Alchemy: the question of transformation

O thou servant of the True One! Sulphur is the fire of the love of God, and mercury is the quicksilver of the ocean of the knowledge of God. Combine then these twin noble elements, and harmonize and unite these twin soundest pillars, and so obtain the Noblest Stone---that is, the Jewel of Jewels, the Ruby of the Mine of the Kingdom---so that thou mayest discover the Most Great Elixir and find the Alchemy of Truth, and, casting it upon the copper and iron of men’s souls, transmute them into purest gold.

Nurture it in the retort of the heart with the fire of love, and after its effect appeareth in all the pillars, if but an atom thereof be bestowed upon the people of the world, thou shalt behold all the copper of existence transformed into pure gold. This is the Most Great Elixir, with whose mention the Pen of the Ancient of Days hath been and is occupied.

O Wise One! Has the crown of victory such power as to transform diverse elements in a single thing and bring them to the station of pure gold? Though such transformation appears difficult and complex, yet the transformation of earthly power to heavenly power is possible in the sight of this Wronged One. That which effects this transformation is greater than the elixir. This station and this power are specific to the Word of God.

As to what thou hast asked concerning the honored stone - whether it be copper or lead or something else - know thou that it hath been called by all names, but most people understand not.

… We do not desire that any of the loved ones occupy themselves with it. Rather, it behooveth thee and those who have believed to make your chief concern in these days the remembrance of God and the promotion of His decisive and wise Cause. His love is verily the supreme elixir and the most glorious crown, whereby the base metals of hearts are transformed into pure gold.

In regard to what thou hast asked about the craft, this Wronged One hath not, of His own accord, set forth anything on this subject. However, certain individuals have asked questions, and, in response, the Pen of the Most High set down the explanations that are found in the Tablets. … Nevertheless, its appearance hath been made one of the signs of the coming of age of the human race, and the time when this shall happen hath been fixed. As yet it hath not come, but when it cometh it shall be manifested through the power of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth. He, verily, is the All-Informed, the All-Knowing. For this reason all have been prohibited from becoming engaged with it. None hath the right to busy himself therewith.

As to what was written concerning the elixir, this Most Exalted Word was repeatedly heard from the tongue of the Lord of Names - exalted be His utterance and mighty His proof: "O servant in attendance! Whatever hath been revealed concerning the elixir from the heaven of divine Will was in response to the questions of the servants. They repeatedly asked until that which was revealed was revealed. Otherwise, the Most Exalted Pen would not have addressed it and hath not had, nor hath, any inclination to mention such matters.

This servant heard repeatedly from the Blessed Tongue saying that had the questioners not attributed it to incapacity or worse, surely no word would have been revealed concerning it, and repeatedly did He forbid the servants from practicing it - a mighty prohibition in the Book. As commanded, thou and the trustees of the Cause should wisely and with utterance prevent the friends of Truth from engaging in this pursuit which is in truth a waste of life.

Regarding what you wrote about one of the friends of God expressing grief over the believers' involvement with the craft of elixir-making, verily he hath spoken the truth. Indeed, right is with him in prohibiting this act. Multiple Tablets have been revealed from the heaven of divine Will and sent to various regions concerning this. It is most strange that despite clear prohibition, they engage in this futile pursuit.

For example, some have asked about numerology, and likewise about the elixir, and likewise about the poetry of poets and sayings of mystics, and the Supreme Pen has mentioned what should be mentioned and answers to all have been revealed. However, today these sciences are not and have not been beloved, for these sciences have been and will be the cause of delay and hindrance. Many who engaged in the elixir and numerology lost their minds from excessive delusion and reflection, and signs of madness appeared in them.

One time he said to Kalim, "Each person that says, 'I have this process,' his own soul proves his loss and lies." By virtue of this, he prohibited busying oneself with it and working with these kinds of sciences, including divination (jafr) and geomancy (raml), was forbidden in most of the Tablets.

That opposing soul who dwells on the island hath taught alchemy to certain ones that their insight might increase, but it hath only added to their blindness. … In Aliyyih four persons were engaged in this pursuit for some time, and they have seen and will see naught but loss.

… What hath been said was and is for the sake of God, for the helpless people are unaware of the root of the matter and have fallen prey to alchemy and the like.

