“The whole of alchemy is nothing but an allegorical description of the human factory and its work of transforming base METALS (coarse substances) into precious ones (fine substances). Fragments: Nine

“The effort which creates this ‘shock’ must consist in work on the emotions, in the transformation and transmutation of the emotions. This transmutation of the emotions will then help the transmutation of si 12 in the human organism. No serious growth, that is, no growth of higher bodies within the organism, is possible without this transmutation. The idea of this transmutation was known to many ancient teachings as well as to some comparatively recent ones, such as the alchemy of the Middle Ages. But the alchemists spoke of this transmutation in the allegorical forms of the transformation of base METALS into precious ones. In reality, however, they meant the transformation of coarse ‘hydrogens’ into finer ones in the human organism, chiefly of the transformation of mi 12. If this transformation is attained, a man can be said to have ‘achieved what he was striving for, and it can also be said that, until this transformation is attained, all results attained by a man can be lost because they are not fixed in him in any way; moreover, they are attained only in the spheres of thought and emotion. Real, objective results can be obtained only after the transmutation of mi 12 has begun. Fragments: Nine

“The transition of matter si 12 into emanations and the gradual saturation of the whole organism by it is what alchemy calls ‘transmutation’ or transformation. It is first this transformation of the physical body into the astral that alchemy called the transformation of the ‘coarse’ into the ‘fine’ or the transformation of base METALS into gold. Fragments: Twelve

‘The square next below is — plants. The next — minerals, the next -METALS, which constitute a separate cosmic group among minerals; and the following square has no name in our language because we never meet with matter in this state on the earth’s surface. This square comes into contact with the Absolute. You remember we spoke before about ‘Holy the Firm.’ This is ‘Holy the Firm.’” Fragments: Sixteen