The Living God of the Bible has Holy Laws; 1. You shall have no other gods beside me. 2. You shall not bow down to an image. Your pagan idolatry will condemn you on Judgement day. Repent or Perish! Jesus AD33

Why hello John McGlone. Such a pleasure to see you (as usual) jumping almost out of your skin at the chance to tell someone they are going to burn in hell. What Mr. Greywolf has posted is a translation of a passage from Kitab Sirr al-Asrar. This work in particular has even been translated by Sir Isaac Newton. It is a piece of history not kindling for your pyre.

Thank you John S. I could write volumes about how the medaeval alchemists were devout Christians, but it would not matter, and that is not the reason I posted this on my blog. The reason is to share my knowledge of alchemy with others. I am an alchemist. No I don't sit in my lab all day blowing things up or brewing elixirs and strange concotions like Professor Snape. I read, study, and try to understand what the ancients were thinking. Today's scientific thought deals only with the physical, the tangable, the material. The alchemists know that there is more than just physical changes, there are mental and spiritual changes as well. The Emerald Tablet is thought to be the work of Hermes Trismegistus or 'Thrice Greatest'. He is an amalgam of the Egyptian Thoth and the Greek Hermes, both deities of knowledge and science. It explains the basic philosophy of Hermeticism. What happens without, also happens within. As abouve, so below. Everything in heaven and earth are connected in some way. Alter one, and you change the other. All things come from the 'Prima Materia', the First Matter, or One Thing. All is one, and One is All. I do not deny the existance of God. As an Alchemist it would be impossible to do so when you can see God in everything, everywhere, and in everyone. And of course without fire, transmutation cannot happen. "Igne Natura Revovatur Integra", Through fire is nature remade whole.

I must say alchemy is something I have always found intriguing. It holds a home in my various interests, manifesting in the art and music, that I am both a fan of, and create myself. Anyone who has an inquisitive mind to even the slightest degree, could pull up a wikipedia article on the subject and find themselves enthralled in the text it has to offer, whether you believe in it's existence or not, Alchemy transcends fascination. It also transcends any bonds to a particular faith. I have met people of varying faiths who were either practicing alchemists, or big studiers on alchemy itself. I met a buddhist in New York City who was also a practicing alchemist. I have heard one extremist right-wing Christian say and i quote "The likes of alchemy breed in the cesspool of atheism" Upon hearing this, I swear i could have died laughing. As Wolf Stated before, Many of the roots and origins of Alchemy reside in Christianity, and many ancient alchemists were devout Christians. View Alchemy as a state of philosophy. Philosophy transcends any particular binding with a specific faith. Much like Buddhism (the philosophy, not the faith, believe me there is a SIGNIFICANT difference), it's value system can coincide with any given faith. If anything experiences like Alchemy of Buddhist philosophy can do no less then enhance your Christian life be deepening those bonds you hold with you God. So before you go off an a tangent, and denouncing what you don't understand. Try cracking open a book, or researching online. In no text, in any prominent religion , is the individual deprived or punished for simply expanding the extent of his knowledge on any subject matter. Most in fact, encourage that you further your knowledge in things outside of, or aside from your faith, so that you may recognize in what ways your faith stands out, or so that you may develop a deeper bond with your faith. Of course at this point I am sure someone could quote a passage from the Odyssey on this site and be called a Heretic for it. John S., unfortunately, in some circles, anything foreign you speak of is kindling for the pyre of religious zealots.

As it is today, so was it for our alchemic forefathers. They had to be very careful in what they said, lest the church condemn them as heretics at best and witches at worst. Honestly, all it took was to make the noble you worked for displeased with you for that to happen. It is for this reason that the alchemists developed a code, very similar to the "da Vinci" code. It is based on classical and church images and symbols. Those not in the "know" would either think them as undeciperable text, or common images seen in their day-to-day lives. To describe even some of these symbols would fill volumes. What is more, most of these alchemic ideas are so intertwined with modern art, philosophy and culture that you could easliy miss the lesson if you are not paying attention. Alchemists became very good at codesand for good reason. They knew code of the universe. Yes, similar to the Matrix, everything has a code. Alchemy is about being able to see this code, know what something is made of, manipulate the code and cause transmutation. So they saw this code, but put a different code on top of it to keep out those who would use this knowledge to attack them, or worse, use the knowledge against them. Knowledge is power.

Anyone who knows me is going to give me a hard time for the lyrics I am about to post. Let's just say it's no mystery that I am a fan of the band Tool. This however, is quite fitting to the topic at hand. " Saturn comes back around to show you everything Let's you choose what you will not see and then Drags you down like a stone or lifts you up again Spits you out like a child, light and innocent. Saturn comes back around. Lifts you up like a child or Drags you down like a stone to Consume you till you choose to let this go. Choose to let this go. Give away the stone. Let the oceans take and transmutate this cold and fated anchor. Give away the stone. Let the waters kiss and transmutate these leaden grudges into gold.

Tool is very much into the whole hermetic/alchemic side of the occult. A friend of mine back in Florida turned me on to this fact. He's been to a Tool concert recently and even there he could see all the alchemic symbols used on stage with light and sound. I truly envy him.

Hehe, nice article Greywolf. I can't thank you enough for revealing this sacred path to me. Thanks for bringing up Tool, JZ; we'd be remiss if we neglected them. Like true occultists do, they give you everything you need to know in their music; its all right in front of us if we can only open our eyes to see. Its unfortunate how in modern times subjects like astrology, Tarot cards, and alchemy are seen as a farce and a joke by the so-called "enlightened". Just because there were (and still are) a few hacks in the professions doesn't mean we can throw the baby out with the bathwater.