The writing of The Path of Alchemy has been a long and interesting journey. Many of its readers will recognize material from several online articles of mine that have become standard reading on the Internet since their posting in the late 1990s. The articles forming the core of the technical section were originally written at the request of Ariadne's Web, a journal well known among students of Rosicrucianism, Martinism, the Knights Templar, and similar initiatic lines of the Western esoteric traditions. Initially, only one article was to be produced, but the decision came quickly to create a trilogy and give a complete and thorough overview, no matter how brief, on the basics of plant alchemy-or more accurately, spagyrics.
What was thought of as being a short course on plant alchemy for a small audience quickly became a phenomenon. The articles were reprinted in The Rosicrucian Beacon, the official publication of the Rosicrucian Order (AMORC) for its British and English-speaking European and African members, over several issues in 1998. AMORC's Grand Lodge of the Netherlands published the articles in translation from 2000 to 2001 in its journal De Roos, or The Rose. For many devoted, even longtime students of alchemy, these three articles have done more to assist them on their practical paths than most of the material that had been around for decades.
Many students of alchemy quickly find themselves limited by the amount of available material in print on practical laboratory techniques. While there is a great deal more available as of this writing than when these articles were initially written, aspiring alchemists still find themselves struggling with two principal texts: The Alchemist's Handbook, by Frater Albertus, and The Practical Handbook of Plant Alchemy, by Manfred Junius. Both books are written by masters of the art and explain a great deal in clear and concise language. However, students who have read both books will quickly realize that at points Albertus gives his reader not enough information, while Junius gives too much. Both authors require laboratory equipment to do the work, and they both leave out some simple yet very powerful experiments that can be done with little more than kitchen supplies. The Path ofAlchemy seems to walk the thin middle ground between these giants, and like Baby Bear's porridge, it is "just right" in the information department.
In addition to the familiar text, new illustrations make the operations clear to the first-time student. Meditations and visualizations are clearly articulated so that these often difficult and highly symbolic subjects can have meaning on the practical as well as spiritual level. Each chapter has a summary, assignments, and meditative practices specific to the material in that chapter.
It is to Russell House that I owe a great debt of gratitude, as his generous assistance helped make much of this material more precise and practical on its initial writing. Russell and his wife, Sue, are well known to students of alchemy, as they were central figures in the now-defunct alchemical-Qabalistic organization the Philosophers of Nature (PON).' The Philosophers of Nature was started in France in 1978 by Jean Dubuis, a high-ranking member of the French jurisdiction of AMORC and its related Martinist organization, the Traditional Martinist Order (TMO). As a result of his fame in alchemical research with emphasis on the Flamel Path, Dubuis was interviewed for the BBC documentary Discovering the Real World of Harry Potter (2002),2 and he is legendary for having the largest Martinist lodge (heptad) in Paris in the 1970s, with two hundred members. The highest class of about fifty were involved in practical works of theurgy, or ceremonial magic, similar to those undertaken by Martinez Pasquelez more than two hundred years earlier. They were also heavily influenced by The Cosmic Doctrine, written by Dion Fortune.
Dubuis left his Rosicrucian and Martinist affiliations to pursue and promote what he called the "dis-occultising" of esotericism. Feeling that much of what was occurring in European circles was simply secrecy for the sake of secrecy, he felt that it no longer served any purpose.
This book appears with much the same spirit, in that it was written to make as clear as possible the basic methods of alchemy for those who desire to learn. All is stated, there are no blinds, and it holds nothing back. The reason for this is simple-each must be responsible for his or her own "Becoming." Since no one can do the work for another, we all must have access to methods and techniques that will help us on our personal Path of Return.
Alchemy is often referred to as "women's work and child's play," in that it involves many of the same skills and temperatures (for plant work, anyway) found in cooking. One needs an open and joyous heart-as a child at play-when undertaking the work. However, I would be remiss if I did not include some safety guidelines, particularly for those who wish to go on to work with minerals. Remember, safety is first, and not an option.
1. Check your local ordinances and state guidelines to see what is permissible in your area when working with chemicals or distilling wine.
2. Read all directions for suggested experiments several times before conducting the actual experiment. Visualize the process, write it out, and be familiar with each step required.
3. Do not use the same tools or cookware for eating that you use for alchemical experiments.
4. Fire is always a potential hazard. Keep a fire extinguisher or fire blanket nearby and know how to use them in case you ever need to. Keep a large box of baking soda on hand should an alcohol spill catch fire and need to be smothered.
While the temperatures you will work with are very low, safety is a habit that is very important-one that will carry over into any work you might want to perform with minerals, where the potential for injury or harm is dramatically more significant.
