“Use only one vessel, one fire, one instrument.
“The door to success lies in the unity of will and purpose and the proper adaptation of the means to the end. There are many roads leading to the celestial center. He who follows the chosen path may succeed, while he who attempts to walk on many paths will be delayed.
“If the molten metals are allowed to cool off before they are transformed into higher ones, they will become hard again, and the whole process will have to be recommenced from the beginning. Use the inextinguishable lamp. Its light will not go out unless it is driven away by force.
“Recognize the true Prima Materia. It is to be found everywhere, but if you do not find it in your own house, you will find it nowhere. It is a living substance that can be discovered only in places inhabited by man. It is the only substance from which the Philosopher’s Stone can be prepared, and without that substance no genuine silver or gold can be made. In thirty pounds of ordinary mercury, there is usually not more than one pound of the true substance, and a hundred pounds of ordinary sulfur usually contains not more than one pound of that which is useful. It can only be found above he earth, not below it. It is before everybody’s eyes; no one can live without it; everybody uses it; the poor usually possess more of it than the rich; … it can be perceived by the sense of feeling, but it cannot be seen with the material eye.” ~Franz Hartmann
One Vessel, One Fire
Hartmann is saying that if you are seeking true spiritual growth rather than just studying the teachings out of curiosity, you must choose a particular school or discipline and follow it completely and regularly. If you find at some point that you made a bad choice, move on to a different school, but don’t just jump willy-nilly from one school to another, one method to another. Let’s consider the issue with an analogy.
A man who is by profession a home construction engineer wants to build himself a house. He starts by laying out a few boards and making a partial frame. But then decides a brick house would be better. So he starts laying bricks but does only a few dozen before he decides stone would be better than brick, so he tears down the brick and starts again with stone. If he continues on like this, not only will he not get the best home possible, he won’t get one at all! He has to make a firm decision and stick with it. The same for choosing a spiritual school or spiritual discipline to follow. Continue reading “Unity of Will for Spiritual Success”