The Secret

The alchemical stone ala Harry Potter—although even some Housewives know about it, as it were.
“Concerning all this, we have to realize that the “secret” had nothing to do with any exclusivity of sect or unwillingness to speak, but rather that it was a question of not *being able* to say, in addition to having to prevent the inevitable incomprehension of those who would profane or distort the teaching. Since the alchemical technique, in its truth, *consists of an Art made possible by higher powers set in motion by superior and nonhuman states of consciousness*, it is natural to declare that the secret of the Great Work cannot be transmitted, but is the privilege of the initiates, who by virtue of their own experiences, can alone understand what is hidden behind the jargon and symbolism of the technical texts. For the profane the only counsel was to be prepared and to pray, in the hope that through some spontaneous enlightenment their eyes might be opened at last… What has been said about the “transmission of the secret” being conferred only on the “worthy” need not be interpreted moralistically. It has to do with the fact that the consciousness of the one who is to be transformed has to be at the level of readiness to enter the new state and to be transformed within it; or else, either the operation will fail, or it could well provoke violent and dangerous dissociations in the natural unity of the different components of the person.” (The Hermetic Tradition)