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Secrets of the Art
Revealed
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What the Art teaches
I asked
again:
"Tell
me, most loving Father, why and for what purpose did you
ask me to read the above things, since they are totally
enigmatic? I had promised to my Confreres, your
Disciples, a Revelation of your Enigmas and Secrets. How
can I keep my promises now, unless you mercifully unravel
these Enigmas for us?"
Doctor
Illuminatus replied:
"My
Son, the things you read are not Enigmas, but literal
meanings to those who know how to read this Book: now you
tell me, is it enigmatic to say 'magnets attract iron'?
The
Disciple:
"No, it
is rather a literal meaning."
The Teacher:
"But when I say that magnets attract iron, do
you understand thereby that scammony purges choler? Not
at all, unless you know my Art that gives you lenses so
that you can see a hundred or even a thousand things in
one, and one thing in a hundred or a thousand. Do you not
know that whatever is in the center touches all the radii
that extend to the circumference, and whatever is in the
circumference can arrive at the same center through any
one of the radii. And here is one of the greatest
secrets, namely the way of converting literal and
metaphorical meanings: now if I say that magnets attract
iron, then the literal meaning is that magnets attract
iron and the metaphorical meaning is that scammony purges
choler. But if I say that scammony purges choler, then
the metaphorical meaning is transmuted into a literal
meaning and the literal meaning is transmuted into a
metaphorical one; because by saying that scammony purges
choler, I metaphorically mean that magnets attract iron:
and my Son, you must know that the literal meaning is the
center and the metaphorical meanings are radii that flow
from the center to the circumference; and as there can be
countless radii drawn from one center, countless
metaphorical meanings can likewise flow from a single
literal meaning. Now every literal meaning in any one
Science has its parallel metaphorical meanings in other
Sciences. (Doctor Illum. Lib. de Grad. Med. Dist. 1. cap.
5. Dist. 5. cap. 16. Dist. 6. cap. 20) And this is an
awesome Secret, about which more will be said further on
in the Revelation of the Secrets of my Rhetoric.
Now the
reason and purpose for which I asked you to read the
above chapter is that it contains the entire System that
I intend to reveal in what follows. It contains the
entire Arcanum of created nature in a literal sense and
the entire Arcanum of uncreated nature in a metaphorical
sense. So I suggest that you challenge the Reformers of
my Art and Science to explain just this one chapter to
you and to demonstrate to you the meaning I intended to
convey."
The
Disciple:
"I
might have some difficulty in obtaining this from them,
but it is very easy to get it from you, most excellent
Teacher, who indeed can know the meaning of your books
better than you? But what can we, your Disciples, obtain
from understanding such a great Book that you have
deigned to bring to us?"
The Teacher:
"My
Son, through this book, 'man can obtain sensual and
intellectual health and be cured of sensual and
intellectual illness'" (Vol. Contemp. cap. 366)
The
Disciple:
"Father, you are telling us to hope for great
things, but there is one thing that I want to know, but
am afraid to ask."
The Teacher:
"Do not
be afraid, my Son, I will not hide anything from
you."
The
Disciple:
"Since
such great controversy arose between myself and some of
your Disciples and other writers who deny that you ever
taught the Art of becoming wealthy, I ask you now to
settle this conflict for us: would such an Art not be
included in this Book? Now as this Book is yours without
any doubt, the whole matter can be settled at once."
The Teacher:
"Of
course, my Son, if someone made the top rung of a ladder,
he would not omit making the bottom rung unless he wanted
to leave the ladder unfinished; and so you can be sure
'that this Book is good for increasing and multiplying
the Honor of the Holy Church of Rome and its Power and
Wealth; this Honor, Power and Wealth is currently in a
potential state and NB this book provides the preparation
and training needed to bring them into act, and this is
why this Book should be remembered, understood and loved
for its goodness.' (Vol. Cont. dicto cap. 366) Now what
more can you ask me for, my Son, than what I bequeathed
to you in this Book, namely Wisdom? Since 'Length of days
is in her right hand,' She will give you sensual and
intellectual health, and since 'riches and glory' are in
her left hand (Proverbs 3 v 16), She will open sensual
and intellectual treasures to you.
The Disciple:
"Wouldn't this increase in wealth be merely a moral
one, and not physical, i.e. produced through
industriousness and good economics? (Our speculative
friends may raise this objection).
The Teacher:
"My
Son, in this book I also teach the Art of physical
healing, and you will find its secrets scattered
throughout the book so that anyone wanting to learn this
in particular can do so in this book, if he understands
the book, and likewise in this book I teach the Art of
becoming wealthy since the knowledge of these two things
is closely connected to both; and you cannot have either
unless you have acquired perfect knowledge of natural
Analysis and Synthesis that you will find fully expounded
in this book, as well as the form on which the whole
figure of intentional Analysis and Synthesis is built,
and I will explain the latter more clearly in what
follows.
However I did not do
all this so that you primarily intend to accumulate
wealth but rather so that you accumulate Wisdom. 'For
Wisdom is better than all the most precious things: and
whatsoever may be desired cannot be compared to it'
(Proverbs 8 v11) 'The purchasing thereof is better than
the merchandise of silver, and her fruit than the
chiefest and purest gold...'(Proverbs 3 v 14) 'Wherefore
I'(and I, too, my Son,) 'wished, and understanding was
given me: and I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom
came upon me...' (Wisdom 7 v 7) 'And I preferred her
before kingdoms and thrones,' (ibid. v 8) and even if
through her I came to know 'the disposition of the whole
world, and the virtues of the elements,'(ibid. v 17) (as
you will see in my Philosophical Books) 'The natures of
living creatures, and rage of wild beasts, the force of
winds, and reasonings of men, the diversities of plants,
and the virtues of roots,' etc. (ibid. v 20) (as my
Medical Books show) 'The revolutions of the year, and the
dispositions of the stars,' (ibid. v 19) (as attested by
my Astronomical Books) the production of metals and
precious stones (as taught in my Chemical books), now
'And all such things as are hid and not foreseen, I have
learned: for wisdom, which is the worker of all things,
taught me.' (ibid. v 21), nonetheless 'I preferred her
before kingdoms and thrones, and esteemed riches nothing
in comparison of her.' (ibid. v 8) 'Neither did I compare
unto her any precious stone: for all gold in comparison
of her, is as a little sand,' (due to the fact that she
possesses the Science and Art of producing metals) 'and
silver in respect to her shall be counted as clay.'
(ibid. v 9) Hence I also say to you, my very dear Sons,
'Receive my instruction, and not money: choose knowledge'
(the doctrine I bequeath to you in this Book) 'rather
than gold.' (Proverbs 8 v 10).
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