YOUR HEART'S DESIRE
Immortality & Superpowers
Immortality & Superpowers
One of the oldest of human desires is to counteract the fleeting nature of our short human existence. Eternal life is ingrained in the collective human consciousness, having been present in literature and myths for as long as they've been around. Literally. The Epic of Gilgamesh (the oldest heroic epic known to the modern world) is, in large part, about the titular character's search for a way to live forever. Expect anyone going ahead with these plans to become Enemies with Death.
Immortality is Alchemical Bisexuality
While characters with normal lifespans are usually depicted as being attracted to one gender exclusively, immortal characters may fantasize over a lifetime of centuries. Maybe they've just been around for so long that they're running out of new things to try. This might be a fantasy level of the transpersonal archetype: The alchemical and Dragon family notion of the Divine Androgyne is that there is gender reunion in being of Wholeness, conjoint male/female consciousness -- a unified psychic state of the Adept that opens vision potential.
SG can enter into a twilight land between self and Self for communication with
our “Inner Master”. This ‘Master’ is nothing other than the spark of the Divine within us that
thoughtfully and carefully has laid out a plan for our Return to Unity from which we came.
Under its watchful omniscient vision we can go through life as one of the many who
unconsciously learn through the hard means of trial and error, or we can seek inner dialogue and communication with it, and listen to the wisdom that it has to offer. In doing so, we can learn, albeit see, the effects of our actions on our immortal consciousness, and in doing so, avoid that which is painful and delays our return, and speed up our elevation to that status of a true Master Builder in the Temple of the Divine Architect of the Universe.
Roughly translated the alchemical formula means, “Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectification you will find the hidden stone.” Rectification implies alignment. It relates to inner practice the same way in Tibet as it does in Egypt. It correlates with Illumination and activation of the Third Eye, which allows us to “see through” and beyond. It means all truth is found within our own human consciousness, and the lives of great saints and mystics reflect this Truth. The chamber of reflection is literally the cranial cavity, a holographic resonant chamber which can read out the cosmic sourcec-ode from the void. In a hologram all the information is contained in each part of the energy dance, just at lower resolution. There are enfolded potentialities inherent in each moment of time. Physical reality is a potentiality for an experienceable event. Conscious experiences are real and they have tangible effects. What is true in physics holds in mysticism. Individuals enter the theory in a manner similar to actual scientific practice. They are experimenting agents that set up conditions, observe and perceive outcomes. These people are not ghosts, nor mystical figments, And their conscious choices are highly efficacious.
Immortality Inducer
These characters typically weren't born immortal, but they didn't let that stop them. They find or create an object, magical or scientific, that will grant them that which they seek. This trope happens whenever a character is immortal through the agency of a physical object. How the object works can be very varied. The extent to which it works and what kind of immortality it bestows also varies. It might only work on a single character, or it could work on anyone in the vicinity. It may also have negative side effects, especially if it's a prototype or created by a Mad Scientist. Said object will often be an Amulet of Dependency: they will typically lose that immortality if the object is destroyed or sometimes just if they lose contact with the object, often resulting in No Immortal Inertia. In some cases, characters may try to merge with this item in order to gain its effects permanently. This may work, or it might backfire horribly, depending on the story and what the object is. There are typically three forms this trope can take: the object simply existing grants them immortality, the object must be used in some way periodically to keep them immortal, or the object must be worn or carried in order to make them immortal.
Chamber of Reflection = a perfect model of the microcosm.
Things Needed
1) Table or desk
2) Chair
3) Mirror
4) Hourglass
5) Three Candles and Candle Snuffer
6) Small Image of the “Grim Reaper’ such as is traditionally shown on the Tarot Card –
Death (Marseilles Deck)
7) Notebook to record our Inner Revelations
8) Equilateral triangle of black cloth or cardboard
9) Small model of a human skull if possible, or crossed thigh bones.
10) Symbols of the Elements used in Alchemy and Qabala.
11) A small container of salt, fresh sea salt is preferred
12) A small container or glass of water
13) A small piece of bread
14) A small piece of Sulphur
15) A cockerel, with the words – vigilance and perseverance written above and below it.
16) A sign that reads VITRIOL
"visit the interior of the earth, and rectifying it, you will find the hidden stone."
From shamanic times onward it has required an inward Journey into one’s own depths. A fiercely lived life is an artform -- illumination in action, based on discipline, practice and service. The specific “Art” is alchemical, a merger of inner and outer reality in One World. The Hermetics had a formula from the Emerald Tablet of Hermes for this realization, encoded in the anagram VITRIOL. It is a formula for visualizations which take one to a precise location in the inner landscape, for the specific purpose of uniting body, soul and spirit. The formula, a call to meditation, is Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem. These seven words relate directly to the seven chakras, whose activation is the key to making the Philosopher’s Stone, wholeness. When the chakras function correctly, a ray of incomparable coherent light is created that is more than metaphorical.
Immortality is Alchemical Bisexuality
While characters with normal lifespans are usually depicted as being attracted to one gender exclusively, immortal characters may fantasize over a lifetime of centuries. Maybe they've just been around for so long that they're running out of new things to try. This might be a fantasy level of the transpersonal archetype: The alchemical and Dragon family notion of the Divine Androgyne is that there is gender reunion in being of Wholeness, conjoint male/female consciousness -- a unified psychic state of the Adept that opens vision potential.
SG can enter into a twilight land between self and Self for communication with
our “Inner Master”. This ‘Master’ is nothing other than the spark of the Divine within us that
thoughtfully and carefully has laid out a plan for our Return to Unity from which we came.
Under its watchful omniscient vision we can go through life as one of the many who
unconsciously learn through the hard means of trial and error, or we can seek inner dialogue and communication with it, and listen to the wisdom that it has to offer. In doing so, we can learn, albeit see, the effects of our actions on our immortal consciousness, and in doing so, avoid that which is painful and delays our return, and speed up our elevation to that status of a true Master Builder in the Temple of the Divine Architect of the Universe.
Roughly translated the alchemical formula means, “Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectification you will find the hidden stone.” Rectification implies alignment. It relates to inner practice the same way in Tibet as it does in Egypt. It correlates with Illumination and activation of the Third Eye, which allows us to “see through” and beyond. It means all truth is found within our own human consciousness, and the lives of great saints and mystics reflect this Truth. The chamber of reflection is literally the cranial cavity, a holographic resonant chamber which can read out the cosmic sourcec-ode from the void. In a hologram all the information is contained in each part of the energy dance, just at lower resolution. There are enfolded potentialities inherent in each moment of time. Physical reality is a potentiality for an experienceable event. Conscious experiences are real and they have tangible effects. What is true in physics holds in mysticism. Individuals enter the theory in a manner similar to actual scientific practice. They are experimenting agents that set up conditions, observe and perceive outcomes. These people are not ghosts, nor mystical figments, And their conscious choices are highly efficacious.
Immortality Inducer
These characters typically weren't born immortal, but they didn't let that stop them. They find or create an object, magical or scientific, that will grant them that which they seek. This trope happens whenever a character is immortal through the agency of a physical object. How the object works can be very varied. The extent to which it works and what kind of immortality it bestows also varies. It might only work on a single character, or it could work on anyone in the vicinity. It may also have negative side effects, especially if it's a prototype or created by a Mad Scientist. Said object will often be an Amulet of Dependency: they will typically lose that immortality if the object is destroyed or sometimes just if they lose contact with the object, often resulting in No Immortal Inertia. In some cases, characters may try to merge with this item in order to gain its effects permanently. This may work, or it might backfire horribly, depending on the story and what the object is. There are typically three forms this trope can take: the object simply existing grants them immortality, the object must be used in some way periodically to keep them immortal, or the object must be worn or carried in order to make them immortal.
Chamber of Reflection = a perfect model of the microcosm.
Things Needed
1) Table or desk
2) Chair
3) Mirror
4) Hourglass
5) Three Candles and Candle Snuffer
6) Small Image of the “Grim Reaper’ such as is traditionally shown on the Tarot Card –
Death (Marseilles Deck)
7) Notebook to record our Inner Revelations
8) Equilateral triangle of black cloth or cardboard
9) Small model of a human skull if possible, or crossed thigh bones.
10) Symbols of the Elements used in Alchemy and Qabala.
11) A small container of salt, fresh sea salt is preferred
12) A small container or glass of water
13) A small piece of bread
14) A small piece of Sulphur
15) A cockerel, with the words – vigilance and perseverance written above and below it.
16) A sign that reads VITRIOL
"visit the interior of the earth, and rectifying it, you will find the hidden stone."
From shamanic times onward it has required an inward Journey into one’s own depths. A fiercely lived life is an artform -- illumination in action, based on discipline, practice and service. The specific “Art” is alchemical, a merger of inner and outer reality in One World. The Hermetics had a formula from the Emerald Tablet of Hermes for this realization, encoded in the anagram VITRIOL. It is a formula for visualizations which take one to a precise location in the inner landscape, for the specific purpose of uniting body, soul and spirit. The formula, a call to meditation, is Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem. These seven words relate directly to the seven chakras, whose activation is the key to making the Philosopher’s Stone, wholeness. When the chakras function correctly, a ray of incomparable coherent light is created that is more than metaphorical.
The point is that you should assimilate yourself and not project half of yourself into other people or institutions. Of course you are far from being perfect, or perfectly conscious. When you are integrated you are perhaps as unconscious as you ever were, only you no longer project yourself; that is the difference. One should never think that man can reach perfection, he can only aim at completion--not to be perfect but to be complete.--Jung, Visions Seminar
- Complete Immortality - A character simply can't die, ever.
- This trope = The Ageless + Nigh-Invulnerability
- Retroactive Immortality - A character can die, but won't stay dead.
- Spare Bodies
- Biological Immortality - A character is immune to the ravages of time.
- Force of Will
- How to become immortal? - Methods by which a mortal character can actively cheat death. Key word being actively, once the method is stopped or reversed, they become mortal again.
- Incomplete Immortality
- Type I: Complete Immortality, like certain gods, Nigh-Invulnerability + The Ageless.
- Type I-X: Eternal / Time Abyss; more like God.
- Type II: The Ageless
- Type III: Regenerative; From a Single Cell.
- Type IV: Resurrective Immortality, or like Body Backup Drive
- Type V: The Undead
- Type VI: Age Without Youth
- Type VII: External, like Soul Jar or Immortality Talisman
- Type VIII: Legacy Immortality
- Type IX: Parasitic, like Body Surf
- Type X: Vampiric, like Life Drinker, Blood Bath
- Type XI: Projected avatar, like Fighting a Shadow or Body Backup Drive
- Type 0: Plot immortality, because the writers will never kill them off for good, like the Joker.
