The Emerald Tablet of Hermes
It is true, certain, and without falsehood, that whatever is below is like that which is above; and that which is above is like that which is below: to accomplish the one wonderful work.
The fundamental point being made is that truth and reality can only be grasped by analogy. The Above is not the Below; it is like the Below. That is, we can only understand by symbols, metaphors, parables, poems, mandalas and koans. We can only approach reality indirectly to accomplish the Great Work.
As all things are derived from the One Only Thing, by the will and by the word of the One Only One who created it in His Mind, so all things owe their existence to this Unity by the order of Nature, and can be improved by Adaptation to that Mind.
Unity is the only truth. All else is illusion. And yet, the One becomes the Many and the Many must return to the One. But when they do, they are improved. The secret is adaptation to the one mind. What is this adaptation? Precisely what we are doing by contemplating the diagram and using the text as a guided visualisation. The point is that when we realise our true nature as a divine spark, we shall do so in full awareness and in the complete development of our spirituality.
Its Father is the Sun; its Mother is the Moon; the Wind carries it in its womb; and its nurse is the Earth.
The One becomes the Many and so, it differentiates into 4 separate steps; Above Þ Below, personified as the astrologer. Heaven sets the pattern for earth. On the Tree of Life, Tiferet is the Sun, Chakhmah is the Zodiac, Binah is Saturn, Chesed is Jupiter and Gevurah is Mars. Again, these are guides for visualisation. It is no use talking about it, we must experience it.
This Thing is the Father of all perfect things in the world.
The one thing is the Prima Materia. It is connected with the Stone of the Philosophers and with the Philosophers' Stone. What are they? It is for the seeker to discover. Meditate!
Its power is most perfect when it has again been changed into Earth.
It must descend from the Above to the Below; it must be changed into earth. That is, this truth must be realised by us here and now.
Separate the Earth from the Fire, the subtle from the gross, but carefully and with great judgement and skill.
This is the alchemical koan: solve et coagula. The Prima Materia must be separated into its constituent parts, rectified and reunited. This is the work of the alchemist, Below Þ Above. It is in 3 steps and on the Tree of Life, Netzach is a lower form of Sulfur, Hod is a lower form of Mercury and Yesod is a lower form of Salt. They all go to Tiferet. Of course it takes great judgement and skill. Do we really understand what it means to separate the One Thing, let alone reunite it? Meditate!
It ascends from earth to heaven, and descends again, new born, to the earth, taking unto itself thereby the power of the Above and the Below.
After the alchemist ascends to heaven, now comes the magus who descends again to earth via the double path on the Tree, from Keter to Tiferet. New born within the magus is the power of the Above and the Below, rectified and reunited. When we achieve this state, we too shall be thrice great.
Thus the splendor of the whole world will be thine, and all darkness shall flee from thee.
This state of unified consciousness can only be symbolised by the absence of darkness, that is, light. That is why this state is called "enlightenment".
This is the strongest of all powers, the Force of all forces, for it overcometh all subtle things and can penetrate all that is solid.
Consciousness is the only reality. All else is illusion no matter how solid things may appear. But this is the unified consciousness of the divine spark. It is not the increasingly limited awareness that functions through our vehicles of consciousness from spirit, through the soul and into our body. The whole point of the diagram and the text of the Emerald Tablet, is to give us a guide for the work we must do in order to re-unite our fragmented awareness. This is indeed a Great Work.
For thus was the world created, and rare combinations, and wonders of many kinds are wrought.
Hermes, the personification of our true "I", by 4 steps of descent, 3 steps of ascent and 1 step of re-descent, performed the Solar Work. By analogy, like this way but not in this way, we must do the same. Are you confused? Good! That is why the concept of analogy is so important. It is a subtle and sophisticated process that can only be grasped by meditation and visualisation. That is the true work.
Hence I am called HERMES TRISMEGISTUS, having mastered the three parts of the wisdom of the whole world.
Hermes is the divine spark. He is consciousness, fully self aware, unified and complete in its fullness. Hence he can control his vehicles of consciousness: spirit as the astrologer; soul as the magus; body as the alchemist. Of course he is Thrice Great. So shall we be, when we learn what analogy is, what it does and what it means to say that the Above is like the Below.
What I have to say about the masterpiece of the alchemical art, the Solar Work, is now ended.
Fundamentally, the Solar Work is alchemical because it is about getting us from Malkhut, on the Tree of Life, to Tiferet. Malkhut is the place of the 4 elements in their microcosmic aspect and Tiferet is the place of the Sun. When we get from the Below to the Sun, we then can continue the Great Work by rising to the Above. But that's another story.
Solve et Coagula