"Magic has the power to experience and fathom things which are inaccessible to human reason. For Magic is a great secret wisdom, just as reason is a great public folly ".
Paracelsus (1493–1541)
" The deepest truths can only be approached through myths and symbols. They cannot even be conveyed through exegesis or philosophical treatise. The Truth can only be hinted at and, even then, can only be recognized by those who already know it. Yet this recognition lies dormant within us all. The Mysteries raise the unconscious knowledge of truth to consciousness. This is not done with intellectual explanations but with symbols and games of mystery in which the truths are depicted in a dramatized form. "
Johfra, Astrology, (translated by Jan Michael), Amsterdam: V.O.C.-Angel Books, 1981.
"‘It is at the time when bodily inertia asserts itself, at the same hour when Nature finishes her work, that the Wise Man finally begins his own. Let us therefore lean towards the abyss, let us scrutinize its depths, rummage through the darkness which covers it, and the Void will instruct us. Birth teaches us few things, but death, from which life is born, can reveal all. It alone holds the keys of the laboratory of nature; it alone delivers the spirit, imprisoned in the midst of the material body. Shadow, bestower of light, sanctuary of truth, asylum violated by wisdom, it hides and jealously withholds its treasures from timorous mortals, the indecisive, the sceptical, all those who disregard or dare not confront it.
‘For the Philosopher, death is simply a transformation like that of the caterpillar into butterfly, which links the material plane to the divine. It is the earthly door opened to the heavens, the link between nature and divinity; it is the chain which joins those who yet live to those who have passed on. And if human evolution, in its physical sense, can of its own will dispose of the past and present, then in its turn it is death alone which belongs to the future.
‘Consequently, far from inspiring a feeling of horror or repulsion in the Wise, death, the instrument of salvation, appears to him both useful and necessary. And if we are not allowed to allot to ourselves the fixed time for our proper destiny, at least we have received the permission of the Eternal to call it forth from the grave matter, in accordance and submission to the orders of God, and to the will of man.
‘One can thus understand why the Philosophers place so much insistence upon the necessity of material death. It is through death that the spirit, imperishable and always active, stirs up, sifts, separates, cleans and purifies the body. It is from death that there proceeds the possibility of assembling the purified parts, to build with them a new lodging place, finally to transmit to the regenerated form an energy which it does not possess.’ "
Fulcanelli, Les Demeures Philosophales, Vol. II, pp. 324-325, in Johnson, Kenneth R., The Fulcanelli Phenomenon, Jersey, Channel Islands: Neville Spearman, 1980, pp. 274-275
" I was raw, I cooked, I burnt to cinders..! "
Mevlana Jalal ad-Din Rumi
" Scire, Potere, Audere, Tacere
ZOROASTER
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), London: Neville Spearman, 1971, pp. 175-177
" It was in March 1953 that I met an alchemist for the first time. It was at the Café Procope in Paris which was then coming into fashion again. A famous poet, while I was writing my book on Gurdjieff, had arranged the meeting, and I was often to see this singular man again, though I never succeeded in penetrating his secrets.
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".
‘The reasons why he rejects Gurdjieff:
(1) Whoever feels an urge to teach is not living his own doctrine completely and has not attained the heights of initiation.
(2) In Gurdjieff's teaching there is no material point of contact between the pupil who has been convinced of his own insignificance and the energy he must succeed in acquiring in order to become a real being. This energy - this "will to will" as Gurdjieff puts it - the pupil is supposed to find in himself and nowhere else. Now this approach is partially false, and can only lead to despair. This energy exists outside man, and must be captured. The Roman Catholic swallows the host - a ritual way of intercepting this energy. But if you have no faith? In that case, have a fire - that is all the alchemy is. A real fire. Everything begins and everything happens through contact with matter.
(3) Gurdjieff did not live alone but always had a crowd round him. "There are roads in solitude and rivers in the desert", but there are no roads and no rivers in a man who is always mixed up with other men.
‘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 midnight I asked him about Fulcanelli (author of Le Mystère des Cathédrales and Les Demeures philosophales) and he gave me to understand that Fulcanelli is not dead: "It is possible to live infinitely longer than an unawakened man could believe. And one's appearance can change completely. I know this; my eyes know it. I also know that there is such a thing as the philosopher's stone. But this is matter on a different level, and not as we know it. But here, as elsewhere, it is still possible to take measurements. The methods of working and measuring are simple, and do not require any complicated apparatus: women's work and children's games. ..."
‘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: Paris, 1960),
" Virgin mother, daughter of your son,
Humble and exalted beyond any other creature,
The settled end of the eternal plan,
You are she who made human nature
So noble, that the maker of it himself
Did not scorn to have himself made by it.
In your womb was lit again that love
By whose warmth, in the eternal peace,
This flower has germinated as it is.
For us here you are a midday blaze
Of love; and down there, among mortals,
You are the ever-living spring of hope.