Agostino Arrivabene - Theofania
SUPERPOWERS
Sometimes, the most powerful fighter will not be equipped with such Stock Superpowers as super-strength, or Nigh-Invulnerability. Instead, they have the power to see into the future. Why is this useful? Because it lets them know your next move, and plan accordingly. Why this doesn't muddle up their ability to know what you're doing now can be chalked up to the Rule of Cool. Alternately, it can be Hand Waved by saying that they're not looking that far into the future, or by noting their brain can keep up with both.
Did you ever notice how many supernatural abilities, superpowers, or forms of Magic by Any Other Name are controlled by emotion? Kind of a part of Magic Versus Technology where Magic is emotional, and Technology is rational. A more general version of Defence Mechanism Superpower and Traumatic Superpower Awakening without the required danger, Emotional Powers manifest themselves through emotion in the characters. What the emotions are will vary. A character trying to work out "how to x" may learn that the answer is Don't Think. Feel.
Imagination Based Superpower
A power based around the user's imagination. This power allows the user to create anything if they think of it. It can be anything mundane from table flatware to weapons like rocket launchers and machine guns. Because of the nature of this trope, there will often be some kind of limitation to the power to prevent it from becoming a Story Breaker Power.
Did you ever notice how many supernatural abilities, superpowers, or forms of Magic by Any Other Name are controlled by emotion? Kind of a part of Magic Versus Technology where Magic is emotional, and Technology is rational. A more general version of Defence Mechanism Superpower and Traumatic Superpower Awakening without the required danger, Emotional Powers manifest themselves through emotion in the characters. What the emotions are will vary. A character trying to work out "how to x" may learn that the answer is Don't Think. Feel.
Imagination Based Superpower
A power based around the user's imagination. This power allows the user to create anything if they think of it. It can be anything mundane from table flatware to weapons like rocket launchers and machine guns. Because of the nature of this trope, there will often be some kind of limitation to the power to prevent it from becoming a Story Breaker Power.
Dreams
- Dreaming of Things to Come
- Dreaming of Times Gone By
- Dreamwalker operates in dreams of others
Dream Tending - Dream Spying; Remote Viewing
- Dream Weaver
- Talking in Your Dreams
Astral Projection
is a magic/mystic practice which allows a character to detach either his soul or his conscious mind (the distinction is important) from his body and let it wander freely, either invisibly in the material plane or out in the Spirit World. As, essentially, a living ghost, the character can go just about anywhere, see and hear anything, and potentially engage in Invisible Jerkass behavior, depending on whether he can move objects telekinetically. Also like ghosts, characters who are Astral Projecting may use Demonic Possession to take over host bodies, though this doesn't necessarily allow them to pry into their mind. Most victims usually have no idea what happened afterward. Unfortunately, the freedom of the soul comes at the expense of the body, which usually lies in a Convenient Coma, utterly helpless and vulnerable to attack or neglect. In many cases the body will die if the soul is separated from it for too long. Another danger is that, like a ghost, the soul/mind might be unable to find its way back. This is especially risky if the Astral Projector loses the "tether" that connects him back to his body, or if another person moves his body while he is "away." Worst case scenario, another detached soul takes up residence in the body and takes over the person's life while they are stuck outside their own body for good.
is a magic/mystic practice which allows a character to detach either his soul or his conscious mind (the distinction is important) from his body and let it wander freely, either invisibly in the material plane or out in the Spirit World. As, essentially, a living ghost, the character can go just about anywhere, see and hear anything, and potentially engage in Invisible Jerkass behavior, depending on whether he can move objects telekinetically. Also like ghosts, characters who are Astral Projecting may use Demonic Possession to take over host bodies, though this doesn't necessarily allow them to pry into their mind. Most victims usually have no idea what happened afterward. Unfortunately, the freedom of the soul comes at the expense of the body, which usually lies in a Convenient Coma, utterly helpless and vulnerable to attack or neglect. In many cases the body will die if the soul is separated from it for too long. Another danger is that, like a ghost, the soul/mind might be unable to find its way back. This is especially risky if the Astral Projector loses the "tether" that connects him back to his body, or if another person moves his body while he is "away." Worst case scenario, another detached soul takes up residence in the body and takes over the person's life while they are stuck outside their own body for good.
Psychic Powers
A Master Of Illusion
will go beyond merely using such trickery as a tool. Instead, he or she will hone it into a fine art form; milking it for as much trickery, espionage, and/or personal pleasure as they can derive from it. Such powers are usually psychic in origin, although they can also be technological as well, creating Holograms which can be especially dangerous when they can make them solid (holograms also carry the bonus of being able to fool electronic surveillance). Despite lacking obvious means of attack like with Pyrokinesis and Telekinesis, they can use a Faux Flame to burn, though resolute heroes may resist, or making a gaping hole seem like an even floor. A common variant is for the Master Of Illusion to trap the hero in a virtual reality simulation over which the villain has complete control. Of course, death or injury in the simulation will usually mean death or injury in real life, so any hero thus ensnared will have to be careful. Most Masters of Illusion aren't content to just let their VR deathtrap program play out by itself - what would be the fun in that after all? So they'll frequently appear in the simulation, usually as a cackling, monstrous tormentor who plays cat and mouse games with the hero and who mocks their every step. If the Master Of Illusion traps a hero in a Lotus-Eater Machine,—or in a simulation of their ordinary, everyday life—they'll frequently appear as an ally of the hero, using this form to distract the hero from discovering their true whereabouts, or as part of a ruse to trick the hero into revealing some important confidential information. In more insidious cases, the Master Of Illusion will appear to the hero as a romantic interest, either one the hero knows, or one that's been created whole cloth out of the hero's own memories and desires. This gives the Master Of Illusion the chance to screw with the hero's mind (and body, depending on how far the writers let things go.)
will go beyond merely using such trickery as a tool. Instead, he or she will hone it into a fine art form; milking it for as much trickery, espionage, and/or personal pleasure as they can derive from it. Such powers are usually psychic in origin, although they can also be technological as well, creating Holograms which can be especially dangerous when they can make them solid (holograms also carry the bonus of being able to fool electronic surveillance). Despite lacking obvious means of attack like with Pyrokinesis and Telekinesis, they can use a Faux Flame to burn, though resolute heroes may resist, or making a gaping hole seem like an even floor. A common variant is for the Master Of Illusion to trap the hero in a virtual reality simulation over which the villain has complete control. Of course, death or injury in the simulation will usually mean death or injury in real life, so any hero thus ensnared will have to be careful. Most Masters of Illusion aren't content to just let their VR deathtrap program play out by itself - what would be the fun in that after all? So they'll frequently appear in the simulation, usually as a cackling, monstrous tormentor who plays cat and mouse games with the hero and who mocks their every step. If the Master Of Illusion traps a hero in a Lotus-Eater Machine,—or in a simulation of their ordinary, everyday life—they'll frequently appear as an ally of the hero, using this form to distract the hero from discovering their true whereabouts, or as part of a ruse to trick the hero into revealing some important confidential information. In more insidious cases, the Master Of Illusion will appear to the hero as a romantic interest, either one the hero knows, or one that's been created whole cloth out of the hero's own memories and desires. This gives the Master Of Illusion the chance to screw with the hero's mind (and body, depending on how far the writers let things go.)
Magic that works.
Maybe not exactly the way anyone wanted it to work, but it is not imaginary in the story and you may rely on it to do something. This style of phlebotinum is sometimes subject to magibabble, its own flavor of technobabble. Some possible flavors of Functional Magic:
Maybe not exactly the way anyone wanted it to work, but it is not imaginary in the story and you may rely on it to do something. This style of phlebotinum is sometimes subject to magibabble, its own flavor of technobabble. Some possible flavors of Functional Magic:
- Inherent Gift: along the lines of Piers Anthony's Xanth books, in which characters are born with abilities that are quite specifically defined, in addition to their superhuman ability to survive puns. This also can happen in Magic Realism. Often the Inherent Gift is simply the ability to use magic, in which case it's often hereditary.
- Theurgy: where the magic is done entirely by spirits, gods and cosmic entities with whom the caster makes deals; the "caster" in this case knows nothing more than a glorified phone number — and preferably how to negotiate really well. The fictionalized version of "Wiccan" magic seen in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and, to a lesser extent, Charmed is mostly Theurgy. The clerics of Dungeons & Dragons and the Priests of World of Warcraft both practice Theurgy (as does any real-world religion whose deity or deities are said to answer prayers of the faithful with miracles and/or intercessions). When Magic itself is a kind of entity with which casters make bargains and cut deals, this becomes a variety of Wild Magic (below). Modern conceptions of necromancy are generally portrayed as this, or Rule Magic with this in varying amounts.
The highest level of this type of magic is Summon Magic [Solomonic], in which the caster summons the entity itself to wherever he is and bosses it around. As one might imagine, this can easily lead to a Deal with the Devil scenario where the entity turning on its would-be temporary master if done wrong, especially if the entity is a demon or some other form of Always Chaotic Evil. Remember, kids — Evil Is Not a Toy! - Rule Magic: where some underlying magical rule system is applied, as in manipulation by "True Name" or sympathetic symbolism, or elaborate ritual. Most "study spells and say words of power" magic seen in fantasy literature, films and TV shows are Rule Magic. Real world examples include Wicca, Hermeticism, Kabbalah, and Onmyodo. Vancian Magic is a completely fictional example. This variety is where you find things like the "Law of Contagion" — that is, if you have a piece of the target, you can affect it from afar since it's still part of a "whole", even if it's miles or kilometers distant. This is, however, usually just one rule in a larger system. This form is heavily dependent on The Laws of Magic or the author's own custom-made limitations.
- Alchemy: Magical chemistry. Effectively a variety of Rule Magic, but it is limited to creating magical substances rather than the direct application of power/energy by force of will. Differs from other Rule Magics in that it often employs only the magic inherent in the materials used, rather than magic from the "caster"; depending on the setting, practitioners of alchemy may or may not have (or be required to have) magical ability of their own.
- Magic Music: Another form of rule magic where music is the key to activating it. Used in settings where bards have magical abilities. As one might guess, it is rarely used outright offensively, tending instead to focus on healing friends and befuddling or beguiling enemies. Particularly modern and more offense-oriented versions may use literal Power Of Rock.
- Force Magic: Practitioners of magic tap into and control or weave together one or more magical forces. Often invokes a Background Magic Field. Magic which waxes and wanes according to how close the manipulator is to a "Ley Line" falls into this category. See also The Force, Minovsky Physics, Mana, Magic A Is Magic A.
- Device Magic: Magic performed with some form of mystical device or relic. This is the magic packaged for use by non-casters, as are alchemical potions. Making new devices is sometimes a trade in magic-heavy worlds. Some settings reveal pre-existing artifacts to be Imported Alien Phlebotinum or Lost Technology. Magic from Technology.
