When we come to examine the deep, philosophical principles of

such a wise system, we are almost astounded at the result of our

researches and the wisdom of human nature displayed in

formulating such perfect analogies of truth, semi-truth, and of

falsehood, according to the plane occupied by the individual.

Let us take one instance, which will clearly explain all the

rest, for they are built and formulated after the same model.

Aeneas, of Greek myths and fables, is reputed to be the son of

Venus by a MORTAL father, upon the plane of reality. As that of

actual PARENT and CHILD, of course this is an utter falsehood. To

the rural population of long, long ago, and their simple, rustic

conceptions, IT WAS A TRUTH.

Why so? Because they believed it, and to them it taught the

required lesson of obedience to the powers that be. But if in

reality it was a falsehood, how can it become a truth by the

simple addition of acceptance and belief? Because it possessed a

metaphysical truth, though not a physical one, in the sense

accepted.

Aeneas, son of Venus, whose history is so beautifully preserved

by the immortal Virgil, was (metaphysically speaking) son of the

goddess, because he was, in his astral and magnetic nature, ruled

and governed by Venus, born under one of her celestial signs and

when she was rising upon the ascendant of the House of Life, even

as Jesus Christos was born of a virgin, because Virgo was rising

at His birth.

Thus Aeneas was, in strict metaphysical reality, a son of Venus.

Having satisfied the rural mind, which thus, unconsciously,

accepts an absolute truth under a physical disguise, the

metaphysical thinker, the philosopher, also accepts the same

fable, knowing and realizing its more abstract truth,

But, again, we are met with the objection that such a truth is

only apparently a truth; i.e., on the plane of embodied

appearances, and naturally the question arises, where (if at all)

is the real truth of the mythos? That truth which is beyond the

mere metaphysical thinker and commonplace philosopher; the truth

which the Initiates recognize--where is it? That truth lies far

beyond the purview of Astro-Mythology. It is connected with the

center of angelic life. Sufficient here to say that, as there are

seven races of humanity, seven divisions to the human

constitution, seven active principles in Nature, typified by the

seven rays of the solar spectrum, so are there seven centers of

angelic life, corresponding to the seven planetary forces

formulated in "The Science of the Stars," and, as each one of us

must of necessity belong to one of the particular angelic centers

from which we originally emanated, the Initiate can see no reason

why AENEAS MAY NOT IN REALITY belong to that celestial vortex

represented by Venus upon the plane of material life. This being

the case, we see how beautiful the ancients' system of temple

worship must have been. The simple rustic, in reverence and awe,

accepting the gross and physical meaning--the only one possible

to his dark, sensuous mind. The scholar and philosopher bow their

wiser heads with equal humility, accepting with equally sincere

faith the more abstract form of the allegory; while on the other

hand, the priest and the Initiate, lifting their loftier souls

above the earth and its formulas of illusion and matter, accept

that higher and more spiritual application, which renders them

equally as sincere and devout as their less enlightened

worshipers. It is thus we find these astro-myths true for all

time, true in every age of the world, and EQUALLY TRUE OF ALL

NATIONS. And this is the real reason why we find every nation

under the Sun possessing clear traditions relating to the same

identical fables, under different names, which are simply

questions of nationality. And when mythologists, archaeologists,

and philologists once recognize the one central, cardinal truth,

they will cease to wonder why nations, so widely separated by

time and space, possess the same basic mythology. They will then

no longer attempt its explanation by impossible migrations of

races, carrying the rudiments with them. They will find that this

mythology was a complete science with the ancient sages, a

UNIVERSAL MYSTERY LANGUAGE, in which all could converse, and that

it descended from the Golden Age, when there was but ONE nation

on the face of the Earth, the descendants of which constituted

the basic nucleus of every race which has since had an existence.

In this light all is simple, clear, and easy to comprehend--all

is natural.

The astronomer-priests of the hoary past, when language was

figurative, and often pictorial, had recourse to a system of

symbols to express abstract truths and ideas. In order to impress

the minds of pupils with a true concept of the attributes of the

celestial forces, we call planets, they personified their powers,

qualities, and attributes. Just as the average mind of to-day

cannot conceive of Deity apart from personality, so did primitive

man clothe his ideas in actual forms, and in these

impersonations, they combined the nature of the celestial orb

with that of the zodiacal sign or signs, in which the planet

exerted its chief and most potent activities. For instance, the

planet Mars, whose chief constellation is Aries, was described as

a great warrior, mighty in battle, fierce in anger, fearless,

reckless, and destructive; while the mechanical and constructive

qualities were personified as Vulcan, who forged the thunderbolts

of Jove, built palaces for the gods, and made many useful and

beautiful articles. Then, again, we find that Pallas Athene was

the goddess of war and wisdom. She sprang from the head of Zeus.

Aries rules the head, and represents intelligence. Athene

overcame her brother Mars in war, which shows that intelligence

is superior to brute force and reckless courage.

Here, we see three different personages employed to express the

nature of the powers and phenomena produced. They were called

gods and goddesses. This was quite natural, as the planets of our

system are reflections of Divine principles. Esoterically, Mars

symbolizes strength, victory--attributes of Deity.

Mars is said to have married Venus, teaching us that the union of

skill and beauty are essential in all artistic work.

Mythology tells us that the god Mars was supposed to be the

father of Romulus, the reputed founder of Rome. Romulus displayed

many characteristics of the planet. The mythos is no doubt a

parallel to that of Aeneas. Rome was founded when the Sun in his

orbit had entered the sign Aries, and Mars was the god most

honored by the Romans. In time, with the degeneration of human

races and their worship, to the rural mind, the subjects of the

mythos became actual personalities, endowed with every human

passion and godlike attribute, the former characterizing the

discordant influence of the heavenly bodies upon man.

Gai, Rhea and Ceres, or Demeter (Greek), represent the triune

attributes of Mother Earth. Gai signifies the Earth as a whole,

Rhea the productive powers of the Earth, and Ceres utilizes and

distributes the productive forces of Rhea.

In the charming story of Eros (Divine Love), son of Mars and

Venus, he (Eros), we are told, brings harmony out of chaos. Here,

we see the action of Aries and Taurus, ruled respectively by Mars

and Venus.

The beautiful myth of Aphrodite, born of the sea foam, is Venus

rising out of the waters of winter, to shine resplendent in the

western skies at evening, and typifies the birth of forms, as all

organic forms have their origin in water.

In all lands the Sun was known under various names, typical of

solar energy, especially in reference to the equinoctial and

solstitial colures.

Henry Melville, in his valuable work, "Veritas," says no reliance

can be placed upon ancient dates, either of Europe, Asia, or

anywhere else, and he conclusively shows that such dates are

Astro-Masonic points on the celestial planisphere, the events

recorded being, as it were, terrestrial reflections of the

celestial symbols.

To attempt to wade through all the various systems of mythology,

and explain each in its proper order, would be to write a large

encyclopedia upon the subject. We have given a few examples as

keys, and suggest works for study. We have here given the real

key, and the student must fathom particulars for himself. The

chief work, and most valuable in its line, is Ovid's

"Metamorphoses." The next, also the most valuable in its line, is

"The Mythological Astronomy of the Ancients," with notes (these

latter are the gist and constitute the real value), by S. A.

Mackey; and last, and, perhaps, in some sense, not the least, is

the "Wisdom of the Ancients," by Lord Bacon. This is published in

"Bacon's Essays."

A careful study of Ovid, with the key which this chapter

supplies, will reveal ALL that pertains to ancient gods,

demi-gods, and heroes, while a study of Mackey, and a careful

comparison with "La Clef" and "La Clef Hermetique" will reveal

all that pertains to cosmic cycles and astral chronology, which

is the only chronology that is quite trustworthy, as far as

ancient history is concerned.

While we are on this subject, we must point out some of the

delusions, into which the subtle, magical teachings of the Orient

would lead the student.

All the monster sphinx, half human, half animal, etc., which the

ancients have preserved, are simply records of the past. They are

chronological tables of cosmic time, and relate to eras of the

past, of the Sun's motion, and not by any means to living

creatures of antediluvian creations, as some wiseacres have

imagined. Many of these ancient monuments, monstrous in form, are

records of that awful period of floods and devastation known as

the Iron Age, when there was a vertical Sun at the poles; or, in

other words, when the pole of the Earth was ninety degrees

removed from the pole of the ecliptic. To those who can read

aright, every lineament tells as plainly as the written word the

history of that awful past, marking the march of time, recording

the revolutions of the Sun in his orbit of 25,920 years, and

relating with wonderful accuracy the climatic changes, in their

latitudes, which took place with each revolution of the Sun and

corresponding motion of the Earth's pole of less than four

degrees. All the greater myths of the dim past were formulated to

express cosmic time, solar and polar motion, and the phenomena

resulting therefrom. These monuments of antiquity prove that, the

ancients knew a great deal more of the movements of heavenly

bodies and of our planet than modern astronomers credit them

with.

Madame Blavatsky, in her "Secret Doctrine," seriously states that

all these monstrous forms are the types of actual, once living

physical embodiments, and, with apparent sincerity, asserts that

the Adepts teach such insane superstitions.

Such, however, is not the case, neither is there anything true,

or even approaching the truth, in the cosmogony given in the work

in question.

And, lastly, we have but one more aspect of the grand old Astro-

Mythos to present to your notice. This aspect reveals the whole

of the ancient classification of WORK and LABOR, and gives us a

clear insight into the original designs, or pictorial

representations, of the twelve signs and the twelve months of the

year. It also clearly explains many things which are to-day

attributed to superstitious paganism.

As each month possesses its own peculiar season, so are, or were,

the various labors of the husbandman, and those of pastoral

pursuits, altered and diverted. Each month, then, bad a symbol

which denoted the physical characteristics of climate and the

temporal characteristics of work. As the Sun entered the sign, so

the temple rites varied in honor of the labors performed, and the

symbol thus became the object of outward veneration and worship.

So we see that the twelve signs, and principally the four

cardinal ones, became Deities, and the symbols sacred, but in

reality, it was the same Sun to which homage was paid.

There is a large sphere of study in this direction, as, of

course, each climate varied the symbol to suit its requirements.

In Egypt there were three months when the land was overflowed

with water; hence, they had only nine working months out of

doors, and from this fact sprang the Nine Muses, while the Three

Sirens represented the three months of inactivity in work, or

three months of pleasure and festivity.

Mackey tells us that the great leviathan mentioned in the Book of

job was the river Nile.

In nearly all mythologies, we find that the gods assembled on

some high mountain to take counsel. The Olympus of the Greeks and

Mount Zion of the Hebrew Bible mean the same, the Pole-Star; and

there, on the pictured planisphere, sits Cephus, the mighty Jove,

with one foot on the Pole-Star and all the gods gathered below

him. The Pole-Star is the symbol of the highest heaven.

