Alchemical Transformation: The Great Work and Spiritual Body Evolution

the astral body [De Guaita calls the astral body the vital element] perishable in the material organism, which, far from being affected by it, will become more subtle [spiritualizing the body]. This reabsorption can only take place very slowly, and, so to speak, atom by atom. As an astral molecule is assimilated into the physical body, it will eliminate a molecule of its grosser substance. Conversely, as the astral body is reabsorbed, the glorious form, developing little by little, will occupy the place left free. At the death of the Sage, everything that is mortal, the material organism and the fused astral body will dissolve together and the soul clothed in the glorious form of the elect, will be immediately assumed into the kingdom of pure Ether S. de Guaita. Fulcanelli says in this regard: the body has spiritualized, and the metallic soul, abandoning its dirty garment, puts on another of greater value, to which the ancient masters gave the name of philosophical mercury (...) composed of fixed and volatile, not yet radically united, but susceptible to coagulation The Philosophical Dwellings White Work When the fetid dark spirit is repelled [the entity we spoke of previously], so much so that its odor no longer remains [even the characteristics remain the same: the nauseating and toxic odor], nor the dark color XVII, then the body becomes luminous, the soul rejoices and with them the spirit. Once the shadow of the body is dispelled [a term also used later to always indicate this entity still in a crude and leprous state], the soul calls this body that has become luminous [this same body that has undergone a transformation] and says to it: "awaken from the depths of Hades, rise from darkness; awaken bursting from darkness. Indeed you have assumed the divine spiritual State: the voice of resurrection has spoken; the medicine of life has penetrated into you" Comarius. or you will see the philosopher's stone, our king, raised above the rulers of the world, emerge from his vitreous tomb, rise from his bed and come onto the world stage in his glorified body, that is, regenerated and more than perfect; continuous, diaphanous like crystal, compact, very heavy, easily fusible by fire, like resin, fluid like wax and more than quicksilver, but without emitting any smoke, piercing penetrating solid bodies in contact, like oil penetrates paper Khunrath. In this phase "The philosophers also advise tearing up books that have now become useless" Pernety Red Work All writers agree in saying that even at this point the work is not finished, however not all agree on the procedures to be used, some even do not draw a clear line of demarcation between the White Work and the Red Work saying that they continue to chase each other until even the Stone is not perfectly completed. Others say that the two works are in strict analogy with each other and that the difference between White Work and Red Work is only in going deeper into the matter using in operations similar to the previous ones those residues or dregs that had remained inert in the production of Silver and that now become fundamental for the production of philosophical Gold from ancient Lead. The use in this part of the process of these residues or dregs seems to allude to "the reunification, by divine virtue, of the lower part of the human compound with the immortal soul" (T. Palamidessi, 10th Notebook of Archeosophy) in that "resurrection is the internal reconciliation of matter with spirit, with which it here forms a single being, as its real expression, as its spiritual body" V. Solovyov The Spiritual Foundations of Life. Others say that that conjunction which in the White Work was mediated by Water can now be made directly without mediators, still others maintain that to continue the work it is simply necessary to continue the hermetic regime providing more and more Fire and that by doing so one passes to the red color, to what alchemists have called rebirth from Fire whose animal symbol is represented by the salamander or by the phoenix capable of resurrecting from its own ashes.