Lady, you are so great, and have such power,
That whoever seeks grace without recourse to you
Is like someone wanting to fly without wings.
You are so benign that you not only help
Whoever asks you but, very often,
Spontaneously give before the prayer is made.
Now this man who from the lowest sink
Of the universe has seen one by one
How spirits live, from there to this point,
Implores you, of your grace, that he be given
Enough grace for him to lift his eyes
Higher towards the ultimate beatitude (...)"
Dante, The Divine Comedy, "Paradiso", Canto 33 (translated by C. H. Sisson), Manchester: Carcanet New Press, 1980
"Watch your thoughts; they become your words…
Watch your words; they become your actions…
Watch your actions; they become your habits…
Watch your habits; they become your character…
Watch your character, for it will become your destiny."
[Attributed by the Oral Torah to Hillel the Elder (30 B.C.–10 A.D.) from Babylonia, Talmudic scholar of the early Rabbinic period.]
" Stanza X.
38. Thus two by two, on the seven zones, the Third (Race) gave birth to the Fourth (Race men). The gods became no-gods (Sura became a-Sura).
39. The First (Race) on every zone was moon-coloured (yellow-white); the Second, yellow, like gold; the Third, red; the Fourth, brown, which became black with sin. The first seven (human) shoots were all of one complexion in the beginning. The next (seven, the sub-races) began mixing their colours.
40. Then the third and fourth (races) became tall with pride. We are the kings, we are the gods.
41. They took wives fair to look at. Wives from the "mindless", the narrow-headed. They bred monsters, wicked demons, male and female. Also Khado (Dakini) with little minds.
42. They built temples for human body. Male and Female they worshipped. Then the third eye acted no longer.
Stanza XI.
43. They (the Lemurians) built huge cities. Of rare earths and metals they built. Out of the fires (lava) vomited. Out of the white stone of the mountains (marble) and the black stone (of the subterranean fires) they cut their own images, in their size and likeness, and worshipped them.
44. They (the Atlanteans) built great images, nine yatis high (27 feet) - the size of their bodies. Lunar fires had destroyed the land of their fathers (the Lemurians). Water threatened the Fourth (Race).
45. The first great waters came. They swallowed the seven great islands.
46. All holy saved, the unholy destroyed. With them the most of the huge animals produced from the sweat of the earth.
Stanza XII.
47. Few (men) remained. Some yellow, some brown and black, and some red, remained. The mon-coloured (of the primitive Divine Stock) were gone for ever...
48. The Fifth Race produced from the Holy Stock (remained). It was ruled by Her First Divine Kings.
49. The "Serpents" who re-descended; who made peace with the Fifth (Race), who taught and instructed it (...)"
From the "Stanzas of Dzyan" in Blavatsky, H. P., The Secret Doctrine, Vol. II "Anthropogenesis", 1888
" The Hutuktu of Narabanchi related the following to me, when I visisted him
in his monastery in the beginning of 1921:
" ‘When the King of the World appeared before the Lamas, favored of
God, in this monastery thirty yeas ago he made a prophecy for the coming
half century. It was as follows:
" «More and more the people will forget their souls and care about their bodies. The greatest sin and corruption will reign on the earth. People will become as ferocious animals, thirsting for the blood and death of their
brothers. The "Crescent" will grow dim and its followers will descend into
beggary and ceaseless war. Its conquerors will be stricken by the sun but
will not progress upward and twice they will be visited with the heaviest
misfortune, which will end in insult before the eye of the other peoples. The
crowns of kings, great and small, will fall ... one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. ... There will be a terrible battle among all the peoples. The seas will become red ... the earth and the bottom of the seas will be strewn
with bones ... kingdoms will be scattered ... whole peoples will die ... hunger,
disease, crimes unknown to the law, never before seen in the world. The
enemies of God and of the Divine Spirit in man will come. Those who take
the hand of another shall also perish. The forgotten and pursued shall rise
and hold the attention of the whole world. There will be fogs and storms.
Bare mountains shall suddently be covered with forests. Earthquakes will
come. ... Millions will change the fetters of slavery and humilliation for
hunger, disease and death. The ancient roads will be covered with crowds
wandering from one place to another. The greatest and most beautiful cities
shall perish in fire ... one, two, three. ... Father shall rise against son, brother against brother and mother against daughter. ... Vice, crime and the
destruction of body and soul shall follow. ... Families shall be scattered. ...