With this we close, leaving the endless ramifications of this

deeply interesting subject to the student's leisure and personal

research, trusting the keys we have given in this chapter and

their careful study may induce the reader and student of these

pages to search out for himself the meaning concealed in all

Astro-Mythologies.

CHAPTER VI. SYMBOLISM

At this point of our study it is necessary to make a halt; and,

before proceeding further, to attempt to formulate and realize

that, which, so far, we have been pursuing.

First, then, we have passed in review the Zodiac, and then the

constellations. From this we mentally surveyed both

Astro-Theology and Astro-Mythology; and now, it is our first duty

to realize these in their real significance, and this consists in

a clear comprehension of the Grand Law of Correspondences.

What is this law? It is the law of symbolism, and symbolism,

rightly understood, is the one Divine language of Mother Nature,

a language wherein all can read, a language that defies the

united efforts of both time and space to obliterate it, for

symbolism will be the language of Nature as long as spirit

expresses itself to the Divine soul of man.

No matter where we turn nor where we look, there is spread out to

our view a vast panorama of symbolic forms for us to read. In

whatever form, angle, or color they present themselves, the true

student of Nature can interpret and understand their symbolic

language aright. It has been by the personification of Nature's

symbols, that man has become ignorant of their language. There is

no form, sound, nor color but what has its laws of expression;

and only a perfect knowledge of symbolism will enable man to know

the law, power, and meaning, lying behind such manifestations.

The law of expression is exact, and as unalterable as Deity

Himself. The physical senses cannot vibrate to these interior

forces, and through them, comprehend their law. The physical

senses vibrate to the spirit's expression, not to the powers,

forces, and laws, which brought them into objective existence.

Countless numbers of mystics, if such they deserve to be called,

among present-day students, speak and write very learnedly upon

the "Law of Correspondence," and few, if any, of them really

understand or know anything at all of that law. The intellect

alone cannot solve the problems of this law. It cannot grasp the

true, interior and spiritual meaning, except in just so far as

intellect is capable of externalizing them. The inmost spiritual

truths, that cannot be demonstrated to the outward senses, never

have, nor never will, appeal to any one who has not the interior

ability to comprehend them.

There was a time when men ruled by pure intellect, without its

accompanying other half, intuition: they were looked upon as

monstrosities. This state of purely intellectual development has

been brought about by the positive, masculine principle, reason,

absorbing its counterpart, the intuition, the feminine portion;

and the result, by correspondence, is as fatal as upon the

interior plane, where the positive, masculine soul denies the

existence of his mate; thus setting upon his throne, only a

portion of himself as his idol, and then, reasons himself into

the belief that he is complete. Love has been cast out, ignored

and forgotten until at last she departs, leaving a vacancy, that

eternity cannot fill.

This is somewhat similar to their illusive Devachan, an ideal, a

mere mystical sentiment to gush over, but a something they do not

in reality comprehend. Therefore, we shall do our utmost to

explain this universal law, and to point out wherein its first

principles are manifest. Once these are mastered, the Golden Rule

will explain all the rest: "As it is below, so it is above; as on

the earth, so in the sky."

Here, then, is our first lesson on the subject of REALITY, which

constitutes the Hermetic science of Correspondences.

First, realize that a line or an angle, for instance, is

something more than its mere mathematical outline. It corresponds

to some power, force, or principle within the great Anima-Mundi

of the mysteries, that are trying to find expression, in their

evolutionary journey, in forms. Let us illustrate our meaning. A

point or dot is what? Well, externally it is the alpha of all

mathematics. It is the first finite manifestation of the

spiritual force. Within that dot lies concealed, in embryo, all

the future possibilities of the manifesting principle.

This dot or point is a something to begin with, a form

externalized, from which all future forms may spring forth, and

they may be infinite, both in number and variety. First a

primary, simple idea, from which all ideas and thoughts,

intricate and complex, have their being.

A point extended is a straight line, scientifically expressed

(whereas in real truth there is no such thing as a straight

line); that is to say, it is a form increased or multiplied by

itself, and therefore, is an extension in space that can be

measured, and each extension means a new form, an additional

symbol. It has taken on new aspects, new relations, hence

contains the second principle of mathematics, so to say; but,

besides being points, THEY ARE SYMBOLS. They are principles in

Nature as clearly related to each other as the leaf and the stem

of plant life.

Each monad, or point in the universe, is the beginning of

something; equally so, it is also the termination of its own

forces in that particular action, and will remain inert until it

becomes acted upon by something else.

A point, then, is a primary, simple idea, a straight line. An

angle is the same idea, rendered greater and more complex, and

refers to the same forces upon a different plane, and the more we

multiply the angles the more complex and far-reaching becomes the

symbol and the more numerous and diverse become its planes of

action. Here we will introduce an example. A trine represents

three forces or angles, and, when united, form a trinity, hence

harmony. Its apex (when above) is celestial, therefore represents

the male forces of spirit.

A trine reversed also represents the same forces, with its apex

in matter, hence it is negative. In these two complex ideas,

clearly represented by these symbols, we have ALL matter and

spirit; and yet they are but extensions of our point in space,

rendered far-reaching and complex, by the position and the number

of angles presented.

Let us turn the key once again, and we find that, both spirit and

matter possess the same outline in their primal concept, except

reversed (polarized).

Let us unite these two trines, and we have a still more potent

form; a symbol almost infinitely complex. We have spirit and

matter united, or, rather, three rays of force, positive, meeting

three rays of force, negative, at a given point. Thus we have six

points, also six sides, the ultimate of which is a cube. All are

now equal. It is the first force of a crystallization (creation)

of matter.

Once again let us turn the key, and we have our two conceptions

in a metaphysical sense; the trine with its apex above is as the

trine with its apex below, both the same in form, yet vibrating

to very different planes, and a very different language is

required to read and interpret their meaning aright. The

spiritual, or the trine with its apex above, draws its influence

from the celestial, and as it condenses and takes on form in the

trine of matter, it transmits this same Divine force through its

apex, which points below, to matter. The double trine is found

upon every plane, obeying the Divine Law of Correspondences.

It is, in this sense, called "Solomon's Seal," because it is the

grand hieroglyphic of the Hermetic law: "As it is above, so it is

below; as on the Earth, so in the sky."

To continue this line of reasoning, or speculation, let us say,

would lead us beyond the firm basis of human reason; it would

escape the grasp of intellect, to which I am compelling this

course of instruction to bend, but it would never take us beyond

the real limits of the universe; yet, not to extend our

investigations, we would ever remain in the lower trine, in the

realms of effects, and lose sight entirely of the trine of

spirit, from whence originated the force and potency in the form

of matter.

Therefore it is, that the science of Symbolism has been evolved

and formulated. The symbols, the manifestations, are ever

present, and the study of effects will, to a developed soul,

suggest the cause, the nature of the principle back of it, as

well as the law which would produce such effects. Such is the

science of symbolism; and it bounds and binds back into a

religio-philosophical system, each class of symbols and each

plane of manifestation; as securely as modern savants have

defined the province of chemistry, magnetism, and mathematics;

and, so far, these bounds are useful. But it is only a question

of time and space, after all, because, when resolved back, or,

let us say, evolved up into their abstract principles; chemistry,

magnetism, and mathematics, are purely arbitrary terms to express

special features of the same one eternal thing or science--which

is EXISTENCE; and it, in turn, is CONSCIOUSNESS; not that

external consciousness of existence, not that knowledge and love

of living, but that interior, conscious knowledge, which tells us

why and how we exist, by what force and power we are sustained

and permitted to obey and carry out the law of mediumship,

reception and transmission, attraction and repulsion, spiritual

and material, that ultimately blend and become as one, the double

trine, and, united with the Divine Ego of its being, becomes

complete; seven, the perfected number of form.

The sum total, then, of all, and the value it may possess to the

individual, is measured by his ability to perceive; for there is

nothing external that is not in some sense mental, and there is

nothing mental that is not in some sense spiritual. The sides of

the triangle, physical, mental, and spiritual, and the apex where

meet the mental and spiritual, forms the center of contact to

higher trines in realms above.

Where mind is not, there are no symbols, no ideas, no

manifestations. The spirit has not yet reached that point in its

evolutionary journey where it can yet crystallize its projected

force, power, or ideas, into forms; for everything that is, is

the outcome of Divine thought, and expresses within itself the

symbol of its being. This is the arcana of the Law of

Correspondences.

Remember the above teaching, because upon its full comprehension

rests the ability to read symbols aright. It will aid the soul to

fully realize that, the vast universe is but the mental image of

the Creator; that there is no such thing as manifested existence

apart from mind; and consequently, the infinite worlds that float

securely in space, blushing and scintillating with light of life

and love of the Father, revealing to mortal minds some faint

conception of the awful resources and recesses within Nature's

star-making laboratory, are but the scintillating reflection of

life, the reactions of mental phenomena. So, too, with the mental

creative powers of the mind of man, for, not a vibration that

proceeds from his every thought but what creates its

correspondence in the creative realm of spirit. Hence, symbolism

continues giving to the soul of man, throughout eternity, food

for thought and contemplation.

All symbols, then, are objectified ideas, whether human or

Divine; and as such possess a real meaning; and this meaning is

altered, extended and rendered more complex with every additional

thing or influence by which we find it surrounded, or with which,

we find it correlated. For instance, $1.00 means one dollar; add

six ciphers to the left 0000001., and it is still the same $1.00,

and no more, because their position is previous, or before, the

1. But add the same number of ciphers to the right, $1,000000,

and lo! we find a wondrous change of force, power, and

consequence. We see all the mighty power of our million of money,

and the possibilities and responsibilities with which, in these

days, it becomes associated.

So it is with everything else in Nature. Man pays the penalty by

increased responsibility, for every step in knowledge that be

takes, as well as every dollar in gold be procures. Dollars, as

well as talents, have to be accounted for, and their usefulness

increased tenfold. The dollars must not be buried nor hoarded any

more than our talents, but each, unfolded and doubled, so that we

may be instrumental in helping our coworkers in their upward

path, in the Cycle of Necessity. Knowledge is the basic

foundation in reading Nature's language. Purity of thought, truth

in motive, and unselfish benevolence, will lift the veil that now

lies between the two trines, cause and effect, spirit and matter.

We have given the key and explained the alphabet of this wondrous

law; therefore we close. Each must, by the same rules, work out

the special links in the chain for him or herself. The angle from

which each take their view determines the reading and

interpretation of the symbols presented, whether that be from the

apex, the sides or the base, for every symbol has its trinity in

principles and form. Cause and effect are but the action and

reaction; the result is the symbol which reveals the

correspondence of both.