However, some petitions from before and after arrived from various directions inquiring about this matter. Therefore, in response to each one, as was befitting, drops from the ocean of knowledge were manifested, and whenever anyone wished to engage in this pursuit, they were forbidden and told that the time had not yet come - wait until God brings it forth in His Own time. For today all must be focused on another matter, which is teaching the souls with wisdom and utterance, so that the copper of the existence of the servants might be transformed into pure gold through the elixir of the divine Word and that they turn toward the supreme horizon.

… We have not given leave to anyone to occupy himself with this matter. To this testifieth My tongue and My pen and beyond them thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Rather, the purpose was that this hidden secret and guarded mystery remained concealed in the days of the Holy Manifestations. Its disclosure is not permitted now, for the order of the world would be disrupted and affairs would become disordered.

Now observe this - that the Holy Manifestations did not address such matters. It is certain that the hand of divine infallibility is upon this, otherwise by now it would have been the secret of every gathering and the minaret of every assembly.

Therefore seek you the ancient treasure and desire the mighty influence, so that brilliant traces may encompass all horizons. This is the enduring craft, this is the eternal gift, this is the penetrating elixir in hearts and spirits, this is the illuminator of forms.

As for the matter of alchemy, this matter is under divine protection and concealment. Its day of manifestation has not yet come, and until its day of manifestation, which represents the stage of the perfection of this world, arrives, its attainment is impossible and unachievable. Therefore, all their striving and squandering of resources devoted to this matter will ultimately prove fruitless and without result....

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For instance, consider the substance of copper. Were it to be protected in its own mine from becoming solidified, it would, within the space of seventy years, attain to the state of gold. There are some, however, who maintain that copper itself is gold, which by becoming solidified is in a diseased condition, and hath not therefore reached its own state.

… Among the sciences which this pretender hath professed is that of alchemy. We cherish the hope that either a king or a man of preeminent power may call upon him to translate this science from the realm of fancy to the domain of fact and from the plane of mere pretension to that of actual achievement.

“Is it ever possible,” they ask, “for gold to be transmuted into copper?” Say, Yes, by my Lord, it is possible. Its secret, however, lieth hidden in Our Knowledge. We will reveal it unto whom We will. Whoso doubteth Our power, let him ask the Lord his God, that He may disclose unto him the secret, and assure him of its truth. That copper can be turned into gold is in itself sufficient proof that gold can, in like manner, be transmuted into copper, if they be of them that can apprehend this truth. Every mineral can be made to acquire the density, form, and substance of each and every other mineral. The knowledge thereof is with Us in the Hidden Book.

But even should it be so, we say, in the first place: this incapacity belongeth indeed to the realm of the contingent; yet God is powerful over all things. He transformeth whatsoever He willeth. Should He desire to turn the gold of the world into copper, He is free to do so, and able; and if He willeth, He createth the possibility of change in all things by His command, and then altereth them by His sovereignty; verily He is the All-Powerful, the Almighty.

… Moreover, the sages have declared that gold, if it remain in earth for a time, is changed into earth. But apart from the sayings of the philosophers, there is the saying of God Himself: "All have I created from dust, and unto dust will I return them." It is therefore established that gold becometh dust; and dust---most certainly---is baser than copper.

We testify that he is one of the heroes in this field and an outstanding champion dedicated unto it. He had a profound knowledge of such sciences as were current amongst men as well as of those which were veiled from their minds. Methinks he drank one draught when the Most Great Ocean overflowed with gleaming and life-giving waters. He it is who perceived a unique, a tempered, and a pervasive nature in things, bearing the closest likeness to the human spirit, and he discovered this nature to be distinct from the substance of things in their refined form. He hath a special pronouncement on this weighty theme. Wert thou to ask from the worldly wise of this generation about this exposition, thou wouldst witness their incapacity to grasp it.

That state of matter which is the cause of the equilibrium and perfection of the body is that perfect and balanced nature obtainable through the composition and mixture of the elements. It is physical and not spiritual.

Listen with pure and sanctified hearing. Be not distressed at the delay of matters - every matter is bound to its time.

In the mixing and combination of things, two stations are to be considered: one through pure absolute power, and this depends on His leave and is specific to His presence; the other through the conjunction of harmonious things that are not mutually repellent, and this, after knowledge of the perfect nature, is known among the philosophers as "the egg," and it is the fashioned stone, containing the four natures, and after separation is capable of complete mixture.

If there should not be decomposition, composition would not be. … For example, if you wish the dust and stone and wood to be mixed perfectly with each other, it is impossible unless each be decomposed into its salts; when we have dissolved them then we can compose them.

