Adepts believed in the macrocosm-microcosm theories of Hermes, that is to say, they believed that processes that affect minerals and other substances could have an effect on the human body (for example, if one could learn the secret of purifying gold, one could use the technique to purify the human soul).
ɐdˈɛpts bᵻlˈiːvd ɪnðə mˈækɹəkˌɑːzəmmˈaɪkɹoʊkˌɑːzəm θˈiəɹiz ʌv hˈɜːmiːz, ðæt ɪz tə sˈeɪ, ðeɪ bᵻlˈiːvd ðæt pɹˈɑːsɛsᵻz ðæt ɐfˈɛkt mˈɪnɚɹəlz ænd ˈʌðɚ sˈʌbstənsᵻz kˌʊdɐv ɐn ɪfˈɛkt ɔnðə hjˈuːmən bˈɑːdi fɔːɹ ɛɡzˈæmpəl, ɪf wˈʌn kʊd lˈɜːn ðə sˈiːkɹᵻt ʌv pjˈʊɹɹᵻfˌaɪɪŋ ɡˈoʊld, wˈʌn kʊd jˈuːz ðə tɛknˈiːk tə pjˈʊɹɹᵻfˌaɪ ðə hjˈuːmən sˈoʊl.