Filatet

says:

“If

you

treat

Mercury

like

common

mercury,

you

will

never

be

able

to

convert

it

into

philosophical

Mercury.”

“If

your

soul

is

coarse,

there

is

no

point

in aspiring to Mastery.”

Have

you

already

felt

the

need

to

raise

yourself

to

the

sky,

to

leave

your

smelting-pig

(impurities

that

wrap

a

material),

and

to

break

your chrysalis?

If

you

do

not

possess

this

leaven,

this

ferment

of

choice,

be

sure

that it is useless to undertake anything.

If

you

are

of

clay,

you

will

continue

to

be

of

clay.

If

you

have

placed

your

ideal

in

mud

you

cannot

dream

of

sublimation,

of

definitive

transmutation,

of

leaving

earthly

hell.

Ordinary

man,

you

will

never

be

a

Sage!

There

is

a

transcendental

alchemy,

it

is

the

alchemy

of

oneself.

And

it

is

necessary

as

a

prerequisite

to

carry

out

the

alchemy

of

the

elements.

The nobility of the Work requires the nobility of the operator.

Build

the

oven

(atanor),

prepare

the

philosopher’s

egg,

and

arrange

the

aludel,

separate

the

subtle

from

the

thick,

gather

the

tears

of

the

eagle

and

the

blood

of

the

lion,

because

what

is

hidden

to

become

manifest:

these

are

the

preliminaries

of

the

Work,

without

which

you

cannot

be

successful.

The

transmutation

must

be

affected

in

your

soul.

The

Stone,

in

its

final

state,

is

the

Absolute

itself;

the

purifying

solvent

are

the

formulas

of

beauty and perfection, with which you will adorn your life.

The

Mastery

is

Sulfur,

Salt,

and

Mercury.

Thus,

your

sublimated

soul,

which

is

the

true

Mercury

of

the

Philosophers,

will

unite

with

the

Sulfur

of

divine love for the Salt of mortification and trials.

Coordinate,

then,

all

your

actions

and

impressions

to

form

a

perfectly

harmonious

whole.

Strive

to

acquire

the

extreme

lucidity

of

your

understanding.

Step

away

from

what

dirties

sight.

Do

not

listen

to

what

pleases

the

ear.

Increase

in

yourself

the

feeling

of

personality

so

that

you

can then strive and absorb it in the heart of the Absolute.

Blaze

your

soul

with

alchemical

fire,

with

the

fire

that

does

not

burn.

I

will

teach

you

to

gather

it

and

it

will

form

a

protective

circle

around

you,

which will shield you from Malignant Influences.

Guard

yourself

from

wanting

to

taste

the

fruits

of

mystic

life

before

you

have

done

anything

to

possess

them.

Do

not

say

“The

Way

is

too

hard

and

to

triumph

over

the

difficulties

of

the

Way

one

must

be

a

Saint.”

On

the

contrary,

the

Saints

became

so

because

they

first

knew

how

to

triumph

over

these

difficulties.

They

began

as

you,

in

nothing,

and

as

you

they climbed the philosophical staircase from the first step.

Do

not

ask,

then,

for

faith

so

that

you

may

pray

later;

Beg

first

and

faith

will flood your soul.

But

I

have

already

spoken

enough

so

that

you

can

know

that

from

now

on

you

must

form

a

mystical

body

that

will

replace

your

visible

body

in

all

your

acts

to

use

your

immaterial

forces

profitably.

And

thus,

you

will

live

in the hyper-physical. This is the Way.

Grillot de Givry