CHAPTER VII. ALCHEMY--PART I

What a weird yet strangely pleasing name the term Alchemy is. It

is simple, yet so infilled and intermixed with the possible

verities of exact science and the philosophical speculations on

the infinite and the unknown, as to elude our mental grasp, as it

were, by its own subtle essence, and defy the keenest analysis of

our profoundest generalizers in science. And yet, in spite of

this self-evident truth, how fascinating the sound of the word

becomes to the mystic student's ear, and bow pregnant with awful

and mysterious possibilities it becomes, to the immortal powers

embodied within the complex human organism termed man.

Words, if we but knew it, have the same innate, magnetic

influence, and possess the same power of affinity and antipathy,

that the human family possesses; as well as all organic and

inorganic forms and substances; and how sad, to a developed soul,

to witness the inharmony existing in our midst, caused by the

misapplication of names.

Most human beings are very conscious of personal, or human

magnetism, and its effects. But they stop right there, and do not

dream of the subtle, silent influences emanating from a name, a

word, and the power existing in words, when properly used. The

human mind is so absorbed in Nature's manifestations, which are

only the husks, that they fail to see the true, hidden meaning

and realities, concealed beneath the material shell.

We will first notice the meaning of the words which constitute

our subject, viz., Alchemy, then give a brief review of its

physical correspondence, chemistry, and its true relation to its

spiritual counterpart, Alchemy.

"Al" and "Chemy" are Arabic-Egyptian words which have much more

in them than appears upon the surface, and possess a far

different meaning from the one which the terms usually convey to

the average mind. Terms, and the ideas we associate with them,

vary according to the age in which we live. So with those, from

which the word Alchemy is derived.

Let us penetrate beneath the mere verbal husk with which

linguistic usage and convenience have clothed them, and which, in

the course of ages, has become nothing but the dross of

decomposed verbiage, and see if we can excavate the living germ,

that has become buried within. If we can do so, we shall, at the

commencement of our study, have attained unto a realization of

the ancient meaning and real significance of the terms employed.

And this will be no small gain, and will form no unimportant part

of the equipment in our present research.

The Arabians, who derived the whole of their Occult arcana from

the Egyptians, are the most likely to render us the most truthful

and direct significance of the word, and so we find them. Thus,

"Al," meaning "the," and Kimia," which means the hidden, or

secret, ergo THE OCCULT, from which are derived our modern term

Alchemy, more properly Al Kimia. This is very different from the

popular conception to-day, which supposes that the word relates

to the art of artificially making gold by some chemical process,

and viewing it only as some sort of magical chemistry, forgetting

that, the science of chemistry itself is also derived from the

Kimia of Arabian mystics, and was considered as one and the same

thing by every writer of the Middle Ages.

At this time, the physical man was not so dense and grasping for

husks; hence the soul and spiritual part had greater control, and

could impart the real, the alchemical side, of Nature to him;

hence the Law of Correspondences was understood, and guided the

educated in their considerations, researches, and conclusions.

Do you ask why, if they were so enlightened, they have veiled

their knowledge from the world at large?

The power of mind over matter was as potent in those days as now,

and the masses were as correspondingly corrupt as they are today.

Therefore, to put this knowledge into the hands of the multitude

would have been generally disastrous. So they wrote it in

mystical language, knowing that all educated students in Nature's

laws, at that time, would understand; yet they little dreamed how

much their language would be misunderstood in the centuries to

follow, by those who look to their ancient ancestry for aid on

subjects that have become at the present day so lost in mystery.

Having ascertained, beyond question, that Alchemy was, and

consequently is, the secret science of Occultism--not the

philosophy, mind you, but the science; let us proceed, for, we

shall find that these two aspects may often differ, or appear to

differ, widely from each other, though they can never do so in

reality, for the latter produces and establishes the facts, while

the former occupies itself in their tabulation and deductions.

The science constitutes the foundation, and the philosophy, the

metaphysical speculations, which rest thereon. If these important

distinctions are borne in mind, all the apparent confusion,

contradiction, and other intellectual debris, will either

disappear or resolve themselves into their own proper groups, so

that we may easily classify them.

It is at this very point, that, so many students go astray amid

the labyrinths of science and philosophy. They, unconsciously, so

mix and intermingle the two terms, that nine-tenths of the

students present only one side of the question--philosophy, which

soon runs into theory, if not supported by the science, which

they have lost in their volumes of philosophy.

You may say, one subject at a time. Yes, this may be true, if its

twin brother is not absorbed and forgotten.

In this chapter, we shall deal especially with organic Alchemy.

Organic Alchemy deals exclusively with living, organic things,

and in this connection differs from the Alchemy of inorganic

matter. These two aspects may, in this one respect, be compared

to organic and inorganic chemistry, to which originally they

belonged; as astrology did to astronomy. Alchemy and

astrology--twin sisters--were the parents of the modern

offspring, known in chemistry and astronomy as exact science.

These latter, however, deal with shadows and phenomenal

illusions, while the former concern the living realities, which

produce them. Therefore, there can be "no new thing under the

sun," saith Solomon.

First, let us deal with the most lovely form of our art, that

which pertains to the floral and vegetable kingdoms. Every flower

or blade of grass, every tree of the forest and stagnant weed of

the swamp, is the outcome of, and ever surrounded by, its

corresponding degree of spiritual life. There is not a single

atom but what is the external expression of some separate, living

force, within the spaces of Aeth, acting in unison with the

dominant power corresponding with the type of life.

If science could only behold this wonderful laboratory within the

vital storehouse of Nature, she would no longer vainly seek for

THE ORIGIN OF LIFE, nor wonder, what may have become of the

missing link in scientific evolution, because, she would quickly

realize that, biogenesis is the one grand truth of both animate

and inanimate Nature, the central, living source of which is God.

Science would also, further realize that, this biune life is ever

in motion throughout the manifested universe; circulating around

the focii of creative activities, which we term suns, stars, and

planets, awaiting the conditions which are ever present for

material incarnation; and under all possible combinations of

circumstances and conditions, conceivable and inconceivable,

adapting itself to continuous phenomenal expression. Links, so

called, in this mighty chain of evolution, may appear to be

missing here and there, and, for that matter, whole types may

seem to be wanting, but, this is only because of our imperfect

perception, and, in any case, can make no real difference with

the facts, because, if such be a reality, if there be what we may

term MISSING LINKS in the scheme of evolution, it only shows that

spirit, although associated with, is ever independent of matter.

But matter--what is to become of it? Is it independent of spirit?

The kindness of the Divine spirit heeds not the unconscious mind

of matter and its boasted independence, and works silently on,

and at last, accomplishes its mission--the evolution of matter,

the uplifting of the soul of man, as well as the universe. The

blindness of man is dense, and the saddest part to admit is that,

they will so stubbornly remain so.

If, for one instant, the penetrating eye of the soul could shine

forth through the physical orbs of vision, and imprint the

scenes, beheld behind the veil, upon the tablets of the brain of

the physical organism, a fire would be kindled that, could never

be quenched by the fascinating allurements of the material,

perishable things, of matter.

That development of the real atom of biune life can, and does, go

forward, irrespective of the gradation of physical types, needs

no convincing proof, other than visible Nature.

MAN IS NOT THE OUTCOME OF PHYSICAL EVOLUTION, and produced by a

series of blind laws, that lead him upward from protozoa to man,

as a child climbs up stairs, advancing regularly, ONE STEP AS A

TIME. This latter conception, we know, is the theory of exact

science, but not of Alchemy, not of the science of Occultism.

Man, according to Wallace, Darwin, Huxley, and Tyndall, is what

progressive stages of physical evolution have made him. But the

very reverse is true. The fauna and flora of past geological

periods are what the human soul has produced, by virtue of its

gradual advancement to higher states and conditions of life, so

that, so far from man being the outcome of the planet's

development, such material progress is the outgrowth of man's

advancement, proving again that, matter is not independent of

spirit, neither can spirit be independent of matter for its

expressions. They so interblend that, the dividing line cannot be

detected by the untrained eye of the exact scientist. But, that

time is not far distant, when the scientists will prepare and

evolve their interior being to take up the spiritual thread,

exactly where the visible thread ends, and carry forth the work,

as far as the mortal mind of man can penetrate, while embodied in

the physical form.

God hasten this day is my prayer, for then man will become more

spiritual and aspiring for advancement and knowledge, thus,

setting up vibrations that will create higher and loftier

conditions for the physical man. Aye! then they will know that,

even the birth of the world itself, owes its primal genesis to

the desire of the human atom for earthly embodiment.

Here is where exact science, or the counterpart of Alchemy,

becomes both profitable and helpful. Says Paracelsus: "The true

use of chemistry is not to make gold, but to prepare medicines."

He admits four elements--the STAR, the ROOT, the ELEMENT and the

SPERM. These elements were composed of the three principles,

SIDERIC SALT, SULPHUR, and MERCURY. Mercury, or spirit, sulphur,

or oil, and salt, and the passive principles, water and earth.

Herein we see the harmony of the two words, Alchemy and

Chemistry. One is but the continuation of the other, and they

blend so into each other that, they are not complete, apart.

The chemist, in his analysis of the various component parts of

any form of matter, knows also the proportional combinations; and

thus, by the Law of Correspondence, could, by the same use of the

spiritual laws of Alchemy, analyze and combine the same elements

from the atmosphere, to produce the corresponding expression of

crystallized form. By the same laws, are affinities and

antipathies discovered and applied, in every department of

Nature's wonderful laboratory.

Chemistry is the physical expression of Alchemy, and any true

knowledge of chemistry is:--not the knowing of the names of the

extracts and essences, and the plants themselves, and that

certain combinations produce certain results, obtained from blind

experiments, yet, prompted by the Divine spirit within; but,

knowledge born from knowing the why and wherefore of such

effects. What is called the oil of olives is not a single, simple

substance, but it is more or less combined with other essential

elements, and will fuse and coalesce with other oils and essences

of similar nature. The true chemist will not confine his

researches for knowledge to the mere examination, analysis, and

experiments, in organic life; but will inform himself equally, in

physical astrology; and learn the nature, attributes, and

manifested influences of the planets, that constitute our

universe; and, under which, every form of organic matter is

subject, and especially, controlled by. Then, by learning the

influence of the planets upon the human family; and that special

planetary vibration that influences the individual; he can

intelligently and unerringly administer medicines to remove

disease in man.

A familiarity with the mere chemical relations of the planet to

man, makes still more apparent, the mutual affinity of both to

the soil, from which they appear to spring, and to which, they

ultimately return; so much so that, we have become conscious,

that, the food we eat is valuable or otherwise as a life

sustainer, in proportion to the amount of life it contains. We

are so complex in our organization that, we require a great

variety of the different elements to sustain all the active

functions and powers within us. Man, being a microcosm, or a

miniature universe, must sustain that universe, by taking into

the system the various elements, which combine to make up the

Infinite Universe of God. Animal flesh is necessary to certain

organized forms, both animal and man. When I say necessary, I do

not mean an acquired taste and habit of consuming just so much

flesh a day; but a constitution, which would not be complete in

its requirements, without animal flesh. I am thankful such do not

constitute the masses.

