Cicero - Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition_Part 01

136 SELF-INITIATION INTO THE GoLDEN DAWN TRADmON
bolizes objectivity and extroverted tendencies, while the Night half alludes to
instinct, subjectivity and introverted tendencies.
The Meridian or vertical axis refers to strength. It separates the chart into
Eastern and Western sections from noon to midnight. This axis divides the Planets
into RisingPlanets and Setting Planets. A large number of rising Planets in the
Eastern half denote a free and strong Will-it is the embodiment of a planting or
sowing incarnation. Numerous setting Planets in the Western half indicate flexi­
.bility and involvement with the future of others-it is an indication of a harvesting
incarnation.c
SECTION 2: Basic Alchemy
~The word Alchemyis an Arabic term comprised of the article aland
the noun khemi. The later word relates to Khem the Coptic name of
Egypt. Alchemy thus means "that which pertains to Egypt." Thus
the words Alchemy and chemistry are a reminder of the scientific
legacy of Egypt. Another possible origin of the word is the Greek
. cheo which means "I pour' or "] cast": a word often used in reference
to the ancient Greek metalworkers who used many Alchemical formulae.
Together, Alchemy and Astrology are two of the oldest sciences known to
humanity. The specialized fields of herbalism, mineralogy, natural science, chemistry
and medicine all evolved from the mother science known as Alchemy.
Legend has it that the god Hermes was the founder of Alchemy. The most
significant early alchemical text was the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, also
called the Tabula Smaragdina. No one is quite sure who the first alchemist was,
although the first group to learn and work with the art were metalsmiths. Perhaps
the best known of the alchemists was Paracelsus, who announced that the major
goal of Alchemy should be to cure illness. He started what would later become the
science of pharmacology.
The outer body of Alchemy is chemistry. It is in fact the ancestor of modem
chemistry. But in addition to being a science, this ancient art is also a philosophy.
Alchemy is a science that is based upon multiplication and the natural phenomenon
of growth-it is the process of increasing and improving that which already exists.
Alchemy is evolution-the raising of vibrations.
Practitioners of the art considered Nature to be the greatest alchemist of
all, causing the latent seeds of all life to multiply and grow through the act of
transmutation. One objective of the Alchemists was to carry out in the laboratory,
as far as possible, the processes which Nature carries out in the Earth plane. Not
only did they try to duplicate these natural operations, they tried to reproduce
them in a comparatively short period of time-speeding up processes which
Nature takes vast amounts of time to manifest.
The basic tenets of Alchemy are as follows:
1. The universe has a divine origin. The cosmos is an emanation
of OneAbsolute Divine Being. Therefore All is One.