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The Hermetic Journal Issue Number 4 1 - Autumn 1988 Edited by Adam McLean Published by Tne Hermetic Research Trust 6 Canonbury Place London N 1 2NQ Tel: 01 226 0774 ISSUE NUMBER 4 1 1 Editorial 3 News and Information 4 The Alchemical Tarot Deck: The respectable scientific Journal Nature has in the past months indulged itself in Part Two a rather shabby way in appraising a Rafal T Prlnke o conlroversial scientific article. Their I7 The Celestial Dew and paranoid attitude towards genuine Kabbalistic Prayer scientific researchers reveals a certain G. S. Bennett o insecurity in the scientific world about 2 1 The 'Rosfcruclan' or the established scientific paradigm or 'Enochian' Chess Set of world view. W. Wynn Westcott The article in question Human basqahi/ depranu/afionfrippered by verv Adam McLean o d//ute antiserum against &E was 26 The Lineage of the Serpent written by Dr Jacques Benveniste of or Ring of Fire INSERM, an institute researching K. Samten o allergy and immunopharmacology 28 Pontanus and the Sophic attached to the University of Paris, and Flre his work has been repeated and corrob- Knight o orated by other researchers in laborato- Graham ries in Israel, Italy and Canada, who also lent their name as co-authors of the paper. Their experiment was with The ideas, oplnlons and views human basophils (a type of white blood expressed In the artlcles In the cell) whlch degranulate (an observable Hermetic Journal are those of the change in the cell structure which contributors only, and do not produces histamine) when exposed to a particular antigen. This is the basis of necessarily reflect those of the various human allergic reactions (hay Hermetic Research Trust. fever, nettle rash, etc) to various substances in the environment. Dr Benveniste and his colleagues of tension and melodrama - at one point noticed that this reaction was triggered Randi taped the code for a particular by very low concentrations of the series of blind tests to the ceiling of the antigens and designed an experiment to laboratory so that it could not be inter- explore this phenomenon further. After fered with by the scientists, as if he many years of research and cross were investigating Uri Geller! - and checking with other laboratories, they Stewart even altered the experimental found that the degranulation reaction method at the last moment though he occurred down to over 100 dilutions of 1 had no experience of this particular lab- part in 10. According to the laws of oratory technique. Benveniste emerges chemistry, there should be less than one as a serious scientist researching a phe- molecule of the antigen (which initiates nomenon he has stumbled upon in the the reaction) when the sample is diluted course of his work and yet is investi- merely 14 times. Also they found that gated as if he were a trickster. The there were a series of rhythmic peaks paranoid reaction of the Nature reply to and troughs in activity as they further Dr Benveniste reveals a terrible insecu- diluted the sample, rather than merely a rity at the heart of the present scientific gradual falling away in activity. This world view. It is well worth reading the experiment thus would seem to support whole sequence of articles (in NalurVol the claims of the homaeopathic school of 333, 30th June, and 334, 28 July 1988). medicine that rhythmic dilution of It struck me that, just at the time various substances gives rise to definite when guardians of scientific orthodoxy biological activities. Hommpaths regu- were exhibiting their paranoid insecuri- larly use dilutions of D30 (1 part in 1030) ties at some results which challenged to Dl20 (1 part in 10120). ]t is not their present world view, the Christian Benveniste's object to prove homcleo- religious world was being equally con- pathy and he does not mention this in vulsed by Martin Scorsese's film based his paper. on the novel The Last Tefjjpfafio~~of ~h~ results of this experiment seems Nikos Kazantzakis. Various fundamen- t~ have so challenged the prevailing f811st Christians have gone scientific model that a stmnge band of info paroxysms of fury at the portrayal guardians of the tradition were Jesus in this film. despatched by Nafun to investigate Dr KaantzakiS' novel, which 1 Benveniste's clalms. John Maddox a remember reading over ten Years ago, scientific journalist, brought together impressed me with its treatment of the Walter Stewart an investigator of scien- human side of Jesus' and was an tific fraud, and James Ran&, an attempt through fiction to Show the illusionist, professional magician, and inner struggles and emotional life of debunker of clairvoyants and the para- Jesus. The 'last temptation' is Jesus' normal. This strange crew spent a week reverie on the cross, that in place of this in Dr Benveniste's