Science would say, you only require certain combinations of

oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon, to sustain all the

activities of the physical body. Apparently, this is true. Upon

the surface it is, but in reality it is not; because if it were

really true there could be no famines. Science could make bread

out of stones, as was suggested at the temptation of Christ in

the wilderness. And yet, no one knows better than the academies

of Science, themselves, that their learned professors would

quickly starve to death, if they were compelled to produce their

food from the chemical properties of the rocks. They can make a

grain of wheat chemically perfect, but they cannot make the

invisible germ by which it will grow, become fruitful, and

reproduce itself. They can reproduce from the stones in the

street the same chemical equivalents that go to compose gluten,

albumen, and starch--the trinity which must always be present to

sustain life; but they cannot, by any known process, make such

chemical equivalents of these substances, do the same thing. Now,

if not, why not? Science cannot answer this. A very mysterious

shake of the head and profound silence is the only answer. Ask

Science HOW THE PLANT GROWS, what causes the atoms of matter to

build up root, stem, leaf, bud and flower, true to the parent

species from which the germinal atom came. What is there behind

the plant that stamps it with such striking individuality? And

why, from the same soil, the deadly aconite and nutritious

vegetable can grow, each producing qualities in harmony with its

own nature, so widely different in their effects upon the human

organism, YET, SO COMPLETELY IDENTICAL AS REGARDS THE SOURCE FROM

WHICH THEY APPEAR TO SPRING. There must be a something to account

for this, and this something, ancient Alchemy alone can

scientifically reveal and expound; and, this knowledge lies just

beyond that line which calls a halt to material scientists, and

says: "You can go no farther; this is beyond your purview. The

end of the material thread has been reached, and unless you can

connect it with the thread of the next plane, your researches

must stop."

Before entering upon and answering these vital questions, we must

digress a little, and make ourselves perfectly familiar with the

ideas and revelations of advanced physical science upon the

subject, and for this purpose no more trustworthy guide can be

consulted than the new edition of "The Chemistry of Common Life,"

by the late James F. W. Johnson, M. A., England, and revised by

Arthur Herbert Church, M. A. In chapter IV on page 56 of this

work, upon the anatomy of plant life, we read:

"How interesting it is to reflect on the minuteness of the organs

by which the largest plants are fed and sustained. Microscopic

apertures in the leaf suck in gaseous food from the air; the

surfaces of microscopic hairs suck a liquid food from the soil.

We are accustomed to admire, with natural and just astonishment,

how huge, rocky reefs, hundreds of miles in length, can be built

up by the conjoined labors of myriads of minute zoophytes,

laboring together on the surface of a coral rock; but it is not

less wonderful that, by the ceaseless working of similar

microscopic agencies in leaf and root, the substance of vast

forests should be built up and made to grow before our eyes. It

is more wonderful, in fact; for whereas, in the one case, the

chief result is that, dead matter extracted from the sea is

transformed into a dead rock; in the other, the lifeless matter

of the earth and air are converted by these minute plant-builders

into living forms, lifting their heads aloft to the sky, waving

with every wind that blows, and beautifying whole continents with

the varying verdure of their ever-changing leaves."

Further on in the same chapter, on pages 62-3, the same eloquent

writer continues:

"But the special chemical changes that go on within the plant,

could we follow them, would appear not less wonderful than the

rapid production of entire microscopic vegetables from the raw

food contained in the juice of the grape. It is as yet altogether

incomprehensible, even to the most refined physiological

chemistry, how, from the same food taken in from the air, and

from generally similar food drawn up from the soil, different

plants, and different parts of plants, should be able to extract

or produce substances so very different from each other in

composition and in all of their properties. From the seed-vessels

of one (the poppy) we collect a juice which dries up into our

commercial opium; from the bark of another (cinchona) we extract

the quinine with which we assuage the raging fever; from the

leaves of others, like those of hemlock and tobacco, we distil

deadly poisons, often of rare value for their medicinal uses. The

flowers and leaves of some yield volatile oils, which we delight

in for their odors and their aromatic qualities; the seeds of

others give fixed oils, which are prized for the table or use in

the arts * * * These, and a thousand other similar facts, tell us

how wonderfully varied are the changes which the same original

forms of matter undergo in the interior of living plants. Indeed,

whether we regard the vegetable as a whole, or examine its

minutest part, we find equal evidence of the same diversity of

changes and of the same production, in comparatively minute

quantities, of very different, yet often characteristic forms of

matter."

From the whole of the foregoing, we observe the exact position to

be the one we have previously stated. If such wondrous things can

be revealed to us through the physical science of chemistry, what

think you must be hidden from our physical sight and knowledge by

the veil which hangs between matter and spirit? Think you not, it

is worth the effort to penetrate beyond that point where the atom

disappears from the view of the scientist?

If plants produce such wonderful phenomena in their life and

influence, what must the Divine organism of man have concealed

within his microscopic universe, to study and comprehend? Plant

life is merely the alphabet of the complex, intricate, and

multitudinous processes, going on in the human body.

And, as the mechanical microscope of physical science cannot

reveal the why and the wherefore, let us, for a brief moment,

disclose some of the wonders that declare their existence, when

subjected to the penetrating alchemical lens, of the inward

spirit. The first thing that intrudes itself upon our notice, by

virtue of its primary importance, is the grand fact of

biogenesis--life emanating from life. We perceive every external

form to be the physical symbol of a corresponding degree of

spiritual life; that each complete plant represents a complete

cycle, state, or degree of interior existence; that it is made up

and consists of countless millions of separate atoms of life;

that these atoms of spiritual activity are the real instigators

of the life and motion of corresponding material atoms; that they

ever obey the Divine impulse of co-operative unity, in their

chemical, as well as their spiritual affinity. Consequently,

everything in the form of material substance must be, and is, but

the means for the phenomenal expression of incarnating spirit;

the organism of man, a tree, a plant, or an animal, being no

exception to this Divine, omnipresent law of creative life.

To the true Alchemist there can be no mystery surrounding the

wonderful phenomena mentioned in the work we have quoted, in

plants extracting from the same rocks, soil, and air, qualities

so manifestly different--deadly poisons, healing balsams, and

pleasant aromas, or the reverse, from the same identical plant

foods. Nothing is more wonderful or mysterious, than, the same

alchemical processes, which, are hourly being enacted within our

own bodies. From the same breath of air and the same crust of

bread do we concoct the blood, the bile, the gastric juice, and

various other secretions; and distil the finer nervous fluids,

that go to build up and sustain the whole of our mental and

dynamic machinery. It is the same ancient story of the atoms;

each part and each function endowing the same inorganic chemicals

with their own spiritual, magnetic, and physical life-qualities,

by what appears, to the uninitiated observer, a miraculous

transmutation of matter, but which is, in reality, the evolution

of organic form from inorganic materials, in obedience to the

Divine law of spiritual progression. Who could stop with exact

science? For, when we come to consider the apparent mysteries of

life and growth by the aid of this alchemical light, the shadows

flee, and all the illusions of Nature's phenomenal kaleidoscope

vanish before the revelation of the underlying spiritual

realities. We know that the plant, being the physical expression

upon the material plane of a more interior life, endows its

outward atoms with their peculiar qualities. THESE QUALITIES ARE

NOT DRAWN DIRECTLY FROM THE SOIL; the soil only becoming the

medium for their complete or incomplete expression, as the case

may be; i.e., supplying the necessary inorganic atoms. Hence, the

deadly qualities of aconite, and the generous life-sustaining

qualities of the nutritious vegetable, BEING SPIRITUAL LIFE

ENDOWMENTS, conveyed to the material substance, abstracted from

the soil and withdrawn from the atmosphere, are no mystery; their

effect upon the human organism being exactly that, which is

produced by their spiritual affinity or antipathy, as the case

may be. And this also shows and explains, why purely inorganic

chemical atoms, though they be exactly the same as the organic

substances, from a strictly scientific standpoint, YET FAIL TO

SUPPORT LIFE, because such chemical equivalents lack the organic

spirituality of the interior life, which alone, gives them the

power and function to support the same. They fail to fulfill the

requirements of the alchemical law of life for the support of

life--in other words, biogenesis.

And, too, this inorganic life may be parted from the plant or

vegetable, if it be too long severed from the medium which

transmits the spiritual life, from the inorganic world to that of

organic matter. Vegetables, fresh from the ground, or parent

stem, retain this life if at once prepared for food, if not

overcooked, which is so often ignorantly done. This is the secret

of sustenance from foods. Nature's perfected fruits and

vegetables are overflowing with the life-giving essences, and, if

eaten direct from the tree or parent stem, that life is not lost,

but transmitted to our organisms, and replenishes the wasting

system with a living life. Much less of such food is required to

completely satisfy and nourish the body than if the life had

partly departed or been destroyed.

Briefly stated, then, everything within organic Nature is the

expressional symbolic manifestation of spirit; every form being a

congregation of innumerable atoms of life, revealing their

presence in material states; each organic form, or, rather,

organism, evolving under the central control of some dominating

Deific atom or soul, which, by virtue of past incarnations and

labors in its cycle of evolution, from the mineral up to man, has

achieved the royal prerogative to rule within its own state. Man

being the highest representative form--the grand finale in the

earthly drama--sums up and contains within himself everything

below, and THE GERMS OF EVERYTHING BEYOND, THIS STATE. He is

truly a microcosm, and represents in miniature the grand Cosmic

Man of the Heavens. Every living force beneath him corresponds to

some state, part, or function, which he has graduated through and

conquered, and which, in him, has now become embodied, as a part

of his universal kingdom. Consequently, all things are directly

related to him, in the grand universal unity of spiritual life.

This cannot be realized and comprehended by the physical man, nor

conveyed to his outer senses by the physical sciences. He must

bring into active use the inner man, the real being, which

inhabits and controls the outer organism, and through its

instrumentality, understand the interior source and workings

behind the phenomena of manifested being. So we see that, exact

science cannot take us far, yet, it is a mighty factor, in the

evolution of the microcosm Man, and in consciously relating him

to the Infinite Macrocosm--God, Spirit, All.

