Adepts

Adept is a title granted to different individuals in different contexts within different occult traditions.
== Alchemy ==
Adept is a title given to alchemists who claim to have created the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life.de Plancy, J. C., (1863). Dictionnaire Infernal. 6ed. pg.8
It is said that at any given time there are only eleven adepts on Earth, and if someone else discovers how to create the philosopher's stone and elixir of life, one of the older adepts must withdraw from Earth and enter one of the elementary worlds.
According to Spence, this was an antiquated use of the title. Spence, L. (1920). An Encyclopædia of Occultism. 2 ed. pg. 3
== Theosophy ==
Also known as the Great White Brotherhood, Rishis, Rahats, and Mahatmas, adepts are individuals who have practiced self-denial and have used constant self-development to reach the point where they help rule the world. 
The route to become an adept is long and difficult, and one only becomes an adept when they have completed their destiny and transcends regular mortality. Their roles are multitudinous, but in short, they guide the rest of humanity. 
They are said to know more than any regular mortal can know, and they have powers over both the physical and spiritual worlds, which they can use to allow themselves to live for centuries. They are known to take apprentices, at which point a particular adept is given the honorific title "master". Such apprentices are known as chelas. These apprentices must first prove themselves worthy of becoming an apprentice through self-denial and self-development. The master teaches their apprentice things that would otherwise be unattainable, and helps bring them closer to becoming mahatmas themselves through communion and inspiration. Madame Blavatsky claimed to have been one of these apprentices, and that the adepts swelled in the Himalayan mountains within Tibet. 
== References ==
Category:Dictionnaire Infernal
Category:An Encyclopædia of Occultism