quote (p. 190): > "yet thus they think they dissolve, mistaking nature, but dissolve not: for aquaforts being abstracted, or taken away, [the external causes of excitement being removed,] the body becometh meltable as before, and that water abides not with, nor subsists in, the body, as its radical moisture." this passage critiques reliance on temporary or external forces (symbolized by aquaforts) for personal transformation. such methods corrode rather than truly dissolve or purify the body and soul. true alchemical transformation requires a persistent internal agent (the conscience) rather than fleeting external stimuli. matthew 7:26-27 (niv) > "but everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." this mirrors the idea that external or unstable methods cannot create a solid foundation for personal growth. quote (p. 192): > "all violent action upon man with a view to his improvement is injurious." this aligns with platonic and aristotelian philosophy, emphasizing that self-improvement must be a natural process, not imposed by external coercion. the conscience, symbolized as mercury, is the transformative agent that works gently and organically. ecclesiastes 3:11 (niv) > "he has made everything beautiful in its time. he has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what god has done from beginning to end." transformation and perfection unfold naturally, in their appointed time. quote (p. 208): > "the hermetic philosopher obeys the command because he knows the law... which is the knowledge of god." hermetic philosophy frames divine law as intrinsic to nature and accessible through reason and conscience. unlike dogmatic adherence to external commands, hermetic obedience stems from understanding the eternal principles underlying those commands.
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