Metals in the world of alchemy and esotericism, in general, represents various conditions and principles to be found in Man and Nature. For instance, metals may represent the seven components or bodies making-up the being called "Man"; the seven exoteric rays from the Great Central Sun; and the seven major chakras within the subtle body. The seven metals also correspond to the seven angels presiding over the rays; to the seven archangels, the seven Chohans, the seven pairs of Elohims, etc.

Symbolically, the seven metals represent the seven planets known to the ancients--counting also the sun and moon, which are not planets proper, but a solar body and a satellite. The correspondences are as follows: gold-Sun, silver-Moon, lead-Saturn, mercury-Mercury, tin-Jupiter, iron-Mars, and copper-Venus.

The true subject of alchemy is Man--Man is the object of the transmutation. The alchemist is at once the subject and the object, the operator and that which is operated upon. Metals are associated with elements of Man's character. Pure gold is the character of a "perfect" person--it is the manifestation of that perfection already inherent within man's highest principle.

Within the etheric body, the chakras are the microcosmic planets. In Gichtel's "Theosophia Practica," a diagram is shown of a human being with the position of the orbs placed in the body. This indubitably reveals the fact that the chakras were known by Occidental mystics in the past centuries and played an important role in their spiritual tradition. The seven seals in Revelation is indeed another "revelation" of this fact.

Compassion is one of the Ego's highest feelings for other life-units who are struggling in the business of living. The sense of unity with all life around is an indication of one's growing realization of God. Being "my brother's keeper" is no longer a burden to such a person advancing in the spiritual path; it is a dharma or duty that one feels a privilege in obeying--of being true to Self. It was because of such a sense of duty that spiritual alchemists embarked upon the search for a Universal Panacea to cure the ills, suffering, and pain of a fallen humankind.

Pain, illnesses, and imbalances may be found in various levels of the microcosm--the physical, emotional, mental, etc. The Universal Panacea, in general, can be said, to be principles and laws of God that would establish harmony and health if applied.

Physical pain and illness are the result of a lack of prana, of the life-force, or "Mumia," as Paraclesus called it, into the psycho-biological system. This interrupted flow is mainly the result of a psychic condition unleashed by negative thoughts and emotions. When the channels or prana-influx are purified, when the Yin and Yang, the positive and negative polarities within the body are well-balanced, when the four elements residing in the body are in a state of equilibrium, then health should result.

There is a higher source of the life-essence that is rayed from the Great Central Sun directly to the Monad and down to the Atma of man, and this is associated with the flame of life residing in the physical heart. Daily devotions to the flame within and to the "Father who art in heaven," causes a descent of the essences of life, of the Atmic fire, into the quaternary vehicles of Egoic expression and results in a regeneration of the whole psychobiological system.

A surplus of the life-force within the body is radiated-out and forms an aura of protection around the corpus. There are, however, major terminal points where the life-force flow out in a concentrated state. The hands are just two of these terminal points. The energy radiated out from these chakras are called by various names: Od-force, animal magnetism, nerve energy, etc. Egyptian mystics of bygone days called it "Sa-Ankh."

There is an interesting concept concerning the above principle and the Atmic fire. When concentrating and meditating upon the Atma, the higher forces tends to flow more abundantly, and this energy together with the solar, lunar, and earth prana, when imbued upon a substance, such as water, would cause the fluid to be charged with life-essences capable of restoring the sick into wholeness when consumed by them.

This magnetically charged water can be considered as one of the manifestations of the Elixir of lIfe, the Nectar of the gods, or the Universal Panacea. Tantric icons of deities are sometimes depicted as holding a vessel of nectar in their hands. Evidently, a certain law and principle are indicated by this mudra. Practitioners of meditation would do well to experiment holding in their hands a cup of water during meditation and consuming it directly after the meditation session. The result could be invigorating and vivifying to the psycho-biological system, reinforcing the vital forces already present.

Fire

Fire is essentially divine, emanating as it does from the godhead. "God is a consuming fire," is a well-known expression to be found in holy scriptures. Fire purifies and accelerates the motion of atomic particles--it increases their vibration. Fire is a creative principle, a divine tool in Shiva's hand, transforming and transmuting matter to spirit, and spirit to matter. Heraclitus considered fire to be the first principle from whence all things owe their existence; by "fire" he meant the Divine fire, the "Scamayim" of the Qaballists that is continuously being outpoured by Ain Sof. The center of this emanation in our solar system is the sun. In man, it is the Monad. This indicates that all that is, is essentially fire.

Man, the Monad, is a spark of Fire from the Great Central Sun; all of Man's principles are fire in lesser manifestation and intensity. A spark of the Monad lies hidden in Man's heart. Fueling this flame with daily devotions of Right Action, Right Thought, Right Speech, meditation and prayer, increases the power, wisdom, and love of the divine nature of Man--this is spiritually represented by the threefold nature of the heart-flame, the fleur-de-lis.

Adepts of alchemy advise their students to work on the Prima Materia with the Internal and External Fire; that is, the fires of the mind, kundalini, Christ substance, sexual energy, prana, and chemical fire. This teaching of master minds reveals that fire manifests in various ways in visible and non-visible worlds. Fire is defined as "an internal activity whose external manifestation are heat and light."

Fire was worshipped in various ancient cultures as a manifestation of the Supreme Being. Initiates of the temples invoked the Divine Fire within their beings in their daily rituals of adoration and esoteric exercises. Alchemy continues the tradition of honoring the fiery principle, however, adding a new dimension to the rites of worship by applying it practically and scientifically.

Mythologically, Prometheus was said to have stolen fire from heaven and given it to primitive man, to the displeasure of the gods, for humankind was not yet ready to use this principle in a creative, unselfish manner. The secrets of Fire was subsequently withdrawn, but not completely, for here and there, the sons (initiates) of those gods came of age and were, consequently, entrusted with the mysteries of fire and were given the authority to wield the force intelligently, wisely, and compassionately for the benefit of all beings.

In nanotechnology, a science still in the theoretical stage, miniature machines on the nano scale are hoped to be realized by future generations. The problem faced by scientist today is the creation of the first nano-machine, a "universal assembler," that would create other machines and parts composing of selected molecules and which would later be programmed to do special work. One of their ideas of developing this nano universal-assembler is to create a tiny assembler in the millimeter scale that would in turn create another assembler of a smaller dimension, and so on until it reaches the nano scale. This technology when realized, has a wide range of application in the fileds of medicine, ecology, and industry. The potential for abuse is also inherent. In a sense this infant science is related to alchemy, for its development is applicable in the art of transmutation and precipitation on the physical level. Using their own terminology, it is the fires of the alchemist's mind that is the "universal assembler."

Fire fascinates and hypnotizes man, almost bearing him away to higher realities, as allegorized by the myth of Zeus in the form of an eagle snatching away Ganymede to the heavens. The closer one approaches God's fiery presence, the more one is cleansed of all karmic sins lodging and ossifying the four lower bodies.

A General Look at Alchemy Part 4