User talk:Xyzt1234
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[edit] FULCANELLI ISSUE
Hi there. Thanks for the message re Fulcanelli.
I've since done more research and, in the end, nothing can be taken at face value with Fulcanelli. The playfulness, the hall of mirrors aspect of what he writes is part and parcel of his message. And much of what you say makes absolute sense.
And while you're right that Alchemy is/was elitist in the sense that it wasn't for everyone in fact all spirituality is alchemical. Indeed, all Mystery Traditions have at their root the creation of the Immortal Self/Light Body, from the Shining Ones/Devas of Hinduism to the Resurrected Christ. And since all religions begin with the Mystery Traditions, or at least have them at their root, there is a strong argument to say that what we call organised religion, although not obviously Alchemical, has clues with which one can penetrate to the Mystery and, by default, has moved the common mass of humanity forward along that path.
To clarify - from what we understand Alchemy originated from Ancient Egypt and was a science of spiritual transformation practised solely by the elite. Other cultures - the Persians, the Greeks, the Indians etc - all had similar processes available to them. Esotericists believe that Kaballah emerged from the meeting of the Egyptian, Jewish and Persians Mysteries. Kaballah helped feed into the Essenes and, along with other cultures, presumably triggered the inception of Christianity which, if one reads the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament, has encoded within it the process whereby the human organism achieves divinity a la Alchemy (indeed I have read persuasive analyses of Revelations in terms of Christian Alchemy). So the evolution of human spirituality in the West is one of transmission and amplification until what was an elite spirituality becomes available in exoteric terms ie to the many. Thus Christianity emerges into the light from an ancestry of Hermeticism, Alchemy, Kaballah, the Greek Mysteries, Gnosticism and Zoroastrianism.
Of course, only the very few were or have been able to respond to Christianity on this deeper, Alchemical level. Most followers can only relate to it literally. So esoteric truth becomes confused with literal truth and orthodoxy sets in. But, one assumes, the vestiges of that Alchemical message still have had an effect on us, however slow or small it might be,
Gosh! Having looked over that again, I realise I sound as obscure as Fulcanelli! What I am saying is that life itself is an Alchemical process and we are all on its path. Those we call Alchemists have made it their all-consuming life work.
I find the Fulcanelli myth fascinating, more the story of the visit to Spain than anything else. Again, I think this is a case of the Alchemical story being sold us through myth... Which makes it no less valid.
Anyway, thanks for chatting,
Best wishes
ThePeg 21:48, 14 June 2007 (UTC)
Hi. Thanx for your response.
Re the Spanish story I've posted this on my talkpage:
If memory serves me correctly the Spanish Fulcanelli story took place near Seville. Or am I wrong? I think the secret community of alchemists he is supposed to have referred to is somewhere in the Pyrenees. I first heard of Fulcanelli in Zaragoza.... ThePeg 22:50, 16 June 2007 (UTC)
Just added this in response to your last:
That's depressing to hear. One would have thought an Alchemist would not be bogged down in racist politics, particlularly given that most Alchemists should know that their Art was brought to Europe via the Arabs in the 12th & 13th Centuries through Spain etc!
Incidentally for a fine Alchemical read may I recommend The Angel Of The West Window by Gustav Meyrink? Although often rather chaotic it is based on the Alchemical Quest, being about the life of John Dee. Its a great read. Enjoy. ThePeg 10:33, 24 July 2007 (UTC)