CHAPTER VIII. ALCHEMY-PART II

Paracelsus, the most celebrated of the alchemists of the Middle

Ages, thus mystically speaks of his art:

"If I have manna in my constitution, I can attract manna from

heaven. Melissa is not only in the garden, but also in the air

and in heaven. Saturn is not only in the sky, but also deep in

the ocean and Earth. What is Venus but the artemisia that grows

in your garden, and what is iron but the planet Mars? That is to

say, Venus and Artemisia are both products of the same essence,

while Mars and iron are manifestations of the same cause. What is

the human body but a constellation of the same powers that formed

the stars in the sky? He who knows Mars knows the qualities of

iron, and he who knows what iron is knows the attributes of Mars.

What would become of your heart if there were no Sun in the

Universe? What would be the use of your 'Vasa Spermatica'[*] if

there were no Venus? To grasp the invisible elements, to attract

them by their material correspondences, to control, purify, and

transmute, them by the ever-moving powers of the living

spirit--this is true Alchemy."

[*] Astral germs of subjective life forms:--it is the latent, "to

be".

Thus, in a very few simple words, we find this master of the art

revealing the whole arcana of that mysterious science, which has

for its chief object and goal, the discovery of the

"philosopher's stone," which confers upon its fortunate possessor

the blessings of immortal youth. Therefore, we cannot possibly do

better in the commencement of our present study than, to minutely

examine each particular sentence and endeavor to discover his

true meaning, which, like all mystical writing, is so apparent,

yet cunningly concealed, as to excite the student's admiration.

"If I have manna in my constitution, I can attract manna from

Heaven." The manna here spoken of does not specify any particular

thing, but is of universal application, and is simply used as an

unknown quantity, like x, y, z in mathematics. But, ever since

the days of Paracelsus, half-initiated mystics and bookworm

occultists, have endeavored to discover what this manna really

was. Some, the more spiritual, were of the opinion that, it was

spiritual power, or purity of spirit; others imagined it to mean

special magnetic qualifications, similar in nature to the

so-called gifts of modern spiritualistic media. The concealment

of the truth is unique, and consists in its very simplicity; and,

when correctly expounded, should read: "I am the microcosm, and

all the visible and invisible universe dwells within me, so that

whatsoever power I have in my constitution, I can attract its

correspondence from Heaven." Paracelsus must have smiled to

himself when he wrote "If I have manna," etc., because his whole

writings strive to prove man the miniature of Deity. Further

along, he explains himself by pointing out the real Law of

Correspondence, thus: "Melissa is not only in the garden, but

also in the air, and in Heaven. Saturn is not only in the sky,

but also deep in the ocean, and Earth." The illustrations are

beautiful, The life of the plant, the "anima floralis," pervades

the atmosphere and the interior states of spiritual life, where

it becomes in the highest degree beautiful, and beneficial to the

soul. A reference upon this point to "The Light of Egypt" Vol.,

I, may not be considered out of place. Upon page 74 it is

written: "The flower that blooms in beauty, breathing forth to

the air its fragrance, which is at once grateful to the senses

and stimulating to the nerves, is a perfect specimen of Nature's

faultless mediumship. The flower is a medium for the transmission

to the human body of those finer essences, and of THEIR SPIRITUAL

PORTION TO THE SOUL; for the aroma of the flower is spiritualized

to such a degree as to act upon the life currents of the system,

imparting to the spiritual body a nutriment of the finest

quality."

Thus, here is where the knowledge of the alchemical attributes of

plants, as applicable to man, can be most beneficially utilized.

Plants and flowers, whose attributes and aromas harmonize with

the complex organism of man, should be selected for the house and

garden, for, they are mediums to transmit the finer essences and

aromas to the spiritual constitution of man; the plant to the

physical, and the aromas and essences of the flowers to the soul.

Antipathies in plants and flowers would bring a similar evil

influence, as the discords of the antagonistic human magnetism.

It would not be so apparent, but more subtle, yet nevertheless

effective in result.

Our attention is next drawn to the planet Saturn, which, we are

informed, is not only shining in his starry sphere of the

heavens, but is also buried in the ocean depths and embodied in

the stratas of the earth. It is almost needless to add that, our

author refers to those substances naturally Saturnine in their

quality of life and expression, such as lead, clay, and coal,

among the minerals, and various deadly plants among the flora,

the chief of which is the aconite or monkshood, so significant of

Saturn and the isolated, monkish hermit. After some repetition,

in order to impress the truth of correspondences, our author

exclaims: "What is the human body but a constellation of the same

powers that formed the stars in the sky?" Truly, what else? for,

"he who knows Mars knows the qualities of iron, and he who knows

what iron is knows the attributes of Mars." Could anything be

plainer? We think not.

From the foregoing, which a long experience and much critical

investigation and research have demonstrated as true, we cannot

avoid the conclusion that Alchemy, equally as well as every other

science, religion, or system of philosophy formulated by man,

resolves itself, ultimately, in all its final conclusions, into

the one universal parent of all wisdom.

ASTROLOGY, the Science of the Stars, in unison with the Science

of the Soul, was, and still is, the one sublime center of real

learning. It constituted the sacred fountain of living waters,

from whose placid depths there rayed forth the Divine revelations

of man, his whence, where, and whither; and under the careful

conservation of a long line of gifted seers, it shone forth to

the sons of men, as the sacred Hermetic light in the

Astro-Masonic wisdom of Egypt's ancient priesthood.

It is not lost to us to-day. The same book lies open before us

that faced our ancient forefathers. It is standing out clear and

distinct, waiting to be read by the sons of men. We can learn its

language, and from its pages, we ourselves can read our relation

to God and our fellowman. Shall we not heed the whispering

intuitions of the soul and place ourselves in conscious rapport

with the whole?

This sublime Book of Wisdom was written by God Himself, to convey

to His children the knowledge of His powers, attributes, and

relation to all creative life. We cannot see that Divine Spirit

which we call God. No; but as long as the finite form exists as

such, we will have the spirit's manifestations to learn from.

Never will the Book of God be closed to the searching eye of the

soul. There will always be presented to his vision lessons to

study, and practical experiments to perform, to lead the soul

into deeper mysteries. Until man fathoms his own universe, he

cannot understand God. "Know thyself" is as applicable to-day as

when the famous, immortal and mystic utterance was inscribed on

the porch of the temple at Delphi.

Before this wonderful, divinely elaborated, but complex system

can be fully realized, it is necessary that the student should

comprehend, very distinctly, the two states of existence, the

internal and the external, and become familiar with the laws of

correspondences. And it seems strange that of all Sciences, that

of medicine should have so completely failed to grasp this living

truth, since every atom of medicine administered, invariably acts

upon this alchemical principle. When the human organism has

become discordant in some of its parts, it is because the

interstellar vibrations have aroused various states within the

human kingdom into a condition of rebellion against the supreme

will. Man's ignorance favors such seditious movements, and his

general habits and code of morals stimulate them to undue

activity. The final result is disease--disorganization of the

parts and functions, and those medicines corresponding TO THE

SAME FUNCTIONAL DEGREE OF LIFE WITHIN THE GRAND MAN, cure the

disorder, when administered properly and IN TIME, whereas, if

given to the perfectly healthy organism, THE ATOMS PRODUCE

SIMILAR SYMPTOMS TO THE DISEASES THEY ALLEVIATE, because it is

their mission to either subdue or be subdued, and when disease

prevails the medicinal atoms, acting in unison with the natural

parts and functions they affect, conquer or subdue the inharmony,

and vice versa, as before stated. In all cases of disease and

medicine, it is a simple question of A WAR BETWEEN THE ATOMS,

and, therefore, the most potential forces within Nature are

always at the command of the true Alchemist, because he knows bow

and when to select his fighting forces, and when to set them in

motion, for the best results.

Hahnemann, the founder of the Homeopathic system, has approached

THE NEAREST to this alchemical truth, and as a consequence, we

find it is in actual practice, the most natural, scientific, and

successful system of medicine, yet given to the world; based, as

it is, upon the well-known law of affinites, "Similia similibus

curantur," "like cures like," being a very ancient axiom in the

astrological practice of physic.

Bulwer Lytton, who had become thoroughly convinced of the great

value and importance of uniting ancient Alchemy with modern

medicine, makes the hero of his immortal story declare: "All that

we propose to do is this: To find out the secrets of the human

frame, to know why the parts ossify and the blood stagnates, and

to apply continual preventives to the effects of time. THIS IS

NOT MAGIC; IT IS THE ART OF MEDICINE, RIGHTLY UNDERSTOOD."

It is a fact that, the molecules of the body are all changed

within twelve months; that every cell in the human organism is

born and grows to maturity within that space of time. Nature is

absolutely impartial. She draws from the atmosphere that she may

reproduce a fac-simile of everything she finds upon the surface

of the body. So, if there be a sore, or festering ulcer, the

atoms which are thrown off attract similar atoms, so as to

reproduce the ulcer or sore, and thus prevent the disease from

getting well of itself until it has worn itself out.

Further, every vein and canal throughout the entire body, from

youth to maturity, is being coated with carbonate of lime, or

lime in some form. The coating of the walls of the veins in such

a manner, prevents the free circulation of the living matter;

then, the real vitality of the food which we eat, is simply

passed off through the pores, or through the bowels, or through

the system, because it is unable to penetrate through the lime.

If that prevention which produces old age can be attained, then

physical youth will continue.

The first step to take is to dissolve the lime in the body. Drink

nothing but distilled water, in either tea, coffee, or any other

form, and drink freely of the sweet juices of the grape and

apple.

The food that we eat contains lime in a living form, and it is

the living lime we need to build up the living bones, for the

lime and the magnesia that we take in the water is crystallized

dead mineral, possessing no responsibility of life, and the lime

in our food is quite sufficient for all purposes. For everything

we take in excess, Nature makes us pay the penalty.

The first principle of long living is to keep all channels of the

body perfect and free from coatings of lime.

The second is that of youthful ideals of the mind. The soul never

grows old.

The third principle is dynamic breathing, which is storing up the

oxygen in sufficient quantities, to supply the tissues with

sufficient fuel, for combustion.

These three principles, acting in unison, contain the true basis

of physical life and a means of long living. Old age is simply

the petrifaction of the body through lime, and the incorporating

of erroneous thoughts into the organism.

It is the true Alchemy of human existence, and the preventives,

in each and every case must contain the spiritual correspondence

to the cause they seek to remedy; and, though the followers of

Hahnemann base the whole of their procedure of treatment upon

their master's fundamental law of "Similia similibus curantur,"

yet, there may be a few rare cases wherein, this undeviating

method would not apply with the required effect. In such a case,

the Alchemist would resort to the well-known law of opposites,

and base his treatment upon the dogma of "Contraria contrariis

curantur," so long the pet theory of the Allopathic school. They

work upon the hypothesis that, like attracts like, and, if

disease exist, those elements must be administered to set up the

vibrations that will produce the polar opposite. If the body was

racked with pain, those medicines would not be given that would

create or increase similar conditions, but, their antipathy would

be introduced into the system or applied locally to extinguish

the foe.