- Wild Magic: No one has any control over what happens or when it happens, although sometimes these can be influenced. The magic is basically alive. It has its own will and its own agenda or, more often, its own set of rapidly changing whims no sane person could hope to predict and it will only help you if it feels like it. Finagle's Law often applies. Usually Magic Realism permits only this and Inherent Gift.
- Divination: Seeing the future or the immediately relevant. These are the people who produce the prophecies, though they may also be able to see things far away.
- Elemental Magic: The magic users typically work with only one element, which reflects their personality. They might be able to create a volcano with a snap of their fingers but not to levitate a single pebble, or vice versa.
- Necromancy: Power over the dead and The Undead. Mediums, who can only talk to the dead, get classed with diviners, but those who raise the dead are almost always villains. Still, even then, this is not always Black Magic.
- Transmutation: Transforming something into something else. Likely to involve Equivalent Exchange, as noted below (you can't turn nothing into something). Most forms of alchemy involve transmutation, as seen in the classical 'turning lead into gold' trick. At its most extreme, this form of magic may also involve Shapeshifting (either of the caster or of someone else), when it's not an innate ability of the caster's race.
- Equivalent Exchange: This is when a spell or magical effect requires a sacrifice of equal value to work. This is often a feature of alchemical, theurgic or wild magic systems, where the books must be balanced for every magical effect performed.
- Mentalism: Power over the minds and emotions of others. Quite often involves Mind Control and abilities that mimic Psychic Powers in a magical context.
- Nature magic: Power over all things living. Quite often includes turning themselves into animals or a Green Thumb.
- Summon Magic: Summoning spirits, or at least animals, to provide assistance. May overlap with nature magic, but not always.
- White Magic: "Holiness." Blessing, healing, protecting, all of the most benevolent of effects. Half of the time includes ways to inflict major pain on deserving targets because Revive Kills Zombie, or at least supposedly deserving targets. Often the power used by a White Mage, Paladin or High Priest(ess) of a benevolent god. Speaking of gods, their powers are often drawn upon especially for healing, because Healing Magic Is the Hardest in many setttings.
- Black Magic: "Unholiness." Cursing, killing, tormenting, all of the nastiest sorts of stuff. Often includes Necromancy as a matter of course.
- Blood Magic: Usually stereotyped as the blackest of Black Magic, this is magic fueled directly by the shedding or spilling of blood, usually in the form of human or animal sacrifices. The blood mage draws on the energies of death and dying, or gains access to whatever magical energies the sacrifice possessed, or both, and uses them either to cast spells (which are almost always themselves rather unpleasant) or increase his personal power level. Blood Magic can also have a White side, though, where voluntary or personal sacrifice produces powerful effects out of proportion to the apparent magical cost involved, or which are impossible to overcome with darker magics.
Zero Point Power of the Void
Some characters use the Power of Darkness to show off how cool they are. Not this guy. When darkness isn't dark enough, the only thing that can properly express your morally dubious badassery is the Power of the Void--power over nothingness. Of course, how this actually works isn't always very clear. Which makes sense, really; how are you going to make cool fight scenes when a character's power is the ability to control, well, nothing? In many cases, apparently by giving him lasers, energy blasts, and various other powers that other characters already have, with minor cosmetic changes to show that they come from the Void. Other works are better about portraying this, involving powers like erasing objects and unfortunate people from existence, manipulating black holes, and draining Life Energy. Powers over cold and darkness come up often as well — this makes sense, since they are technically defined by a lack of energy. Sometimes, this also involves partial or total Cessation of Existence as a physical trait (in the partial case, functioning much like an Absurdly Sharp Blade in that it "cuts" by removing physical matter, and in the latter case simply sucks an object or person into nothingness) For obvious reasons, the Power of the Void is frequently the gimmick of Straw Nihilists, Omnicidal Maniacs and outright Eldritch Abominations. It can also be the result of a Yin-Yang Bomb, however, in which case it is equally likely to be found in the hands of someone more heroically inclined. Interestingly, Void is sometimes considered the Fifth Classical Element (not to be confused with the Fifth Element), particularly in a universe that uses the Void Between the Worlds. However it's usually considered Non-Elemental because it (appropriately) lacks elemental traits. It may even be an Infinity+1 Element.
Some characters use the Power of Darkness to show off how cool they are. Not this guy. When darkness isn't dark enough, the only thing that can properly express your morally dubious badassery is the Power of the Void--power over nothingness. Of course, how this actually works isn't always very clear. Which makes sense, really; how are you going to make cool fight scenes when a character's power is the ability to control, well, nothing? In many cases, apparently by giving him lasers, energy blasts, and various other powers that other characters already have, with minor cosmetic changes to show that they come from the Void. Other works are better about portraying this, involving powers like erasing objects and unfortunate people from existence, manipulating black holes, and draining Life Energy. Powers over cold and darkness come up often as well — this makes sense, since they are technically defined by a lack of energy. Sometimes, this also involves partial or total Cessation of Existence as a physical trait (in the partial case, functioning much like an Absurdly Sharp Blade in that it "cuts" by removing physical matter, and in the latter case simply sucks an object or person into nothingness) For obvious reasons, the Power of the Void is frequently the gimmick of Straw Nihilists, Omnicidal Maniacs and outright Eldritch Abominations. It can also be the result of a Yin-Yang Bomb, however, in which case it is equally likely to be found in the hands of someone more heroically inclined. Interestingly, Void is sometimes considered the Fifth Classical Element (not to be confused with the Fifth Element), particularly in a universe that uses the Void Between the Worlds. However it's usually considered Non-Elemental because it (appropriately) lacks elemental traits. It may even be an Infinity+1 Element.
Advanced Ancient Acropolis.
Solomonarii
Hidden beneath the Earth in a Lost World, an Atlantis under the sea, or concealed with advanced technology or magic, the Advanced Ancient Acropolis is the last city of an empire that reached space age levels of technology and/or mythic magical powers. In some cases, it is an isolated city-state rather than one of an empire. Their claim to fame is that while the rest of the world was living in mud huts they had built a society of Crystal Spires and Togas and parked it in a comfortable Technological Stasis. All while never revealing its existence, though ancient legends of The Time of Myths may speak of them. Bonus trope points for avoiding all social decay while being completely insular, double bonus if they use Cultural Posturing on the "inferior" civilization the heroes hail from. One common variation has the Advanced Ancient Acropolis be in the same abandoned and ruined state as the one in Greece, having been destroyed, abandoned, sunken, buried, wrecked from civil war, plague or some other misfortune. There might however be a last survivor in the form of a robot, golem, ghost, or immortal citizen. Sometimes this may expand to include the descendants of the original culture who have regressed into a simpler stage and scavenge in their ancestors' ruins. Heroes visiting these sites are advised that any ancient relics found are likely of the dangerous cursed or Lost Superweapon varieties.
Ban on Magic
A ban on using magic. Usually in effect just for certain places or circumstances, but occasionally is complete. When an Antimagical Faction is in control, a ban on magic is always in effect, since it is an almost inalienable part of their policy. The ban is often prompted by a notion of magic being evil. There is more than one sort of magic ban. For purposes of definition, we will divide them into these classes: Type A: Partial bans. As noted, most bans are this sort. Subtypes of this:
Solomonarii
Hidden beneath the Earth in a Lost World, an Atlantis under the sea, or concealed with advanced technology or magic, the Advanced Ancient Acropolis is the last city of an empire that reached space age levels of technology and/or mythic magical powers. In some cases, it is an isolated city-state rather than one of an empire. Their claim to fame is that while the rest of the world was living in mud huts they had built a society of Crystal Spires and Togas and parked it in a comfortable Technological Stasis. All while never revealing its existence, though ancient legends of The Time of Myths may speak of them. Bonus trope points for avoiding all social decay while being completely insular, double bonus if they use Cultural Posturing on the "inferior" civilization the heroes hail from. One common variation has the Advanced Ancient Acropolis be in the same abandoned and ruined state as the one in Greece, having been destroyed, abandoned, sunken, buried, wrecked from civil war, plague or some other misfortune. There might however be a last survivor in the form of a robot, golem, ghost, or immortal citizen. Sometimes this may expand to include the descendants of the original culture who have regressed into a simpler stage and scavenge in their ancestors' ruins. Heroes visiting these sites are advised that any ancient relics found are likely of the dangerous cursed or Lost Superweapon varieties.
Ban on Magic
A ban on using magic. Usually in effect just for certain places or circumstances, but occasionally is complete. When an Antimagical Faction is in control, a ban on magic is always in effect, since it is an almost inalienable part of their policy. The ban is often prompted by a notion of magic being evil. There is more than one sort of magic ban. For purposes of definition, we will divide them into these classes: Type A: Partial bans. As noted, most bans are this sort. Subtypes of this:
- Certain schools of magic are banned — The Dark Arts, necromancy, the Light Arts...
- Magic is banned to certain people. This usually means everyone outside a certain class. It may be limited to licensed wizards, people of noble birth, or people of ignoble birth; or it may be allowed to only one or two people. This and A1 may be mixed; there may be schools of magic that are banned to most, but not all, people. See also Super Registration Act.
- Magic is limited to certain times, and will be punished outside them.
Chronovision
A chronoscope or time viewer is a device that uses images that show past or future events like a television. They can sometimes also cause time travel. They are common in sci-fi, and often take different forms. Some act like cameras recording past and future events and showing what an object would look like in a different time period. Others are more like TVs and show videos and visions of the past and future. Chronoscopes are often used as plot devices, as they can often reveal various details that are necessary for the plot.
Chronovisor
Ernetti is said to have claimed he constructed a time viewer of sorts in the 1950s, as part of a group that supposedly included Nobel Laureate Enrico Fermi. The machine was called Chronovisor, and could allegedly allow seeing and hearing events from the past. According to an explanation by Ernetti, the luminous energy and sound that objects emanate are recorded in their environment, allowing the chronovisor to reconstruct from said energy the images and sounds of a specific set of events from the past.
He claimed to have yoked quantum physics to the occult arts to construct a time-machine - the chronovisor. Father Ernetti said he had traveled to Rome in 169 B.C. to witness a performance of the now-lost tragedy, Thyestes, by the father of Latin poetry, Quintus Ennius.
He lived in the lovely abbey on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, just off the main island of Venice, and as a scientist and musicologist, he was an authority on archaic music. Using his knowledge of the physics of chordal structures, he claimed to have made a time-machine. This was based on a new principle he had uncovered, involving musical frequencies, harmonic resonance and the relationship of these things with the astral plane. By means of this machine, Father Ernetti said that he witnessed Christ dying on the Cross.