In brief, what is intended by the hidden craft is that thou shouldst separate the four elements from a single thing, and after purifying each element from incidental impurities through dissolution and coagulation, unite these elements.

… In these days that which is beloved and desired is that thou shouldst take somewhat of the active essence, which is love for the Servant of God, and place it upon the conflicting elements of the human temple, so that all may be cleansed, through the assistance of that Most Great Essence, from the dross of earthly realms and enter the eternal kingdom.

When thou dost purpose to pursue this hidden art, first ponder and reflect whether this supreme craft exists, or whether, like the Simurgh and Phoenix of old, it is but a name without reality.

… The manifestation of this hidden treasure among these people is a sign of the world's maturity, after which shall follow grave peril and barren tribulation for the world and its people, unless all enter the divine paradise.

O seeker! Hearken unto the counsel of this imprisoned servant. Act not before knowledge, and seek not from other than the source.

As to what thou hast asked concerning the Stone, know thou that it lieth scattered in every place, and within it We have ordained treasures that none knoweth save him whom We have taught knowledge from Our presence. Verily thy Lord is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. It is one in itself yet from it appear multiplicities. Blessed is he who recognizeth it and witnesseth therein the power of God, and whom nothing preventeth from this straight path. It is God's treasure among His servants, the repository of mysteries among His creation, and the dawning-place of power to every discerning one who seeth.

Now observe that some people suppose that the stone exists and countless differences appear concerning it - each group considers some thing to be the stone and busies itself with treating it, wasting their lives. This is why they have said "Work comes after knowledge." In any case, the stone has been and will be hidden, stored, and concealed.

… However, repeatedly it was heard from the Most Holy Tongue that due to the questions of some friends, the Supreme Pen became occupied and spoke concerning this science, though He did not wish the friends to become occupied with it, and He has mentioned the reason for this in some Tablets.

First, one must know wherein the All-Wise Lord and All-Knowing Sovereign hath placed this mighty matter and sublime mystery. Then must one purify and sanctify the soul and spirit from the cage of self and desire, that it may become worthy of this divine trust and heavenly artifice.

Take then the luminous water from the dark fire, that the high may be distinguished from the low, and separation be made between water and earth. After separation, let purification occur that it may be fit for marriage and mixture.

Meet with Husayn in the Land of Ta and convey greetings from the True One. Say to him: What you did with the concealed matter is good, but better is what We commanded you at first. Whatever you do with it, watch it in the fire lest it become too intense, and work with it to the extent that it draws away the coldness preventing it. We instruct you to reflect on what We sent you so you may understand all of it and the subtleties revealed therein.

By God, this is from the philosophers' gold about which souls have wandered and the minds of the wise have been bewildered, and until now none has attained it except servants whom the ornaments of the world do not distract from the remembrance of God, the All-Compelling, the Self-Subsisting.

This is the soul and blood and the red resin, whereby decaying bodies are brought to life when this spirit is breathed into them. Therefore, O ye people of the Art, seek after it! But attend to the fire, and apply it not in such measure as would harm it, for fire both corrupts and perfects, were ye but to perceive it.

And if thou shouldst follow this principle which We have mentioned to thee in all the ranks of knowledge concerning minerals and plants, after turning unto God and achieving extinction in Him and subsistence through Him, thou shalt attain unto that which God hath intended for thee through the hidden treasures of His knowledge and the stored mysteries of His wisdom. For this principle is among the principles that have encompassed all possibility in their essence and all creation in their form, for the Cause is naught but separation and union. And if thou art able to separate all that is in the heavens and earth, and unite them all after purification until they become one thing, the mysteries of this mighty secret shall be made manifest unto thee.

The science of elixir, like the creation of all things, hath neither beginning nor end - a knowledge that God hath concealed behind holy veils, and when He bestoweth it upon any of His servants, they act by God's command. And what the seekers of guidance say manifesteth no effect until the Effector permitteth it from Our presence. Say: Glory be to God! At the time of effect, God hath already permitted it - do ye not see?

Look first to the hidden knowledge which is the essence of all sciences, for its pillars are four: Western Mercury, which is cold and moist; Eastern Yellow Water, which is hot and moist; Eastern Red Water, which is hot and dry; and the purified weight known as the iron body and sacred earth, which is cold and dry. Also, all its operations are four: First, the separation of matter; second, the marriage, through which the precious stone is completed; third, the separation of pillars and natures; and fourth, the combination of pillars, and at this stage the elixir is completed and appears in the garment of excellence, demolishing ranks and caring not for thousands.

