"The outer sun hungers for the inner one."
The Alchemy refers to ancient and modern mystical methods used to re-unite man's individual consciousness with universal consciousness, a redemption of the human spirit.
The human spirit manifests in a triad of forces which alchemists call sulphur, mercury and salt, corresponding to the spirit, soul and body. Sulphur is the active force by which order is created out of chaos, the individualized aspect of the Universal Spirit. Mercury (also known as quicksilver) is the passive force that represents the individual spirit manifesting as the soul. The soul must be purified by the inner heat, so that it can be re-formed by the volatile spirit into a more universal state. Salt is the material manifestation of the soul, the physical body; this is healed and transformed by the purification and transformation of the soul.
Nature is sustained by a continuous rhythm of disintegrations and formations, and the alchemist imitates this with his 'solve et coagula.' He dissolves the imperfect coagulation of the soul (lead) and crystallizes it in a new form (gold). This is accomplished through an inner circulation of energy which the alchemist sets in motion, and this circulation then works by itself to achieve the desired result. The fixed form of the soul must be melted down so that its creative power is freed; then, it becomes the father of a new form. This process creates unstable changes and irrationality in the alchemist, and only the influence of the illuminated mind can control the change and bring back stability. When you pass from the consciousness of individual existence to the consciousness of universal existence, you will experience a state of darkness and chaos called variously the nox profunda, the dark night of the soul or the lost confusion, corresponding to energy in an unformed potential state. This death and rebirth is at the heart of all successful techniques of transformation. The Ancients said that we need both a Book and a Sage to successfully gain rebirth. When we accomplish the Lesser Marriage of the two forces within, and the Greater Marriage of the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness, we are reborn as Wise Ones, able to take our place among the Ancients who attained to the Stars.
"The individual must go down like Moses, into his unknown self... into the labyrinths of the dark land. There he will meet the Mother and hear her final question... 'What is man?' And thereafter... he may find the Grail, ultimate consciousness... For it is he, wonderful monster, embryo god, that has swum in the fish... peered from the eyes of serpents... who has cried out on all crosses, ruled on all thrones, grubbed in all gutters. It is he whose face is reflected and distorted in all heavens and hells, he, the child of the stars, the son of the ocean, this creature of dust, this wonder and terror called man."
"The outer sun hungers for the inner one." This quote from the mystic Jacob Boehme sums up the eternal quest of man, the burning inner, and often subliminal or unconscious, desire for something that cannot be found in the world we know. Only when we expand our awareness by altering our consciousness can we get a glimpse of that which we seek. Consequently, man has pursued with a passion those things that serve as sacraments, that is, that which gives us the power to alter consciousness. These 'sacraments' have been extolled by seekers in phrases such as 'wine, women and song,' or 'drugs, sex and rock and roll.' To those who think the drug culture is something new, we would point to the recent German analysis of an Egyptian mummy carbon dated to 950 BC, whose remains show high levels of tetrahydrocanabinol (THC) from marijuana, nicotine from tobacco and cocaine in all of its tissues. Truly, as St. Augustine, a former Gnostic priest, said, "There is nothing new under the sun." Under the right circumstances, anything can become a sacrament.
However, these sacraments have seldom brought man the object of his quest. Still, millions of people continue to pursue the Muse, hoping for a moment of transcendence, of sacred vision, that will make their journey worthwhile. Philosophers have called this seeking man's religious impulse, yet plainly most of man's religions have attempted to prohibit any type of activity that may lead to 'unofficial' spiritual knowledge, and thus have also not fulfilled man's quest in any significant way. In those cases where it has done so, the seekers have wondered away from the dogma of religion into the wilds of mysticism, where one creates one's own religion. In recent history, such mystics have been called Illuminati, and have included individuals pursuing Rosicrucian, Kabbalistic and Alchemical studies and practices.
Alchemy is a methodology of transformation whose purpose is the reunification of man's individual consciousness with universal consciousness. There are many variations of belief as to why this Great Work should be accomplished. The most widespread is based on the mythos of an ancient War in Heaven, a conflict between good and evil, or between the forces of order and chaos. Some believe this conflict resulted in the fall of man from spiritual grace (unity with universal consciousness), others that man simply went astray. Some, such as the Gnostics and the Nagual Shamans of Mexico, believe that man's consciousness was ambushed and taken over by an outside force. Those who pursue the Great Work with a religious base often see it as a moral struggle, while others see it as simply an evolution of man to a more spiritual state. Whatever the reason, the methodology for attaining the Great Work remains essentially the same in all cultures.
Although the Great Work must be prosecuted by each seeker individually, sometimes seekers band together to aid each other on the Path. Seekers of the Light gather together to create a Circle, a spiritual powerzone. This powerzone attracts magickal beings to itself, who cross-fertilize each others imagination and psychic energies in an effort to create mutual understanding and give re-birth to one another and themselves. The mutant magical energies of these Bornless Ones transform the consciousness of those who come into contact with them. When the energies reach maturation, some cataclysm breaks up the harmony of the incubating powerzone, which then spreads its initiatory energies into the Void to co-mingle and cross-fertilize with other energies from myriad other powerzones. This process spawns new Circles wherever the confluence of forces find favorable alignments of Stars.