Ernetti said he had been working with Father Agostino Gemelli at the Catholic University of Milan trying to filter harmonics out of Gregorian chants when they heard the voice of Gemelli's late father speaking to them on the wire recorder they were using (Gemelli later confirmed this incident). This got Ernetti thinking about what happened to all the sights and sounds humans make. Did they disappear completely or did they continue to exist in some way? Ernetti claimed he then approached some eminent scientists and assembled a team to work on the project leading to the construction of the chronovisor.
A book entitled Father Ernetti's Chronovisor: The Creation and Disappearance of the World's First Time Machine, written in German in 1997 by Peter Krassa, explores these claims. The American edition of the book, translated from the German by Miguel Jones and published in 2000, includes an appendix with an alleged "confession" by a relative of Ernetti (who chose to remain anonymous); according to this purported document, on his deathbed Ernetti revealed the real "truth" about the Thyestes and the "portrait" of Christ. The document is purported to be a fraud by Father François Brune of France.
In a 2003 interview, Brune relayed that a few months prior to Ernetti’s death in 1994, Ernetti told him that he had just partaken in a meeting at the Vatican with the last remaining scientists who worked on the Chronovisor. According to Brune, Ernetti told him the Chronovisor had been dismantled by that time. On his death bed, Ernetti reportedly recanted his claims on the Chronovisor.
Outside of his entanglement with the chronovisor, Ernetti was an extremely respected, but quiet, intellectual whose speciality was archaic music. He spent most of his life researching and teaching this subject and was the author of such respected books as Words, Music, Rhythm and the multi-volume work General Treatise on Gregorian Chant. As a respected clergyman, academic and author, many doubt that his claims were simply fabricated.
A chronoscope or time viewer is a device that uses images that show past or future events like a television. They can sometimes also cause time travel. They are common in sci-fi, and often take different forms. Some act like cameras recording past and future events and showing what an object would look like in a different time period. Others are more like TVs and show videos and visions of the past and future. Chronoscopes are often used as plot devices, as they can often reveal various details that are necessary for the plot.
Chronovisor
Ernetti is said to have claimed he constructed a time viewer of sorts in the 1950s, as part of a group that supposedly included Nobel Laureate Enrico Fermi. The machine was called Chronovisor, and could allegedly allow seeing and hearing events from the past. According to an explanation by Ernetti, the luminous energy and sound that objects emanate are recorded in their environment, allowing the chronovisor to reconstruct from said energy the images and sounds of a specific set of events from the past.
He claimed to have yoked quantum physics to the occult arts to construct a time-machine - the chronovisor. Father Ernetti said he had traveled to Rome in 169 B.C. to witness a performance of the now-lost tragedy, Thyestes, by the father of Latin poetry, Quintus Ennius.
He lived in the lovely abbey on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, just off the main island of Venice, and as a scientist and musicologist, he was an authority on archaic music. Using his knowledge of the physics of chordal structures, he claimed to have made a time-machine. This was based on a new principle he had uncovered, involving musical frequencies, harmonic resonance and the relationship of these things with the astral plane. By means of this machine, Father Ernetti said that he witnessed Christ dying on the Cross.
Ernetti said he had been working with Father Agostino Gemelli at the Catholic University of Milan trying to filter harmonics out of Gregorian chants when they heard the voice of Gemelli's late father speaking to them on the wire recorder they were using (Gemelli later confirmed this incident). This got Ernetti thinking about what happened to all the sights and sounds humans make. Did they disappear completely or did they continue to exist in some way? Ernetti claimed he then approached some eminent scientists and assembled a team to work on the project leading to the construction of the chronovisor.
A book entitled Father Ernetti's Chronovisor: The Creation and Disappearance of the World's First Time Machine, written in German in 1997 by Peter Krassa, explores these claims. The American edition of the book, translated from the German by Miguel Jones and published in 2000, includes an appendix with an alleged "confession" by a relative of Ernetti (who chose to remain anonymous); according to this purported document, on his deathbed Ernetti revealed the real "truth" about the Thyestes and the "portrait" of Christ. The document is purported to be a fraud by Father François Brune of France.
In a 2003 interview, Brune relayed that a few months prior to Ernetti’s death in 1994, Ernetti told him that he had just partaken in a meeting at the Vatican with the last remaining scientists who worked on the Chronovisor. According to Brune, Ernetti told him the Chronovisor had been dismantled by that time. On his death bed, Ernetti reportedly recanted his claims on the Chronovisor.
Outside of his entanglement with the chronovisor, Ernetti was an extremely respected, but quiet, intellectual whose speciality was archaic music. He spent most of his life researching and teaching this subject and was the author of such respected books as Words, Music, Rhythm and the multi-volume work General Treatise on Gregorian Chant. As a respected clergyman, academic and author, many doubt that his claims were simply fabricated.
Magical Library
A magical library is a mystical library that is explicitly magical or is infused with magic. These libraries tend to be small and hidden in a remote area. They usually contain dangerous and forbidden spells, arcane Spell Books and priceless Ancient Artifacts and MacGuffins. They also may have supernatural books such as Tomes of Prophecy and Fate and Tome of Eldritch Lore. The libraries also might be home to monsters, creatures and Magic Librarians that are there to protect the library. The library might be quite old, and may even be as old as the universe itself. Because these things are valuable - and it would be disastrous if these items were to fall into the wrong hands - these libraries are usually almost impossible to find without a special map, not to mention being well-guarded. The objects that allow the library's location to be found are sometimes scattered across the world. The heroes and villains alike might have to engage in a Gotta Catch Them All plot in order to have access to the library's valuable information. If the magical library is easily accessible for most people, it's usually part of a school. The protagonists may regularly visit the school library to find out how to solve a problem or gain information about the current plot. Characters that are a bit more rebellious might simply steal from the library instead, setting up the main conflict.
A magical library is a mystical library that is explicitly magical or is infused with magic. These libraries tend to be small and hidden in a remote area. They usually contain dangerous and forbidden spells, arcane Spell Books and priceless Ancient Artifacts and MacGuffins. They also may have supernatural books such as Tomes of Prophecy and Fate and Tome of Eldritch Lore. The libraries also might be home to monsters, creatures and Magic Librarians that are there to protect the library. The library might be quite old, and may even be as old as the universe itself. Because these things are valuable - and it would be disastrous if these items were to fall into the wrong hands - these libraries are usually almost impossible to find without a special map, not to mention being well-guarded. The objects that allow the library's location to be found are sometimes scattered across the world. The heroes and villains alike might have to engage in a Gotta Catch Them All plot in order to have access to the library's valuable information. If the magical library is easily accessible for most people, it's usually part of a school. The protagonists may regularly visit the school library to find out how to solve a problem or gain information about the current plot. Characters that are a bit more rebellious might simply steal from the library instead, setting up the main conflict.
THE CHAMBER OF REFLECTION
"THE VITRIOL CLUB & SPA"
For SG the Chamber of Reflection is his Isolation Tank
For the Hermetic Qabalist, the Chamber of Reflection resides upon the 32nd Path of the Tree of Life, and its symbolism is rich in the metaphors of death, time, transition, and illusion.
Qabalists claim that through his mastery of this Path, King David, the father of King Solomon,
one of the three the principle figures in modern (post 1717AD) Freemasonry, meditated nightly under his covers, as such, the idea of having a small room or corner of a room, set aside for meditation and prayer. The Psalms of David express meditative states of consciousness that can only be understood by those who have experienced similar states either through ritual, prayer, and meditation, or spontaneously.
Prepare your Chamber of Reflection in your usual manner.
After having performed the preliminary breathing and relaxation techniques, gaze into the mirror at the level of your eyebrows and repeat the following softly to yourself. If you have the small hourglass with you, turn it sideways after reading each question so the sand stops running, leaving some sand in both halves of the glass. This may help to trigger a response, or transition, between the inner and outer aspects of awareness. Pause, and look into the mirror for a minute or two, focusing gently at the nape of your nose, between your eyes:
1) “Body you are just flesh and as such mortal. All things of this earth are but dust,
covering the Light within, that is the immortal consciousness that I am.” (pause)
2) “All creation is but a reflection of the Divine image. As builders of our life, we create as
the Cosmos has created. I am but an image of my own creation.” (pause)
3) “Life and death, energy and matter, these are but one thing. To awaken to the spiritual
world I must die to the physical one. In doing so, I fear not death, but a life not lived in
accordance with my highest virtues.” (pause)
4) “Matter is form, spirit is the ideal. As Master Craftsman of my life, I make form into
ideal, and the ideal into form.” (pause)
5) “In the mirror of my soul, my immortal consciousness, is recorded the actions of my life.
It is there, in the Chamber of my heart, I answer to my conscience daily, or at the end of
my days. It is there that I see myself for what I am, and what I am becoming.” (pause)
6) “Time is only of this world. I am a Child of the Cosmos, born of the womb of Eternity,
kissed by the lips of Silence, fed by the bosom of Peace Profound.” (pause)
7) “In the beginning there was Nothingness, and the Nothingness was God. God created,
and all things came into being through the Becoming of God. All things are of God, from
God, and can only be God. I am created in the Divine image of God, and as such, I am
God.” (pause)
This picture, plain and insignificant in appearance,
Concealeth a great and important thing.
Yea, it containeth a secret of the kind
That is the greatest treasure in the world.
For what on this earth is deemed more excellent
Than to be a Lord who ever reeketh with gold,
And hath also a healthy body,
Fresh and hale all his life long,
Until the predestined time
That cannot be overstepped by any creature.
"This picture", is the diagram above. It is very far from plain and insignificant as we have seen from the previous article on the Emerald Tablet. It conceals and contains a great and important secret because mere words cannot describe or explain it. Only disciplined meditation on the diagram, will reveal it. When discovered, it will indeed be a great treasure more valuable than gold, because it is the Elixir that gives us life until our predestined time. What is the relationship between the Elixir and VITRIOL? This is the answer.
All this, as I have stated, clearly
Is contained within this figure.
Three separate shields are to be seen,
And on them are eagle, lion, and free star.
These are the three alchemical principles of Mercury, Sulfur and Salt. Note that they are linked by a chain, that is they are a differentiated unity. Meditate upon this.
And painted in their very midst
Artfully stands an imperial globe.
Heaven and Earth in like manner
Are also placed herein intentionally,
The imperial globe is the alchemical symbol for VITRIOL. Heaven and Earth are identified with it, because they are the great polarity of the Above and the Below and this polarity is part of the secret. It is highly significant that we are told they are placed here intentionally. And have you noticed the word "artfully"? Alchemy is called the "Art". Therefore the imperial globe of VITRIOL is placed here by "art", that is by deliberate alchemical means. We are being told the obvious. That means there is something we have completely failed to understand. It is part of the secret. Another subject for meditation.
And between the hands outstretched towards each other
Are to be seen the symbols of metals.
