Hermetic Alchemy Essays Vol

204 Pages·2015·1.34 MB·English

Page 2

Intellectual copyright
© rubaphilos salfluĕre 2014

Second Edition
(The first being the original email essays)

This document is provided for general cost-
free circulation, under the condition it is not
sold or edited in any way at all, and that any
and all quotes made from this document are
accurately and adequately referenced.

email: [email protected]
My website: www.rubaphilos.com
Page 3

Foreword

The internet has delivered information overload on almost any
subject an individual cares to learn about, and alchemy is no
different. A quick Google search will deliver a bulging hard disk of
opinion, comment, speculation and conjecture sufficient to keep the
aspiring alchemist busy for months.

So with such an abundance available, what makes Rubaphilos
Salfluĕre’s volume of essays worth the time?

In the first place, they are clear, and build logically to explain a
comprehensive theory that underpins the praxis of the art. A clear
foundation to alchemy is surprisingly difficult to find. Alchemy, as
taught by Rubaphilos, is rooted in and informed by Hermeticism.
This gives his writings a ‘hanging-togetherness’ that is extremely
helpful; the internal and external have the same worldview, and
theory and practice spring from the same source.

Secondly, these lectures are written by an adept of the science, and
to have an adept posting his views, giving clear detailed theory, and
being willing to answer beginners’ questions almost never happens.
And for it to be provided gratis, is rarer still.

Thirdly, it is unusual to the extreme to have instruction delivered
without the hedging and vagueness that bedevils so much of the
modern literature. The vast majority of authors hide their
knowledge, or lack thereof, through recourse to deliberate
Page 4

imprecision. ‘It is said that’, ‘it has been said’, ‘it is traditionally
believed’, ‘so and so claims’ and other artful constructions allow
possibility to be passed off as certainty, and the level of true
knowledge to be concealed. This is extremely frustrating – does the
writer actually know what he or she is talking about, has he or she
done the work, or is it just recycling the ideas of others? The
outcome of such writing is frustration, confusion and a colossal
waste of time and effort. These essays are notable for the absence of
such tactics, immediately increasing their worth.

This volume, the first volume, has more to say about theory than
practice…which is as it should be, bearing in mind the constant
admonition from the literature to understand the theory before the
practice.

As a recent ‘convert’ to alchemy, with a background in other
traditions, I have found much value in Rubaphilos’ work, and have
read, and re-read his writings here and elsewhere many times,
having found them the clearest and most useful of all those I have
discovered. Lege et relege, and I hope you find the same.

Quaerere
London, 2014.
Page 5

Preface

In early April of 2013 I had resigned my role as moderator of the
International Alchemy Guild’s email forum. A role I never really
wanted, but which I seemed to inherit by default when the previous
moderator, come to the end of his patience, grabbed a parachute
when nobody was paying attention and leapt into the cyber void ...
leaving me a hastily scribbled note to the effect that ... it is all yours
now.

In the absence of any real effort by other forum subscribers to
encourage or maintain discussion, I found myself posting an
irregular dialogue of my personal views on and experiences with lab
alchemy. The delivery of which was not unlike standing in a
darkened football stadium speaking over the public address system
to an unknown number of spectators silently observing from the
shadowed cheap seats.

So my resignation had been a long time coming. It had been
obvious to many of the forum subscribers that the time of
constructive discussion had run its course. In two or three years
only a handful of the forum members had made any effort to talk,
and then, rarely. It wasn't that those who were paying attention
didn't appreciate the things I was talking about ... they obviously did
... but it was also obvious that the bulk of the subscribers had no
interest in speaking themselves. They were simply there hoping
someone else would, and that the content would be worth paying
attention to.
Page 6

As soon as I resigned my role as moderator I was contacted by one
of the e-list subscribers, who was an active student of the lab work,
asking me to please consider setting up my own forum, where I
could continue the dialogue I had previously started. He was
particularly interested in having some means through which to be
involved in further discussion with me concerning my own personal
knowledge of alchemy. So, I agreed to consider his request on the
proviso that if he could round up enough interest from other like-
minded individuals, I would create a new forum.

Enough interested individuals were rounded up, a new forum was
st
created, and I made the first post on March the 31 , 2013. Presently
(just over one year later) there are over 100 subscribers to the
forum.

I had decided from the outset that instead of the usual format of a
prayed-for impromptu and unguided discussion between members
of the forum, (an approach that had proved to have outworn its
usefulness elsewhere), I would deliver an indefinite series of essay
lectures on the subject of my knowledge of alchemy, and leave the
other subscribers open to chime in as the whim took them.

