(Translated and Introduced by David Griffin)
An Alchemist, Or Just so a Puffer?
Translator's Start
by David GriffinOver the centuries, submit peculiar been abundant would be alchemists who peculiar emaciated their distinguished lives and fortunes in the livid try to transpire gold using alchemical transmutation. Initiates of Unquestionable alchemy, convinced as Philosophers of the Art, peculiar stalwartly mocked these populace, job them "Puffers" as a scornful cite to the obey that they breathless with bellows at the fires in their laboratories, having utter misunderstood the imperceptible allegories understood in Unquestionable alchemical texts and images.
For alchemical initiates in modern era, the circumscribe "Puffer" has come to wander on a wider meaning, due to new, aristocratic modern misunderstandings of the symbolism of the texts and images in the literature of Unquestionable alchemy. Fussy as modern schools of Puffery are the modern schools of assumed "Pious" alchemy. This necessarily does not incorporate the "spiritual alchemy of Jacob Boehme" which is whatever thing to boot fully. From the traditional point of view of the initiatic tradition of Unquestionable alchemy, modern schools of Puffery incorporate the psychological disagreement of alchemy of Carl Gustav Jung, the college, organically sharp interpretation of Pat Zalewski, and even the meditative panache of Adam MacClean, who motionless trash a fine encyclopedist of alchemical texts and images.
In late-night weeks, submit has been an enriching parley delineating disparate modern approaches to alchemy in the Yahoo forum of our order. During this parley, a "laboratory alchemist" has appeared who argues that true alchemy and the unusual alchemical texts and images take in hand outstandingly to laboratory experiments. From an initiatic point of view,his modern Puffer has fallen fashionable the especially construction as the Puffers of old, namely a literalistic interpretation of the symbols and allegories of the texts and images of Unquestionable alchemy. This panache to alchemy is the modern equivalent of the "gold cookers" of the 18th Century that the Philosophers so derided. In modern era, such populace, in spite of everything plainly see two possibilieies, their own literalistic disagreement of alchemy, or the the same livid sharp interpretations of the other schools of Puffery outlined even more.
The initiatic tradition of Unquestionable alchemy is whatever thing utter fresh, whose major practices be even today the upper limit tactfully vigilant secrets of the Western Abstruse Convention. In order to rupture exemplify the feature amid true Unquestionable Alchemy and the modern schools of Puffery, I peculiar purely concluded translating the in the rear monograph in print by GH Frater Lux E Tenebris, characteristic of the Central Chiefs of the Third Direct of the Blond Crack of dawn.
ON SPAGERY, ARCHEMY, AND ALCHEMYby Frater Lux E Tenebris
All the authors who peculiar in print works on the history of chemistry peculiar explicit, "Our chemistry derives, by pass descent, from the old alchemy". Therefore, the origin of one merges with the history of the other. For this fight, actual science would be pleasing, in the crystal-clear factors on which it is based, to the patient labor of the ancient alchemists.
This postulation, which destitution be fixed but a relative and formal value, is immediately branded as a demonstrated truth - Therefore for this reason the science of alchemy, nude of its own values, loses all the functions that clarify its existence, which to clarify its very fight for way of life. Deliberate in this obey, from far away and unswerving the mists of heading and the centuries, alchemy no longer appears revive in a unsure, unstructured form - not up to standard quality.
Fulcanelli, the good alchemist, in his comber book "The Dwellings of the Philosophers" writes in this regard: "But at any time best ever would be key, at any time facts encourage crucial, we ecstatic ourselves literally to use Unquestionable values. The Line up does not deal with, but literally cuts off. Allay, we display, in our turn, our aims to demonstrate that these scientists, in good hope, peculiar but embraced and flow a postulation. They peculiar erred due to slowness and lack of booming study. In fact, they peculiar understood plainly semi the books they peculiar intended, and fittingly peculiar rambling figure for statement."At this point we display perceptibly, seeing as abundant studious and true individuals peek to be accidental of this fact, that the true predecessor of our modern chemistry is but ancient spagery, and not the Unquestionable science of alchemy itself. Honestly, amid spagery and alchemy submit lies a stony and booming void, as wish be through tip in this snatched monograph.
Hitherto according to Fulcanelli, in the Tenderness Ages and apparently in Greek antiquity, if we go back to the works of Zosimus and Ostantes, submit existed two degrees, two levels of training in chemical science: the spagyric and the alchemical.
These two brushwood of a communal esoteric art, Fulcanelli tells us, were thick in the working class unswerving practice in the laboratories. Metallurgists, goldsmiths, painters, potters, skylight makers, dyers, enamel-bulls, distillers, potters, etc.., in the especially way as pharmacists, obligatory to be provided with lots spagyric knowledge, which they afterward carry out with the bring to bear of their profession.
Archemists more exactly formed a special explanation in the company of the old chemists, a narrower and aristocratic stub out category: whose rumored devotion had unquestionable similarities with that of the alchemists, but the stores and the major which they likely to to lick up this devotion were outstandingly chemical stores and major.
Transmuting metals fashionable one choice, producing gold and silver starting from impolite sandstone or harsh briny compounds: forcing gold ecstatic fly-by-night from silver and silver ecstatic fly-by-night from tin, to become effective and attachable. These were the stuff that Archemy intentional. Irrevocably, assures Fulcanelli, these were, in truth, Spagerists balanced in the sandstone territory that eagerly left parenthesis the byword from animal and mechanism alkaloids.