The hands are another symbol of duality. So now we have: (Above + Below) + (hand + hand). Remember the 4 downward steps of the first process described in the Emerald Tablet? Also significant is the fact that the symbols of the 7 metals are between the polarity of the hands. That is because polarity is the driving mechanism of the whole scheme.
And in the circle surrounding the picture
Seven words are to be found inscribed.
We already know that the 7 words are the anagram of VITRIOL. They are a formula for a guided visualization that takes us to a precise location in the inner landscape, for a specific purpose. Reading about it will not do it. We must live it.
Therefore I shall now tell
What each meaneth particularly
And then indicate without hesitation
How it is called by name.
Therein is a secret thing of the Wise
In which is to be found great power.
And how to prepare it will also
Be described in the following:
This is a promise to tell us how to transform the Stone of the Philosophers, into the Philosophers' Stone. They are at opposite ends of a spectrum. But this implies a unity between them and a continuity. So why are they different although connected? What is there to prepare?
The three shields together indicate
Sal, Sulphur, and Mercurium.
The Sal hath been one Corpus that
Is the very last one in the Art.
The Sulphur henceforth is the soul
Without which the body can do nothing.
Mercurius is the spirit of power,
Holding together both body and soul,
Therefore it is called a medium
Since whatever is made without it hath no stability.
For soul and body could not die
Should spirit also be with them.
And soul and spirit could not be
Unless they had a body to dwell in,
And no power had body or spirit
If the soul did not accompany them.
Here are our 3 vehicles of consciousness: Salt is the body; Sulfur is the soul; Mercury is the spirit. The qualities of Salt are multiplicity and action; the qualities of Sulfur are unity and will; the qualities of Mercury are duality and wisdom. We must combine all these qualities for effective and successful living. Our 3 vehicles are a differentiated unity. All the parts must function together. Have you noticed the difference in spelling between Mercurium and Mercurius? Like the Stone, they are related but not the same. They point to something that has to be experienced, not read.
This is the meaning of the Art:
The body giveth form and constancy,
The soul doth dye and tinge it,
The spirit maketh it fluid and penetrateth it.
And therefore the Art cannot be
In one of these three things alone.
Nor can the greatest secret exist alone:
It must have body, soul, and spirit.
The secret of the Art is the combined effect of all 3 vehicles of consciousness. But where is the "I" that drives them? Where is the divine spark? What is the "fourth"?
And now what is the fourth,
From which the three originate,
The same names teach thee
And the sevenfold star in the lower shield.
The Lion likewise by its colour and power
Showeth its nature and its property.
In the Eagle yellow and white are manifest.
We are directed to the 3 and the 7. There are the three vehicles and the seven pointed star. The star is Salt, which we understand to be the body. The seven points are the 7 chakras and they are the connection between body and soul. Thus 3 (principles) + 7 (chakras) = 10 = 1 + 0 = 1. The text is telling us that the "fourth" is the ONE, that is, the divine spark. The separate reference to the eagle and the lion, is pointing to the polarity of the Above and the Below. This polarity is the driving force of the entire scheme.
Mark my words well, for there is need of care:
The imperial orb doth exhibit
The symbol of this highest good.
Heaven and earth, four elements,
Fire , light, and water, are therein.
The two hands do testify with an oath
The right reason and the true knowledge,
And from what roots are derived
All of the metals and many other things.
We already know that the imperial orb is the alchemical symbol for VITRIOL. From its inherent nature are derived the 7 metals. These are our 7 chakras. Truly, in VITRIOL is the answer.
Now there remain only the seven words,
Hear further what they mean:
If thou dost now understand this well
This knowledge shall nevermore fail thee.
Every word standeth for a city
Each of which hath but one gate.
The first signifieth gold, is intentionally yellow.
The second for fair white silver.
The third, Mercurius, is likewise grey.
The fourth for tin, is heaven-blue.
The fifth for iron, is blood-red.
The sixth for copper, is true green.
The seventh for lead, is black as coal.
Let us recall the 7 words: Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem. Each word is a city with one gate. What is a city? It is an organic whole comprising of physical buildings (like a body), animated by living beings such as people, animals and plants (like a soul) and directed by abstract principles such as laws and government (like a spirit). And what is the one gate? There is only one way to enter this city, that is, to understand each of the 7 words. Here is the clue:
Heart Þ brow Þ crown Þ navel Þ sacral Þ throat Þ base
Gold silver mercury tin iron copper lead
There is something wrong here. We are told to go from gold to lead, when the whole point of the Art is to transmute lead into gold. Has the author of the text made a mistake? Why has he reversed the order? Could it be that this is a deliberate reversal, to alert us to the fact that the true order (the "one gate" mentioned in the text) is different from that given? Has the truth been jumbled so that "only those with eyes" will see?
Mark what I mean, understand me well:
In these city gates, indeed,
Standeth the whole ground of the Art.
This is a clear warning that a correct understanding of the doctrine is essential for the Art to be performed successfully.
For no one city alone can effect anything,
The others must also be close at hand.
And as soon as the gates are closed
One cannot enter any city.
No one city/word/metal/chakra alone can achieve anything. All must work together. However if understanding fails, then all gates are closed and the chakras cannot function.
And if they had no gates
Not one thing could they accomplish.
If we had no chakras, then we would not even be alive, let alone engaged in the Great Work.
But if these gates are close together
A ray of light appeareth from seven colors.
Shining very brightly together
Their might is incomparable.
When the 7 chakras function correctly, the ray of light that comes from them in a unified way, is very bright and intense. Surely its power is incomparable.
Thou canst not find such wonders on earth,
Wherefore hearken unto further particulars:
Seven letters, and seven words,
Seven cities, and seven gates,
Seven times, and seven metals,
Seven days, and seven ciphers.
Whereby I mean seven herbs
Also seven arts and seven stones.
The repetition of the number 7 serves to emphazise the subtle doctrine of analogy. The Above is like the Below but is not the Below. Seven letters are like seven words; seven times are like seven metals; but the times are not the metals; the ciphers are not the days. Only meditation will lead to true understanding. The point is this. As we progress into higher levels of reality, we are moving into unfamiliar territory. We literally do not know what to expect. However we have a map like the diagram and we navigate by it. A map is not the terrain, it is like the terrain. A map is a symbolic representation, an analogy, of the actual terrain. By following the map we can chart a course in unknown places. By meditation we gain understanding, by imagination we make the journey.
Therein stands every lasting art.
Well for him who findeth this.
If this be too hard for thee to understand
Hear me again in a few other particulars:
Truly I reveal to thee
Very clearly and plainly, without hatred or envy,
How it is named with one word
Vitriol, for him who understandeth it.
We do understand vitriol now don't we? It is the basis for the Art and for the Great Work.
If thou wouldst oft figure out
This Cabbalistic way with all diligence,
Seven and fifty in the cipher
Thou findest figured everywhere.
Let not the Work discourage thee,
Understand me rightly, so shalt thou enjoy it.
We are told bluntly that to figure all this out, we must understand rightly. The right way is kabalistic and the clue is in the numbers 7 & 50. Simple isn't it? If we look at this literally, we are being told that 57 is key. What does that mean? Let us try this kabalistically:
7 + (5 x 10) = 57
= 5 + 7
= 12
Quite clearly, this is not ordinary mathematics. This requires a different form of logic and a radical change of perspective. That is precisely what is expected of us. If the diagram is the map, the numbers are the compass: 5 elements (aether, air, fire, water, earth); 7 chakras; 10 sefirot on the Tree of Life; 12 signs of the zodiac.
Besides that, note this fully,
There is a water which doth not make wet.
From it the metals are produced,
It is frozen as hard as ice.
A moistened dust a fuller wind doth raise,
Wherein are all qualities.
If thou dost not understand this,
Then I may not name it for thee otherwise.
What is this water that does not wet, from which the metals (chakras) are produced? It is the Dew of the Philosophers. It contains the Salt that acts upon the Sulfur and the Mercury of the Prima Materia. It is the contents of the cup in the diagram. Note that the Sun and the Moon are pouring a liquid into a cup supported by Mercury. This is the Elixir. This is all clear enough isn't it? Bad luck if it isn't, because the author of the text will "not name" it for us.
Now I will instruct thee
How it should be prepared.
There are seven ways for this art,
If thou neglectest any of them thou workest in vain.
But thou must, before all things else, know
Thou hast to succeed in purification.
And although this be twofold,
Thou art in need of one alone.
This "water" is prepared in 7 steps. If we ignore any one of them, we shall fail. We must purify first. The secret of purification is in the alchemical koan, solve et coagula, that is;
The first work is freely done by it
Without any other addition,
Without distilling something in it,
Simply through its putrefication.
From all of its earthliness
Is everything afterwards prepared.
The process is "putrefication". It is the separation of the vehicles of consciousness, body and soul. Normally, we regard this as physical death. However if we consider it to be a projection of consciousness arising from deep meditation and guided visualization, we get closer to the mark.
This first way hath two paths,
Happy is he who goeth on the right path.
The first extendeth through the strength of fire,
With and in itself, note this well.
The second extendeth further
Until one cometh to treasure and to gain.
This is done by dissolving,
And again by saturating, I inform you:
This must be undertaken first of all,
So comest thou to the end of the fine art.
The "first way" of purification has two paths because the One Only Thing must be separated into two parts. One way is by "fire" and the other way is by "dissolving and saturating". We must choose the right path. Only meditation will show us the way.
After the whole purification hath been completed
It will be prepared and boiled in the sun
Or in the warm dung of its time,
Which extendeth itself very far
Until it becometh constant and perfect,
And the treasure of the Wise is in it.
Remember, we are dealing with the Dew of the Philosophers. After purification, it is prepared either by boiling in the sun, or in warm dung. Dung? Yes, this is the continual slow heat that comes from organic substances when they putrefy. It takes time and patience and is unpleasant. This is an analogy for a particular kind of meditation requiring patient self-examination. Note the doctrine of analogy again and also note that to examine ourselves requires us to delve into that part of our being that is filthy and stinks. Do you still want to proceed? The treasure of the Wise is in the dung heap.
The other ways are very subtle
And many mighty one fail therein,
For here is the purpose of the distillation
And the sublimation of the Wise Men.
The separation of the four elements
Is also called by the Wise Men
Air, water, and rectified fire.
The earth on the ground hath mislead many,
Having been deemed a worthless thing,
Although all the power lieth in it.
Distillation is the evaporation and subsequent condensation of the Dew. This purifies and concentrates its volatile essence. Remember that the Emerald Tablet tells us to "separate the subtle from the gross". Sublimation is the analogous (that word again) process as applied to solids. In this case it is a reference to the Prima Materia. The Tablet also tells us to "separate the earth from the fire". Hence the special mention above of "rectified fire" and the "earth….deemed worthless…..although all the power lies in it". The distilled Dew is the sublimated Prima Materia.
