'The Tao is like an empty container: it can never be emptied and can never be filled. Infinitely deep, it is the source of all things. It dulls the sharp, unties the knotted, shades the lighted, and unites all of creation with dust. It is hidden but always present. I don't know who gave birth to it. It is older than the concept of god.'

'Since the beginning of time, the Tao has always existed. It is beyond existing and not existing. How do I know where creation comes from? I look inside myself and I see it.'

'Because I do not know its name, I call it the Tao. If forced to give it a name, I would call it 'Great.' '

Another emblem from the Viridarium Chymicum: The Stone of the Wise Ones from the spirit, body and soul. Again we see Pythagorean themes in the importance of numbers. It was said that the philosopher's Stone is made the same way the Cosmos was made. Here we have the circle of unity, containing in it the triplicity of principles and giving rise to the pair of dual opposites, each of which in turn has divided its powers to give two elements, making four elements.

The alchemical triplicity or trinity, sometimes depicted as salt (or magnesia), sulfur and mercury also had its mirror image above. Just as the downwards pointing triangle symbolised the descent of spirit, so the upwards pointing matter symbolised the ascent of matter, or in another context: the heavenly triplicity and the worldly triplicity. This duality is evident in Free-masonic symbolism in which two pillars support the temple, one celestial and the other material. Present in Nature, these triplicities were also present within every individual. These were often depicted as a hexagram, sometimes formed from the mason's set-square and compass, perhaps symbolic of the Grand Architect but also of the great Work, of building a living temple from the human being (both microcosmic and macrocosmic). Mercury typically appeared in both for obvious reasons (the upper triangle typically being Sun, Moon and Mercury). Another triplicity was heart, soul and spirit. One might be forgiven for thinking this 'trinity' to be a Christian import, and some alchemists were apparently Christian monks and clergy, but the triplicity of the divine is a concept found also in ancient Greece.

Plato wrote about the concept of a divine triplicity: The Good is uppermost and author of the cause or Divine Mind, which is the Intellectual-principle which generates the Soul. On a microcosmic scale the 'interior human' Plato divided into three parts also: the logical principle or Logisticon, which governs through the love of learning, the spirited principle which obeys the Logisticon whilst also protecting the integrity of the being and the appetitive or pleasure-seeking principle. The spirit connects the reasoning faculty with the pleasure faculty and may sometimes center with the former or with the lower. Interestingly we have a fore-runner here of Froyd's theory of superego, ego and id. later on, Plotinus expanded this concept and again had a cosmic triplicity (upper triangle) applying to the whole of Nature and a lower microcosmic triplicity applying to the individual human being. Cosmically he considered the following triplicity: The One, Intellect-and-Being and the Soul (sense and nature) which he considered mirrored in each individual, rather as an expansive fluid fills an individual vessel without exhausting itself. He wrote:

'The One is all things and no one of them; the source of all things ... seeking nothing, possessing nothing, lacking nothing ...'. (Translation by S. Mackenna and B. S. Page).

The Ninth Key of Basilius in Viridarium Chymicum. How many numbers can you see?

Individual alchemists had their preferred traditions, but collectively and often times individually they drew upon diverse sources, including ancient Greek, Arabic, Jewish and Christian philosophers and attributed the roots of their art to ancient Egypt, or the Greek-Egyptian cultures. Many come across in their writings as no more religious than Plato. They believed in some sort of divinity which they believed to be good, but like Plato's Socrates they realised the poetic root of religion with its use of allegory. Their concept of the Divine was generally philosophic.Each alchemist had their own take of things, their own interpretation, but they generally agreed on certain fundamentals.

Some believe that the Arabic root of the word 'Alchemy',  'al-kimia' refers to the fertile dark soil or 'khem' of Egypt's Nile delta, though 'dark soil' could also be an obvious metaphor for the primal matter. The philosophy was dominated at first by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, then by the Arab world and finally by Europe. Most existing texts date back to Europe in the 16th to 18th centuries. These latter philosophers were surprisingly unbigoted; indeed the Viridarium Chymicum celebrates the cultural diversity of its heritage. The philosophy of alchemy transcended religion and culture and for many religion had very little to do with it and they sometimes frowned down upon state religion. Nor is alchemy simply the Kabbalah: attributing the spiritual philosophies of the world to a single cultural or religious source is disingenuous, however, both philosophies drew in part on the same sources and almost certainly exchanged ideas in the common pool of ancient philosophy and tradition. The Peoples of the known world always exchanged ideas and thinking and spiritual and religious thinking evolved organically. Scholars often traveled the world in their quest for knowledge. Indeed, the great library of Alexandria evidently collected countless texts and ideas from the diverse travelers who passed through the port.