So long as mankind remain within the semicrystallized state of

soul development, so as to require the aid of external forces to

support the human throne within its earthly temple, mercenary

troops will exist to supply these supposed supports.

Unquestionably, the astrological law is the true system of

medicine, which treats disease by sympathy or by antipathy,

according to the nature of the case, and the efficacy of the

remedies at hand. This method is the only natural one, and has

been thoroughly demonstrated by the numerous "provings of drugs"

under Hahnemann's law.

Happily, the time is not far distant when, the incarnated spirit

will be able to use its own slumbering forces, and subdue all

suffering and symptoms of disease in their very first inception,

by virtue of its purer life and the dynamic potencies of its own

interior, spiritual thought. Already, mental therapeutics is

taking an advanced position among liberal, progressive minds, and

nothing demonstrates so clearly and forcibly the grand,

alchemical law of life-growth and decay, as the imponderable,

invisible forces, which, constitute the materia medica, or

remedial agents, of mental, magnetic, and spiritual healing.

Perhaps the most recondite subject connected with the healing art

divine is, the modus operandi of medicinal action, upon the human

body. A subject so simple and self-evident to the Alchemist,

remains a profound mystery to the educated physician of the

medical college; so much so that, we are tempted to ask of them:

"Can you explain the modus operandi of drugs?" Dr. William Sharp,

one of the most advanced physicians of the Homeopathic school, in

one of his well- known "Essays on Medicine," says: "In respect to

the manner of action of drugs we are in total darkness, and we

are so blind that the darkness is not felt. KNOWLEDGE OF THIS

KIND CANNOT BE ATTAINED; it is labor lost and TIME wasted to go

in search of it. True, hypotheses may be easily conceived; so may

straws be gathered from the surface of the stream. But what are

either of them worth? There is this difference between

them--straws may amuse children, and hypotheses are sure to

mislead physicians."

It is when the Occult Initiate observes to what helpless

conditions the practice of medicine has fallen, that, he would,

if be could with any possibility of success, implore the angelic

guardian of the human race to open the spiritual sight of men,

that they might see, as he sees, the Divine relationship, and

spiritual correspondence, of everything in the wide universe to

man.

Nature's laws move slowly and imperceptibly, yet surely and

exact, and the time will certainly come when man will be forced

into consciousness of these laws, whether he will or no. Nature

is no respecter of persons, and those who will not move and

progress, in harmony with her laws of advancement, must, of

necessity, pass out with the old.

Alchemy, as it relates to the healing art, is the most noble in

its object and beneficial in its effects, of all the many

subdivisions of the sciences, because, it alleviates the pains

and morbid afflictions of suffering humanity. We have given quite

sufficient of its astrological aspect in the second part of "The

Light of Egypt," Vol. I, wherein the four ancient elements are

translated into their chemical correspondences of oxygen,

hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon, which still constitute the four

primary elements of the most advanced chemistry to-day. They

enter more or less into every organic form and substance, which

is known, in various combinations and proportions. The human

organism is principally composed of them; so, likewise, is the

food that supports physical life, and the air we breathe is but

modifications of the same atoms.

As man's constitution embraces a microscopic atom of all the

essences and elements, corresponding to the whole; so does the

air; and much, that we depend upon our food to supply, can be

extracted from the atmosphere by breathing. Every breath we

breathe is new life, or death.

Herein is the secret of success or failure, in certain

localities, and under certain conditions. If we have iron within

us, could we extract or attract iron from Saturn's district? Or,

if the element within us could attract gold, could we obtain it

from the coal fields?

Therefore, it is only natural that the medical remedies we employ

to restore the organism, when afflicted with disease, should

group themselves into similar correspondences, and so, in a

general sense, we find them; for we note that the brain, the

circulation, the lungs, and the stomach, are the four chief

citadels of the body; the heart, of course, representing the

center of circulation. And this also explains, further, if that

were necessary, why the principal remedies of the homeopathic

system are so speedy and direct in their action. The four

principal drugs, which stand as representatives of their class,

are aconite, belladonna, phosphorus, and pulsatilla. These

represent the quadrant, for light is not more nicely adjusted to

the eye, nor sound to the ear, than aconite to the circulation,

belladonna to the brain, phosphorus to the lungs, and pulsatilla

to the stomach; while ramifying in the seven directions indicated

by the seven primary planets, we find stimulants, tonics,

narcotics, nervines, alteratives, cathartics and diuretics, as

the natural material correspondences thereof.

That we assign phosphorus to the lungs may appear startling to

the orthodox student, especially when, he calls to mind the fact

that phosphorus has long been recognized in medical science as a

brain food and medicine. Anticipating such mental questions, we

reply that in medicine, from the alchemical view, we are

occupying a wholly different standpoint; i.e., the power of

controlling the functional action of the body, in this view of

the case, and the fact that, the lungs and the brain are in the

most perfect affinity, there will remain no mystery upon the

subject.

The Alchemy of stones and gems attracts our next attention.

Affinites and antipathies to the human constitution, are to be

found in these crystallized representatives of the subtle,

invisible influences emanating from our planetary system. They

are the mediums for the transmission of corresponding attributes

and influences of existing powers and potencies, and if carried

or worn upon the person, they will bring the person in direct

rapport with the invisible forces within the universal system.

Here again Hahnemann's scientific philosophy would prove

effectual, that "Similia similibus curantur." Would the fiery

influence of a topaz attract much from the realms of a

chrysolite? Or, the crystallized, airy forces of a sapphire be a

suitable medium for the earthly forces of a jasper?

Gems and stones are dead or living realities. They live, slumber

and die, and have their potent existence as do the organic forms

of matter. They are, usually, imbued with the vivifying spark of

Divinity, and shine forth and exert their influence through the

magical powers attracted to them from the forces of Nature. A

real, living entity abides within them that can be seen by the

clairvoyant vision, and to the trained student in Occult lore,

this entity can be made to become an obedient servant, giving

warning of the approach of danger, impressions of men and things,

and warding off discordant influences surrounding us; or that,

which we may contact from the magnetic and personal environments

in our relations in the social world; or that which may be

projected to us from the invisible realms of life.

Think you the pryamids would be intact to-day, if the stones from

which they were built had been promiscuously selected? They were

chosen by Adepts in the knowledge of the Laws of Correspondence

and antipathy and affinity. The sphinx also stand as monuments to

the heights of wisdom that man can attain.

Metals also can be followed out on the same lines as the gems and

stones.

Much as we would like to continue, we are compelled to bring this

discourse to a close, even though in doing so we must of

necessity omit much of vital interest to the student. We will,

therefore, only add that the seven basic metals stand as the

crystallized representatives of their respective groups: Gold for

the Sun, Silver for the Moon, Tin for Jupiter, Copper for Venus,

Quicksilver for Mercury and Lead for Saturn. Each finds it own

sphere of action within the temporary abiding place of the human

soul on earth--the physical body. So, likewise, the twelve

constellations and their corresponding talismanic gems,

representing in their glittering array the anatomical Zodiac of

the human frame, and typifying the spiritual quality of the

atoms, there congregated, in every degree of life. These, and a

thousand other mysteries, had we the time, might be unfolded to

the student's view with considerable advantage, but we are

compelled to refrain. The philosopher's stone is near at hand.

Seek it not in remote spheres or distant parts of the earth, for

it is ever around you and within, and becomes the golden key of

true wisdom, which prepares the soul for its higher life and

brighter destiny. It is the still, small voice of the awakened

soul, that purges the conscience from suffering, and the

spiritual body from earthy dross. It is that, which treasures not

the corrupting, delusive wealth of Earth, nor the transient

powers of mammon, but garners the fruits which spring from the

pure life, and treasures the jewels of heaven. Vainly will you

seek for this stone of the wise philosopher amid the turmoils,

sufferings, and selfishness of life, unless you accept your

mission upon earth as a duty, delegated to the soul, from Heaven.

Eschew the evil thereof, and hold fast that which is good. To do

this, means to expand with the inward truth and become one of the

"pure in heart," in which blessed state, the magical white stone,

conveying A NEW NAME, reveals the living angel within, to the

outward man. Then, and then alone, doth he know the Adonai.

Such are the Divine, spiritual principles upon which the higher

Alchemy of life is based. They seek only to establish a Divine,

conscious at-one-ment between the angel, the man, and the

universe, and to this end, we conclude with the words of the

immortal Paracelsus:

"To grasp these invisible elements, to attract them by their

material correspondences, to control, purify, and transmute them

by the ever-moving powers of the living spirit, THIS IS TRUE

ALCHEMY."

CHAPTER IX. TALISMANS

Words are the symbols of ideas, and bear the same correspondence

to the physical brain as matter does to spirit, a medium of

expression, and are subject to continual change in their

application and meaning, in exact proportion to the changing

mental and moral condition of the people. As the planet, as well

as man, is continually progressing, so must there be a higher and

nobler conception of ideas. Hence, words or expressions must

change, to convey the progressive spirit, that is constantly

taking place. Therefore, it is always interesting, as well as

valuable, for the Occult student to go to the root of each word

connected with his philosophy, in order to learn the real sense

in which the word was used by the ancients, from whom his mystic

lore has descended. The true meaning, as well as the words

themselves, have become as mystical as the lore itself. Hence,

each student must commence as a beginner in any foreign language,

which he does not at present understand. In following this method

of procedure he will, at least, escape the dense and interminable

confusion of modern opinions upon subjects of which the writers

thereof, are partially or wholly ignorant.

No better illustration of this can be afforded than by the word

"Talisman," derived from the Greek verb "teleo," which means,

primarily, to accomplish, or bring into effect. But, in its real,

and therefore higher, sense, it means to dedicate, consecrate,

and initiate into the arcana of the temple mysteries. But, in the

present day it means a piece of imposture, connected with some

magical hocus pocus of the ignorant and superstitious mind, a

vulgar charm, that is supposed to bring the owner thereof some

material benefit, irrespective of his mental, magnetic, and moral

condition, "and," says the learned Webster, after describing his

idea of such things, "they consist of three sorts, astronomical,

magical and mixed." But in what sense the "astronomical" differed

from the "magical" we are not informed, nor is any light thrown

upon the peculiar nature of that class designated as "mixed." In

fact, the lexicographer so mixes up his definitions that, we are

unable to distinguish anything in particular, but his own

individual ignorance.

So it has become, in every branch of learning. Words and their

meanings have become so mixed in their use and application, that,

the world is full of discords and misunderstandings, which lead

into dissensions and contention, among all schools of thought,

sects, and isms; and lastly, though not the least serious, it has

reached into the close relations of the human family.

All writers and speakers, as well as the readers and listeners,

should acquaint themselves with the derivation and meaning of

words.