They suave their knowledge in minimal turf out and stealthily, according to the literally proud words second hand by the true alchemists to indicate these sporadic practitioners, contemptible of way of life called of Philosophers of the Art. Not considering their faults, or literally to a great degree seeing as of their faults, Fulcanelli says that it is exactingly these who procured beforehand Spagery, and afterward modern chemistry with all of its attendent facts, methods, operations, etc.
These are real founders of a science is comber and talented, these men angst-ridden by the require to chance and to learn everything, these endowed this science of feature remarks, of finicky reactions, of expert influence and ploddingly acquired charm.
Alchemy, in spite of everything, we go back to, has nonexistence to do with these successive acquisitions. Definitely the Unquestionable writings, misunderstood by profane investigators, were the indirect wits of discoveries that their authors had never untreated.
In this obey, Blaise de Vigenere obtained benzoic acerbic, by sublimating benzoin. Brandt was intellectual to force from phosphorus in the same way as questioning for the alkahest in urine. Thyme Valentine, the impressive Clever did not bearing with roguishness at all spagyric experiments, set in order the whole series of salts of antimony and realized red gold colloid. Raymond Peace prepared acetone and Cassius blue gold. Glauber obtained sodium sulfate and Van Helmont overt the existence of gas.
But, with the immunity of Llull and Thyme Valentine, Fulcanelli declares that all these researchers are made-up to set in the company of alchemists, as they were elegantly Archemists, or Spagyric sages. This is why a stately talented, critic of a classic (Transnational) thought preferably correctly:"If Hermes, the Initiation of the Philosophers, were to rise once more today behind with the imperceptible Geber and booming Raymond Llull, they would not be exact Philosophers the "rough chemists" or our day chemical from our rough (an personification second hand by the critic for the Archemists and Spagyrists who are not true alchemists (extremely called true Adepts - from Adeptus = that which is acquired). The "rough chemists" would not even suffer these good Philosophers as in the company of their disciples, elegantly seeing as they do not know how to run all individuals distillations, circulations, calcinations, and all individuals terrific other operations that our rough chemists peculiar untrue, elegantly seeing as they peculiar misunderstood the writings of individuals good symbolic philosophers!"The books, with their rambling magazine, enriched in cabalistic stipulations, are the adroit and unadulterated wits of the raunchy ridicule which we peculiar reported. Not considering the warnings and the intense reproaches of the authors - disciples or researching students of the golden truth, assert on reading fashionable these texts, meanings from modern, every day libretto. They do not understand that these texts peculiar been faint from the beginning for initiates, and it is essential to secure the secret, initiatic key to undo their true meaning.
The beforehand work that requirements to be done is to a great degree to command this key.
Of course, these old treatises do bring, if not all of alchemy, at lowest its philosophy, its values, and the art of applying them in friendship with the laws of sort. We ought to not ever forget, in spite of everything, that alchemy is an Abstruse SCIENCE. Appropriately, a living news broadcast, an top reminder, and even work and focus aided by a strong wish are not bounty to comfort to become a capable in this Art.
Nicolas Grosparmy writes:"All individuals are dead made-up who wage that we wrote our books purely for them, more exactly, we peculiar in print them to hurl off being who does not belong to our tradition."Novel alchemist, aristocratic charitably, warns the reader with these words:"Every one stingy man destitution, beforehand of all, learn the Science, and destitution advance plainly if he succeeds to learn the efficient values and methods. In the past it is rupture not even to begin, so do not to insanely bits and pieces his time and opulence... Now, I beg individuals who read this book, to peculiar hope in my words. I go back to taking into account once more that you wish never learn this sublime science elegantly with the help of books. This can plainly be scholastic unswerving divine bolt from the blue. It is for this fight, in fact, that it is called the Transcendent Art. It can extremely be scholastic with the instruction of a good and finale Master; and like submit are few whom God has bestowed with this refine, a smaller amount equal individuals who so teach. "And overwhelmingly, we can not dispense with the affecting words of one critic of the eighteenth century that make plain in choice way the rear of solving this conundrum or sentence the secret key:"Roundabouts is the beforehand and real fight why sort has hidden this open and grandiose palace from abundant Philosophers, even individuals lay out with perfectly quick-witted news broadcast. The wits is that, earlier than like their youth, they peculiar strayed from the simple way of sort unswerving logical and metaphysical conclusions. Therefore, deceived by the illusions understood in the best books, they image and continue that this is the intimate and upper limit troublesome to learn of any metaphysical Art, even with factual Form advances by stiff steps, simple in this path parallel in all of her others."These are the opinions of Philosophers themselves about their works. We destitution not be overwhelmed, as a result, that abundant scholars peculiar misled themselves about this science, of which they were disallowed to assimilate even the upper limit basic thinking. We desire to flatter Neophytes in the Ars Magna, Alchemy, to deliberate on this truth proclaimed by imitation:"These can apply your mind to the anyhow of their words, but this does not indicate their meaning. In them submit is plainly the notification, but it is up to the Peer of the realm to command their meaning. They withstand the mysteries, but it is up to Him to make plain them. They hint the way that destitution be followed, but it is He who gives spirit to advance."Roundabouts we ought to big name to a great degree that at any time we speak of God or He in Unquestionable Science, we mean our Astronomical self, or give up of on tap way of life.
And this is the good fortify against which our chemists peculiar collided.
Fulcanelli affirms that if our scientists had understood the hearsay of the ancient alchemists, they would peculiar convinced the laws of Unquestionable practice and the Philosopher's Stone, and a craving time ago would peculiar ceased to be regarded as a chimera.
We peculiar thought that to gather a Master of the alchemical Art, good and true, would appoint the equivalent of a divine gift. The Master are equal offer, but it is troublesome to find him, and even if you find him opposed to speak, you ought to be expert to rob him of that which you wish to know.
