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this Vital Principle in his laboratory, destroy the body of the metal on which he is working, purify its salt, and bring
its principles together in a higher form. This process, which is after all but a miniature reproduction of a superior
process in operation around us all the time, undoubtedly proceeds from Master Intelligences who have lived at some
time or another on this Earth.
It is a pity that Science must always reject old ideas and cast them away as useless before rediscovering them as
something new to be incorporated in its current theories. To discard the alchemist's theories is as intelligent as to
dismiss as rubbish Einstein's Theory of Relativity merely because one does not happen to understand his language.
Some of our scientific men have realized this, for F. Hoefer in 'Histoire de la Chimie' (Paris 1866) remarks: 'The
systems which confront the intelligence remain basically unchanged through the ages, although they assume
different forms. Thus, through mistaking form for basis, one conceives an unfavourable opinion of the sequence. We
must remember that there is nothing so disastrous in Science as the arrogant dogmatism which despises the past and
admires nothing but the present.'
If Science would but try to understand the conception of the Universe as taught by occultism throughout the ages,
taking as its starting-point the teaching
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of the One Life in Manifestation, its seven planes of consciousness, its infinite forces, and as the basis of its
philosophy the Hermetic axiom 'as above, so below,' it would found a system based on eternal Truth instead of on a
quicksand of theories. Science will never really understand the truth about life until it reaches this realization, which
cannot be attained through its instruments and appliances, but only through the inner powers of the mind.
THE QUINTESSENCE. (II)
'Nothing of true value is located in the body of a substance, but in the virtue thereof, and this is the principle of the
Quintessence, which reduces, say 20 lbs. of a given substance into a single ounce, and that ounce far exceeds the 20
lbs. in potency. Hence the less there is of body, the more in proportion is the virtue thereof.'
Paracelsus has said:
'The Magi in their wisdom asserted that all creatures might be brought to one unified substance, which substance
they affirm, may by purification and purgation, attain to so high a degree of subtlety, such divine nature and occult
property, as to work wonderful results. For they considered that by returning to the earth, and by a supreme and
magical separation, a certain perfect substance would come forth, which is at length, by many industrious and
prolonged preparations, exalted and raised up above the range of vegetable substances into mineral, above mineral
into metallic, and above perfect metallic substances into a perpetual and divine Quintessence, including in itself the
essence of all celestial and terrestrial creatures.'
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By this Quintessence or quintum esse, Paracelsus meant the nucleus of the essences and properties of all things in
the universal world.
From the 'Golden Casket' of Benedictus Figulus comes the following:
'For the elements and their compounds in addition to crass matter, are composed of a subtle substance, or intrinsic
radical humidity, diffused through the elemental parts, simple and wholly incorruptible, long preserving the things
themselves in vigour, and called the Spirit of the World, proceeding from the Soul of the World, the one certain Life
filling and fathoming all things, so that from the three genera, or creatures, Intellectual, Celestial and Corruptible,
there is formed the One Machine of the Whole World. This spirit by its virtue fecundates all subjects natural and
artificial, pouring into them those hidden properties which we have been wont to call the Fifth Essence, or
Quintessence. . . . But this is the root of life, i.e., the Fifth Essence, created by the Almighty for the preservation of
the four qualities of the human body, even as Heaven is for the preservation of the Universe. Therefore is this Fifth
Essence and Spiritual Medicine, which is of Nature and the Heart of Heaven, and not of a mortal and corrupt quality,
indeed possible. The Fount of Medicine, the preservation of Life, the restoration of Health, and in this may be
cherished the renewal of lost youth and serene health be found.'
Turning from the words of the alchemists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to those of a twentieth century
scientist, let me quote from Sir Oliver Lodge's 'Ether and Reality' once again:
'Apollonius of Tyana is said to have asked the
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[paragraph continues] Brahmins of what they supposed the Cosmos to be composed.
'"Of the five elements."
'"How can there be a fifth," demanded Apollonius, "beside water and air and earth and fire?"
'"There is the ether," replied the Brahmin, "which we must regard as the element of which the gods are made; for
just as all mortal creatures inhale the air, so do immortal and divine natures inhale the ether."'
And:
'What you choose to call this unifying "Something" is of no consequence. The Ancients sometimes spoke of the
"Ether," possibly as an addition to the usual four elements, and Sir Isaac Newton adopted this term for the
connecting medium. The optical medium connects the particles together in a solid or a liquid, and the same medium
connects the heavenly bodies together into systems and clusters and constellations and nebulae and Milky Way.
'All pieces of matter and all particles are connected together by the Ether and by nothing else. In it they move freely,
and of it they may be composed. We must study the kind of connexion between matter and Ether.
'The particles embedded in the Ether are not independent of it, they are closely connected with it, it is probable that
they are formed out of it: they are not like grains of sand suspended in water, they seem more like minute crystals
formed in a mother liquor. . .'
Again:
'Speculatively and intuitively we feel to be more in direct touch with the ether than with matter. How we can act on
matter is a mystery. How
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we have constructed and how we move our bodies, we do not know. We are apt to identify ourselves with our
bodies. But there is evidence which shows that we are really independent, that we continue in existence, and can
leave our bodies behind. Matter is not part of our real being, not of our essential nature it is but an instrument that
we use for a time and then discard. Probably we do not act directly upon matter at all. Our will, our mind, our
psychic life, probably act directly upon the Ether; and only through it, indirectly, on Matter. Ether is our real primary
and permanent instrument. It is in connexion with the Ether that our real being consists; and through it we are able to
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