Rosicrucian Beacon Magazine - 2012-09 - AMORC
Rosicrucian Beacon Magazine - 2012-09 - AMORC Rosicrucian Beacon Magazine - 2012-09 - AMORC
The Nature ofAlchemicalMercuryby Paul Goodall, FRCThis article is adapted for the Rosicrucian Beaconfrom part of a presentation entitled Alchemy:Its Nature and Symbolism given by the authorduring a Mystical Weekend hosted by BelfastPronaos at the Clandeboye Estate near Bangor,Northern Ireland on 21-23 October 2011.Nostrum Magisterium incipitur et perficitur una re tantum, id est Mercurio.“Our majesty is begun and perfected by only one thing; that is Mercury.”here IS SEEMINGLY nothing moreconfusing or elusive in alchemy than thefigure of Mercury; yet this is the centralsymbol in the alchemical process. To add toits perplexity it has many guises and roles inalchemical literature and various attributes are attachedto it. On the one hand it represents the universal agentof transmutation, equivalent in fact to the role of thePhilosopher’s Stone or ‘Elixir Vitae’, while on the other, itis involved on an equal and opposite role against Sulphur,represented in the metaphysical construct of the TriaPrima of Paracelsus which is discussed below. Withoutgoing into great depth, this article will try to clarify therole of Mercury within spiritual or metaphysical alchemyand what makes it the central symbol of the alchemicalprocess. But first we will require some knowledge of whatalchemy is and what premises allow it to be formulated.The Alchemical ProcessPractical or physical alchemy appears to have developedfrom ancient metallurgical practices. Although thisaspect of alchemy is important not just from an historicalperspective but also as far as putting inner alchemy into18The Rosicrucian Beacon -- September 2012
context, the act of transforming metals intothe superior gold is now largely a select affair,particularly since its practice requires so mucheffort into finding laboratory space and obtainingcostly equipment and hazardous materials.Historically, certainly from the late medievalperiod, the manufacture of gold came to play amore subordinate role as the symbolical aspectof the work assumed increasing importance.So it is not surprising to find that almost allalchemy practised today has evolved into that ofinner work, although that work is defined by thelanguage of traditional physical alchemy whichcan be regarded as an ‘outward sign of an inwardact’. This means that when we are discussingalchemy at the metaphysical level we are referringto abstract qualities or principles often in terms ofand with reference to the physical process.Premises for Spiritual AlchemyLet’s begin by observing some of the premises or beliefsespoused by Rosicrucians that allow us to formulate ametaphysical alchemy that is the inner transformative workof the mystic or initiate.1. Man as an entity is a dual being composed of activeand passive aspects which in alchemical terminologywe call male and female or sun and moon.2. Humans act as agents for cosmic forces thatare continually operating on the physical andmetaphysical planes.3. Esoteric teaching informs us that the universe isdivided into two worlds called the macrocosm andthe microcosm corresponding respectively to theUniverse and Humanity.4. Esoteric teaching also informs us that the totalityof everything is the Universal Soul, so that anyaction we take, however small, has an effect uponthis phenomenon since our soul is an ‘emanation’or partial manifestation of that Universal Soul.The Human SoulUnderlying, and at the heart of the premises outlinedabove is the existence of the human soul. The RosicrucianOrder teaches that the human body, along with allthings in the universe, is composed of atoms that vibrateconstantly under the effect of something called ‘spiritFigure 1: From the late medieval period, the manufacture of alchemical goldcame to play a more subordinate role as the symbolical aspect of the work assumedincreasing importance. David Teniers (1610-1690) The Alchemist, 1680.(Source: http://www.alchemywebsite.com/teniers4.html)energy’ that permeates the material universe. In this waywe are directly related to the phenomenon of existence.However, what distinguishes human beings from theinanimate, material universe is the possession of a soulwhich accompanies another force that vitalises andanimates the body. The soul is imbued with the qualitiesof intelligence and consciousness and as stated above, is anemanation of the Universal Soul, the totality of creation.As the human soul possesses to varying intensitiesall qualities and attributes of the Universal Soul, it can toan extent therefore be considered as being ‘pure, perfectand omniscient’. But it is also constantly striving toevolve itself towards more and more all-emcompassingstates of the Universal Soul. The outward manifestionin daily life of the soul is what Rosicrucians call the‘soul personality’, which reflects the level to which thesoul has encompassed its ‘superset’, the Universal Soul.In an absolute sense then, the soul, and hence its soulpersonality are not perfect, but are evolving.In esoteric lore, this incompleteness or ‘imperfection’came about through the ‘Fall of Man’, and given ourintimate connection to the universal consciousnesswhich permits our state of existence, we can postulatethat we are, each of us, a microcosm of the Divine Essenceor universal consciousness that permeates everythingin the universe. We therefore already possess withinus as a potential, Absolute Wisdom: the totality ofall knowledge and experience we can ever accumulate.This is an important factor in the operation of spiritualalchemy and must be uppermost in our minds if weare to grasp the nature of the ‘Great Work’ whichesoterically describes the alchemical process undertakenby the initiate. We are microcosms of the universalThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- September 201219
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The Nature ofAlchemicalMercuryby Paul Goodall, FRCThis article is adapted for the <strong>Rosicrucian</strong> <strong>Beacon</strong>from part of a presentation entitled Alchemy:Its Nature and Symbolism given by the authorduring a Mystical Weekend hosted by BelfastPronaos at the Clandeboye Estate near Bangor,Northern Ireland on 21-23 October 2011.Nostrum Magisterium incipitur et perficitur una re tantum, id est Mercurio.“Our majesty is begun and perfected by only one thing; that is Mercury.”here IS SEEMINGLY nothing moreconfusing or elusive in alchemy than thefigure of Mercury; yet this is the centralsymbol in the alchemical process. To add toits perplexity it has many guises and roles inalchemical literature and various attributes are attachedto it. On the one hand it represents the universal agentof transmutation, equivalent in fact to the role of thePhilosopher’s Stone or ‘Elixir Vitae’, while on the other, itis involved on an equal and opposite role against Sulphur,represented in the metaphysical construct of the TriaPrima of Paracelsus which is discussed below. Withoutgoing into great depth, this article will try to clarify therole of Mercury within spiritual or metaphysical alchemyand what makes it the central symbol of the alchemicalprocess. But first we will require some knowledge of whatalchemy is and what premises allow it to be formulated.The Alchemical ProcessPractical or physical alchemy appears to have developedfrom ancient metallurgical practices. Although thisaspect of alchemy is important not just from an historicalperspective but also as far as putting inner alchemy into18The <strong>Rosicrucian</strong> <strong>Beacon</strong> -- September <strong>2012</strong>
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