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Alkhemi

Sir David Cherubim

Frater Superior Chief of the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn

Today, in this technological age of Man, Alkhemi is looked upon as mere rubbish of the past, a dark and fanciful cloud upon the sky of history. Yet this is not the case at all; Alkhemi is in fact the True Science of every wise and practical person.

Alkhemi is comparable to the Sun of the Ages, which ever remains perfectly poised in the infinite sky. It is not the fault of the Sun if people cannot see it; it is due to their own lack of vision. Yet the Sun ever shines bright for those who have eyes to see; and in seeing the Sun people become enlightened.

Now as the Eternal Sun gives light and life to all, so does the Immortal Science of Alkhemi give wisdom and power to all who desire knowledge and immortality. By understanding and exercising the principles of the Alkhemical Art, one is able to obtain whatsoever one needs for the attainment of one's universal destiny.

The aim of Alkhemi is to accomplish the Great Work, which is to obtain the Lapis Philosophorum, or Philosopher's Stone, which transmutes all base things into the living gold of the Sun. In practical terms, this means that by exercising the principles of the Royal Art of Alkhemi one can accomplish one's True Will, or achieve one's chosen destiny. This naturally transforms all things, internal and external, into splendid images of that One Will. In spiritual terms this means that by performing the Royal Art of Alkhemi one can realize and understand one's True Self; and when one ascertains the pure nature of one's True Self one is then able to see that Eternal Self in all things. When you see the Light of the Sun, you then see all things in that Light.

The laboratory wherein to perform the Great Work is naturally the body. One's instruments are one's own physical, psychological and psychical elements of existence. The practitioner himself is the base metal that they will operate upon and transform into the perfect gold of spiritual light and wisdom. Through utmost devotion and unswerving application the practitioner will achieve their True Will by working upon their own body, mind, and soul in such a manner as to mingle and unite them into a single object of utmost perfection and living sublimity, that is: the Immortal Stone of the Sages.

Now since a person's body is their own and not another's in any practical sense, only that person can work upon himself to accomplish the Great Work. It is the responsibility of each, person to do their own True Will, to realize their own True Self. No person can do the work for us; we must all do it by our own efforts. The Art of Alkhemi is a personal science, a sublime and effective system of Self-initiation. Only you, as a single individual, can calculate and traverse your way up the Great Mountain of Hermetic Attainment. It is entirely a matter of your own application and devotion. All essential guidance is within you, in the inmost center of your heart where your own Holy Guardian Angel, or Inner Self, resides. To depend upon any other thing than your own Holy Guardian Angel to accomplish the Great Work of the Sages is to insult your Angel who is with you to instruct you and guide you in your quest for immortality and universal sovereignty. All essential wisdom by which to achieve the Great Work is only within you; nowhere else will you find the Truth.

By performing the Royal Science of Alkhemi one can become a veritable god of immortal life, a cosmic being of universal significance and superconscious existence. And when one achieves the immortal life of one's own inner god, one influences a thousand or more others thereby. For we are all internally connected with each other in the Collective Unconscious of the human race. Our actions affect not only our personal lives, but also the lives of all other people. When an Alchemist achieves the Great Work of realizing their True Self, by the execution of their True Will, they inevitably uplift all humanity one more step up the ladder of spiritual progress and cosmic evolution. Thus if many were to accomplish the Great Work, the whole world would become inspired and fortified with spiritual light and wisdom, and a New Heaven and a New Earth would reign supreme.

Now as there are innumerable rays of light which shine forth from the Ageless Sun, so are there innumerable forms of the Great Work for the innumerable individuals of the world. In other words, every man and every woman has their own Great Work which they must accomplish. All these are one in essence, but divided in expression for the chance of union. It may be one person's True Will to be a writer, another a poet and another an artist. And just as there are innumerable Great Works to accomplish in the world, so are there innumerable Holy Guardian Angels to guide all individuals in the world. No person is really soulless; all are under the dominance of their Angels, whether unconsciously or consciously. Your Holy Guardian Angel is within you to instruct and inspire you with divine knowledge and celestial wisdom for you to accomplish the Great Work, the Supreme Goal of Alkhemi. You will first accomplish the divine task of obtaining the Stone of the Philosophers within you; and then will you transform all things into the perfect gold of your True Self and your True Will, which is the attainment of the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom, and Perfect Happiness.

1989 e.v., by David Cherubim. All rights reserved.