Part 73 (2/2)

”Chaos means universal matter, formless, but susceptible of all forms.

Form is the Light inclosed in the seeds of all species; and its home is in the Universal Spirit.

”To work on universal matter, use the internal and external fire: the four elements result, the _Principia Principiorum_ and _Inmediata_; Fire, Air, Water, Earth. There are four qualities of these elements--the warm and dry, the cold and moist. Two appertain to each element: The dry and cold, to the Earth; the cold and moist, to Water; the moist and warm, to the Air; and the warm and dry, to Fire: whereby the Fire connects with the Earth; all the elements, as Hermes said, moving in circles.

”From the mixture of the four Elements and of their four qualities, result the three Principles,--Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt. These are the philosophical, not the vulgar.

”The philosophical Mercury is a _Water_ and SPIRIT, which dissolves and sublimates the Sun; the philosophical _Sulphur_, a _fire_ and a Soul, which mollifies and colors it; the philosophical Salt, an _Earth_ and a BODY, which coagulates and fixes it; and the whole is done in the bosom of the _Air_.

”From these three Principles result the four Elements duplicated, or the Grand Elements, _Mercury, Sulphur, Salt_, and _Gla.s.s_; two of which are volatile,--the Water [Mercury] and the Air [Sulphur], which is oil; for all substances liquid in their nature avoid fire, which takes from the one [water] and burns the other [oil]; but the other two are dry and solid, to wit, the Salt, wherein Fire is contained, and the pure _Earth_, which is the Gla.s.s; on both of which the Fire has no other action than to melt and refine them, unless one makes use of the liquid alkali; for, just as each element consists of two qualities, so these great duplicated Elements partake, each of two of the simple elements, or, more properly speaking, of all the four, according to the greater or less degree of each,--the Mercury partaking more of the Water, to which it is a.s.signed; the Oil or Sulphur, more of the Air; the Salt, of the Fire; and the Gla.s.s, of the Earth; which is found, pure and clear, in the centre of all the elementary composites, and is the last to disengage itself from the others.

”The four Elements and three Principles reside in all the Compounds, Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral; but more potently in some than in others.

”The Fire gives them Movement; the Air, Sensation; the Water, Nutriment; and the Earth, Subsistence.

”The four duplicated Elements engender THE STONE, if one is careful enough to supply them with the proper quant.i.ty of fire, and to combine them according to their natural weight. Ten parts of Air make one of Water; ten of Water, one of Earth; and ten of Earth, one of Fire; the whole by the Active Symbol of the one, and the Pa.s.sive Symbol of the other, whereby the conversion of the Elements is effected.”

The Allusion of the Ritual, here, is obviously to the four Worlds of the Kabalah. The ten Sephiroth of the world Briah proceed from Malakoth, the last of the ten Emanations of the world Aziluth; the ten Sephiroth of the world Yezirah, from Malakoth of Briah; and the ten of the world Asian, from Malakoth of Yezirah. The Pa.s.s-word of the Degree is given as _Metralon_, which is a corruption of METATRON, the Cherub, who and Sandalphon are in the Kabalah the Chief of the Angels. The Active and Pa.s.sive Symbols are the Male and Female.

The Ritual continues:

”It is thereby evident that, in the Great Work, we must employ ten parts of philosophical Mercury to one of Sun or Moon.

”This is attained by _Solution_ and _Coagulation_. These words mean that we must dissolve the body and coagulate the spirit; which operations are effected by the moist and dry bath.

”Of colors, _black_ is the Earth; _white_, the Water; _blue_, the Air; and _red_, the Fire; wherein also are involved very great secrets and mysteries.

”The apparatus employed in 'The Great Work' consists of the Moist bath, the Dry bath, the Vases of Nature and Art, the bowl of oak, _lutum sapienti_, the Seal of Hermes, the tube, the physical lamp, and the iron rod.

”The work is perfected in seventeen philosophical months, according to the mixture of ingredients. The benefits reaped from it are of two kinds--one affecting the soul, and the other the body. _The former consist in knowing G.o.d, Nature, and ourself_; and those to the body are wealth and health.

”The Initiate traverses Heaven and Earth. Heaven is the World manifest to the Intelligence, subdivided into Paradise and h.e.l.l; Earth is the World manifest to the Senses, also subdivided into the Celestial and that of the Elements.

”There are Sciences specially connected with each of these. _The one is ordinary and common; the other, mystic and secret_. The World cognizable by the Intellect has the Hermetic Theology and the Kabalah; the Celestial Astrology; and that of the Elements, Chemistry, which by its decompositions and separations, effected by fire, reveals all the most hidden secrets of Nature, in the three kinds of Compound Substances.

This last science is styled 'Hermetic,' or 'The operating of the Great Work.'”

The Ritual of the Degree of Kabalistic and Hermetic Rose, has these pa.s.sages:

”The true Philosophy, known and practised by Solomon, is the basis on which Masonry is founded.

”Our Ancient Masons have concealed from us the most important point of this Divine Art, under hieroglyphical characters, which are but enigmas and parables, to all the Senseless, the Wicked, and the Ambitious.

”He will be supremely fortunate, who shall, by arduous labor, discover this sacred place of deposite, wherein all naked the sublime Truth is hidden; for he may be a.s.sured that he has found the True Light, the True Felicity, the True Heavenly Good. Then may it truly be said that he is one of the True Elect; for it _is the only real and most Sublime Science of all those to which a mortal can aspire_: his days will be prolonged, and his soul freed of all vices and corruption; into which” (it is added, to mislead, as if from fear too much would be disclosed), ”_the human race is often led by indigence_.”

As the symbolism of the Hall and the language of the ritual mutually explain each other, it should be noted here, that in this Degree the columns of the hall, 12 in number, are white variegated with black and red. The hangings are black, and over that crimson.

Over the throne is a great Eagle, in gold, on a black ground. In the centre of the Canopy the Blazing Star in gold, with the letter Yod in its centre. On the right and left of the throne are the Sun in gold and the Moon in silver. The throne is ascended to by _three_ Steps. The hall and ante-room are each lighted by _ten_ lights, and a single one at the entrance. The colors, black, white, and crimson appear in the clothing; and the Key and Balance are among the symbols.

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