The fact stands very clearly defined that, Talismans are confused

in the minds of the present generation with magical charms, which

depend for their effects, upon the power of the idea or thought,

which the formulating magician impresses upon the substance of

which they are composed. If the magical artist be expert, and

endowed with an exceedingly potent will, his charm may become

very powerful, when worn by the person for whom it was prepared.

But, if this one grand essential be lacking, no amount of

cabalistical figures and sacred names will have any effect,

because, there can be no potency in symbols apart from the ideas

and mental force they are capable of arousing in the mind of the

maker. Solomon's Seal is no more powerful, when drawn upon virgin

parchment, with a weak will, or in a mechanical state of mind,

than a child's innocent scribbling upon its slate. But, if the

artist realizes the mysteries symbolized by the interlacing

triangles, and can place his soul en rapport with the invisible

elements they outwardly represent; then, powerful effects are

often produced.

I am sorry to say that, the knowledge of charms is not confined

to the creation of beneficial talismans. Its perversion has led

to the diabolical practices of the Voodo and Black Magician,

whose work is wholly, either for gain or revenge. Nothing, but

the most extreme selfishness lies beneath such immoral practices,

but, as there must be a light to reflect a shadow, so a charm

must follow a talisman. Magical charms, then, are simply natural

objects, possessing but little active virtue in themselves, but,

owing to the mediumistic nature of their substances, are endowed

with artificial powers, of temporary duration, by virtue of the

idea and thought impressed upon them, through the mental magic of

the maker; and in this sense, a charm must be clearly

distinguished from "teleo," the Talisman. The very names suggest

their difference, and, above all other men, students in Occultism

should strive to become thoroughly educated in the true sense of

the term, MEN OF LETTERS, by virtue of (as Ruskin calls it) "the

kingship of words." "Charm" is derived from the Latin "carmen," a

song that fascinates, and means to control by incantation, to

subdue; while Teleo concerns the secret powers and wisdom of

consecration and initiation. It is because of modern misuse of

antique terms that, we have considered this somewhat lengthy

explanation necessary, in order to clear away the accumulated

debris of the ages, from the true foundation of our present

study.

A Talisman is a natural object, containing the elemental forces

of its own degree of life, in a state of intense activity, and

capable of responding to the corresponding quality of life,

OUTSIDE OF ITSELF, that emanates from the same spiritual state,

either by sympathetic vibration or antagonistic currents, the

nature, power, quality, and degree of life, which the various

natural objects represent, being a part of the temple curriculum

of initiation. Hence, the name, by which the latent power of

these natural objects became known, was in strict harmony with

the facts involved.

In order to prevent any possible misconception upon the subject,

let us briefly restate the definition in a different way: A

Talisman is the exact antipodes of a charm. This latter is the

artful and temporary result of man's mental power; the former,

the natural production of universal Nature, and as permanent and

enduring as the substance of which it is composed, DURING THE

PRESENT CYCLE. And yet in some sense, it may be quite correct to

say that, a Talisman ACTS LIKE A CHARM, and vice versa, that

charms ACT LIKE A TALISMAN, providing that, the real vital

difference between them, is maintained in the statement.

Now that we have our subject clearly defined, let us carefully

examine HOW AND IN WHAT SENSE a given natural object becomes

Talismanic, for it must appear self-evident to all that, one and

the same substance cannot constitute a Talisman for everyone, and

for everything. They must naturally differ, as widely in their

nature and quality, as mankind differ in physical, mental, moral,

ethical, and temperamental, development. And, yet, though, man

may so differ from his fellow man; the ignorant Esquimau, killing

seals in his kayak, may belong to the same spiritual quality of

life as the Harvard professor, who obtains his subsistence by

daily discourse upon the sublime harmony of the infinitely small

with the infinitely great, throughout the manifested universe of

matter, and wherever we find this KINSHIP of the spirit, we shall

find the same identical Talisman acting alike upon each, whenever

they shall come en rapport with it. Mental, moral, and physical

development, never alter the real nature of the internal man.

Culture only brings to the surface, into active use, the latent

possibilities lying concealed within the human soul. It only

allows him to exercise his functions upon different planes, and

with different effect.

Every natural department of Nature corresponds to some peculiar

specific quality and degree of life. These have been divided, for

the sake of convenience, into four primary groups; and each group

again subdivided into three, corresponding to the four cardinal,

four succedent, and four cadent houses, of the astrological

chart; therefore, the twelve signs of the Zodiac; these

constituting the Cycle of Necessity within physical conditions,

wherein, the ever-measuring or decreeing tidal flow of life from

solar radiation throughout the year, represents the twelve groups

of humanity, of lower animated Nature, of vegetation, and

crystallized gems. Every human being is ushered into the world

under the direct influx of one or more of these celestial

divisions, and by virtue of the sign occupying the horizon at the

moment of birth, absorbs such influx, and becomes endowed with a

specific polarity, by virtue of which, lie ever afterward, during

such expression within physical conditions, inspires with every

breath, that specific life quality from the atmosphere,

corresponding to the same degree of the universal spirit.

Consequently, that gem, or those gems, representing and

corresponding to HIS HOUSE OF LIFE, become to him, a Talisman,

because of their relationship--their spiritual affinity. These

are all given in the second part of Vol. I. THE METALS never

become Talismanic, because of their comparatively negative degree

of life, and for this reason also, they make the most powerful

charms. Certain combinations of metals, and in proper

proportions, increase the potency and magnetic influence of a

charm; and here, too, the laws of antipathy and affinity come

into practical use.

A true expert will know his metals, or metal, and his client,

before commencing his magical work.

Those persons who derive most virtue from a Talisman are those

who belong to the most sensitive, or interior state, within such

degree of life, and who are dominated by one sign only. Thus, if

we find one sign occupying the whole of the House of Life, or

practically so, as when the first face of a sign ascends, we may

be sure, other things not interfering, that such a native will

receive great benefit from wearing its Talismanic gem. If a

person of good intellectual powers and sensitive spirituality, be

born when the lord of the ascendant occupies the RISING SIGN, as,

for instance, Mars in Aries, or Sun in Leo, we may be sure that,

the Talismanic gem, in their case, will be exceedingly powerful,

because, all the Astro-physical conditions are then most

favorable for the expression of natural forces, and, if worn

upon, or near that part of the body which the sign rules, the

power and influence is more powerful and beneficial.

In wearing them, take them to you as a part of yourself, a part

of your higher self, a thing to be heeded, listened to and

obeyed. They will usually make their presence most pronounced

when something arises to disturb the harmonious vibrations that

naturally and quietly go on between the person and the

interstellar spaces above. They are like the sensor and motor

nerves--they never make their presence known, except, when danger

encroaches.

Having explained in what sense gems become talismanic, we have

now to disclose the modus operandi--THE HOW.

The gems contain the life quality of their own astral nature.

Man, as a higher expression, only, of the same universal biune

life, contains the same. Like two electric currents, MAN, THE

POSITIVE POLE (comparatively), attracts unto himself THE MINERAL

LIFE OF THE GEM, which thus, becomes the negative pole. A

complete circuit is formed and maintained, as long as they remain

in contact. Gems belonging to a different quality of life, not

being en rapport with his astral state, have no good effect,

because, no current flows between them. Thus, the Talisman acts

in unison with the psychic, or soul-principle, of man, aiding the

organism to sustain health, stimulating the mental perceptions,

and spiritual intuition, and affording in a remarkable manner,

many premonitions of coming danger, when the individual is

sufficiently sensitive to perceive them. And now, per contra, as

there are gems that act in sympathy with man, there must be, and

in fact are, gems that act upon contrary principles; i.e.,

antagonistic, and these belong to purely antagonistic elements,

as Air to Earth and Fire to Water, unless the native be born

under BOTH forces, as Mars in Cancer rising, or the latter part

of one sign and nearly the whole of another of an opposite

nature, occupying the ascendant. Such natives are pure neutrals,

and such might wear the gems that belong to the most powerful

planet of the horoscope, or that triplicity holding the most

planets; then, they are usually combined, the planet and the

triplicity.

There are, of course, innumerable substances, more or less,

capable of talismanic virtue to particular individuals. But those

gems, and similar ones, that are given in "The Light of Egypt,"

Vol. I, are the most powerful. To these may be added the opal,

under Scorpio; the garnet, under Aries; and the turquoise, under

Cancer, when Saturn is therein; and the aquamarine, under Pisces;

and among the temporary talismans of vegetation we may add that,

the young shoots, bearing the flower and seed vessels, are the

portions of chief virtue, and the young shoots of trees. These

are often used in locating mines, wells, oils, etc., that lie

hidden beneath the surface of the earth, and in the hands of a

negative, sensitive person, seldom fail to reward the searcher

with success. These should always be gathered when their ruling

correspondences are rising, or, BETTER STILL, CULMINATING UPON

THE MERIDIAN. These will be explained in the chapter on The Magic

Wand.

We have now reached the limits of our present study, and have

only to state that all gems, like the human organism, are in one

of three conditions: alive and conscious, asleep and UNCONSCIOUS,

or dead and powerless. These conditions can only be discovered,

in stones, by the trained lucid or the instructed neophyte.

Stones that are sleeping require to be awakened. This, also, can

only be done by the trained student or Adept. Those that are

dead, are USELESS as Talismans, no matter how beautiful they

appear as ornaments.

Gems and stones are also sexed, and those who wear them would

receive the best effect if they should wear those of opposite

sex, although either is powerfully potent in their influence upon

the individual. How very ignorant the children of men are, of the

subtle, silent, yet obedient servants, that everywhere, surround

them. Here, again, that Divine spark, which lies embedded within

the crystallized forces of Nature, is exerting its subtle,

spiritual influence, in making man's very selfishness, and love

of ornament and show, a means, to bring forth these silent

monitors, knowing ere long that, their true power and potency

will be known, and consciously utilized by him, as potent factors

in his soul's evolvement and physical development.

The twelve representative gems within the cold stratas of matter,

stand as the material representatives of their stellar

counterparts in the sky, and constitute the beautiful,

glittering, but crystallized, Zodiac of man's physical anatomy.

CHAPTER X. CEREMONIAL MAGIC

The above title has been selected, chiefly, because, in most

works treating upon magic we find it wrongly used, and therefore,

take the opportunity of explaining the matter, for, there were no

such terms in the vocabulary of the ancient Magi.

