A Modern Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery

Appendix: Table Talk and Memorabilia of Mary Anne Atwood, Part 1

Introduction: Mary Anne Atwood’s reflections unveil the Hermetic art’s spiritual essence, guiding the soul to divine wisdom through alchemical transformation. This appendix distills key principles, offering insights into the sacred process of awakening the light within.

The Alchemy of the Will

Atwood reveals that the Hermetic art, or “Holy Alchemy,” ferments the human spirit to awaken its divine potential. By aligning the will with God’s law, as seen in Moses’ righteous power versus the Egyptians’ self-willed magic, the adept transforms the soul’s essence into a radiant “Philosopher’s Stone,” the true form of divine light. This process, reversing the soul’s natural flow, connects it to the “Universal Loadstone,” the creative force of existence.

The art’s power lies in its ability to draw the Universal Spirit into the individual, as Atwood notes: “The mind becomes related to the Universal Vitalising Power.” This mirrors the fermentation of life, where the soul, freed from bodily chains, achieves immortality through divine unity.

The Threefold Life and Divine Order

Atwood describes three lives—terrestrial (animal), celestial (vegetable), and infernal (mineral)—each dominant in its natural kingdom and residing in humanity’s head, heart, and lumbar regions. The Hermetic art reverses their order, raising the infernal life through the celestial to receive divine light. This aligns with Boehme’s principles, where the “third life” becomes a medium for perceiving the divine, purified by a contrite will.

The adept, through disciplined fermentation, as Basil Valentine’s Keys illustrate, transforms the vital force’s magnetic attraction, creating a “heavenly body” from an earthly one, as the soul merges with its eternal source.

The Sacred Process of Transformation

The Hermetic process, as Atwood explains, involves a “vital chemistry” that dissolves the soul’s natural bonds, regenerating it under a divine law. The “Golden Fleece” symbolizes the radiant light enveloping the adept in this third life, while the “Caput Mortuum” preserves the body’s essence for restoration. This art, guided by love and faith, ensures the soul’s purity, avoiding the demonic pitfalls of self-will, as seen in ancient idolatry.

Closing: This appendix unveils the Hermetic art’s spiritual principles, transforming the soul into divine light. The journey into further reflections deepens in our next post, unveiling more secrets of this sacred art.