The Way of Symbols and Spiritual Transmutation

Daniele Corradetti
April 3, 2011

Welcome to this meeting on the way of symbols and spiritual transmutation. This is a meeting specifically organized on symbols because with the cycle you are doing in Livorno we have seen it is highly centered on symbols and therefore we thought it interesting to include a conference on symbolism taking advantage of the release of the new edition of this writing entitled precisely "The Way of Symbols and Spiritual Transmutation".

Why have we decided to deal with this topic and in this way: for a very simple reason because with the study of hermeticism, alchemy and secret societies we see that symbolism and symbolurgy have a great space so it seemed necessary to have a meeting that on one hand would introduce and explain the mechanism with which symbols work and on the other would also give a practical form of meditation on the symbol to take the first steps.

This booklet, which will be the basis of this entire meeting, is very particular. Why? Because it is short, very short and useful (those who have wandered a bit in these topics know that these are two very rare characteristics). The inspiring principle of this booklet is indeed totally revolutionary compared to all other books I have read on the subject.

Indeed this booklet does not want to enter into the merit of illustrating the meaning of a list of symbols, or passing on the knowledge received on one or more symbols. There are already those who have done it. The Booklet cites a fairly numerous but still essential, readable bibliography. Those who want an overview can get it from these texts.

Conversely the Booklet has another purpose which is to allow the acquisition of a method, to those who already have an overview to make these theoretical and notional knowledge pass to a truly operative level, capable of being able to act on the individual's consciousness.

This is the Gordian knot of this booklet and of symbolism. The symbol does not hide a notion to be learned but a power to be used to change oneself.

The idea of this meeting is to provide a first overview of some fundamental symbols of traditional symbolism in order to give a foundation that can be useful, but at the same time also introduce a series of techniques or practices that allow making these symbols operative.

Therefore we will have conferences that can be the basis or the starting point for a confrontation, but the fundamental purpose is not a rational confrontation or intercultural mediation between various symbols, conversely it is the acquisition of a method that allows spiritual progress towards the realization of this SPIRITUAL TRANSMUTATION which is the object of this booklet.

Otherwise one can continue studying lives and lives without ever penetrating the shell of symbols. As we will see indeed the rational and intellective knowledge of the symbol is only the first step of a progressive knowledge made of rational knowledge (reasoning), meta-rational knowledge (intuition), an assimilation of a power or force that corresponds to the symbol (contemplation).

Let us begin first of all by agreeing on what a symbol is. Etymologically the symbol is a sign as well as it means to put together. These two etymologies allow us to understand two fundamental concepts of the symbol: the first is that the symbol is the sign that is the visible expression of an invisible reality; the second is that the symbol puts together or binds, these two realities between them transfers one into the other like two communicating vessels.

It can be a graphic, it can be a gesture, a word, anything that makes itself the vehicle of an idea or a reality not directly perceptible.

It is clear from this point of view that according to this definition everything we know is a symbol. Why? Because it is our consciousness itself that is structured and accustomed to knowing things symbolically. For example when I speak I emit sounds that have no conceptual value in themselves, but which become the vehicle of the ideas I want to transmit because we have agreed on a symbolic code that we know so well that it becomes almost difficult to abstract from it and think without formulating any word. Language is an important symbolic code because it can become a vehicle.