The EMERALD TABLET
The Emerald Tablet is at the center of Western alchemy and contains
concepts crucial to understanding alchemy as it is practiced around the world.
The alchemists believed the
Emerald Tablet was an
artifact brought to Egypt by mysterious visitors over 12,000 years ago. The
tablet contains the essence of alchemical philosophy and has been credited as
the source of both alchemy and the scientific method. The Emerald Tablet is also
said to contain a formula for the perfection of anything, whether it be a metal
or the human soul. Nearly every medieval alchemist had a copy of it hanging on
his laboratory wall and constantly referred to the secret formula it contained.
It is not just the ancients who
appreciated the tablet. “The Emerald
Tablet,” said noted Jungian author Dr. Edward Edinger, “is the cryptic epitome
of the alchemical opus, a recipe for the second creation of the world.” Esoteric
scholar John Matthews wrote: “Whatever one chooses to believe about it, there is
no getting away from the fact that the Emerald Tablet is one of the most
profound and important documents to have come down to us. It has been said more
than once that it contains the sum of all knowledge – for those able to
understand it.” Explorers of consciousness Terence McKenna believed that the
Emerald Tablet contained “a formula for a holographic matrix” that is mirrored
in the human mind and offers our species its only hope for future survival.
The secret formula contained in
the Emerald Tablet became known as the Emerald Formula. It consists of seven
consecutive steps that lead to a new level of creation no matter what the
“substance” of transformation may be. The alchemists interpreted these steps in
terms of seven chemical operations that they performed on the “matter” of their
work to perfect it. We will examine this formula in detail in the ensuing
chapters. For now, however, we are going to devote some time to gaining a deeper
understanding of the Emerald Tablet.
What the Emerald Tablet Tells Us
The Emerald Tablet is organized in seven rubrics or paragraphs. They are
called rubrics (from the Latin rubeo,
meaning “red”) because, in the Latin translations, the first letter of each
paragraph was highlighted in red ink. It should be noted that when the tablet
refers to the “Universe,” it is talking about the material universe in which we
live. When it speaks of the “Whole Universe,” it is referencing not only the
material universe (Below) but also the spiritual universe (Above). See if you
can sense the secret formula hidden in the words of the Emerald Tablet as you
read the following version.
The Emerald Tablet
In truth, without deceit, certain,
and most veritable.
That which is Below corresponds to
that which is Above, and that which is Above corresponds to that which is Below,
to accomplish the miracles of the One Thing. And just as all things have come
from this One Thing, through the meditation of One Mind, so do all created
things originate from this One Thing, through Transformation.
Its father is the Sun; its mother
the Moon. The Wind carries it in its belly; its nurse is the Earth.
It is the origin of All, the consecration of the Universe; its inherent
Strength is perfected, if it is turned into Earth.
Separate the Earth from Fire, the
Subtle from the Gross, gently and with great Ingenuity. It rises from Earth to
Heaven and descends again to Earth, thereby combining within Itself the powers
of both the Above and the Below.
Thus will you obtain the Glory of
the Whole Universe. All Obscurity will be clear to you. This is the greatest
Force of all powers, because it overcomes every Subtle thing and penetrates
every Solid thing.
In this way was the Universe
created. From this comes many wondrous Applications, because this is the
Pattern.
Therefore am I called Thrice
Greatest Hermes, having all three parts of the wisdom of the Whole Universe.
Herein have I completely explained the Operation of the Sun.
The first rubric simply sets the tone of the documents and asks us to
come to a higher awareness and become open to deeper truths. The second rubric
presents the Doctrine of Correspondences, which describes a vertical
relationship between the realm of spirit Above and the realm of matter Below.
This is the so-called Vertical Axis of reality, which the alchemists felt they
could enter in their meditations. The Horizontal Axis is our normal material
world. A wonderful example of experiencing the Vertical Axis is a work in the
Corpus Hermeticum called the “Divine
Pymander” (or “Divine Mind”). It is allegedly written by Hermes Trismegistus and
describes his meeting with the Divine Mind and what it revealed to him about the
nature of reality.
The third rubric elaborates on the nature of the One Thing, which is the
subject of the tablet. The alchemists have usually interpreted the One Thing to
mean the First Matter or Universal Life Force, and this rubric describes its
characteristics. The first two sentences of this rubric present the Four
Elements in the order of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Associated with each of
these elements are the first four operations of alchemy: Calcination,
Dissolution, Separation, and Conjunction.
The fourth rubric is the most mystical part of the Emerald Tablet and
seems to be telling us how to enter the spiritual realm Above. It also describes
the last three alchemical operations of Fermentation, Distillation, and
Coagulation. The fifth rubric describes the result of the
previous conditions, which is the purified Quintessence.
The sixth rubric suggests that the previous rubrics have described a
specific universal Pattern that leads to transformation on all levels of
reality. It is not only the formula that the alchemist follows in his work, but
also the overall pattern of nature in perfecting matter.
The seventh and last rubric, identifies the author of the tablet as
“Thrice Greatest Hermes.” Hermes is the Greek name of Thoth, who in the Roman
tradition was known as Mercury. His Latin name is Hermes Trismegistus, which
means “Thrice Greatest Hermes.” Hermes (or Thoth) is thrice-greatest because he
has gained knowledge on all three levels of reality: the physical plane, the
mental plane, and the spiritual plane. He is now free of the cycle of rebirth
and exists outside time. The Operation of the Sun is the complete explanation of
the workings of the universe.
It is best not to over-analyze the Emerald Tablet but rather seek a
deeper connection with its truths by reading it many times until it begins
resonating with you in some way. Carry a copy of the tablet with you and read it
at various times of the day to see how the meanings change. You may want to
rewrite in a way that makes more sense to you. It seems that just about every
alchemist from Albertus Magnus to Isaac Newton had their own personal
translation of the tablet.
