Rosicrucian Beacon Magazine - 2012-09 - AMORC

mystical quest and of perfecting ourselves inwardly. Thisultimate goal of alchemical work is generally referred toas the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’.As we have now made mention of the Philosopher’sStone, some kind of definition is called for. It is referredto in alchemical writings under several other namessuch as the ‘Elixir Vitae’, the ‘Grand Magisterium’ andthe ‘Red Tincture’. The sole purpose of procuring thissubstance through physical alchemical work relates to itsproperty as the universal agent of transformation. Onceobtained, it is used to ‘perfect imperfection’ in all thingsby a process called ‘projection’. At the physical level it hasthe ability to transmute base metals into gold, while atthe philosophical or metaphysical level it is the realisationof potential and is a catalyst for change, transforming thededicated mystic into the ‘Illumined Philosopher’.Figure 2: Man is a microcosm in relation tothe macrocosm that is the universe.The Tria Primaconsciousness permeating the whole universe, and wetherefore already have within us, well within our reach,this Absolute Wisdom.It is a term that denotes the hidden and generallyinaccessible part of our consciousness that is closest tothe universal consciousness or Mind of God. And bydint of this connection, it incorporates universal truths.It is the font of knowledge that the initiate aspires to intandem with his or her spiritual development, and is thegoal of spiritual alchemy in the sense of becoming at onewith divinity and what we might call ‘finding oneself ’.Rosicrucians call this goal the ‘Mastery of Self ’ which canbe defined as “...an experience where one personally knows,through direct knowledge, the source of all being.”The Great WorkFrom what has been said, and making the case for whatwe term ‘Spiritual Alchemy’, it follows thatevery human being is both a material and aspiritual microcosm of the Divine macrocosm(see Figure 2). This means that each of us isan agent for cosmic forces that are continuallyoperating on the physical and metaphysicalplanes of Universal Creation, whether we are aware of itor not. However, through mystical, alchemical practise,the initiate participates more fully in the Great Work;in other words, in Cosmic Evolution as it is taking placein the universe, in nature, and in each person. The goalof Spiritual Alchemy is specifically to help us to developand use these powers constructively for the well-being ofourselves and others. Spiritual Alchemy, as perceived byRosicrucians, is therefore, a special means of achieving ourHaving covered the raison d’être of spiritual alchemyand our place in the scheme of creation, let us now lookat a metaphysical structure called the Tria Prima (the‘three in one’) which is the term used to describe thetriangular arrangement in Figure 3. Something we mustkeep in mind as we examine this facet of alchemy isthe confusing sets of theories that developed regardingthe relationships of the qualities that constitute thismetaphysical structure. Essentially it is composed of thefour classical ‘elements’ (earth, water, air and fire) and theprinciples of sulphur, mercury and salt. And there are alsoseveral other correspondences generally associated withthese constituents.The whole forms a triangle reflecting the fundamentalRosicrucian principle of the ‘Law of the Triangle’. This lawstates that “a perfect manifestation cannot be producedwithout the union of two conditions of opposite polarity”(the active and passive in this case), and indeed, we findTraditionally Sulphur and Mercury are, at thephysical level, considered the seeds of all metals, onebeing male, the other female.that the Tria Prima, and alchemy generally, operates inthis manner. This is an important law and is integral tothe operation of the Tria Prima.The Sulphur – Mercury TheoryThe Tria Prima of Paracelsus developed from the dualisticSulphur – Mercury Theory of the Arabs who, in theirturn, inherited it from antiquity, namely Graeco-Egyptian20The Rosicrucian Beacon -- September 2012