It is unfortunate, that, words of ancient origin are not more

carefully used, and that, we should attach so many different

meanings to the same word. The terms "ceremony" and "ceremonial"

are nothing more nor less than, what that eminent critic, John

Ruskin, would designate as "bastards of ignoble origin," which,

somehow or another, have usurped the places of "rite" and

"ritual." The word "rite" has descended to us from the Latin

"ritus" of our Roman ancestors, and they received it from the

more ancient "riti" of the Sanskrit, the Greek equivalent of

which is "reo," and means the method or order of service to the

gods, whereas, "ceremony" may mean anything and everything, from

the terms of a brutal prize fight to the conduct of divine

service within the church. But, no such chameleon-like definition

or construction can properly be placed upon the word "rite," for

it means distinctly, if it means anything at all, the serious

usage and sacred method of conducting service in honor of the

gods, or of superiors, and requires the attendance of the prophet

or priest, or some one duly qualified to fulfill such sacred

functions for the time being. The ritual of magic, then, is the

correct title of this present study, and as such, we shall,

henceforth, term it as we proceed with the course.

Man is especially, and above all creatures, an organizing force,

and when to this fact, we add the most interior and powerful of

his sentimental instincts--veneration for the powers that be, and

for the higher, invisible forces of Nature, his "religiosity," as

it has been aptly termed, we cannot wonder that, the earliest

races of which we possess any record are chiefly distinguished

for their imposing and elaborate religious rites. In fact, it is

to the stupendous temples and a colossal sacerdotalism, that, we

are indebted for nine-tenths of the relics and records which we

possess of them. So true is this that, from what we have been

able to discover, we are quite justified in asserting that the

ancient races were, above all other things, a profoundly

religious people. The temple was the center around which revolved

all their genius and art, and the sacred edifice became their

grandest achievement in architecture, and its high priest the

most powerful individual in the state. In fact, it was in

consequence of the real power invested in such sacred office that

it was so intimately connected with the throne, and why royalty

so frequently belonged to the priesthood or exercised priestly

functions. And there can be no real doubt, but that, amongst the

pastoral and more spiritual races of Earth's earliest

inhabitants, the priest, by reason of his superior wisdom, was

the first law-giver; and, by virtue of his sanctity of person and

elevation of mind became their first, primitive king, a

patriarchal monarch, whose scepter and symbol of power was the

shepherd's peaceful crook; just as among the ruder nomads of the

inhospitable North, we find the greatest hunters invested with

the dignity of chief, whose significant symbol and scepter of

royalty, upon their Nimrod thrones, was the trusty, successful

spear. And the times in which we live have bad their full effect

upon these symbols, so significant of rule. The monarch has

transformed the spear into the less harmful mace, while the

Church has added an inch of iron to the crook. Therefore, the

former has become less war-like, and the latter less peaceful,

and, verily, in actual life we find them so,

The patriarchal sire, head of the tribal household, was the

original priest; and the hearthstone the first altar around which

the family rites were performed; and from this pure and primitive

original have been evolved, through progressive ages, the stately

temple and the sacred person of the despotic pontiff; from the

sincere prayer the pure aspirations of the human heart and the

joyous offerings of fruits and flowers to the invisible powers

around them; and from the souls of their beloved ancestors has

arisen the costly and complicated ritual of theology. And, if the

theologians of to-day really knew the lost, secret meaning of

their complicated rituals, and the unseen powers lying behind

their external symbols, their anxieties for the continued life of

their dying creeds would be turned to new hopes and faith, which

could be demonstrated to their equally blind followers; that,

that which they were teaching they knew, and could practically

use the knowledge given forth in their sanctuaries; and, instead

of offering up their supplications to an imaginary, personal

Deity, their words, rites, and ceremonies, would take on the form

and power that such should command, and they would become truly,

what their title really means, a doctor of the soul. Then could

they, intelligently, lead and direct the souls of their followers

to the path of Christ (Truth), which leads up to salvation; not a

vicarious atonement, but gaining the at-one-ment through the

individual soul's development to a conscious relation, to that

Divine spirit, we call God, where it can say "I know."

Out of those simple gifts, which were the spontaneous offerings

of loving remembrance and unselfish charity, have grown the

prayers, penances, sacrifices, and servile worship, of

sacerdotalism. Out of the paternal consideration and love of the

aged sire has evolved the haughty, chilling pride of the selfish,

isolated priest, and which reflects its baneful influence upon

the worshipers at their feet. They have also changed their once

sacred, faithful, and reverent, obedience into suspicion and

distrust, and with the educated to utter disgust. The light has

been extinguished, and priest and people alike are groping about

in darkness.

It is strange, yea, passing strange, the amount of human

ignorance and folly that is revealed. When we look upon this

picture and then upon that, verily we cannot help but ask the

question, is mankind really progressing? We know that it is; we

are keenly alive to the truth that the Anthem of Creation sounds

out "Excelsior"--"move on," but how, and in what way

(SPIRITUALLY) we fail to comprehend. The cyclic development of

the human soul is an inscrutable mystery.

All the considerations above presented must be thoroughly weighed

and understood in order to arrive at the true value of "the dogma

and ritual of high magic," as Eliphas Levi terms it; because,

amid the vast array of tinselled drapery, the outcome of man's

vain conceit and bombastic pride, we shall find very little that

can be considered as vital and really essential to the rites of

magic. The show, the drapery, the priestly ornaments and

instruments, are to the really spiritual Occultist, but, as

sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. That they had, and still

have, their legitimate uses, is true, but these uses do not

concern magic, per se, nor its manifold powers. They awed the

popular mind, and impressed upon the masses a due reverence for

the powers that be. They were instrumental in holding the

untrained passions of the common herd in check, by a wholesome

fear of summary vengeance from the gods, so that this pageantry

of magic, the outward priestly show, was more of a politic

development than a spiritual necessity, an astute but,

philosophical method of enabling the educated few to govern the

uneducated many. And it was only when the educational and

initiatory rites of the temple became corrupt, and the priest

became the persecuting ally of the king--when, in real fact, the

priest lost his spirituality in the desire for temporal power and

place, that the people began to disbelieve his professions and

rebel against his tyrannical control.

The powers that be, are now wielding their sword of justice, and

unfurling the knowledge of freedom and truth to the aspiring mind

of man. He has begun to feel his bondage and the yoke of

oppression. The words of promise and love, instead of lifting him

up to the God he has been taught to worship, bow him down in

slavish obedience to his priest. Mankind cannot remain in this

mental and spiritual darkness much longer. Already I see the

break of day, the dawn of a new life, a new religion; or, rather,

the re-establishing of the true, which is as old as Time itself.

There is but One Law, One Principle, One Word, One Truth and One

God.

The original requirements for the office of priest, and the rites

of magic, were, as shown, a primitive, i.e., pure mind; one that

had outgrown the lusts and passions of youth, a person of

responsibility and experience; and even to this day the priest of

the Roman Church is called by the familiar title of "father." And

as Nature does not alter her laws and requirements in obedience

to the moral development of the race, we may rest assured that

the same requirements, of ten thousand years ago, still hold good

to-day. You may enter your magic circle, drawn with prescribed

rites, and you may intone your consecrations and chant your

incantations; you may burn your incense in the brazen censer and

pose in your flowing, priestly robes; you may bear the sacred

pentacles of the spirit upon your breast and wave the magic sword

to the four quarters of the heavens; yea, you may even do

more--you may burn the secret sigil of the objurant spirit; and

yell your conjurations and exorcisms till you are black in the

face; but all in vain, my friend--all in vain. It will prove

nothing but vanity and vexation of spirit unless the inward self,

the soul, interblends with the outward Word, and contacting by

its own dynamic intensity-- the elemental vibrations of

Nature--arouses these spiritual forces to the extent of

responding to your call. When this can be done, but not until

then, will your magical incantations have any effect upon the

voiceless air. Not the priestly robes nor magic sword, not the

incantations, WRITTEN WORD, nor mystic circle, can produce

Nature's response to Occult rite; but the fire of the inward

spirit, the mental realization of each word and mystic sign,

combined with the conscious knowledge of your own Deific

powers--this, and this only, creates Nature's true magician.

Who and where can such be found? Are they so few that the echo

answers back "Where and who?" Yet, there are many such upon the

Earth at the present time, but the present mental conditions

forbid them making their identity known. They would not be

recognized and accepted as the TRUE teachers, but reviled and

persecuted and dubbed as insane. But silently, they are sowing

the seed of truth that will spring up and bear fruit, where and

when least expected.

Because evil is so active, truth is not lying dormant. The spirit

of God, that Divine spark of Deity within every human soul, never

sleeps, never rests. "On and upward" is its cry. "Omnia vincit

veritas."

The grand sublimity of man's conception of at-one with the

Infinite Father, at-one with the limitless universe of being,

at-one with, and inheriting, all the sacred rights and

inalienable prerogatives of the ineffable Adonai of the deathless

soul, is the only test of man's qualification for the holy

office; for, as Bulwer Lytton has truthfully said, "the loving

throb of one great HUMAN HEART will baffle more fiends than all

the magicians' lore." So it is with the sacred ritual. One single

aspirational thought, clearly defined, outweighs all the priestly

trappings that the world has ever seen.

The success of all incarnations depends upon the complete unison

of VOICE and MIND, the interblend of which, produces the dynamic

intonation, that chords with the inward rhythmic vibrations of

the soul. Once this magical, dynamic, vibration is produced,

there immediately springs into being the whole elemental world

belonging thereto, by correspondence. Vocalists who hold their

audiences spellbound do so by virtue of the magical vibrations

they produce, and are in reality practical, even though

unconscious, magicians. The same power, to a degree, lies in the

voice when speaking, the graceful movement of the hand when

obeying the will, and the eye rays forth the same dynamic power

and becomes magical in its effects.

These powers are exercised more upon the physical plane, and no

better illustration can be given, than, the power man is able to

exert over the animal when gazing into its eyes.

Here, as well as in incantations and invocations, within the

power of the will, lies the success or failure.

At this point it may be asked, what, then, is the use of magical

rites, of symbols and priestly robes? We answer, in themselves

alone, nothing, absolutely nothing, except the facility and

convenience we derive from system, order and a code of procedure.

To this may be added the mental force and enthusiasm of soul

which such things inspire, just as men and women may feel more

dignified, artistic, and refined, when dressed in accordance with

their ideas. So may the average priest feel more priestly, holy;

and consequently, more powerful mentally; when arrayed in the

robes of his office and surrounded by the outward symbols of his

power and functions. But, in themselves alone, there is not, nor

can there be, any real virtue. The same may be said of the

incantations. The words used in their composition are the

hieroglyphics of mystical ideas. Therefore, the correct

pronunciation of the words or the grammatical construction of a

sentence is nothing, if the underlying idea is conceived in the

mind and responded to by the soul. Will and motive form the basis

of true magic.

One word more and we have completed our subject. Magic swords,

rings, pentacles, and wands, may, and often are powerful magical

agents in the hands of the magician, by virtue of the power, or

charm, that is invested within them when properly prepared; but

apart from such preparation, by those who know, they are as

powerless as unintelligible incantations.