Some know not how to separate it
From their Cortibus, therefore they fail.
It was cast behind the door,
But the Wise Man taketh it up again,
Purifieth it snow-white and clear:
This is the ground, I say in truth.
But if thou dost wish to separate it,
Note that it is of no little importance,
For if they are not prepared
Then you are in error, that I swear.
What is the Dew purified "snow-white and clear"? The energy flows from the 7 purified chakras combine into one white and clear light.
Therefore thou must also have some vinegar
Which is revealed to the Wise Men,
Wherewith thou wilt effect the separation,
So that nothing earthly remaineth in it any more,
Till body and soul have to be separated,
Otherwise called fire and earth
And after they are thus purified,
Alchemical vinegar is the "water that kills and vivifies". It transmutes the vehicle of consciousness the body, into the vehicle of consciousness the spirit. This involves the separation of body and soul, as vehicles of consciousness. Note that purification is associated with separation. Remember also that the Emerald Tablet associates the process of separation (Earth from Fire/ subtle from gross) "with great judgement and skill", with the three ascending steps from the Below to the Above.
And thereupon followeth the mixture, observe!
And so it cometh to a wondrous strength,
The finished figures with the unfinished.
And if the fire be likewise rightly controlled,
It will be entirely perfect
In much less time than a year.
The three pointing hands are showing us something crucial. What was separated, is now mixed and strong. Right control of the fire is the analogy (yes, that word again) for disciplined meditation. There are 12 months in a year, but if we do this right, it will take "much less time than a year". If we use numbers as an analogy for a compass, we are being pointed in a significant direction. There are 12 signs of the zodiac. What is numerically less than 12 but still alchemically significant? How about the 7 planets? They are the 7 chakras Above, analogous to our 7 chakras Below.
Now thou hast the entire way in its length
On which are not more than two paths.
From these one soon wandereth and goeth astray,
Else it all standeth clear and plain.
The one is the water of the Wise Men,
Which is the Mercurius alone.
The other is called a vinegar,
And it is known only to a very few.
And this vinegar doth circle
Away from the philosophical iron.
Now everything is "clear and plain". Of the two paths, one is the water of the Wise, the Dew, and the other is the vinegar. The Dew is linked to the principle of Mercury, which is the analogy for the vehicle of consciousness, the spirit. Vinegar is the water that kills and vivifies and is said to move away from the philosophical iron. This metal is the analogy for the sacral chakra and is therefore linked to sexual fluids. We can understand why such fluids "vivify", but why do they "kill"?
It is Lord Aes whom it maketh glad.
Therefore they have combined so closely
Many hundred forms and names are given
After each hath chosen it.
One way springeth from the true source,
A few have worked on it for a whole year.
But many through their art and craft
Have shortened so long a space of time.
And quickly is the preparation set free
As Alchemy doth point out.
The preparation is set free by Art. All of this implies that we are responsible to perform the Great Work. No one else will do it for us. Note well, the Great Work is analogous to what Christians call Salvation.
The preparation alone
Maketh this stone great and glorious.
Although there is but one matter
It lacketh nothing else.
But when it is clarified
Its name hath misled many.
However, I have revealed enough to thee
In many ways, forms, and fashions.
There are many names; I say
Let not thyself be misled from the true way.
The preparation which up to now has been concerned with the water of the Wise and the vinegar of the Philosophers, is suddenly related to a "stone great and glorious". Is this the Stone of the Philosophers or the Philosophers' Stone? Since it lacks nothing and has been clarified, we can infer that it is the Philosophers' Stone. It is called many things but we must not be misled by them.
In their scriptures the Elders write
That it is a draught, a great poison.
Others call it a snake, a monster,
Which is not costly anywhere.
It is common to all men
Throughout the world, to rich and also to poor.
It is the property of the metals
Through which they conquer victoriously.
Now the Stone is called a "great poison" and a "snake or monster". All of us have it for little cost and through it, the metals (7 chakras) "conquer victoriously". The poison of the snake leads to victory. That is perfectly clear isn't it? Is this the kundalini serpent coiled in the base chakra that can poison us if wrongly released, or lead to victory if rightly prepared?
The same is a perfection
And setteth a golden crown upon it.
Now the practice is completed
For him who understandeth it and knoweth the matter.
The "golden crown" is a good description of the Crown chakra in its proper functioning. When that occurs, we have true understanding and knowledge because we then function at a much higher level of consciousness through our rectified vehicles of consciousness.
Only two things more are to be chosen
Which thou wilt find by now
If thou dost follow the right way
And attend carefully to thy work.
The composition is the one
Which the Wise Men kept secret.
If you know the composition, remain silent.
The nature of the fire also hath hidden craft;
Therefore its order is another.
With that, one should, not deal too much
Or else all execution is lost.
One cannot be too subtle with it.
If you know the nature of the fire, remain silent.
As the hen hatcheth out the chick
So also shall it be in the beginning,
And time itself will prove it.
For just as the fire is regulated
Will this treasure itself be produced.
Be industrious, constant, peaceful, and pious,
And also ask God for His help:
If thou dost obtain that, then always remember
The poor and their needs.
We must act with the patience and care of a mother hen, to regulate the fire, so as to produce the treasure. All clear now? By the way, our own efforts are not enough. Ask God for help and remember those in need.
Solve et Coagula
"THE VITRIOL CLUB & SPA"
For SG the Chamber of Reflection is his Isolation Tank
For the Hermetic Qabalist, the Chamber of Reflection resides upon the 32nd Path of the Tree of Life, and its symbolism is rich in the metaphors of death, time, transition, and illusion.
Qabalists claim that through his mastery of this Path, King David, the father of King Solomon,
one of the three the principle figures in modern (post 1717AD) Freemasonry, meditated nightly under his covers, as such, the idea of having a small room or corner of a room, set aside for meditation and prayer. The Psalms of David express meditative states of consciousness that can only be understood by those who have experienced similar states either through ritual, prayer, and meditation, or spontaneously.
Prepare your Chamber of Reflection in your usual manner.
After having performed the preliminary breathing and relaxation techniques, gaze into the mirror at the level of your eyebrows and repeat the following softly to yourself. If you have the small hourglass with you, turn it sideways after reading each question so the sand stops running, leaving some sand in both halves of the glass. This may help to trigger a response, or transition, between the inner and outer aspects of awareness. Pause, and look into the mirror for a minute or two, focusing gently at the nape of your nose, between your eyes:
1) “Body you are just flesh and as such mortal. All things of this earth are but dust,
covering the Light within, that is the immortal consciousness that I am.” (pause)
2) “All creation is but a reflection of the Divine image. As builders of our life, we create as
the Cosmos has created. I am but an image of my own creation.” (pause)
3) “Life and death, energy and matter, these are but one thing. To awaken to the spiritual
world I must die to the physical one. In doing so, I fear not death, but a life not lived in
accordance with my highest virtues.” (pause)
4) “Matter is form, spirit is the ideal. As Master Craftsman of my life, I make form into
ideal, and the ideal into form.” (pause)
5) “In the mirror of my soul, my immortal consciousness, is recorded the actions of my life.
It is there, in the Chamber of my heart, I answer to my conscience daily, or at the end of
my days. It is there that I see myself for what I am, and what I am becoming.” (pause)
6) “Time is only of this world. I am a Child of the Cosmos, born of the womb of Eternity,
kissed by the lips of Silence, fed by the bosom of Peace Profound.” (pause)
7) “In the beginning there was Nothingness, and the Nothingness was God. God created,
and all things came into being through the Becoming of God. All things are of God, from
God, and can only be God. I am created in the Divine image of God, and as such, I am
God.” (pause)
This picture, plain and insignificant in appearance,
Concealeth a great and important thing.
Yea, it containeth a secret of the kind
That is the greatest treasure in the world.
For what on this earth is deemed more excellent
Than to be a Lord who ever reeketh with gold,
And hath also a healthy body,
Fresh and hale all his life long,
Until the predestined time
That cannot be overstepped by any creature.
"This picture", is the diagram above. It is very far from plain and insignificant as we have seen from the previous article on the Emerald Tablet. It conceals and contains a great and important secret because mere words cannot describe or explain it. Only disciplined meditation on the diagram, will reveal it. When discovered, it will indeed be a great treasure more valuable than gold, because it is the Elixir that gives us life until our predestined time. What is the relationship between the Elixir and VITRIOL? This is the answer.
All this, as I have stated, clearly
Is contained within this figure.
Three separate shields are to be seen,
And on them are eagle, lion, and free star.
These are the three alchemical principles of Mercury, Sulfur and Salt. Note that they are linked by a chain, that is they are a differentiated unity. Meditate upon this.
And painted in their very midst
Artfully stands an imperial globe.
Heaven and Earth in like manner
Are also placed herein intentionally,
The imperial globe is the alchemical symbol for VITRIOL. Heaven and Earth are identified with it, because they are the great polarity of the Above and the Below and this polarity is part of the secret. It is highly significant that we are told they are placed here intentionally. And have you noticed the word "artfully"? Alchemy is called the "Art". Therefore the imperial globe of VITRIOL is placed here by "art", that is by deliberate alchemical means. We are being told the obvious. That means there is something we have completely failed to understand. It is part of the secret. Another subject for meditation.
And between the hands outstretched towards each other
Are to be seen the symbols of metals.
The hands are another symbol of duality. So now we have: (Above + Below) + (hand + hand). Remember the 4 downward steps of the first process described in the Emerald Tablet? Also significant is the fact that the symbols of the 7 metals are between the polarity of the hands. That is because polarity is the driving mechanism of the whole scheme.
And in the circle surrounding the picture
Seven words are to be found inscribed.
We already know that the 7 words are the anagram of VITRIOL. They are a formula for a guided visualization that takes us to a precise location in the inner landscape, for a specific purpose. Reading about it will not do it. We must live it.
Therefore I shall now tell
What each meaneth particularly
And then indicate without hesitation
How it is called by name.
Therein is a secret thing of the Wise
In which is to be found great power.
And how to prepare it will also
Be described in the following:
This is a promise to tell us how to transform the Stone of the Philosophers, into the Philosophers' Stone. They are at opposite ends of a spectrum. But this implies a unity between them and a continuity. So why are they different although connected? What is there to prepare?
The three shields together indicate
Sal, Sulphur, and Mercurium.
The Sal hath been one Corpus that
Is the very last one in the Art.
The Sulphur henceforth is the soul
Without which the body can do nothing.
Mercurius is the spirit of power,
Holding together both body and soul,
Therefore it is called a medium
Since whatever is made without it hath no stability.
For soul and body could not die
Should spirit also be with them.
And soul and spirit could not be
Unless they had a body to dwell in,
And no power had body or spirit
If the soul did not accompany them.
