The Tower of Alchemy

All practices should be preceded by performing the Qabalistic Cross and the Parting of
the Veil mudra. Then, seated in the posture, commence your relaxation and establish
your breathing Build up the Tree of Life in the Queen Scale of Briah, imagining it as
permeating your physical body and aura. Then proceed to the Interwoven Light
exercises, culminating in the Fountain Breath, which should be performed for at least
ten full cycles. Abide for a little time in the energies, then proceed with the particular
stage of practice being undertaken.
Focus upon your golden-yellow sphere of Tiphareth, then, inside it, visualize the Round
Table, some six inches in diameter. See it as indigo in color, a deep violet-blue like the
color of the sky at night. The surface of the table is divided into twelve segments, like a
horoscope chart. The lines of division upon the indigo table are of silver. In each
segment, near the rim of the table, shines a symbol of one of the twelve signs of the
zodiac. These zodiacal symbols are gold. The signs follow their usual sequence, from
Aries to Pisces, arranged counterclockwise around the. At the exact center of the Round
Table, where the silver lines converge, shines an object. It is covered with a gauzy veil
of white samite (silk or satin). Through this veil you can discern a chalice of gold. It is
the Holy Grail. When you feel ready, by an act of definite-yet gentle-intention, project
the table and the Grail out of your subjective Tiphareth center until it is some six feet
away from your physical body. As this composite image is projected it grows and
expands until it is life-sized. As the image stabilizes, twelve carved chairs appear before
each segment of the table. These are the high sieges of the Table Round. Mentally
approach the table. You will find that the siege nearest you is that of your natal Sun
sign, the sign of your spirit. Sit on the chair at this segment of the The Holy Grail table,
with your back to your physical sheath, some six feet behind you. Place both hands-one
on either side of the gold zodiacal emblemon the table's surface. As you do so, the
zodiacal symbol will "light up." Gaze upon the veiled Grail, bathe in its golden
radiance, and contemplate its symbolism in the light of the teaching that has been
imparted. Bring to mind the knowledge that, as a symbol of Tiphareth, the Grail
mediates grace and blessing from Above. Tiphareth is the heart of the Tree of Life; it
receives, harmonizes, and imparts the influences of all the Sephiroth except Malkuth.
Tiphareth has various titles assigned to it: Ben (Son), your Higher Self as a ray of the
divine light of Yechidah; and Melekh (King), your spirit is the true and mighty ruler
over all manifestations, both in your personality and in your environment. The Grail's
presence affirms that, in truth, you are one with all. It is this contemplation of the Grail
as the symbol of Tiphareth that will "magnetize" or empower it for your future work.
This is the means whereby the symbol's form is united with the reality it represents.
Figure 1. The practitioner's personal siege-that of the natal Sun sign-is to the west,
facing east beyond the Grail. When it feels appropriate, rise from your siege and
withdraw back into your physical body. Then, by an act of definite-yet gentle-intention,
draw the table and Grail toward your body. It shrinks as you do so, until it is about six
inches in diameter, and then becomes a point of light. Withdraw it back into subjectivity,

within the Tiphareth center of your heart. Make the Closing of the Veil mudra to signal
to your subconscious mind that the levels are now distinct. A few more Fountain
Breaths at this point will help to circulate the energies. Then rise and perform the
Qabalistic Cross once more to seal your aura.
Here the explanation in the previous practice the composite symbol of the Grail and the
Round Table were projected from the heart center, out of the practitioner's physical body
and beyond the aura. This practice, known in older times as "arising from latency to
potency," is the root technique of the Work of Alchemy. It is the means whereby we
separate the subtle from the gross. The images used are first evoked-called up-from
within us, because, as reflections or holograms of the universe, we potentially contain
everything that is. This is what is meant by the statement in The Emerald Tablet: "That
which is Above is as That which is Below. . . ." The term "That" is used in some Eastern
traditions as a title for the Absolute, expressing its transcendence over any concept. In
the Western tradition, the term is also part of the most high and holy name of the
Absolute: "I Am That I Am." Symbolism is the language of the subconscious mind, used
in dream and vision. We have access to the entire store of symbols held in the collective
unconscious. In Qabalah, this is attributed to the astral realm of Yetzirah on Jacob's
Ladder, and to the Sephira of Yesod on the simple Tree. It is called the "treasure house
of images," As conscious beings, we are able to retrieve any of these images and bring
them up to consciousness. Indeed, the Hebrew letter of the tarot card assigned to
meditation, The Star, is Tzaddi, which means "fish hook." This is a good image of what
occurs in this type of meditation. Our intention for meditating is the bait attached to the
fish hook. When lowered into the depths of the subconscious-frequently represented as
a sea, river, or pool-we get a bite! Then we have the delicate job of landing our catch.
Accessing the symbol is not so difficult; with a little practice, it becomes almost
automatic. The trouble is in owning the symbol, making it our own tool that we can
utilize in the Work. This is done by "brooding over" the symbol, by contemplating it in
the light of the Sephiroth, so that we invest it with the meaning it should have. This is
important, because all symbols, being of the fluidic Yetziratic level, have associated
shadows, distortions of their original spiritual impulses. The bright Castle of Camelot
has its dark counterpart in the sorcerous Citadel of Klingsor; the Inner Kingdom of
Logres (the Realm of the Summer Stars) is distorted in the image of the Wasteland. In
this light, let us now look at the symbol of the Grail. As the container for the stuff of
universal life-the alchemical First Matter-the Grail has been the object of the quest, for
both good and ill. The First Matter is perceived by liberated consciousness alone, by
pure awareness, nurtured by bliss and motivated by compassion. We have access to all
images and symbols within the collective unconscious, which is just another name for
the astral plane. Not only do we have access to such images through recollection, we
can also create images. And, in a certain sense, each time we bring a symbol to
consciousness and invest it with mental energy through thought, meditation, or
contemplation, we further empower that symbol. That is why ancient symbols carry
such power. This ability--one we use unconsciously all the time-is the action of our
indwelling spirit focusing its creative energy in time and space. Once we begin to

realize that this is a spiritual energy (from Briah, the world of Creation), we begin to
walk in an expanded universe. In his alchemical treatise, The Salt of Nature
Regenerated, Alipili wrote: He that hath knowledge of the Microcosm cannot long be
ignorant of the Macrocosm. This is that which the Egyptian industrious
searchers of Nature so often said, and loudly proclaimed that every one should know
himself. This speech their dull disciples (the Greeks) took in a moral sense, and in
ignorance affixed it to their Temples. But I admonish thee, whosoever thou art, that
desirest to dive into the inmost parts of Nature, if that which thou seekest thou find not
within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee. If thou knowest not the excellency of
thine own house, why dost thou seek and search after the excellency of other things?
The universal Orb of the world contains not so many great mysteries and excellencies as
a little Man, formed by God in His own image. And he who desirest the primacy among
the students of Nature will nowhere find a greater or better field of study than himself