On the Propositions of Johannes Trithemius

concerning the Spagyric Art

Transcription and translation of Gerhard Dorn's De Spagirico Artificio Io. Trithemii Sententia from Theatrum Chemicum

The unary is not itself a number, but it is from the unary that every number arises'- Johannes Trithemius.

Before the waters of the universal abyss described in the Book of Genesis were divided, they were one. It is only by a similar division that the unary can ever bring into existence the binary, which is the first of all the numbers.

This is not however accomplished in the essence of the unary {per substantiam}, but by a contingency {per accidens}. For as Trithemius says, ’[The One] is a number and it is counted, and yet it is not a number and it is not counted. It is not counted because it is simple by nature, and yet it is counted to the extent that it is composed of contingencies {accidentia}. Until those contingencies become manifest however it cannot be counted, because before that point is reached it is not truly a number’.

By 'unity' {unitas} we should understand what Hermes Trismegistus explains in different words using an analogy from Genesis: 'What is below is like that which is above, and vice versa, because all numbers consist only of unities, performing the miracles of the one thing'. Here Hermes denotes the binary through the terms 'above' and 'below'. As for Trithemius, he says that 'the binary is rejected, and the ternary will be convertible to unity'. Hermes expresses this same idea in different words when he says that the purpose of unity is to 'perform the miracles of the one thing'.

We should note that the concept of unity is here being interpreted in two different ways: Hermes enumerates unity, as we have said, in terms of 'above' and 'below', while Trithemius sees unity in terms of its role in constituting the first number from the unary.

Each of them then uses very different lines of argument to measure unity: Hermes reduces that which is above and that which is below to a similitude posited within the framework of a miracle, while Trithemius argues that the binary is rejected and the ternary then converted back into the unary.

Despite their different approaches however, they both use admirable reasoning to reach the same conclusion: unity is natural and yet divisible, and contains the seeds of the binary, while the ternary is revertible into another unity (known as the 'second unity') beyond which one cannot go.

Every operation of the miracles of nature that is in some way subject to limits has therefore descended from unity, by way of the binary, to the ternary, but not before it has risen in simplicity from the quaternary through a series of steps. For if you want to count to 4 you do not know any other way of starting than with 1, but you then say '1, 2, 3, 4', which when added together make 10.

This is the perfect consummation of every number, because then the numbering returns to one, since beyond the denary no single-digit {simplex} number is to be found.

Ignorant fellows marvel at the profundities of this connection, the principles of which we use to perform miracles, because they mistakenly think that we must be assisted in our task either by demons or by some superstition that runs contrary to our Christian faith. We ourselves are not at all surprised by the reaction of the people who make these judgements, as this is entirely due to their ignorance. Since Holy Scripture attests that no one can acquire an internal awareness of God unless he specifically receives it, in the same way no one can either be given initial instruction in these matters or make any use of them unless he has received, by divine gift, that singular light of understanding that passes from nature into nature, and unless also that light within him is accompanied by fire, that fire by wind, that wind by power, and that power by the integrity of a mind healthy in its knowledge.

This therefore is the root of all profundities and the basis of all creatures. The first natural division produces the root of consummate knowledge, which is glossed as follows: 'Four are their mothers which are in the latest sequence, and four are their fathers which are in the beginning, and the nexus of all these things - both the connected first and the simple, pure, unique and solitary last - imbues everything.'

The simple and pure element earth, the first to proceed from the One, is not composite, is not changed, and does not suffer connection, but remains as it is because it is incorruptible, and because in the One there exists the One, and not the One, for it is not a number and yet it is a number, and though it is not counted yet it is counted, for between itself and the One no number is to be found. In unity the One remains, and through inclusion it brings about the ternary, and by including the ternary eight times with its miraculous nature, it reduces everything to one.

None of the Masters can wholly explain its power. It is not the God that we worship; it is a creation of the mind of man, an image neither living nor dead, through which something marvellous is achieved in every branch of knowledge. And I say to you, my friend - and this is God's supreme truth - that whoever has a mind that has been elevated through mere acquaintance with this pure simplicity will be consummate in every natural science, will perform miracles, and will achieve the most stupendous results, for it is a simple and unique good, and from it there flow not only many similar things but also many dissimilar things.

Composite earth is by nature a pure, simple and unique element, but because it is composite it necessarily becomes multiplex, varied and impure. It is however still reducible by fire to water, and from water to fire, and then from fire to the one simple thing. It is a number and it is counted, and yet it is not a number and it is [not] counted. It is not counted because it is simple by nature and yet it is composite in its contingencies, and so it cannot be counted because it was not a number before those features became manifest.

The number One is counted from unity not as an absolute but as an inclusion. As they say, there is the One excluded, there is the One included, and there is the One through the One from the One, that is to say from the soul of the world. And in this way the ternary comes into existence.

By nature the ternary wants to be with the One, for the One per se is powerful, in One it is powerless, in another number also it is powerless, it always rotates in a sphere, and in any kind of fire it remains the One, but it is not imagined thus. If it is purified by fire and then reduced to its simplicity with a suitable washing then all the most profound mysteries of the science can be performed.

Earth extracted from a composite is an element, and yet it is not an element, but something through which the binary is reduced to the ternary, standing apart from the One by four degrees. It contains remarkable things, and is varied, multiplex and corruptible, yet it does not stray beyond the circle of unity. It is of this, along with the passing of the ternary through the binary in the One, that the Magisterium of all secrets consists. For any discoveries that might miraculously be made within the limitations of the human condition are all subject to its power, and thanks to that power they can be made with absolute perfection. It conforms to number, degree and sequence, in which the entire operation of the miracles of nature consists.

Wonderful to behold are the things that it is able to do, and indeed it is believed that it can do many more things that neither cause offence to God nor pollute the soul. Through it miracles occur, and through it too there is complete understanding of all human discoveries, as well as effective operation in whatever is obscure, because its power, proceeding as it does from comprehension, does not allow the operator to err throughout the three degrees. It understands everything that men say, and it will never cause an operation, once begun, to go astray. Whatever the astronomers, mathematicians, magi, alchemists (the envious investigators of nature) or degenerate necromancers more wicked than demons themselves might profess, it has known how to discern, understand, rectify, discover and make flawless anything that is in harmony with its principles.

It is an element that is not an element, which has been removed from itself through a number, since, having been conjoined to itself, it is simply reduced to unity. A magus who did not understand its middle, its end and its beginning in terms of numbers, degrees and sequences would be unable to impart any power to his images without committing a sin, nor even be able to impart such power using necromancy, nor without it could the Alchemist imitate nature, a man compel spirits, a prophet predict the future of nature, or any inquisitive person grasp the rationale of the experiments that he performs.

And so, as we said above, every operation of the miracles of nature that is in some way subject to limits has therefore descended from unity, by way of the binary, to the ternary, but not before it has risen in simplicity from the quaternary through a series of steps.

Natural wisdom, which formerly existed in a state of pure simplicity supported by the principles of nature, has been polluted by so many lies, impurities and deceptions that no one except someone who is very learned in both the natural and the supernatural sciences and who is able to distinguish the former from the latter can understand it. 'I myself, says Trithemius, 'have known so many otherwise very learned men who have erred in their studies of natural philosophy, some of them wasting time and money on alchemy, some even losing their lives as well as all their possessions, while others have tried to use that philosophy to discover the Medicine and, after long labours, achieved nothing at all'. Others who have investigated the secrets of miracles have not been able to complete a single experiment, while others eager to foretell the future have spouted falsehoods as if they were the truth, expressing vapid opinions off the top of their heads that are based on experiences written down long ago which they simply do not understand. In their ignorance they engage in both good and true actions but also evil and false ones.

We should therefore first note and learn the following three principles, without a mastery of which no operator can achieve anything in that natural, spagyric or occult philosophy.

The first principle consists of the One, not the One from which but the One through which every power of natural miracles comes into effect, as we discussed above, for something pure proceeding from the One is not composed, nor is it changed. Accordingly it progresses from the ternary and the quaternary towards the monad so that the denary may be completed, for it is through that process that the number returns to the One at the same time as descending into four and ascending into the monad. It is impossible for the denary to be completed except through that process in which the monad is converted into a fortunate triad. No one who is unfamiliar with this principle after the start of the monad can accomplish anything in the ternary nor ever reach the sacred quaternary. Even if a person had all the books of the Philosophers, and even if he had a perfect knowledge of the stars in their courses together with their virtues, powers, operations and properties, and fully understood all the images, rings, sigils and all the most secret things concerning them, he could not perform any miracle in his operations without, at the outset, understanding how this principle operates from the beginning.

That is why I have seen so many people working in the field of natural philosophy who have either achieved nothing at all or, in desperation, have sunk into vanity, frivolity and superstition after a long period of fruitless activity.

The second principle is separated from the first only in order and not in any way in dignity, because it is the emerging One which forms the ternary, and it is this which performs miracles through the binary. For in the One is the One, and yet it is not the One, and it is simple, and yet it is composed of the quaternary. After it has been purified with fire in the Sun it gives forth pure water which, after reverting to its simplicity, will reveal to the operator the complement of hidden things. This is the centre of natural wisdom, the circumference of which, united with itself, describes a circle, an immeasurable series that stretches into infinity. Its virtue has been purified beyond the virtue of all other things, and it is simple through being less composite than anything beyond the quaternary degree.

The quaternary however is a Pythagorean number supported by the ternary. If it conforms to sequence and degree and is purified and pure in the One then it is able to perform miracles and control the secret forces of nature to {ad} the binary in {in} the ternary. This is the quaternary, in the measure of which the ternary, conjoined in one with the binary, does all things, and can do them most miraculously. For the ternary number, reduced to unity in appearance, contains everything within itself, and can do anything it wants to.

The third principle is not a principle per se, but between it and the binary lies the goal of every mystical art and science and the infallible centre of the middle. One does not err more readily in one than in the other, for few there are on this Earth who understand its profundities. It is varied, it is composite, and through the septenary it rises, when multiplied eight times, into the ternary, where it remains fixed. In it is the consummation of number, degree and sequence, and through it all the Philosophers, the true investigators of the secrets of nature, have achieved the most marvellous effects. Through it also, reduced to a simple element in the ternary, they have achieved wonderful and instantaneous cures of diseases and a natural healing of all afflictions, and in every case it was the work of the operator in the natural and preternatural wisdom that achieved the effect. Demons flee depending on how the quaternary is arranged, the correct prediction of future events is guaranteed by it, and occult secrets can only be divined if it first perceives them in nature. By this means alone is the secret of nature revealed to the Alchemists, and without it no understanding of the Art can be acquired, nor can any alchemical operator ever achieve anything. As Trithemius says, 'Believe me, all those who think they can achieve anything in the occult sciences of nature without understanding these three principles are mistaken'.

The major source of error is that those ancient Sages who knew the secrets of nature have either remained completely silent about them or have veiled them in such obscurities that they really cannot be understood by anyone except by people like themselves. Secret and celestial is the philosophy of this way of ordering things, and anyone who really wants to know and understand it must shun the crowds, forsake the world, and contemplate heaven not only with his eyes but also with his mind, for the Spirit of God breathes where it wishes, and illuminates what it wishes, and it introduces what it has overshadowed with its divine will into every understanding of the truth, therefore he who shall have received it should give thanks to God, and should strive to give something back in the form of the fruits of his good works, so as to give thanks for the strength that he has received, and should acknowledge that he has received it and not found it by his own efforts, for that might cause him to puff himself up with vanity.

That man to whom a knowledge of those sublimities has not been granted should however either admit to his inertia, since he simply did not work hard enough to acquire it, or else should praise the mercy of the Creator whereby He sought to place obstacles in the way of its application so that he might not know of it or, if he has not acquired it, should admit that God has not accepted that he owes him such a great gift and that therefore he should not grumble.

'You are a friend, says Trithemius, and I have heard a friend asking you for advice, and you appear to understand the matter. A vanquisher of your neighbours, do not trample underfoot the fire of envy or the air of mortals with the hatred of immortal God, for a frivolous attitude carries risks.

Flee the crowds who care only for the mundane, and associate only with those who meditate upon the celestial, for it is in the swallow's nest that your salvation lies, whereas in the filth of the hencoop lies your undoing. You will chase the sail that has been torn away by the wind, you will become tired in the septenary, but through the ternary you shall rise again in unity and be happy once more if only you start to progress your operations from the Sun, which Nature seems to conceal from you, so that you turn away from all these things towards the true Sun that is God, by applying yourself to an understanding of these matters, with your mind purified of everything inferior, in the desire of the soul, and with the fervour of the most sacred love, and may thus show another side of yourself. For the art of divine love takes a long time to master while life is short indeed, and in truth it is always better to love the creator rather then the creature'.

In this passage it seems that Trithemius is subscribing more openly to the Hermetic philosophy. This is what Hermes himself has to say: 'It is a truth most certain, acquired by an understanding of unity, that what is below is like that which is above, and vice versa, because all numbers consist only of unities, performing the miracles of the one thing' For surely everything from that one thing flows from the goodness of the One, and whatever is conjoined to unity cannot be diverse, but must bear fruit in simplicity and with full accommodation of the One? For what is born from unity if not the ternary?

You should just accept the fact that the unary is simple, that the binary is composite, and that the ternary is reduced to the simplicity of unity. 'I am not, says Trithemius, 'triple in mind, but I rejoice in one mind with the ternary number, which truly gives birth to a most wonderful child, for his father is the Sun and his mother is the Moon, the wind has carried the seed in its womb, and the earth has nurtured it. He is the father of every perfection of the whole world. His power is whole and immense once he has been changed into earth. You shall separate earth from flre, the subtle from the dense, and the ternary, which has now been returned to you endowed with great natural qualities and attractiveness, will ascend from earth to heaven and, adorned with strength and beauty, will return to earth again, will receive both a superior and an inferior force, will now be powerful and glorious in the brilliance of unity, will be capable of producing any number, and will put any obscurities to flight'.

If the intellect wishes to acquire perfect cognition of these matters then the ternary must be reduced entirely to unity. For the unary is not itself a number, yet it is from that that every number arises. The binary withdrawing from unity is the first composite number. The binary should therefore be rejected, while the ternary will be convertible to the simplicity of unity, for every number is composed of solitary unities. For does not everything flow from unity, from the goodness of the One, as we said above, and surely whatever is conjoined to unity cannot possibly be diverse, but must bear fruit in the simplicity and suitability of the One? For what exactly is born of unity? Is it not the ternary? Therefore the unary is simple, the binary is composite, and the ternary is reduced to the simplicity of unity, for the One is the pure beginning. The binary, withdrawing from unity, is composite, because it is impossible for there to be two beginnings. The ternary alone returns, hallowed and potent with virtue, while the binary has been overcome at the beginning, not by nature but by the sharing of a similarity, in which the mind understands without contradiction all the mysteries of this most beautifully-ordered secret. This is the most wonderful virtue of the integral strength that conquers all worldly things.

Anyone who wishes to function effectively in this Art using this natural wisdom must definitely master certain subjects.

First, he must not only be naturally inclined to that art, he must also be suitably endowed for it or, at least, be available for instruction by another person who can guide him through the rectification from the ternary into unity via the divided binary.

Second, he should be sufficiently acquainted with the relevant terminology, for an uneducated person would never grasp the great majesty of this natural science of wisdom. He must also know the basics of astronomy or, at least, have someone at his disposal who does.

Third, he will need to study many books about this science. Only those that are most free of error are however of any use, and unfortunately very few books of that kind are available today.

Alternatively he should either have someone directly to hand or someone whom he can summon easily who can correct any mistakes that the books contain, and without increasing the number of errors.

Fourth, he must have a teacher who is most learned and experienced in this art, because it is wrapped up in such great mysteries that it cannot be understood without the assistance of a very experienced and learned man unless, that is, Almighty God wishes to illuminate his mind with a special gift, and that is most rare.

Fifth, he must understand the universe of the entire division of superior and inferior things from the One as far as the quaternary that lies quiescent in the ternary. He must also understand the sequence of ascent and descent, degree, number, inflection and reflection, and the nature of being and non-being in both the One and the Three.

This is indeed a very difficult subject to master, because every root of miraculous effects, in whatever manner they may occur, in natural wisdom just as much as in the supernatural, is based on this principle. As a result, anyone who grasps this arrangement and understands that method will be consummate in every science and profound in wisdom, and will achieve miracles in his operations.

But because it is very difficult to master these things there are very few who work at all usefully in the Spagyric wisdom, and there are many indeed who work entirely fruitlessly.

Sixth, he should adopt an appropriate way of life, so that he becomes familiar with the sequence of work, the appropriate hours of the day, the individual tasks, the lord of those tasks, i.e. the ruling planet, the most suitable place, form, material and mixture of materials, the pure and the impure, the simple and the composite, the similar and the diverse, and the various combinations, and, finally the measure of his own soul, and his ability to enter upon and follow a path of virtue and goodness.

Seventh, he must know the planet and spirit of the hour of the day and of the season under the rulership of which any of these tasks might be most effectively performed according to their substance, accident and effect, for the inferior is subject to the superior, and single things to their likeness, which likeness consists of substance, accident, power, virtue, number, degree and property correctly applied one to the other. It is only in the manner described that any useful operation in the natural wisdom of miracles can be performed.

Eighth, the operator must know and understand every property of the intelligences in this branch of wisdom, as well their degrees, places or locations, names or words of power, and functions or tasks, how they act at the extremes of the arrangement, and how he may operate through these intelligences in any universal intention. Alternatively he must first acquire the necessary knowledge to ensure that they are properly mastered, just as meat is preserved in salt lest it putrefy.

Ninth, for those tasks that cannot be performed alone he should have companions who are either naturally worthy or who have become so by education and training, because the unworthiness of one's companions can interfere with the success of all operations of wisdom both natural and supernatural.

Tenth, in this art the operator should be self-confident and in no way doubtful or hesitant about the outcome of his operations, not because credulity is of any use in these matters but because hesitation finally shatters the firmness of the operator's soul and makes it weak, and without its stable strength the desired influx by higher things cannot occur.

Eleventh, he should have the necessary will-power to operate fruitfully in the natural wisdom, to keep everything most secret, and never to reveal to anyone either the success or failure of the operation, as well as details of the operation itself, its aim, and the procedure followed or the time taken, except of course to a teacher or pupil, for this science should be kept away from the public gaze, and once it is divulged it rarely bears perfect fruit.

This philosophy of ours is celestial not terrestrial, so that through that supreme principle that we call God, with the gaze of the mind and through faith and cognition, we may devotedly contemplate the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, truly believing, purely understanding, and cultivating the most fervent love and servitude in constant adoration of the one principle, the one God and the one supreme good, Who exists eternally in the Trinity of persons, from which stem all things that can anywhere exist. Unless the intellect, endowed with spirit, ascends to this philosophy it will understand nothing of those things which are beautiful, but will simply wither away in its ignorance. Such an ascent is not common, and nor is it enough for the operator to imitate those things that are borne aloft on only one wing. It is entirely familiar only to very few, namely those who have reduced themselves to unity neither rashly nor incorrectly. Many there are who try, but the ternary is not to be found in the minds of everyone. When we want to gaze heavenwards do we not have to raise our head, and then lower it again afterwards? We can look at the sun with the eyes alone, for the ears do not see, so when the rational soul ascends it is not the hearing that matters but the eye and the heart and, from the ternary, unity may arise with the participation of goodness at source, because the One is the omnipotent good, not two or more. Unless unity is achieved, neither a conjunction of similitude or a participation of goodness may occur in the mind, and without these things there is no transition, for unless these things precede, no one will acquire an understanding of higher things nor of his own operation which is concerned with lesser things. But with regard to both universals and particulars, as well as the conditions of things, we can say that some are manifest, some are more manifest, and some are the most manifest of all, while others are hidden, others even more hidden, and others most hidden, as much to the senses as to the mind, for such diversity is inherent in nature. Hence it comes about that some people turn out to be wiser than others, but a wiser man is said to be he who can readily perceive the less perceptible things in nature.

It is to the intellects of such people that we can open the way. Consequently, whoever thirsts for the Philosophia Adepta both natural and supernatural can find a way of entering either of these philosophies by way of the other, but he will proceed more safely if he can reduce himself from the binary to the ternary through the degrees of the quaternary before he tries or even contemplates making that entrance into natural things. Although, conversely, he can also reach the supernatural through Spagyric Medicine, this way is more error-inviting than the other, and indeed there is no path on which he is more likely to go astray, which is why I suggest to everyone that they should follow the other path outlined above.

You should try to acquire a sound mastery of all this material, dear reader, so make sure your mind is alert and that your ears are fully pricked up!

Below I provide a clearer explanation of this complex material.

Man considered naturally is one and is not counted but, considered supernaturally, he is counted, namely in twos, i.e. body and spirit, which constitute the binary within him. However, because of primaeval corruption the former prevails over the latter, which means that the spirit is not strong enough to produce anything admirable.

To reverse that situation in this lifetime the binary will have to be overcome through the ternary, i.e. the body will need to conform to the nature of the spirit, and the spirit must be conjoined to the body so that it might subsequently be at peace within it. After this has been achieved, the ternary, having arisen in a second unity, will experience perfect joy, for from the two things just mentioned a third has been created through union. This conjunction should however come about through the degrees of the quaternary, i.e. through the transmutation of the elements of which the body is composed into a unique and most pure element.

This is achieved as follows. First water is generated from the earth of your body, i.e. your stony, earthy and sluggish heart is softened and acquires an understanding of its God and also of the need to acquire self- cognition by which the images of the spirit and of your contemplations can be imprinted in your heart, just as the characters of a seal are imprinted in wax.

From this water there then arises air, i.e. you must raise heavenwards your contrite and humbled heart towards Him Who created you, since the likeness of air always tends to higher things.

You must then knock on the door with your prayers so that there may be opened to you the ability to understand those things that are of God.

Finally, from this air there comes fire, that is to say, every desire of your now elevated heart is converted into love, which is likened to fire on account of the heat. That love must be love both of God and of your neighbour here on Earth, and it must be of such an intensity that its flame can never be extinguished.

Through this process it should come about that, through similitude, your binary (that is to say, your spirit and body) will be perfectly joined in one ternary, through the three degrees of the quaternary, as you have heard above.

Now, my friend, you have the key to the Meditative Philosophy, which opens up the path of ascent to higher beings, and which no one closes against you. The other way, the way of descent, which does close in such a way that no one can open it afterwards, you will hear about below, since from heaven, into which you have now risen from the earth, you must descend again from there to the earth in order to receive the power of both higher and lower beings.

Here, expressed as concisely as possible, are those matters that both the ancient and the more recent Spagyric practitioners have tried to conceal by using a multitude of varied and puzzling convolutions. I want to generously share the fruits of my humble lucubrations with all students of the occult, and nor am I too weary to hesitate in opening up to you many things which lead straight to this philosophy if only you will be alert and attentive to them, as it will obviously be in your own interests to do. Listen therefore to a more expansive account of the sequence of numbers and degrees.

Number consists of sequence and measure. Sequence also cannot exist without number and measure. Measure, however, consists of both number and sequence. This unity and ternary do not admit number but, having divested themselves of every plurality {multitudo}, they consist primarily of a most simple purity that is innate to themselves. This is the way to the higher beings, through which the ancient Sages, having proceeded in an intelligible fashion and with the guidance of reason, perceived many things which our own Sages now consider to be beyond human comprehension.

You may wish to have this point explained to you more fully, so let me say that study generates understanding, understanding gives birth to love, love to imitation, imitation to communion, communion to virtue, virtue to dignity, and dignity to power - and it is the power that performs the miracle. This is the unique journey that takes you to the conclusion of the perfections of the Philosophia Adepta. These perfections are divine every bit as much as they are natural, and it is through these perfections that everything superstitious, deceitful and devilish is kept at bay and widely scattered. Since, therefore, the goal of the meditative science or the Philosophia Adepta is truth, and since the goal of practical Spagyric is the Work, then as much as we know that much do we also apprehend about the cognition of Almighty God, Who alone is the truth, and as much as we apprehend that much also do we love. For the true and healthful science gives birth to an understanding of God, and understanding leads to love, love to frequency, frequency to familiarity, familiarity to faith, and faith to the obtaining of everything that you shall have ever asked for.

Knowledge of course always precedes the cultivation of virtue, because no one can faithfully seek what he does not know. An understanding of truth and a love of rectitude provide the most certain entrance to happiness. However, as we have said, understanding precedes love, because no one can truly love something that he does not know. That is why Our Lord Jesus Christ said to His Father in the Gospel: 'And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent' (John 17:3). For what is that supercelestial fruition of the delight of the blessed spirits but an understanding and love of divine majesty? An understanding of the salutary science has love annexed to it, nor can the intellect participate in the eternal fruition if one's understanding is devoid of love, or if one's love is devoid of understanding. The evil demons do understand, but because they do not have love they never reach the fruition, which is only ever born of a combination of love and understanding, and never from the latter alone.

Many of the heathen and those who today stand outside of Christianity do perhaps seem to have a love of the one supreme truth, but because they do not understand the sole true God of the universe, and the person Whom He sent, Our Lord Jesus Christ, they have become intellectually weak and so never reach the fruition of the supreme good.

This is what Our Saviour Jesus Christ says, referring to those who do not understand that He came into the world through faith in the Holy Gospel: 'He that believeth not is condemned already' (John 3:18), for true understanding comes from faith, and love from understanding. The man who lacks faith therefore has no understanding, but he who does not have understanding lacks love, and he who does not have love is frustrated in the fruition. This is what Lord Jesus Himself revealed to his disciples as He was about to ascend to Heaven, saying: 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned' (Mark 16:15-16).

The first way to God therefore is knowledge or understanding through faith, without which no one shall be saved. To this true science all other sciences and studies should be made subordinate, because unless it is fulfilled then all those Sages whose studies differ from those we mentioned earlier are involved in an inane and foolish labour.

The true science and wisdom which we have proposed does not lighten the burden of remorse of him who is familiar with it, but actually increases that burden, and nor does it end in feelings of pride but rather causes grief, for as Holy Scripture says: 'For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow' (Ecclesiastes 1:18). Let us therefore ensure that our studies are the right ones while we still have the time.

I shall now use this material to explain more clearly those things that I have already mentioned to you above about the ascent of the ternary from the binary through the quaternary.

You should note that the first degree of the ascent to the higher beings involves the application of faith, for in this the heart of man is placed for solution in water.

The second degree involves an understanding of God through faith, by which the contrite heart is placed in elevated air for ascension and the hope of a better life.

The third degree is love developed from an understanding of God through faith and hope, commending our aerial heart to love and charity and to the fiery conflagration of desire through the similitude of a conjoining with God.

The fourth is frequency, by which love, created by continuous devotion, is fostered through constant contemplation combined with prayer in order to increase an already-conceived faith, hope and love in a heart that dwells amid these celestial things and is almost united with them.

The fifth degree is familiarity, which is acquired through frequency of conversations of this kind with the divine.

The sixth is trust, by which we intrepidly offer our prayers to God, already frequently developed through faith, hope and charity, and supported by a great and indeed undoubted certainty, in the hope that we might obtain what we desire from Our Father.

Seventh is the fulfilment of our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, which we delight in to His glory and to our own salvation.

And now finally we are able to understand all secrets, both natural and supernatural, and we, as philosophical adepts created by God, are filled with all wisdom. It should certainly be noted that just as, in the first, second and third degrees, our heart ascends, withdrawing from the vile, sordid and corruptible earth, so through the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh degrees it descends again into a renewed earth, incorruptible, solid, constant and powerful enough to withstand any of the enemy's attacks, and no longer separable from the unity to which it is conjoined.

Using only slightly different language, Trithemius in days gone by arranged this ladder in nine degrees which, as above, can be interpreted either according to the Philosophia Adepta or the Spagyric Art, because both are certainly parts of one and the same wisdom, just as the theory of the superior or supernatural wisdom and the practice of the inferior natural wisdom are essentially one and the same. And since it is upon an understanding of the supernatural that any real comprehension of natural secrets depends, we shall next interpret these degrees more expansively and more clearly from the point of view of the Meditative Philosophy.