Initiation into a Circle is a ritual that symbolizes and/or helps to begin an inner transformation of the initiate. Today, all too often, the ritual is merely symbolic and serves only to link the initiate to the group egregore (group energy or thoughtform) and to create a political lineage. The actual transformation of the initiate only takes place if the seeker undertakes to pursue a methodology on his own. Such methodologies are often missing from the body of knowledge passed on to the initiate. Too often, dogma takes the place of the personal mystic experience that is the hallmark of the successful initiate. It is incumbent upon anyone who undergoes such a ritual to pursue knowledge and power until their Initiation becomes effective and they set foot upon the Path. All efficacious Initiation is really self-initiation, and this refers not to some basically worthless self- dedication ritual, but to years of sustained effort. St. Augustine once said that it was only necessary to engage in religious ritual until one obtained illumination, indicating that one of the chief reasons for such ritual work is the build up of energy that activates the energy body. As Crowley admonished seekers when he was contacted via seance by the psychic Witch Sybil Leek, "Invoke often!"
"For the Dragon, while sacred and to be worshipped, has within him something still more of the divine nature of which it is better for others to remain in ignorance."
"The successful Adept…traverses the seven angels… representing the chief operations of
the Great Work…
And even upon reaching the Philosophers' Stone, he finds it is held in custody by a
formidable Dragon."
"Before the TAO, there was no existence, Wu-wu, Not Nothing, but with the TAO came Wu Chi, No Limit. From the No Limit came Hun T'un, Chaos, the Great Cosmic Sea, wherein evolved the first fixed point, Tai Chi, the Great Pole. From the Great Pole came T'ai Ch'u, the Great First, who had form. Afterwards came T'ai Shih, the Great Beginning, which had breath or Chi. Form and breath combined to produce T'ai Su, the Great Primordial, the Dragon of Wisdom."
"Here ye the words of the Sons of Fire, the Divine Dragons of Wisdom: 'The Seven and the One give man life, the Five-in-One complete him, and the Three-Who-Are-One perfect his final body.'"
The Dragon with its tail in its mouth symbolizes the unenlightened soul bound to the cycle of reincarnation, while the active Dragon symbolizes the Adept. Two Dragons facing each other symbolize one who is working toward Immortality, while two Dragons facing away from each other (in opposite directions) symbolize the attainment of Immortality. The ancient Chinese word for Dragon, 'long,' literally meant 'rising of the Moon,' referring to the Pearl of Great Price, the Body of Light (Star) of the Immortal. After the Pearl is created and the Body of Light becomes active, the Adept is said to be Immortal. At this point, further progress involves learning about the various states of Immortality beyond Enlightenment. Entrance to Eternity involves the Wave of Bliss, the Divine Carriage to the Immortal Realms, also referred to as Riding the Dragon.
The Great Work is called the Opening of the Eye of the Dragon because the spirit reabsorbs all of the Light that it has projected as the objective universe, reawakening the Dragon energy. This union produces the Immortal Spirit, the Sun at Midnight. The Dragon was separated into two beings, the male, who is the Howler in the Wastes of Nothingness, the Demon Lord of Time, and the female, who presides over all of the created Multiverse as Babalon, the prototype of manifestation. The explosive union of these two opens the Gates of the ABYSS. The Dweller on the Threshold denies Babalon and breeds devils in chaos (collectively, the karmic demon, the false Beast who guards the pylon of the veil between the planes). The imperfectly created universe of the Dweller or false Beast must be destroyed or reabsorbed (past karma and all bonds of energy with the Multiverse must be overcome) before the Initiate-Become-Himself may attain union with Babalon. Then, the serpent fire rises to an explosion of ecstasy in the Abyss, vibrating its Word and casting forth its Star. The Serpent Fire interlaces itself with the Water of Space, and by this process the true Beast, the male aspect of the Dragon, opens the womb of Babalon, as his infinite Light breaks open her Night and causes her to appear as infinite Darkness. It is in the silence of the death of desire that the child of the union of Babalon and the Beast realizes its identity with absolute consciousness. This process is the means of the return to the supreme state represented by the Cosmos, and is the true formula of Illumination. When the urge to know is turned inwards instead of outwards, as it usually is, then the ego dies and the objective universe is dissolved. In the Light of the Illumination, Divine Knowledge, the Gnosis, is all that remains.
Today, most Adepts of Magick in the West seek to enter Eternity through the Stellar (extraterrestrial) Mysteries of the ABYSS or Void. The symbol of this Work is the Magick Tower, the place of transformation. Such activities lead to contact with the Dragon and the revelation of various forms of Dragon Magick. Most Adepts in the East follow the ancient traditions of the Dragon, and concentrate on the Pearl of Great Price. While western Adepts see Eternity as a great adventure full of new possibilities and further growth, eastern Adepts usually see it as the culmination of change and the attainment of Eternal Bliss. It is both and neither.
