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It is extremely difficult to read and understand old alchemical texts (have a try here), for several reasons:

- alchemists used to hide their knowledge

- our cultural background is very different from the 15th or 17th century

- many authors just copy older texts with small modifications, introducing variations and contradictions among texts

- these old texts mix Esoterism and old science, so you have to filter useless old science from useful Esoterism.

- it is necessary to study Kabbalah, and perhaps some Persian and Indian knowledge before understanding the Great Work meaning and Alchemy.

- etc

Yet, if you study these texts, you will learn that a special alchemical process occurs:

1. this process involves metallic transformations in a certain order, from lead to gold:  lead, tin, silver, mercury, iron, copper and finally gold. (there are some variations, omissions, etc... among authors, but this is the more reliable succession; for example, see excellent John Dee "THE HIEROGLYPHIC MONAD" 1564):

John Dee "THE HIEROGLYPHIC MONAD" 1564	Succession of events in the alchemical process and usual esoteric correspondences Planet/Metal/Color
	alch1	Saturn	Lead	Black
	alch2	Jupiter	Tin	Brown
	alch3	Moon	Silver	White
	alch4	Mercury	Mercury	Mercury
	alch5	Mars	Iron	Red
	alch6	Venus	Copper	Green
	alch7	Sun	Gold	Golden
	From alch1 to alch7, from Saturn to Sun, from Lead to Gold

Note that this succession is specific to alchemy; in other esoteric fields, the most common orders are: Moon (Monday)> Mars (Tuesday)> Mercury (Wednesday)> Jupiter (Thursday)> Venus (Friday)> Saturn (Saturday)> Sun (Sunday) and also Saturn>Jupiter>Mars>Sun>Venus>Mercury>Moon (test yourself: try to understand the relation between these two successions).

Therefore, the alchemical order is very different from usual esoteric successions and this needs to be understood.

2. the process refers to a certain philosophical stone, whose color changes from black, to white, to red, to gold. It is very close from the succession of metals, since Lead corresponds to black (step 1), later Silver corresponds to white (step 3), Iron corresponds to red (step 5), and finally Gold corresponds to golden (final step 7).

It makes sense; the succession seems to be quite reliable.

3. two raw materials seem to be used, with many correspondences:

Of course, such a couple symbolizes female and male principles, yin and Yang, passivity and activity.

The use of water and fire suggests alchemy has to do with the theory of elements.

5. going further, the alchemical process includes the 4 elements in a certain order:

"A fire that becomes earth. Separate the earth from the fire, so you will attain the subtle as more inherent than the gross, with care and sagacity." (Arabic Version of the Emerald Tablet of Hermes)

It means fire>earth

Many other texts claim a vaporization occurs and is of great importance: vaporization means water>air

And the same texts claim that after vaporization, a fixation occurs by heating: air > fire (heating) > earth (fixed)

So we have the complete succession: water > air (vaporization) > fire (heating) > earth (fixed)

Once fixity is achieved, old texts explain you have a white philosophical stone and only after it had to become red then gold.

What is of great significance is that we already studied this order:  water>air>fire>earth : it is the elemental succession of the ancient Greeks, which was known long before Aristotle :

The alchemical process occurs in the same order as the old greek's succession of elements.

6. One of the more ancient and more important text, The Turba philosophorum claims seasons are involved in the alchemical process, in a certain order:

"Know, also, that the year is divided into four seasons; the first season is of a frigid complexion, and this is Winter; the second is of the complexion of air, and this is Spring; then follows the third, which is summer, and is of the complexion of fire; lastly, there is the fourth, wherein fruits are matured, which is Autumn. In this manner, therefore, ye are to rule your natures, namely, to dissolve ill winter, to cook in spring, to coagulate in summer, and to gather and tinge the fruit in autumn." The Turba philosophorum

Here is the alchemical seasonal succession based on the model we already developed.

7. there are curious and symbolic pictures in alchemical books, and they seem to hide secrets:

The moon symbolizes yin, the sun Yang. More, there is a succession of spheres from earth to sky, from matter to spirit, just like chakras.

We already studied that (matter/spirit) and (yin/Yang) are gathered in the Tree of Life. (see article)

Is there a  relation between alchemy and the Tree of Life ???

The answer is yes, for many reasons:

- several drawings in old alchemical texts show a man, the tree of life, sephiroth and planets:

- there is a well known correspondence between sephiroth/chakras, planets and alchemical metals.

The alchemical process is therefore, in term of the tree of life:

Let's draw this alchemical process on the Tree of Life model:

We've got it: This is the Alchemical Great Work plan. 

We'll detail it, then explain what are the benefits of this spiritual exercise:

1. Details:

It is possible to give more and more details, but 80% of the job is achieved; just read old alchemical books and add details on the picture if you're interested in.

2. Explanation of the benefits of the Great Work's Exercise:

If you understand and practice regularly the Alchemical Great Work, several benefits will occur:

- it greatly increases your resistance to psychological, magical, and karmic attacks, by repairing your aura.

- it improves your feeling of subtle spiritual energies and auras: you feel spiritual energy better and clearer.

- it helps replacing heart and feelings at the center of your life

- it develops general esoteric abilities, consciousness, mental structuration, ...

Note that after having concentrated the energy in your heart, you should do the reverse exercise, so as to balance energies: move the flow of energy from the heart to the exterior, following Empedocles succession Earth>Fire>Air>Water>Earth>Fire>Air>Water ...

And of course practice progressively and listen to your body and feelings, ...

Androgynous Azoth by Johann Georg Gichtel (1638 - 1710) Johann had partially understood the Great Work (Androgyny = Male/Female = Yang/yin, Spiral, Chakras, ...).  Yet, the Tree of life is lacking, introducing a wrong spiral succession:  Saturn -->Moon -->Jupiter (check on the picture) instead of the classical alchemical succession : Saturn-->Jupiter-->Moon (check above) Nor any representation of the alchemical elements succession : Water -->Air-->Fire-->Earth  Nor the color change of the philosophical stone : Black -->White-->Red-->Golden in relation with  the spiral succession and alchemical seasons...

10 Spiritual Lessons : 1. Spiritual Alchemy Mindworks 2. Kabbalah and the Tree of Life Symbol 3. Chakras System, Pictures and Chart 4. Human Aura Reading and Cleansing 5. Elemental Magic: Fire Water Earth Air/Wind Correspondences Chart 6. Kabbalistic Spiritual Enlightenment in Jewish Mysticism 7. The Alchemical Great Work 8. Kundalini Awakening : Kundalini Yoga Rising Course 9. Energy Medicine Ascension 10. Positive Change Alchemy Bonus : The Secret of Israel's 12 Tribes The Language of the Lost City of Atlantis Continent 12 Steps to become Healthier Temple Rebuilding Jerusalem Links Directory Contact / Partnership / Donations

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