Plotinus considered that the source gave rise to the intellect through overflowing or radiating (since it can take no meditated action) and that the intellect overflowed to generate the soul which is the active principle. Thus, all three remained connected as an integral whole but were yet distinct. Alchemy expanded the upper trinity to The One, the source of all, the Spirit and the Soul. It is worth noting here that the Christian 'Holy spirit' is aka the Spirit of Truth and is the 'helper' spoken of. Similarly in ancient Christianity (in the canonical Gospels) the Father resides within every individual. Plotinus considered the soul to be immortal, it occupied no spatial location but moved in a manner back towards the source upon death of its containing vessel.

Alchemists also generally believed in some sort of recycling or refluxing of consciousness in the manner in which water returns to the sky upon evaporation, leaving impurities behind, and then rains back down in a purified form. Collectively they generated a spiritual philosophy, in my view, purer and better in faith than any modern or mainstream religion. They taught the importance of modesty and compassion unto others.

'Another Combination': Viridarium Chymicum. Alchemists were normally careful to balance the male and female principles in their emblems but the Sun and Moon here have very little to do with physical gender. The spirit was often depicted as male as it impregnated the dark waters of the material cosmos. It is made clear here that in fact that one can not function without the other and the 'Morbius band' salamander containing aspects of the lion and eagle 'consumed through love' within itself makes it beautifully clear that this is a perpetual process. Alchemists often implied no gender to the divine. To the ancient Egyptians the Sun and Moon were the eyes of Osiris. This myth has parallels in the Nordic myth of Odin. Adam McLean has made beautiful and informative colourings of this and many other alchemical emblems and has provided helpful courses to help one discover their meanings. The Little or White Work synthesised the White Stone which could turn 'base metals into silver' (not literally) but the Great or Red Work produced the Red Stone which could perfect the process by turning 'base metals into gold'.

The Division of the Stone into the Four Elements, Viridarium Chymicum, a necessary step, we are told, to see the Child of Wisdom nursed in the belly of the Earth.

I could tell you all I presume to know of the ancient arts, though this may cause you great offense. Many people are rigid in their thinking and can not tolerate ideas that challenge their world-view, they actually find it painful! The alchemists wrote in riddles for a number of reasons, like the use of parables in religious texts they saw little value in 'throwing their best pearls before pigs'. For the practical alchemist, it was no doubt profitable to keep the techniques used to extract and purify metals within the profession! Others considered themselves blessed by the Divine and were too afraid to reveal their secrets to others too directly, aiming only to help those who were also 'chosen'. To me this sounds like a lack of faith, though the ancient sages always found the masses hostile to their quest for truth. The Christian canonical gospels have a saying: 'They have eyes yet cannot see and ears yet cannot hear' and conclude that this is the will of the Divine. As the Tao Te Ching puts it: '... words spoken of the Tao seem to them boring and stale. When looked at, there is nothing for them to see. when listened for, there is nothing for them to hear.' (Translation by John H. McDonald). I would say simply that Nature has made us all different and everyone sees the world in different ways and capacities, as a result of genetics and upbringing, and yes not all who have eyes can see the meaning of mysteries.

I would say that the philosophy and artistry of the mysteries are best experienced, to coin a phrase: 'No one can be told what the Matrix is, you have to see it for yourself'. I could give you my fullest and best explanation, but I could be wrong or my explanation could be incomplete or you may see things differently and it would probably spoil the fun of the journey. The best travelers never reach an end goal. 'The whale does not sing because she has an answer, she sings because she has a song' (Ashes and Snow, Gregory Colbert).

Imagine a sage of the 16th Century observing gases and flames of varying colors arising from matter that was hitherto inert, and the various changes in color and composition that chemical reactions bring about. Would this not seem miraculous? They deemed that the spirit of the Divine pervaded all things and that the Universe was made in its image, albeit an imperfect reflection. This 'Mirror of Nature' is not entirely without merit. Science today sees the mind as the product of neural mechanisms and psychologists have begun to unravel the laws and principles that govern its function by similar principles as those that govern matter. In truth, this is no less miraculous and no less awe-inspiring. Many consider the body and spirit to be separate things, and yet if one looks within the body no spirit can be seen within it. Do you recall Einstein's famous equation? The primal matter was much like the Tao.

Basil Valentine was himself an enigma, a figure apparently at least as mythical as actual. Chemicals were personified as spiritual beings and spiritual principles were symbolised as chemicals and chemical processes. There was an old theory that cosmic rays from the planets impregnated the Earth and seeded the different minerals or 'metals' within the earth which incubated these seeds like a womb. thus, the rays of mars would generate iron. We now know this isn't true and their are more than 7 metals and more than 7 planets. The ancients took correspondences too far, hence the Doctrine of Signatures. Psychological affects aside, we now know that plants bear the hallmarks of evolution and adaptation rather then signatures or encoded messages from some grand architect.

The alchemists also borrowed ideas such about the formation of substances from Aristotle who believed that the element of earth gave rise to smoke as earth in the process of transforming into fire, and water to vapour in the process of becoming air. The watery vapour they reasoned gave rise to metals, the smoke to other stones and minerals. The Alexandrian school and Muslim writers theorised that the water vapour gave rise first to mercury, the smoke to sulfur and that the various minerals were formed by recombination of mercury and sulfur in different proportions. (John Read, 1939, in Prelude to Chemistry gives a good account of the historic developments). Certainly mercury and sulfur combine to give a stone, the brick-red or scarlet cinnabar. Thus, although in error, the theory was at least founded in empirical observation.

Nevertheless, the ancients were right to seek medicines in natural substances, for this is how the science of Medicine was born. The higher form of Alchemy resonates for me, not because I 'believe in alchemy', though some of their findings both chemical and spiritual are noteworthy, but because I see the beauty in it and potential still untapped. I do not do belief since I see no reason for it. I know what I know, what I do not know I don't know. Nevertheless, there is something here that resonates, but not the more practical form that sort to make or purify gold for material wealth, though they had their place in contributing to advances in chemistry. The nobler alchemists believed in the value of their work for the greater good of all. Nobody was to be left behind. Some were also good practical chemists with techniques for manufacturing all sorts of substances. This practical aspect traced its origins back to ancient Egypt. The ancients were skilled metal-workers and had acquired quite a wealth of chemical knowledge. They also produced their wonderful artworks as beautiful emblems and poetry. However, perhaps their greatest achievement was born from their insistence on empiricism, on basing their philosophy on constant observation of the natural world. The alchemists' belief that nature held the key eventually led to the discovery of an immense cornucopia, that which we call science (and we could add art inspired by nature).

Although, alchemists at times drew upon the 'supernatural' they generally believed their art to be entirely natural and they emphasized the importance of empirical evidence. For these reasons I greatly appreciate their enduring faith in the potential value of their labors and their insatiable thirst for knowledge and their belief that the world could be made into a better place because of it. Technologists beware, however, the alchemists always held that in the wrong hands their Elixir was but a poison! One should always be mindful of the dangers when pursuing knowledge, in particular the abuses of technology. Perhaps more of the alchemist's humility and belief in the greater good would profit science and humanity. However, I see no need to invoke the supernatural. To me the supernatural is simply the ocean of the unknown which surrounds the ever-expanding island of nature, which is the known. From the darkness of ignorance the alchemists succeeded in large part in producing something which really has potential to make the world a better place for all.

It was necessary for science to disentangle itself from religion, from imagined realities and the notion that ancient texts were divine and literally true word for word (the problems generated by such beliefs are self-evident). Science ought to be inspired by curiosity in the natural world in the belief that such knowledge would benefit the human race, whether pragmatically or spiritually. However, there is something more that technologists ought to take from the mysteries: that dutiful sense that such knowledge be used to the benefit of all. The concept of god may have been replaced by a mysterious yet natural force and the cosmos seen as self-creating, but in a way that brings it back to ancient beliefs in the primal matter. That sense of mystery and awe at the majesty of nature combined with empirical curiosity and a striving towards a greater good, both inner and outer, a spirituality which is free of the bigotry and confines of any one particular faith seems highly commendable to me. The living spirit may be thought of more as the product of neural circuitry, or the result of natural forces and energies, but is no less real and no less important. Though one should not shun the material, we would do well to think of the inner alchemists and their loathing of those philosophies that placed material wealth above the human spirit. The spirit must take precedence, even though it is dependent on matter and not an independent entity that can be separated from it. This combination of science in its purest form, combined with proper respect for the spirit within conscious living beings is our Elixir, our Holy Grail. One of the great benefits to have sprung from alchemy is chemistry and its role in medicine.

I am not religious, nor am I political, though I have at times drawn upon these sources. I cherish the cool light of reason. Who would not prize a pearl when they see one no matter where it is found? It is a simple matter, with the right care, to remove any 'defiled garb' that surrounds it. Though these spheres of human endeavor have some goodness in them they have also spawned much that is bad for humankind. People have forgotten the parable of the sower: if one sows seed contaminated by weeds then the weeds will grow up to strangle the crop. The wheat must be sorted from the chaff. It has been said that 'above all else a god must have compassion'. No human or god, no being at all, can be greater than the fundamental truth itself. The truth will set you free. The spirit of truth is the 'helper' the philosophers promised, their Holy Spirit, their peace-making unifier of the inner and outer worlds. Perhaps you fear judgement, then you have forgotten how the 'judgement' works? 'There is a light but many do not enter the light.' So it is that the world has already been judged. Enter the light and do not be afraid. In the end you will only be judged as you judge others. This light is the light of truth.

Most may not see the Dragon. Alas! Those that sought to embrace fundamental truth have always been persecuted and their words twisted by those in power. That which is good is threatened in a bad world. We have seen how the Beast has led the world to ruin. Evolution has, through mortal necessity, created organisms equipped to survive. The problem of evil has baffled and confused philosophy and religion alike, but evolution explains these things. People feel pain because pain helps them to survive, though like all systems it can also fail and give rise to useless pathological pain, for evolution can not create perfection. Perfection can not exist; at least I can not imagine it. There is no need to revile the Beast or destroy it, for it acts for ill only out of disharmony. Nor is it enough to legislate, for one person's law is another person's crime. Instead it must be put in its proper place as part of our stone. Neither ideology, nor law, nor capitalism, nor religion will produce the Elixir the world needs, but only the fundamental truth: that which is demonstrably true in outer and inner realms; the lights of reason and compassion. This quest may have no end, but a good traveler never ceases to travel, they simply head in the right general direction. Purify that which is true by distillation, fermentation, sublimation and condensation. Remember though as Johann Stebmacher wrote in Waterstone of the Wise (1619), only if you seek the stone with good intent can you find it. Such is the way of things.

For all these reasons I set down this riddle for you throughout the Quest, which is but a song composed in transit. A journey that has led us thus far to here. Enjoy the journey and expect no end; maybe you ought to write a song of your own. I leave you with one more emblem:

Camille Flammarion, 1888. L'atmosphère: météorologie populaire. Used in its original context to ridicule a claim that the sky meets the Earth at a point through which one can peer! However, it has been used in a number of publications to signify the Quest for Knowledge, mystical or scientific. Notice the influence of Ezekiel's vision: the angels that appeared as 'Wheels within wheels' 'bearing eyes around their rims' and which perhaps symbolise the mechanical workings of the universe, with planets and stars in their (seemingly) regular paths. I particularly like the idea of discovery and peeling back the layers of reality.

One final caveat. Words may sometimes help, sometimes harm. In the end I think it is far better not to place too much importance in them.

Does Heaven move?

Does the Earth stand still?

Do the sun and moon argue about where to go?

Who is lord over all this?

Who binds and controls it?

Who, doing nothing, makes all of this be?

Is there some hidden cause that makes things as they are, whether they wish or not?

Or is it just that everything moves and turns because it has no choice?

Do the clouds come before the rain, or does the rain cause the clouds?

What causes them to be?

Who, doing nothing, brings all this joyful excess into being?

The winds come from the north,

going first to west then to east,

swirling up on high, to go who knows where?

Whose breath are they?

Who, doing nothing, creates all this activity?

...

Duke Huan was sitting in his hall reading a book. The wheelwright Pien was down below in the courtyard making a wheel. He put down his chisel and hammer, went up to the hall and asked Duke Huan, 'May I ask you, Sir, what words you are reading?'

Duke Huan replied, 'The words of the sages.'
'Are these sages still living?'
'They are long dead,' said Duke Huan.
'Then, Sir,what you are reading is nothing but rubbish left over from these ancient men!'
'How dare you, a wheelwright, comment on what I read! If you can explain this, fine, if not you shall die!' thundered duke Huan.

The wheelwright Pien replied, 'Your Lordship's servant looks at it from the perspective of his own work. When I work on a wheel, if I hit too softly, pleasant as this is, it doesn't make for a good wheel. If I hit furiously, I get tired and the thing doesn't work! So, not too soft, not too vigorous, I grasp it in my hand and hold it in my heart. I cannot express this by word of mouth, I just know it. I cannot teach this to my son, nor can my son learn it from me. So for seventy years I have gone along this path and here I am still making wheels. The ancient ones, when they died, took their words with them. Which is why I can state that what your Lordship is reading is nothing more than rubbish left over from these ancient ones!'

(The Tao of Nature, Chuang Tzu. Translated by Martin Palmer with Elizabeth Breuilly and Jay Ramsay).