The intertwining of the Dragon force with the human soul has made us double beings. Thus, in order to re-unite our individual consciousness with universal consciousness, it is necessary to redeem both halves of our being. However, the purpose of those who follow the Dragon Magick is to ultimately expel the Dragon from their lives, so their Spirit can resume its ancient journey across the Dark Sea of Awareness. This can be accomplished in many ways, including the raising of the Kundalini serpent force up the spine until it shoots out of the crown of the head, where the Dragon force dwells. This expels the Dragon force and re-establishes the link between individual and universal consciousness. In order to do this successfully, one must also create the Babe of the Abyss, the immortal body, the Pearl of Great Price.
Frater Albertus -- The Alchemists Handbook
Since Western Alchemy in the form of High Magick is widely available in the works of Aleister Crowley, Kenneth Grant and the OTO, Eastern techniques for creating the Pearl of Great Price are presented here under the link 'How to Practice Alchemy.'
- Empedocles (Fifth Century BC)
- Jacob Boehme (16th Century)
The Great Work
Cornelius Agrippa -- Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy
Franz Bardon -- Initiation into Hermetics
Francis Barrett -- The Magus
Helena Blavatsky -- The Secret Doctrine
Titus Burkhardt -- Alchemy
Carlos Castaneda -- A Separate Reality
Carlos Castaneda -- Journey to Ixtlan
Carlos Castaneda -- Tales of Power
Carlos Castaneda -- The Second Ring of power
Carlos Castaneda -- The Eagle's Gift
Carlos Castaneda -- The Fire From Within
Carlos Castaneda -- The Power of Silence
Carlos Castaneda -- The Art of Dreaming
Carlos Castaneda -- Magical Passes
Carlos Castaneda -- The Wheel of Time
Carlos Castaneda -- The Active Side of Infinity
Thomas Cleary -- The Secret of the Golden Flower
Thomas Cleary -- Immortal Sisters
Brian Copenhaver -- Hermetica
Alesiter Crowley -- Magick in Theory and Practice
Aleister Crowley -- Moonchild
Aleister Crowley -- Lemegeton
Aleister Crowley -- The Equinox
Aleister Crowley -- The Book of the Law
Aleister Crowley -- Liber 777
Alesiter Crowley -- Confessions: Diary of a Drug Fiend
Aleister Crowley -- Book of Wisdom and Folly
Aleister Crowley -- Book of Thoth
Aleister Crowley -- De Arte Magica
Aleister Crowley -- The Vision and the Voice
Aleister Crowley -- Magical Diaries of Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley -- Magical Record of Aleister Crowley
Alesiter Crowley -- Magick Without Tears
Louis Culling -- The Great Brotherhood of God
Philippe Druillet -- Yragael Urm
Philippe Druillet -- Lone Sloane: Delirius
Philippe Druillet -- The Six Voyages of Lone Sloane
Dr. John Everard -- The Divine Pymander
Dion Fortune -- The Goat-foot God
Dion Fortune -- The Winged Bull
Dion Fortune -- The Demon Lover
Dion Fortune -- Moon Magic
Dion Fortune -- The Sea Priestess
Dion Fortune -- The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
Dion Fortune -- Psychic Self-Defense
Dion Fortune -- Esoteric Philosophy of Love and Marriage
Dion Fortune -- Training and Work of An Initiate
Dion Fortune -- Practical Occultism
Dion Fortune -- The Cosmic Doctrine
Dion Fortune -- The Mystical Qabalah
Dion Fortune -- Through the Gates of Death
Kenneth Grant -- The Magical Revival
Kenneth Grant -- Cults of the Shadow
Kenneth Grant -- Aleister Crowley & the Hidden God
Kenneth Grant -- Nightside of Eden
Kenneth Grant -- Images & Oracles of Austin Osman Spare
Kenneth Grant -- Beyond the Mauve Zone
Kenneth Grant -- Outside the Circles of Time
Kenneth Grant -- Outer Gateways
Manly Palmer Hall -- The Secret Teachings of All Ages
Michael Harner -- Way of the Shaman
Franz Hartmann -- Among the Gnomes
Franz Hartmann -- Life & Doctrine of Jacob Boehme
Paul Huson -- Mastering Witchcraft
Paul Huson -- The Devil's Picturebook
Paul Huson -- Mastering Herbalism
Aryeh Kaplan -- The Bahir
Francis King -- Secret Rituals of the OTO
Peter Koenig -- The OTO Phenomenon
Eliphas Levi -- Transcendental Magic
Eliphas Levi -- The Key of the Mysteries
Samuel Mathers -- The Key of Solomon the King
Al Manning -- Helping Yourself with White Witchcraft
Michael Moorcock -- The Multiverse
A. R. Naylor -- OTO Rituals and Sex Magick by Theodor Reuss & Aleister Crowley
Sri Krishna Prem -- Man, the Measure of All Things
Israel Regardie -- The Golden Dawn
Israel Regardie -- The Tree of Life
Israel Regardie -- The Middle Pillar
Israel Regardie -- The Eye in the Triangle
Alexander Roob -- Alchemy & Mysticism: The Hermetic Museum
Dane Rudyar -- Esoteric Astrology
Mouni Sadhu -- The Tarot
Eric Yudelove -- Taoist Yoga & Sexual Energy