Several well-intended critics have pointed out that some of the earlier materials produced failed to distinguish between spagyrics and alchemy; these critics claimed that they share common theory and methods but in fact are two different areas of work. Spagyrics is really a part of alchemy, and in its most basic form is concerned with healing the body, similar in fashion to homeopathy. Unlike alchemy, however, it requires no special inner state on the part of the operator and, in this manner, functions much like the "natural magic" of the Renaissance philosophers. Dubuis put it this way:
However, this point does give room for thought. If the proper attitude is not essential but spagyrics still produces wondrous results, then what if a genuine attitude of heart and evolution is brought to the work? Can spagyric operations become alchemical if the operator brings the proper attitude to them? Given that certain spagyric products are initiatic in nature, the Ens of Paracelsus in particular, some believe that spagyrics as a whole can be initiatic if the proper attitude is applied. It is left to each operator to decide this point. Students of quantum physics will also note the similarity between the statements regarding mineral work, the critical importance of the consciousness of the operator on the outcome, and modern findings on the influence of consciousness at the subatomic level.
It has been my good fortune to know several of the leading lights of modern alchemy. After reading Frater Albertus's work The Alchemist's Handbook, I sought to make contact with his Paracelsus Research Society (PRS) in Salt Lake City, Utah. By the time I contacted it in 1986, Albertus was dead and the school was struggling to continue without its founder and leader. I then made plans to attend AMORC's Rose-Croix University classes on alchemy, only to have to cancel them at the last moment. While I hoped to attend the following year, this was not to be. AMORC cancelled the classes, and when they were reinstated, Russ House and Jack Glass were no longer the instructors.
In the early 1990s, Gnosis, the leading journal for information on the Western esoteric traditions, carried a small ad for an organization in Colorado called the Philosophers of Nature, working under its parent organization's French name, Les Philosophes des la Nature, with the abbreviation LPN. It advertised itself as a school of traditional French alchemy and Qabala. I contacted the organization but received no reply. Several months later, a flyer for a seminar on alchemy arrived in my mailbox. I had never heard of the presenter and simply filed it away. Soon, another flyer arrived. This one told of a week-long seminar at the Wild Rose Program Center in St. Charles, Illinois, in September 1994. A man I had never heard of, Jean Dubuis, was the main presenter; however, the flyer listed Russ House and Jack Glass as teaching a five-day class, four hours a day, on spagyrics. I sent in my registration, and my life has never been the same since.
A short article on this seminar appeared in Gnosis with the title "Pass the Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt Si'l Vous Plait,"4 at the time making me a minor celebrity among my esoteric colleagues. For those who attended this "summer of alchemical love," it was truly a magical event. Many of esotericism's biggest and best names were present, along with at least a dozen alumni from Albertus's PRS days, including Kevin Townley, the president of LPN's American branch (LPNUSA); Hanz Nintzel, a man whose ability to annoy those around him was only exceeded by his love of alchemy; and Art Kunkin, former editor of the Los Angeles Free Press. Nintzel and Kunkin inherited various portions of Israel Regardie's estate when he died in 1985: Nintzel received several large mosaic tables and displays of Egyptian and Hermetic themes made by Regardie, and Kunkin received Regardie's library and alchemical laboratory.
Something not widely known is that Regardie studied alchemy at PRS. This changed his view that alchemy was only a speculative and symbolic study, as he had previously stated in his book The Philosopher's Stone. It is also important to note that Regardie injured his lungs during an experiment that went awry and as a result needed to use oxygen later in life. A warning to us all, and good reason to proceed with caution.
While it is easy to lament the passing of old friends, particularly those who are looked to as "the greats" in their field, it is important to remember that alchemy is a very personal path. We learn from others, but must do the work ourselves. The tradition of alchemy is a vital and living one, and it will continue to be so for a long time, as long as human beings seek to understand and unlock the Divine in matter and, as a result, in themselves.
As you proceed through this book, remember to "make haste slowly." A little bit of work done regularly is better than a great deal done quickly and on occasion. Take time to pray and meditate as you undertake the experiments described in these pages. Think of this not as a book, but as a conversation with a friend, assisting you in your personal work. Hang a small picture of Thoth, Hermes, Flamel, St. Germain, or some other suitable alchemist in your laboratory and imagine that it is they who are communicating these words to you. Let the meditations sink deep into your consciousness so that there you may awake to find yourself in the company of your Inner Master. May these words bring you closer on your journey, and may each of you know that in your heart, one day, you will become the Philosopher's Stone. God bless you.
In the Bonds of Esotericism,