The Grail of the Alchemist and the speculative Worker
by Athos A. Altomonte
(C) 2007 Esonet.it - Esonet.com

The spiritual Alchemist and the speculative Worker have a postulate in common. The former calls it: ‘the transmutation of metals' (to purify one's character); the latter calls it: ‘the smoothing of the stone' (to sublimate one's character). This means to use different ‘instruments' in order to reach the same goal.

Freemasonry is a silent and particularly complex container, where it is possible to re-gain ideas lost and forgotten elsewhere. By refining his intellectual abilities, the speculative Worker creates the most efficient tool of research, which is his mind (see Psyche, the first instrument of the initiate). By working for refinement, the mind digs in the past in the search of its ‘Grail', which everybody keeps in the most ‘private' part of himself. It is the ‘Cup of the heart' where it is accomplished the emulsion of the ‘philosopher's Stone', which reveals the mystery of our essence.

We are saying this so that people don't suppose that it is enough to reason on words, forms and numbers to access the most confidential hall of true Masonic initiation. Beyond a certain point pragmatism can become a limit, which the speculative Worker must cross by abstracting his intelligence.

In order to reach certain mental images it is necessary to transcend the ordinary mind with a match that the common Mason dislikes, because he doesn't like to hear about spirit. The ordinary religious man doesn't like it either, since he doesn't want to hear about logic. Yet, history teaches us that man's greatness consists of finding a balanced combination between science and passion, love and reason, logic and soul.

In any case the initiate, either Alchemist or speculative Worker , can't lack mind or spirit. In order to ‘ take the blindfold off ' it is necessary that head (logic) and heart (intuition) become one. This synchronicity makes the human being greater. Therefore don't be surprised if we will talk again about top and bottom , or in and out ; if this didn't happen, we would never work in the initiatory dimension but in any other place.