And verily in this station of thine take the tree of Sinai from the head of the youth, then wash it at the boundary of Safa, then take its water four times. When thou hast taken the fifth water it must needs be a thin yellow. Then preserve it and take oil from the fourth oil of sulfur after leaving it from the first part from the first water, and likewise similar to the first. When it reacheth the boundary of seven, the Name of God, the Living, shall be made manifest. Cast it according to the measure thou wishest from God's outpouring, for I find no cessation in the outpouring of God.

As to thy question regarding the Elixir, know thou that God hath created nothing but that He hath placed within it the Letter of the Elixir in its appointed station. … Fire -- this is the Greatest Name of God: kindle it to unveil the veils of benefits. Then set the branch upon its proper limit that it may put forth growth; and take of the fruit of the Tree that issued from Mount Sinai, according to the measure of Decree in the secret of Destiny, and carry it to its place: thou shalt find the Oil of the Greatest Red. Thereupon the fire shall be nearer than the twinkling of an eye.

Therefore, assist ye the Cause through the negation of negation and the affirmation of the Alif of affirmation, through the help of thy Lord Who is the Temple of Him Who is Invoked for Help [al-Mustaghath], or through those among the great ones who have the capacity for that, for this is the completion of the work in the elixir text according to the technical terms known therein. And God is All-Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent.

Thus the beginning of the matter connected to its end, and the circular Kaf returned to the pole of its zone. Then came the cycles and ages, and the realities of archetypes were breathed into the womb of possibility. The parts of the elixir were completed in the well of decomposition, and God took the distillation. Thus whoever was in the vessel and alembic, God the Exalted called through the tongue of His beloved: "Come to Me, My beloved." So he ascended from the earthly Far Temple to his true homeland or nearer.

O Ali! We have appointed the alembic and retort from the beginning of this Cause among Our servants that We might extract the elixiric components from the hearts of those who desire naught but God and are thankful unto Him.

… And all that God hath created in the kingdoms of heaven and earth and what lieth between them is contained within this temple - the temple of man. Will ye not then be thankful?

For instance, the search for alchemy has brought into being thousands of useful medicines and the desire of finding a direct route to India from Europe became the cause of the discovery of America.

We have appointed two signs for the coming of age of the human race: the first, which is the most firm foundation, We have set down in other of Our Tablets, while the second hath been revealed in this wondrous Book.

As for the two signs of the maturity of the world, their explanation must remain veiled at present. Wisdom requires this.

As for the sign of the maturity of the world mentioned in the Most Holy Book - one is the achievement of universal peace, and another is the manifestation and appearance of the Sister of Prophethood, divine wisdom, of which the hidden craft is a part....

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The Glorious maturity of this world depends upon the realization of two things: the establishment of the era of Universal Peace and the discovery or appearance of the hidden science which shall renovate all the conditions of existence...

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O ye My Branches! A mighty force, a consummate power lieth concealed in the world of being. Fix your gaze upon it and upon its unifying influence, and not upon the differences which appear from it.

For many years thou wast a desert wanderer - now drink from the cup of love for the Ancient Beauty, that the greatest elixir of thy desire and hope may penetrate the copper of thy conditions and affairs, turning black copper into red gold as the divine alchemy manifests its power.

Considering that a century ago, nobody knew the nature of matter, and couldn't split any kind of atom, it should not surprise the scientist that 'Abdu'l-Baha states that copper can be transmuted into gold. There may come a time, for all we know, when the mass of many atoms can be changed by scientists....The same holds true of the statement of Baha'u'llah in the Iqan, regarding transmutation of copper into gold after seventy years, under certain conditions. We as Baha'is must assume that, as He had access to all knowledge, He was referring to a definite physical condition which theoretically might exist.

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One thing can never of itself change into another; but by changing the surrounding conditions and combining it with something else it can be changed.... The way has not yet been discovered in Europe - but when the method is discovered it will be possible to change copper into gold, or to change the nature of metals - the time for this discovery is not yet.

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We are possessed of such power which, if brought to light, will transmute the most deadly of poisons into a panacea of unfailing efficacy.

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That which is below is like that which is above, and that which is above is like that which is below, to do the miracles of one only thing. And as all things have been arose from one by the mediation of one: so all things have their birth from this one thing by adaptation.

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