Truth and love shall disappear. ... From ten thousand men one shall remain;
he shall be nude and mad and without force and the knowledge to build him
a house and find his food. ... He will howl as the raging wolf, devour dead
bodies, bite his own flesh and challenge God to fight. ... All the earth will be emptied. God will turn away from it and over it there will be only night and
death. Then I shall send a people, not unknown, which shall tear out the
weeds of madness and vice with a strong hand and will lead those who still
remain faithful to the spirit of man in the fight against Evil. They will found a new life on the earth purified by the death of nations. In the fiftieth year only three great kingdoms will appear, which will exist happily seventy-one years. Afterwards there will be eighteen years of war and destruction. Then the peoples of Agharti will come up from their subterranean caverns to the surface of the earth. »’"
Ossendowsky, Ferdinand, Beasts, Men and Gods, London: Edward Arnold & Co., 1923, pp. 313-314
" From 1934 to 1940 Jacques Bergier worked with André Helbronner, one of the most remarkable men of our time. Helbronner, who was assassinated by the Nazis at Buchenwald in March 1944, had been the first Professor at the Faculty to teach physical-cemistry. (...)
Helbronner had been awarded the gold medal of the Franklin Institute for his discoveries on colloidal metals. He was also interested in the liquefaction of gases, aeronautics and ultra-violet rays. In 1934 he devoted himself to the study of nuclear physics and created, with a group of industrialists, a nuclear research laboratory where, up to 1940, some very interesting results were obtained. (...)
One afternoon, in June 1937, Jacques Bergier thought there was good reason to believe that he was in the presence of Fulcanelli.
It was at the request of André Helbronner that my friend met this mysterious personage in the prosaic surroundings of a test laboratory at the offices of the Gas Board in Paris. The following is an exact account of the conversation that then took place:
'M. André Helbronner, whose assistant I believe you are, is carrying out research on nuclear energy. M. Helbronner has been good enough to keep me informed as to the results of some of his experiments, notably the appearance of radio-activity corresponding to plutonium when a bismuth rod is volatilized by an electric discharge in deuterium at high pressure. You are on the brink of success, as indeed are several other of our scientists today. May I be allowed to warn you to be careful? The research in which you and your colleagues are engaged is fraught with terrible dangers, not only for yourselves, but for the whole human race. The liberation of atomic energy is easier than you think, and the radio-activity artificially produced can poison the atmosphere of our planet in the space of a few years. Moreover, atomic explosives can be produced from a few grammes of metal powerful enough to destroy whole cities. I am telling you this as a fact: the alchemists have known it for a very long time.'
Bergier tried to interrupt with a protest. Alchemists and modern physics! He was about to make some sarcastic remarks, when his host interrupted him:
'I know what you are going to say, but it's of no interest. The alchemists were ignorant of the structure of the nucleus, knew nothing about electricity and had no means of detection. Therefore they have never been able to perform any transmutation, still less liberate nuclear energy. I shall not attempt to prove to you what I am now going to say, but I ask you to repeat it to M. Helbronner: certain geometrical arrangements of highly purified materials are enough to release atomic forces without having recourse to either electricity or vacuum techniques. I will merely read to you now a short extract. ...'
He then picked up Frederick Soddy's The Interpretation of Radium and read as follows: 'I believe that there have been civilizations in the past that were familiar with atomic energy, and that by misusing it they were totally destroyed.'
He then continued: 'I would ask you to believe that certain techniques have partially survived. I would ask you to remember that the alchemists' researches were coloured by moral and religious preoccupations, whereas modern physics was created in the eighteenth century for their amusement by a few aristocrats and wealthy libertines. Science without a conscience. ... I have thought it my duty to warn a few research workers here and there, but I have no hope of seeing this warning prove effective. For that matter, there is no reason why I should have any hope.'
Bergier has never been able to forget the sound of that precise incisive voice, speaking with such authority.
He ventured to put another question: 'If you are an alchemist yourself, sir, I cannot believe you spend your time fabricating gold like Dunikovski or Dr. Miethe. For the last year I have been trying to get information about alchemy, and find myself surrounded by imposters or hearing what seem to be fantastic interpretations. Now can you, sir, tell me what is the nature of your researches?'
'You ask me to summarize for you in four minutes four thousand years of philosophy and the efforts of a lifetime. Furthermore, you ask me to translate into ordinary language concepts for which such a language is not intended. All the same, I can tell you this much: you are aware that in the official science of today the role of the observer becomes more and more important. Relativity, the principle of indeterminacy, show the extent to which the observer today intervenes in all these phenomena. The secret of alchemy is this: there is a way of manipulating matter and energy so as to produce what modern scientists call "a field of force". This field acts on the observer and puts him in a privileged position vis-à-vis the Universe. From this position he has access to the realities which are ordinarily hidden from us by time and space, matter and energy. This is what we call the "The Great Work".'
'But what about the philosopher's stone? The fabrication of gold?'
'These are only applications, particular cases. The essential thing is not the transmutation of metals, but that of the experimenter himself. It's an ancient secret that a few men re-discover once in a century.'
'And what becomes of them then?'
'I shall know, perhaps, one day.'
My friend was never to see this man again – (...) "
Pauwels, Louis, The Morning of the Magicians, London: Mayflower Books Ltd, 1971, pp. 75-78 (translated by Rollo Myers from the French Le matin des magiciens, Paris: Gallimard, 1960)