Here are our 3 vehicles of consciousness: Salt is the body; Sulfur is the soul; Mercury is the spirit. The qualities of Salt are multiplicity and action; the qualities of Sulfur are unity and will; the qualities of Mercury are duality and wisdom. We must combine all these qualities for effective and successful living. Our 3 vehicles are a differentiated unity. All the parts must function together. Have you noticed the difference in spelling between Mercurium and Mercurius? Like the Stone, they are related but not the same. They point to something that has to be experienced, not read.
This is the meaning of the Art:
The body giveth form and constancy,
The soul doth dye and tinge it,
The spirit maketh it fluid and penetrateth it.
And therefore the Art cannot be
In one of these three things alone.
Nor can the greatest secret exist alone:
It must have body, soul, and spirit.
The secret of the Art is the combined effect of all 3 vehicles of consciousness. But where is the "I" that drives them? Where is the divine spark? What is the "fourth"?
And now what is the fourth,
From which the three originate,
The same names teach thee
And the sevenfold star in the lower shield.
The Lion likewise by its colour and power
Showeth its nature and its property.
In the Eagle yellow and white are manifest.
We are directed to the 3 and the 7. There are the three vehicles and the seven pointed star. The star is Salt, which we understand to be the body. The seven points are the 7 chakras and they are the connection between body and soul. Thus 3 (principles) + 7 (chakras) = 10 = 1 + 0 = 1. The text is telling us that the "fourth" is the ONE, that is, the divine spark. The separate reference to the eagle and the lion, is pointing to the polarity of the Above and the Below. This polarity is the driving force of the entire scheme.
Mark my words well, for there is need of care:
The imperial orb doth exhibit
The symbol of this highest good.
Heaven and earth, four elements,
Fire , light, and water, are therein.
The two hands do testify with an oath
The right reason and the true knowledge,
And from what roots are derived
All of the metals and many other things.
We already know that the imperial orb is the alchemical symbol for VITRIOL. From its inherent nature are derived the 7 metals. These are our 7 chakras. Truly, in VITRIOL is the answer.
Now there remain only the seven words,
Hear further what they mean:
If thou dost now understand this well
This knowledge shall nevermore fail thee.
Every word standeth for a city
Each of which hath but one gate.
The first signifieth gold, is intentionally yellow.
The second for fair white silver.
The third, Mercurius, is likewise grey.
The fourth for tin, is heaven-blue.
The fifth for iron, is blood-red.
The sixth for copper, is true green.
The seventh for lead, is black as coal.
Let us recall the 7 words: Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem. Each word is a city with one gate. What is a city? It is an organic whole comprising of physical buildings (like a body), animated by living beings such as people, animals and plants (like a soul) and directed by abstract principles such as laws and government (like a spirit). And what is the one gate? There is only one way to enter this city, that is, to understand each of the 7 words. Here is the clue:
- The first word is Visita and is attributed to the Sun. This is the heart chakra.
- The second word is Interiora and is attributed to the Moon. This is the brow chakra.
- The third word is Terrae and is attributed to Mercury. This is the crown chakra.
- The fourth word is Rectificando and is attributed to Jupiter. This is the navel chakra.
- The fifth word is Invenies and is attributed to Mars. This is the sacral chakra.
- The sixth word is Occultum and is attributed to Venus. This is the throat chakra.
- The seventh word is Lapidem and is attributed to saturn. This is the base chakra.
Heart Þ brow Þ crown Þ navel Þ sacral Þ throat Þ base
Gold silver mercury tin iron copper lead
There is something wrong here. We are told to go from gold to lead, when the whole point of the Art is to transmute lead into gold. Has the author of the text made a mistake? Why has he reversed the order? Could it be that this is a deliberate reversal, to alert us to the fact that the true order (the "one gate" mentioned in the text) is different from that given? Has the truth been jumbled so that "only those with eyes" will see?
Mark what I mean, understand me well:
In these city gates, indeed,
Standeth the whole ground of the Art.
This is a clear warning that a correct understanding of the doctrine is essential for the Art to be performed successfully.
For no one city alone can effect anything,
The others must also be close at hand.
And as soon as the gates are closed
One cannot enter any city.
No one city/word/metal/chakra alone can achieve anything. All must work together. However if understanding fails, then all gates are closed and the chakras cannot function.
And if they had no gates
Not one thing could they accomplish.
If we had no chakras, then we would not even be alive, let alone engaged in the Great Work.
But if these gates are close together
A ray of light appeareth from seven colors.
Shining very brightly together
Their might is incomparable.
When the 7 chakras function correctly, the ray of light that comes from them in a unified way, is very bright and intense. Surely its power is incomparable.
Thou canst not find such wonders on earth,
Wherefore hearken unto further particulars:
Seven letters, and seven words,
Seven cities, and seven gates,
Seven times, and seven metals,
Seven days, and seven ciphers.
Whereby I mean seven herbs
Also seven arts and seven stones.
The repetition of the number 7 serves to emphazise the subtle doctrine of analogy. The Above is like the Below but is not the Below. Seven letters are like seven words; seven times are like seven metals; but the times are not the metals; the ciphers are not the days. Only meditation will lead to true understanding. The point is this. As we progress into higher levels of reality, we are moving into unfamiliar territory. We literally do not know what to expect. However we have a map like the diagram and we navigate by it. A map is not the terrain, it is like the terrain. A map is a symbolic representation, an analogy, of the actual terrain. By following the map we can chart a course in unknown places. By meditation we gain understanding, by imagination we make the journey.
Therein stands every lasting art.
Well for him who findeth this.
If this be too hard for thee to understand
Hear me again in a few other particulars:
Truly I reveal to thee
Very clearly and plainly, without hatred or envy,
How it is named with one word
Vitriol, for him who understandeth it.
We do understand vitriol now don't we? It is the basis for the Art and for the Great Work.
If thou wouldst oft figure out
This Cabbalistic way with all diligence,
Seven and fifty in the cipher
Thou findest figured everywhere.
Let not the Work discourage thee,
Understand me rightly, so shalt thou enjoy it.
We are told bluntly that to figure all this out, we must understand rightly. The right way is kabalistic and the clue is in the numbers 7 & 50. Simple isn't it? If we look at this literally, we are being told that 57 is key. What does that mean? Let us try this kabalistically:
7 + (5 x 10) = 57
= 5 + 7
= 12
Quite clearly, this is not ordinary mathematics. This requires a different form of logic and a radical change of perspective. That is precisely what is expected of us. If the diagram is the map, the numbers are the compass: 5 elements (aether, air, fire, water, earth); 7 chakras; 10 sefirot on the Tree of Life; 12 signs of the zodiac.
Besides that, note this fully,
There is a water which doth not make wet.
From it the metals are produced,
It is frozen as hard as ice.
A moistened dust a fuller wind doth raise,
Wherein are all qualities.
If thou dost not understand this,
Then I may not name it for thee otherwise.
What is this water that does not wet, from which the metals (chakras) are produced? It is the Dew of the Philosophers. It contains the Salt that acts upon the Sulfur and the Mercury of the Prima Materia. It is the contents of the cup in the diagram. Note that the Sun and the Moon are pouring a liquid into a cup supported by Mercury. This is the Elixir. This is all clear enough isn't it? Bad luck if it isn't, because the author of the text will "not name" it for us.
Now I will instruct thee
How it should be prepared.
There are seven ways for this art,
If thou neglectest any of them thou workest in vain.
But thou must, before all things else, know
Thou hast to succeed in purification.
And although this be twofold,
Thou art in need of one alone.
This "water" is prepared in 7 steps. If we ignore any one of them, we shall fail. We must purify first. The secret of purification is in the alchemical koan, solve et coagula, that is;
- Solve: dissolve, separate, break down and analyze.
- et: join the two steps back together.
- Coagula: synthezise the purified parts.
The first work is freely done by it
Without any other addition,
Without distilling something in it,
Simply through its putrefication.
From all of its earthliness
Is everything afterwards prepared.
The process is "putrefication". It is the separation of the vehicles of consciousness, body and soul. Normally, we regard this as physical death. However if we consider it to be a projection of consciousness arising from deep meditation and guided visualization, we get closer to the mark.
This first way hath two paths,
Happy is he who goeth on the right path.
The first extendeth through the strength of fire,
With and in itself, note this well.
The second extendeth further
Until one cometh to treasure and to gain.
This is done by dissolving,
And again by saturating, I inform you:
This must be undertaken first of all,
So comest thou to the end of the fine art.
The "first way" of purification has two paths because the One Only Thing must be separated into two parts. One way is by "fire" and the other way is by "dissolving and saturating". We must choose the right path. Only meditation will show us the way.
After the whole purification hath been completed
It will be prepared and boiled in the sun
Or in the warm dung of its time,
Which extendeth itself very far
Until it becometh constant and perfect,
And the treasure of the Wise is in it.
Remember, we are dealing with the Dew of the Philosophers. After purification, it is prepared either by boiling in the sun, or in warm dung. Dung? Yes, this is the continual slow heat that comes from organic substances when they putrefy. It takes time and patience and is unpleasant. This is an analogy for a particular kind of meditation requiring patient self-examination. Note the doctrine of analogy again and also note that to examine ourselves requires us to delve into that part of our being that is filthy and stinks. Do you still want to proceed? The treasure of the Wise is in the dung heap.
The other ways are very subtle
And many mighty one fail therein,
For here is the purpose of the distillation
And the sublimation of the Wise Men.
The separation of the four elements
Is also called by the Wise Men
Air, water, and rectified fire.
The earth on the ground hath mislead many,
Having been deemed a worthless thing,
Although all the power lieth in it.
Distillation is the evaporation and subsequent condensation of the Dew. This purifies and concentrates its volatile essence. Remember that the Emerald Tablet tells us to "separate the subtle from the gross". Sublimation is the analogous (that word again) process as applied to solids. In this case it is a reference to the Prima Materia. The Tablet also tells us to "separate the earth from the fire". Hence the special mention above of "rectified fire" and the "earth….deemed worthless…..although all the power lies in it". The distilled Dew is the sublimated Prima Materia.
Some know not how to separate it
From their Cortibus, therefore they fail.
It was cast behind the door,
But the Wise Man taketh it up again,
Purifieth it snow-white and clear:
This is the ground, I say in truth.
But if thou dost wish to separate it,
Note that it is of no little importance,
For if they are not prepared
Then you are in error, that I swear.
What is the Dew purified "snow-white and clear"? The energy flows from the 7 purified chakras combine into one white and clear light.
