should by comparison of these be able to place his hand upon Sulphur, which, as Norton declares, can be done by a gentlemen in these times without "soling the hands," something that could hardly be said had he lived in the times of medieval alchemists.

From all we can gather, there was never a time in the history of the world when the art of making Gold would be easier or more lucrative than to-day, if only the knowledge were revived. But, while one might have dazzling dreams of becoming a multi-millionaire through this Art, and of the good he would be able to accomplish with so much money, yet he has only to reason a moment to see that he could do nothing whatever with such immense wealth, except to spend all his energies to conserve it.

If it were known that he possessed it, every man's hand would be out for it. Even our ordinary rich men and women to-day are hounded from morning to night by all sorts of people for donations, and charities. To attempt to supply all that would be asked for would be like constructing a vast chute and pouring a constant stream into the ocean, or like filling the bottomless bucket of the Danaides. The world's need or want could never be satisfied. Recipients of benefactions would squander them, and come begging for more The greatest of evolutionary factors, personal effort, would be paralyzed, and money thus given out would become a universal curse. A few would become rich, the masses would remain poor. The rich would become riotous and tyrannical, oppressing the poor even more than they are oppressed to-day.

Very well, you say, then we will forego the making of gold, and will devote ourselves to manufacturing and dispensing the Elixir, healing the sick. Surely THAT is a laudable effort. But you forget. First, you have to have a license to treat the sick. To gain this, you have to spend at least four years in a chartered medical institution, cutting up the bodies of dead men, and vivisecting live animals, in order to be allowed to "practice" on living people. The very first person you healed with the Elixir would probably get you into trouble with the authorities, through some jealous doctor. Even if you did free healing, and were not enjoined by the powerful medical trust, you would be besieged by so many thousands daily that you never could endure the strain of even handing out medicine to so many. And the people whom you healed would be precisely on a par with those to whom you might give money. They would go right on dissipating their health by foolish habits, and you would soon have a call from them for more Elixir.

Jehovah does not treat humanity in this way. He lets them shuffle for themselves and learn everything by hard experience. When they get too universally wicked, he drowns them out, or send war and pestilence to clean up the earth. He leaves them to their own devices to reap the result of their own sowing, and LETS every man work out his own salvation. YOU will do well to imitate Jehovah, and not get the foolish notion into your head that you are in duty bound to help or heal humanity. Humanity NEEDS just what it is getting. The great maxim of the Sages is, "Praise God, and BE SILENT!" As you grow in knowledge you will see the absolute wisdom of this course. Abide under the shadow of the Almighty's wing. (Psalm 91). This message was spoken for you! LISTEN!

CHAPTER VI

"And when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she cam to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold., and precious stones".

---Kings, 10:1,2

We desire our students to read this entire chapter, of which our text above is the first and second verses. It recounts the great wealth of Solomen, and incidentally reveals to the student of wisdom the source of his gold. We may as well understand this matter first as last, so we propose to tear aside all the veils that have so long hidden this mystery from the eyes of the vulgar, and make plain to you the fact that this whole account of Solomon is purely fabulous and allegorical.

There were in ancient times many Kings of the East who took the name of Solomon. The Koran speaks of several. It was a common name. But the character of Solomon portrayed in our scriptures bears internal evidence, like many other apparently historical characters, of being purely mythical. It is one of the many traditional myths of the Jews that became engrafted on the real history of the nation. The Greeks, the Romans, the Scandinavians -- all nations have their early mythical history, which no one pretends to believe literally. Why should the Jews be an exception? Why should people take every word of the Jewish Bible, from the account of the creation down, as literally true? Why believe in the actuality of the doings of Moses, more than in the exploits of Agamemnon?

This myth of Solomon and the building of the Temple forms the foundation for the ritual of a great secret society, all the members of which are well enough aware that the story itself is a myth, but yet they realize, as everyone must, that there is something inherently vital about it, to have caused it to persist to the present time. The fact is, it hides behind a thick veil the lamp of truth, whose subtle radiation, nevertheless, pierces the veil and exerts a secret, silent influence for good upon the race, which can hardly be estimated. It is given to us to interpret this legend for the benefit of the Sons and Daughters of Light.

The ulterior significance of the legend itself is revealed by the names employed. SOL-OM-ON is the name of the Sun in three different languages -- Latin, Sanskrit, Chaldaic -- and this name was for centuries worshipped by the people who spoke these languages. (This from the Greek spelling of the Septuagint, and in accordance with ancient tradition. The secret of Solomon is also revealed in the Hebrew name, ShLMH, which signifies "the peaceful on." The same letters, differently pointed, form the noun which means both recompense and retribution. The value is 375, or 300 (Shin), 70 (Ayin), 5(He) which gives the sequences:

Tooth-Eye-Window; Fire-Capricorn-Aries; (by elements) FIRE-EARTH-FIRE. Note that 300-70-5 is Fire-Goat-Lamb. In the name itself the sequences are: Tooth-Goat-Water-Window; Fire-Libra-water-Aries; FIRE-AIR-WATER-FIRE. The reduction of 375 is 15=C, which is the extension of 3, and so confirms what follows in Bryant's text.) Solomon is the same as the Egyptian Hermes (called Trismegistus, or "thrice-great"), the idea of the triune nature of this deity persisting even to this day in the theological mystery of the Holy Trinity of the Godhead -- "Father, Son and Holy Ghost." Sol-om-on, like all these deified trinities, is expressed and brought clearly to consciousness only in and through the Rosicrucian doctrine of the Triple-Potency -- "Fire-Air-Water." In this triplicity, Fire stands out prominently as the active principle of the whole, and no doubt is that into which the whole is reducible. This is represented by SOL, the Sun of the triple NAME, hence it was the Sun, or Fire, that the ancients worshipped. It was this "hidden name of the Lord," that Queen Sheba came to prove.

"Sheba" means simply "Seven," so this Queen of Seven is said to come up from Ethiopia, the Land of Darkness, to meet Solomon, the Sun. Ordinarily this version would be more meaningless than the historical narrative, but it is these ulterior facts that throw a flood of light on the real nature of the "royal" personages involved, as we shall see. (N. B. Solomon is the son of DVD, "love" and Bath-Sheba, "Daughter of Seven." His mother and the Queen are both related to Malkuth which sums up the final septenary of the Sephiroth, since the latter are divided into a Supernal Triad and seven emanations therefrom).

This Queen, so curious to discover the true "name of the Lord," came to Jerusalem to see Solomon, who was reputed to know, and "communed with him of all that was in her heart;" and he told her everything that he knew, which was rather strange for the wisest man who ever lived to tell a strange woman, and a black one at that, all he knew.

The tale is simply a traditional folk-lore story, founded on some peculiar natural phenomena, observed by some ancient priest in previous ages, and relates to the quick intimacy exhibited by the two Master Principles of creation when they are brought together, for Solomon is simply a personification of our Sulphur (still called "Sol"), while the Queen is Mercury (or Luna). She is Queen of Seven, because all phenomena in the "Castle," or Vase of Art, recur in cycles of seven days, thus establishing the law for the creation of the earth; and the "Sabba-th" (Saba and Sheba mean the same), as detailed in Genesis.

Observe what the Queen brings to Solomon: "A hundred and twenty talents of gold, a great store of spices and precious stones." (The number 120 is most s