This document (numbered volume 1), is a compilation of the first
21 essays I delivered since the forum was created. At present I have
produced 63 essays in total (and am just warming up), so the
remaining essays will fill future volumes. I have tentatively titled
this collection ‘Hermetic Alchemy - The Essays’, since the name of
the forum the original essays were delivered on is called 'Hermetic-
Alchemy'.
Page 7

(https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/hermetic-alchemy/info)

Together these lectures contain thus far the most comprehensive
(but certainly not exhaustive), description of my personal view of
alchemy and Hermetism developed over the past 25 years.
Therefore it is also a reasonable peek into the style of alchemy
practiced, researched and taught in the small private tuition and
research group I have maintained for roughly 20 of those years.
Anyone who is familiar with my views on the subject of hermetism,
and alchemy in particular, knows that my opinions are often not at
all mainstream. Some of the concepts I present are challenging and
some are extreme. So the picture these essays paint is in many
places not the common picture most students of alchemy are
familiar with. In particular I have a very advanced view and
experience of the inner or spiritual alchemical tradition, which is
unique in this day and age. This, it should be understood, is the real
reason for delivering this informative in the first instance.

For anyone who finds themselves reading these documents and is
unfamiliar with who I am, some background. I have studied
alchemy for over 25 years. I was originally trained by one of Frater
Albertus' graduate students. I also have a background in
psychotherapy, at one time running my own private practice. I also
studied for a degree in enology (wine science). I have been involved
in a number of well known Western esoteric organisations,
including The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (Stella Matutina
in New Zealand), and Builders of the Adytum. Having held office
in both organisations. I was involved in craft Freemasonry, and still
hold rank in some of the Masonic higher degrees, as well as having
been involved with the S.R.I.A. in New Zealand. My primary focus
Page 8

in advanced lab alchemy is the so-called acetate path, and other
aspects of the Llullian tradition it stems from. I oversee a small
alchemical research and development organisation known as The
Heredom Group, which has also been offering training to a limited
number of students each year since 1990. I am obviously a writer,
am a published author and a lecturer.

A small amount of re-editing has been done on this version of the
essays, since the originals were typed rather hastily, ad lib, just
before posting them, almost without any previous planning. In this
way the original essays represent a somewhat impromptu dialogue,
over an extended period of time, in a rough draft condition.

The only real plan I began with was to simply begin writing and to
see how long it took me to cover a full range of my understanding
of the subject of Hermetism and alchemy. At the same time I
wanted to focus on discussing concepts which I knew many of my
own students had struggled with understanding, or that they were
for the most part unfamiliar with, or unaware of. Also, generally, to
demonstrate the concept of a comprehensive and holistic Hermetic
world-view.

Among this collection of essays are also a few examples of emails
which had been posted to the forum by myself in reply to questions
raised. Although these replies (on my part) were not intentionally
'essays' they tended to end up being categorised as such. So I have
included them here simply for their informative nature. Where I
have quoted from subscribers emails I have changed (or removed)
any names for the purposes of maintaining privacy.
Page 9

Any re-editing of the essays (or emails) has been done mostly for
the purpose of tidying up grammar and spelling, to help with the
flow of dialogue and for the clearer elucidation of the ideas
presented. Some of the editing did involve correcting technical
errors on my part that had crept in either through too hastily
composing the original essays, or because I had later recognised an
error in my understanding. I have maintained the original order,
here, in which I delivered the essays, even though it is somewhat
rough and was not based too much on any overall plan.

Each individual essay is numbered, and I sometimes included a
secondary number for essays that together composed a specific sub-
set of lectures on one subject (that format won't be noticed until
volume two though). It will also be noticed that in the middle of a
flow of essays on one particular subject I would occasionally throw-
in a random essay on an unrelated issue, often in reply to questions
from subscribers. Some tweaks in numbering the essays has
occurred due to the fact I made a couple of numbering mistakes in
the original series.

Many of the essays also contain graphics which were attached to the
original posts, and now are inserted into the essay bodies
themselves. In one or two instances I have re-edited graphics to tidy
them up or simply so they will fit into this publication more neatly.
Since I have been asked about it, it might be noted that I produced
all of these graphics myself, from scratch, often while in the process
of typing the related essay. Most of them are completely original,
and contain very unique concepts.
Rubaphilos Salfluěre
Mataruahoe Island, 2014
Page 10

Contents
Essay No.
1 Of the Basis and Creation of Physical Reality
2 The Evolution of Things
3 Death and Decomposition
4 Defining Alchemy
5 A Closer look at the Spagyric Process
6 The Quintessence
7 Initiation
8 The Six Functions of Mind
9 Recognising and Fixing Dysfunction
10 A Candidate at the Threshold
11 The Death of the Alchemist
12 The First Stage of the Inner Work - Separation
13 The Third Stage of the Work - Unification
14 Novices, Adepts and Masters
15 History - The Three Ages of Alchemy
16 History - The Lullian tradition
17 Destructive distillation
18 Understanding
19 Acetic acid
20 Email 1 - Spiritual Alchemy
21 Email 2 - Initiation and the Teacher-Pupil Relationship