Therefore thou must also have some vinegar
Which is revealed to the Wise Men,
Wherewith thou wilt effect the separation,
So that nothing earthly remaineth in it any more,
Till body and soul have to be separated,
Otherwise called fire and earth
And after they are thus purified,
Alchemical vinegar is the "water that kills and vivifies". It transmutes the vehicle of consciousness the body, into the vehicle of consciousness the spirit. This involves the separation of body and soul, as vehicles of consciousness. Note that purification is associated with separation. Remember also that the Emerald Tablet associates the process of separation (Earth from Fire/ subtle from gross) "with great judgement and skill", with the three ascending steps from the Below to the Above.
And thereupon followeth the mixture, observe!
And so it cometh to a wondrous strength,
The finished figures with the unfinished.
And if the fire be likewise rightly controlled,
It will be entirely perfect
In much less time than a year.
The three pointing hands are showing us something crucial. What was separated, is now mixed and strong. Right control of the fire is the analogy (yes, that word again) for disciplined meditation. There are 12 months in a year, but if we do this right, it will take "much less time than a year". If we use numbers as an analogy for a compass, we are being pointed in a significant direction. There are 12 signs of the zodiac. What is numerically less than 12 but still alchemically significant? How about the 7 planets? They are the 7 chakras Above, analogous to our 7 chakras Below.
Now thou hast the entire way in its length
On which are not more than two paths.
From these one soon wandereth and goeth astray,
Else it all standeth clear and plain.
The one is the water of the Wise Men,
Which is the Mercurius alone.
The other is called a vinegar,
And it is known only to a very few.
And this vinegar doth circle
Away from the philosophical iron.
Now everything is "clear and plain". Of the two paths, one is the water of the Wise, the Dew, and the other is the vinegar. The Dew is linked to the principle of Mercury, which is the analogy for the vehicle of consciousness, the spirit. Vinegar is the water that kills and vivifies and is said to move away from the philosophical iron. This metal is the analogy for the sacral chakra and is therefore linked to sexual fluids. We can understand why such fluids "vivify", but why do they "kill"?
It is Lord Aes whom it maketh glad.
Therefore they have combined so closely
Many hundred forms and names are given
After each hath chosen it.
One way springeth from the true source,
A few have worked on it for a whole year.
But many through their art and craft
Have shortened so long a space of time.
And quickly is the preparation set free
As Alchemy doth point out.
The preparation is set free by Art. All of this implies that we are responsible to perform the Great Work. No one else will do it for us. Note well, the Great Work is analogous to what Christians call Salvation.
The preparation alone
Maketh this stone great and glorious.
Although there is but one matter
It lacketh nothing else.
But when it is clarified
Its name hath misled many.
However, I have revealed enough to thee
In many ways, forms, and fashions.
There are many names; I say
Let not thyself be misled from the true way.
The preparation which up to now has been concerned with the water of the Wise and the vinegar of the Philosophers, is suddenly related to a "stone great and glorious". Is this the Stone of the Philosophers or the Philosophers' Stone? Since it lacks nothing and has been clarified, we can infer that it is the Philosophers' Stone. It is called many things but we must not be misled by them.
In their scriptures the Elders write
That it is a draught, a great poison.
Others call it a snake, a monster,
Which is not costly anywhere.
It is common to all men
Throughout the world, to rich and also to poor.
It is the property of the metals
Through which they conquer victoriously.
Now the Stone is called a "great poison" and a "snake or monster". All of us have it for little cost and through it, the metals (7 chakras) "conquer victoriously". The poison of the snake leads to victory. That is perfectly clear isn't it? Is this the kundalini serpent coiled in the base chakra that can poison us if wrongly released, or lead to victory if rightly prepared?
The same is a perfection
And setteth a golden crown upon it.
Now the practice is completed
For him who understandeth it and knoweth the matter.
The "golden crown" is a good description of the Crown chakra in its proper functioning. When that occurs, we have true understanding and knowledge because we then function at a much higher level of consciousness through our rectified vehicles of consciousness.
Only two things more are to be chosen
Which thou wilt find by now
If thou dost follow the right way
And attend carefully to thy work.
The composition is the one
Which the Wise Men kept secret.
If you know the composition, remain silent.
The nature of the fire also hath hidden craft;
Therefore its order is another.
With that, one should, not deal too much
Or else all execution is lost.
One cannot be too subtle with it.
If you know the nature of the fire, remain silent.
As the hen hatcheth out the chick
So also shall it be in the beginning,
And time itself will prove it.
For just as the fire is regulated
Will this treasure itself be produced.
Be industrious, constant, peaceful, and pious,
And also ask God for His help:
If thou dost obtain that, then always remember
The poor and their needs.
We must act with the patience and care of a mother hen, to regulate the fire, so as to produce the treasure. All clear now? By the way, our own efforts are not enough. Ask God for help and remember those in need.
Solve et Coagula
Eternal Love
"If you are resolved to drink the bitter poison of cruel eternity, then let’s live on together." — Shaytan, Seisen no Iberia "Had we but world enough and time," the poet said to his reluctant Love Interest, "this coyness, Lady, were no crime," and he'd be willing to wait for centuries for a Relationship Upgrade. Normal human beings don't have centuries to work out their romantic lives, but the genres of fantasy and science fiction are full of couples who do. Naturally, if you and your beloved are both immortal, or even just really, really long-lived, you may have all the time in the world in which to fall in love, court each other, hook up, break up, and come back together. You might spend centuries in the Will They or Won't They? stage before getting your Happily Ever After, and why not? You have all the time in the world for drama.
The Romance Arc extends backwards into ancient history or forward into the far future. —in magic users whose power grants them exceptionally long lives. A Society of Immortals may display a large number of such relationships, given the greater odds that any immortal character's romantic partner would also be immortal. Note that any romantic/sexual relationship that lasts for an unnaturally long span of time may count for this trope: it doesn't have to be an entirely happy or healthy relationship. As a result, this trope may overlap with Living Forever Is Awesome if the relationship is a happy one, but if it is a destructive or angst-ridden one it may fall into the other end of the spectrum. Contrast Time Travel Romance and Reincarnation Romance, where the romance arc is extended through time by other means.
"If you are resolved to drink the bitter poison of cruel eternity, then let’s live on together." — Shaytan, Seisen no Iberia "Had we but world enough and time," the poet said to his reluctant Love Interest, "this coyness, Lady, were no crime," and he'd be willing to wait for centuries for a Relationship Upgrade. Normal human beings don't have centuries to work out their romantic lives, but the genres of fantasy and science fiction are full of couples who do. Naturally, if you and your beloved are both immortal, or even just really, really long-lived, you may have all the time in the world in which to fall in love, court each other, hook up, break up, and come back together. You might spend centuries in the Will They or Won't They? stage before getting your Happily Ever After, and why not? You have all the time in the world for drama.
The Romance Arc extends backwards into ancient history or forward into the far future. —in magic users whose power grants them exceptionally long lives. A Society of Immortals may display a large number of such relationships, given the greater odds that any immortal character's romantic partner would also be immortal. Note that any romantic/sexual relationship that lasts for an unnaturally long span of time may count for this trope: it doesn't have to be an entirely happy or healthy relationship. As a result, this trope may overlap with Living Forever Is Awesome if the relationship is a happy one, but if it is a destructive or angst-ridden one it may fall into the other end of the spectrum. Contrast Time Travel Romance and Reincarnation Romance, where the romance arc is extended through time by other means.
Magic Genetics
Now, you want to give this character really cool superpowers. However, you need to justify it. So you say that it's a result of genetic mutation caused by a Freak Lab Accident. However, could that really work? Let's say you want this character to be able to fly. But without wings, where would the propulsion come from? Let's say you want this character to be able to grow 100 times their size. What about the law of conservation of matter? (Not to mention that even if it was possible, the person would probably die from insufficient amounts of blood.) Let's not even get started on creating fire out of thin air... Many writers don't know (or deliberately ignore) that genes are only responsible for protein synthesis. This is when said writers give genes the ability to alter the very laws of physics (or other universal laws) - or at least the ability to do things that would be impossible for a human. LEGO Genetics is often involved, as well. Extra fail points if the writer ignores the necessary secondary powers needed for the Functional Magic to actually be functional, such as Photographic Memory for Voluntary Shapeshifting etc. If the writer wants to firm up the science, they might say that the genes merely construct nanoscale Applied Phlebotinum in your cells which acts on "quantum forces not yet discovered" or some other Hand Wave, but it's still really Functional Magic given a pseudoscience gloss-over. Some types of superpowers being caused by genetics are plausible. Super Strength could be from extra muscle mass or more efficient contractile cells (but you still won't be strong enough to bend girders bare-handed), low-level Super Speed would be a snap as natural human neural impulses and reaction time are notoriously sluggish (slower than sound, in fact) and could easily be sped up by increasing conductivity, claws could be some sort of bone growth or modified keratin, and there are animals that use electricity as a weapon, can stretch and distort their bodies, or have a Healing Factor or Super Senses. While you can't become an invisible man, chromatophores in the skin could give you super-camouflage. Etc. Genetically-based Psychic Powers are automatically a subtrope of this, as are any Witch Species. Characters who are Randomly Gifted usually don't gain their powers from genetic sources, or in combination with other non-genetic factors.
Now, you want to give this character really cool superpowers. However, you need to justify it. So you say that it's a result of genetic mutation caused by a Freak Lab Accident. However, could that really work? Let's say you want this character to be able to fly. But without wings, where would the propulsion come from? Let's say you want this character to be able to grow 100 times their size. What about the law of conservation of matter? (Not to mention that even if it was possible, the person would probably die from insufficient amounts of blood.) Let's not even get started on creating fire out of thin air... Many writers don't know (or deliberately ignore) that genes are only responsible for protein synthesis. This is when said writers give genes the ability to alter the very laws of physics (or other universal laws) - or at least the ability to do things that would be impossible for a human. LEGO Genetics is often involved, as well. Extra fail points if the writer ignores the necessary secondary powers needed for the Functional Magic to actually be functional, such as Photographic Memory for Voluntary Shapeshifting etc. If the writer wants to firm up the science, they might say that the genes merely construct nanoscale Applied Phlebotinum in your cells which acts on "quantum forces not yet discovered" or some other Hand Wave, but it's still really Functional Magic given a pseudoscience gloss-over. Some types of superpowers being caused by genetics are plausible. Super Strength could be from extra muscle mass or more efficient contractile cells (but you still won't be strong enough to bend girders bare-handed), low-level Super Speed would be a snap as natural human neural impulses and reaction time are notoriously sluggish (slower than sound, in fact) and could easily be sped up by increasing conductivity, claws could be some sort of bone growth or modified keratin, and there are animals that use electricity as a weapon, can stretch and distort their bodies, or have a Healing Factor or Super Senses. While you can't become an invisible man, chromatophores in the skin could give you super-camouflage. Etc. Genetically-based Psychic Powers are automatically a subtrope of this, as are any Witch Species. Characters who are Randomly Gifted usually don't gain their powers from genetic sources, or in combination with other non-genetic factors.