laboratory investi- agonising end to his life, he could have gating the experiment and produced a chosen instead to bring his career as a damning report in the next issue of spiritual teacher to an end and become Nafun 'High dilution experiments a an ordinary family man living a simple delusion', entirely dismissing the life with Mary Magdelene. Benveniste results and implying either The novel includes a sympathetic direct fraud or lack of scientific rigour treatment of Jesus' relationship with the in their methodology. Essenes, and is a worthy and deeply felt Now Dr Benveniste's response to work expressing a particular view on their investigation team is very inter- the figure at the centre of Christianity. esting and revealing. The investigators Now it has been made into a film, considerably disrupted work in the however, the extremist Christian groups laboratory, and created an atmosphere have threatened to disrupt screenings 2 and have even been encouraged by some Surely security in our spiritual life fundamentalist preachers to burn down cannot come merely froin our ideas cinemas. Their paranoid reactions being unchallenged by the views of reveal a deep insecurity at the founda- other people or groups, but must arise tion of these peoples' religion. from within. Only when we are It seems to me that esotericists have inwardly immersed in our ideas, and much to learn from these two public have a living inner connection with the exhibitions of insecurity in the scientific core of the hermetic tradition, can we and religious spheres. For an interest in have that security. If we work with the esotericism by itself will not make us hermetic ideas, building them through immune from such feelings of inner exercises into the substance of our insecurity, indeed we often read of one being, then we will gradually sense the group denouncing another, or hear philosophers' stone within us, the solid mischievous tales designed to discredit ground on which our spiritual life can an individual or group. Such public stand secure. Only when we can sense denouncements and attacks on other the stable ground of the Philosophers' groups are a petty politics of people who Stone in our being will we as take themselves and their opinions too esotericists feel no pressing need to seriously, a pathetic imitation of the denounce other groups or currents of battles fought out in the arena of ideas critical of our own. national and international politics. /&- NClea-. In the two month period between the last issue of the Journal and the present one, I have been able to print up some back issues in the new format. As I indicated some time ago, individual back issues will no longer be available, but instead these will be bound up as yearbooks in paperback format. At present four volumes are available at L9.95 each or $18.00 to US customers inc post, 1982 (15/16/17/18), 1983 (19/20/21/22), 1984 (23/24/25/26) 1985 (27/28/29/302 Further volumes, those for 1979, 1980 and 1981 will be available in the next few months. Also three further Magnum Opus volumes are now to be issued in paperback The Rosary of the Philosophers (available now E9.95) Splendor Solis (available now E8.95) The Mosaical Philosophy - Cabala of Robert Fludd (available September E9.95) Westcott's Enochian Chess Set The Hermetic Research Trust will publish in September a full colour facsimile set of the original Westcott Enochian Chess Set used in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The 37 pieces will be erlcapsulated in a protective clear plastic film. A book describing the history of the pieces, together with much of the Order documents on 'Enochian' or 'Rosicrucian' Chess, and a number of essays on the symbolism, will accompany the pieces. The book plus facsimiles will initially pnlv be available direct from the Hermetic Research Trust Later in the year this may be distributed through the book trade. We have tried to keep the price to a reasonable level but the colour printing and encapsulation is extremely expansive, however, we can keep the price down to S30 ($60 in USA). For a limited period only, these will be available to Journal subscribers at the reduced price of E25 ($50 for USA customers) inclusive of post. THE ALCHEMICAL TAROT DECK Part Two Rafal T. Prinke O XII. The Hanged Man. This card is a symbol of the stage in the Great Work known as "fixing the volatile". The winged, and therefore aerial, figure descends from above downwards and places small sacks of solid matter on the bottom of the retort. The same idea is conveyed by the crucified snake at the top, which is a traditional symbol of this process. XIII. Death. The next important phase of the Work is that of Nigredo, in which the substance in the retort is broken down into its basic components.
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