Page 440 - The_secret_teachings_of_all_ages_Neat

wives of Solomon represented the arts, the concubines the sciences, and the virgins the
still unrevealed secrets of Nature. By order of the King the virgins were forced to remove
their veils, thus signifying that by means of wisdom (Solomon) the mystic arts were
forced to disclose their hidden parts to the philosopher, while to the uninitiated world
only the outside garments were visible. (Such is the mystery of the veil of Isis.)

As the alchemist must do his work in four worlds simultaneously if he would achieve the
Magnum Opus, a table showing the analogies of the three principles in the four worlds
may clarify the relationship which the various parts bear to each other. The early masters
of the art of alchemical symbolism did not standardize either their symbols or their terms.
Thus it required great familiarity with the subject combined with considerable intuitive
power to unravel some of their enigmatical statements. The third and fourth divisions of
the following table are given alternative renderings, owing to the fact that some authors
did not draw a clear line between spirit and soul. According to the Scriptures, spirit is
indestructible, but soul is destructible. Obviously, then, they are not synonymous. It is
clearly stated that "the soul that sinneth, it shall die," but "the spirit shall return unto God
who gave it." The table of analogies, as nearly as they can be established, is as follows:

The Triune Power in Four Worlds

WORLD OF Father Son Mother
1. God Father Son Holy Ghost
2. Man Spirit Soul Body
3. Elements Air Fire Water
4. Chemicals Mercury Sulphur Salt

The alternative renderings of 3 and 4 are:

WORLD OF Father Son Mother
3. Elements Fire Air Water
4. Chemicals Sulphur Mercury Salt

Paracelsus made a different arrangement, somewhat Aristotelian, in which the three
phases of the Triune God are omitted, combining only the elements of the second, third,
and fourth worlds:

WORLD OF Father Son Mother
2. Man Spirit Soul Body
3. Elements Air Water Earth
4. Chemicals Sulphur Mercury Salt

The main point, however, is proved: the alchemical philosophers used the symbols of
salt, sulphur, and mercury to represent not only chemicals but the spiritual and invisible
principles of God, man, and the universe. The three substances (salt, sulphur, and