Alchemy
Nature does not open the door of the sanctuary indiscriminately to
everyone.
In these pages, the uninitiated will perhaps discover some proof of a
genuine and positive science. I do not, however, flatter myself that I shall convert
them, for I know full well the obstinacy of prejudice and the great strength of
preconceived opinions. The disciple will derive greater benefit from this book,
provided always that he does not despise the works of the old Philosophers and
that he studies with care and penetration the classical text, until he has
acquired sufficient perception to understand the obscure points of the
practice.
No one may aspire to possess the great secret, if he does not direct his
life in accordance with the researches he has undertaken. It is not enough to
be studious, active and persevering, if one has no firm principles, no solid
basis, if immoderate enthusiasm blinds one to reason, if pride overrules
judgment, if greed expands before the prospect of a golden future.
The mysterious science requires great precision, accuracy and
perspicacity in observing the facts, a healthy, logical and reflective mind, a lively but not over-excitable imagination, a warm and pure
heart. It also demands the greatest simplicity and complete indifference with
regard to theories, systems and hypotheses, which are generally accepted
without question on the testimony of books or the reputation of their authors.
It requires its candidates to learn to think more with their own brains and less
with those of others. Finally, it insists that they should check the truth of
its principles, the knowledge of its doctrine and the practice of its
operations from nature, the mother of us all.
By constant exercise of the faculties of observation and reasoning and
by meditation, the novice will climb the steps leading to
KNOWLEDGE
A simple imitation of natural processes, skill combined with ingenuity,
the insight born of long experience will secure for him the
POWER
Having obtained that, he will still have need of patience, constancy and
unshakeable will. Brave and resolute, he will be enabled by the certainty
and confidence born of a strong faith to
DARE
Finally, when success has crowned so many years of labour,
when his desires have been accomplished, the Wise Man, despising the vanities
of the world, will draw near to the humble, the disinherited, to all those
who work, suffer, struggle and weep here below. As an anonymous and dumb disciple
of eternal Nature, an apostle of eternal Charity, he will remain faithful
to his vow of silence.
In Science, in Goodness, the Adept must evermore “KEEP SILENT "
Fulcanelli, Le Mystère des Cathédrales (translated from the French by Mary Sworder),
It was in March 1953 that I met an alchemist for the
first time. It was at the Café Procope in
My ideas about alchemy and alchemists were rudimentary and derived from
popular literature on the subject, and I had no idea that alchemists still
existed. The man seated opposite me at Voltaire's table was young and elegant.
After a thorough classical education he had studied chemistry. He was then
earning his living in business and knew a lot of artists as well as some
society people. I do not keep a regular diary, but sometimes, on important
occasions, I jot down my impressions and make comments. That night, when I got
home, I wrote as follows:
`How old can he be? He says thirty-five. That seems surprising. He has
white, curly hair, trimmed so as to look like a wig. Lots of
deep wrinkles in a pink skin and full features. Few gestures,
but slow, calculated and effective when he does make them. A
calm, keen smile; eyes that laugh, but in a detached sort of way.
Everything about him suggests another age. In conversation,
highly articulate and completely self-possessed. Something
of the sphinx behind that affable, timeless countenance. Incomprehensible. And this is not merely my personal
impression. A.B. who sees him nearly every day, tells me he has never, for a
second, found him lacking in a "superior degree of objectivity".
[…]
I asked him some questions about alchemy which he must have thought
completely foolish. Without showing it, he replied:
"Matter is everything; contact with matter, working with matter,
working with the hands." He made a great point of this:
“Are you fond of gardening? That's a good start; alchemy is like
gardening. Do you like fishing? Alchemy has something in common with fishing. Woman's work and children's games.
"Alchemy cannot be taught. All the great works of literature which
have come down to us through the centuries contain elements of this teaching.
They are the product of truly adult minds which have spoken to children, while
respecting the laws of adult knowledge. A great work is never wrong as regards
basic principles. But the knowledge of those principles and the road that led
to this knowledge must remain secret. Nevertheless, there is an obligation on
first-degree searchers to help one another."
Around
He added: "Patience, hope, work. And whatever the work may be, one
can never work hard enough. As to hope: in alchemy hope is based on the
certainty that there is a goal to attain. I would never have begun had I not
been convinced that this goal exists and can be attained in this life."
Pauwels, Louis, The Morning of the Magicians, London:
Mayflower Books Ltd, 1971, pp. 62-63 (translated by Rollo
Myers from the French Le matin des magiciens, Gallimard: