THE CHRYSOPEE OF THE LORD

Raymond Lully

"The wisdom from on high is first pure, then peaceful, moderate, conciliatory, full of mercy and good fruits, free from duplicity, from hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace, by those who seek Peace..." (Ep JACQUES. III-17, 18)

The observation of men has noted this particular point of their nature, which wants that in them laziness is the mother of all vices. This is explained by the fact that the refusal of the Flesh to participate in the demands of the works of the Spirit tends invincibly to generate in themselves the contrary elements likely to better serve this shameful defect.

Thus, we can admit that the Soul invaded by any Vice (manifestation of an intelligent Principle and conscious of its perversity), is immediately exposed to other vices, that the first which forced the place calls immediately to the help, in order to keep the fort he has just taken.

But if this process only expresses in reverse mode, a natural process of generation of the attributes of the Soul, it is because the latter indeed exists by itself, and, consequently, that the Virtues of the Soul are capable of harmonious manifestation and development, their blossoming and permanence depending on their totality. Thus, just as one stone in the building calls for another, and they both require a third, this until the final laying of the "key", so a Virtue and a Vice are generators of other Principles, up to the final set.

This is why, Son of the Sun and the Moon, if the language of the Philosophers is not absolutely unintelligible to you, meditate on their teaching. Despising the shameful desire for Gold, given the vain natural curiosity that does not conclude because you have never fixed your route in advance, you will then be able to pierce the secret of the true Sons of Fire. Only then will you understand that this Fire is not fire. dark and satanic, drying both the flesh and the heart of the false sage or the ignorant prompter; but that, on the contrary, this Fire is in reality the CONSOLATING SPIRIT announced to us by the Holy Gospels.

May you then have the Strength to put into practice the true secrets of the Art that I am giving you, may you carry out the Work of your own Redemption and thus achieve the final Illumination promised to the holy men of God.

It is there, Son of the Sun and the Moon, what your Brother wishes you with all his heart in Our Lord Jesus Christ, his holy Name be blessed! Amen.

The Tradition of those who preceded us on the path of Wisdom tells us that all things precede by Four Elements, and that these four Elements are the basis of everything. They are respectively Earth, Water, Air and Fire.

From these Four Elements, the Alchemist knows how to draw two Principles respectively male and female, and a third Principle, neutral. These are the Sulfur of the Philosophers, the Salt of the Philosophers and the Mercury of the Philosophers. Thus, by a simple and salutary Operation, the Masters tell us, the Four are reduced to three.

But Sulphur, Mercury and Salt of the Philosophers constitute only an intermediate aspect of the evolution of our Elements. From their series, a new one is born, composed of two Principles, superior to all the others. These are the Sulfur of the Sages, and the Mercury of the Sages. Here, then, are in reality our two supreme Arcana of the Art. And it is from their final copulation that Chrysopée will finally be born.

This tetractys was well known to the pupils of the wise Pythagoras, and the holy men of God, versed in the knowledge and use of his Holy Names were not unaware of it either. Such as it is there all the key of our Archymie.

In Man, the Elements capable of starting the work are the Four Cardinal Virtues, namely: Force, Prudence, Temperance and Justice.

The Sage who knew how to develop these Four Virtues in his Soul is assured, by their very presence, of seeing the three Theological Virtues develop in him, namely: Faith, Hope and Charity.

Thus, the continued and attentive practice of the Cardinal Virtues generates and arouses the action of the three superior Virtues. In their turn, when our three superior Principles are definitively acclimatized in us, they hasten to awaken other presences, those of the Powers of the supreme dyad: Intelligence and Wisdom.

And in turn, these two divine graces awaken another in us: the one that cannot be expressed by words and images. In the latter is all the Beatitude promised to the elect, through it we participate, creatures, in the Divine Life.

It would be vain to believe that the practice of a single Virtue is likely to generate the following ones. Just as the child is born from the father and the mother, just as the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the father and the Son, so a Virtue only proceeds from two others. So on the Tree of our Knowledge.

The first Virtue that it is important to develop in us is that of Strength. Because how can we tackle such an enterprise if we are not, in advance, sure of carrying it out? So you have to be strong; strong against the world, strong against us, strong against our Vices.

The second Virtue to develop is Prudence, because it will teach us to beware of the World, of ourselves, of the subtle tricks of the Vices, our conscious and subtle Enemies. Because, once again, we must not see these Vices as instinctive and mechanical reactions of our own Flesh. Undoubtedly, the latter serves as a vehicle and channel for these reactions. But these are inspired by the Demonic Spirit which lives in it, since it is at the same time the author and the animator. It is through it that the Spirit of Darkness expresses itself; and when he makes it vibrate as he pleases, like the viol under the fingers of the minstrel, we must, as free spirits, distrust all that it brings of various suggestions, compliments or reproaches, advice or negations, everything that seems to present a justification of the preeminence of the Flesh over the Spirit, everything is to be rejected. Here is the Virtue of Prudence.

From the common practice of these first two Virtues, Force and Prudence, will be born respectively two others: Temperance and Justice.

When the Force tends to overflow its domain, when Prudence fades momentarily, Justice will appear. Because, who says Justice says exact retribution. And by a purely mechanical reaction, the balance, disturbed for a moment, will be restored.

But when Prudence wins over Force, then Temperance will appear. It is also called Mercy, Gentleness, Indulgence, and Forgiveness. On the line of the two plateaus, it is opposed to Justice, whose rigorous precision ignores the variations caused by the infinite love of beings for beings, and of God for them all.

When these Four Cardinal Virtues have become actions at all times, in you, Son of the Sun and the Moon, the Elements of the Work will be ready to enter the game of the superior generations. Then, in your Soul, three new guests will appear, the Theological Virtues, which are called Faith, Hope and Charity.

Force was Fire; Justice was Air; Temperance was Water, and Prudence was Earth. In this second series, Faith will be Sulphur, Hope will be Mercury and Charity will be Salt.

Faith is born from the practice of Justice and Temperance. Faith, above all, has its source in truth and frankness. When you have the Truth, a Certainty, then you firmly believe in the validity of what relates to it. And the solidity of your belief is the fruit of your certainty. Think then that the Faith that you can arouse in others depends totally on the veracity of your words, your actions and especially your thoughts. Think right, speak straight and act right. Because Faith is above all and above all Good Faith. Faith is Franchise! Do not lie, because the Lie kills the Faith. In doing so, you weave around yourself a veil that hides God, supreme Truth, from you.

To just believe. one must imagine or act truthfully. In doing so, you create in yourself a Faith, daughter of Certainty. And Certainty is only Reality...

Justice and Good Faith engender Hope. Because, who would deny that Good Law, born of Justice, and Certainty, daughter of Good Faith, are the only ones capable of establishing your Hope without fear?

Similarly, Faith and Temperance give birth to Charity. Because Good Faith and Gentleness demand that we give back to others what we want them to give back to us. Thus is born Charity, another aspect of the Love of beings for beings.

But Good Faith and Hope also give birth to Charity and this for the same reasons. The Certainty given by Hope resting on the Truth and on Good Faith, shows us that the goal and the final state of Beings is precisely the Love of these same beings for each other. So, Faith and Hope generate Charity.

Here the Septenary is established. In yourself, Son of the Sun and the Moon, were successively generated Strength and Justice, Temperance and Prudence, giving birth to Faith, Hope and Charity.

Derived from the Four Elements, Fire, Air, Water, Earth, take shape like flamboyant characters from Stained Glass: Sulphur, Mercury and Salt of the Philosophers.

But just as our Alchymist cannot act on the Four Elements and the Three Principles without using a material vehicle (the "prima materia"), so, Archymist, you are obliged to have recourse to the contingent world to channel and lead well your action.

What the Athanor, the Crucible, the Prima Materia are for the vulgar prompter, the human and then divine Knowledge are for you, and you cannot do without them.

Gnosis is therefore the base lead on which your moral power will be exercised. If you know how to make yourself master of it, without being enslaved by it, then you will only be able to bring Chrysopoeia to a successful conclusion.

Gnosis and Hope will call within you, Son of the Sun and the Moon, Intelligence, which is Understanding. Because we already know that Hope is also Certainty, and that Gnosis is Knowledge. Since Certainty is born from Truth (or Good Faith), Gnosis can only be Perfect Knowledge. This is why Perfect Knowledge and Certainty gives Understanding.

On the other hand, and in parallel, Gnosis and Charity will call Wisdom within you, just as Gnosis (or Perfect Knowledge), united with Understanding, will generate the said Wisdom.

But what is Wisdom? We understand it now, Intelligence and Wisdom are respectively Sulfur and Mercury of the Sages, for our vulgar Alchymists.

Wisdom is Use, as Intelligence is Understanding. One, the first, is active, the second is passive. And from the union of the two must finally be born the ultimate and last term of the work, the Philosopher's Stone, the Illumination which will make you again, Son of the Sun and the Moon, the Celestial Creature that you were at your origins.

"May the God of Peace, who raised from the dead the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, by the Blood of an Eternal Covenant, Our Lord Jesus Christ, enable you to do every good work for the accomplishment of His Will do in you all that He pleases to do, through Jesus Christ, in whom is the Glory, forever and ever. Amen!” (Hebrews, xiii. 20).

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