The seven metals of the spiritual alchemist.

Saturn-lead, Jupiter-tin, Mars-iron, Venus-copper. Mercury-Mercury (quicksilver), Moon-silver, Sun-gold.

"Each of these metals of spiritual alchemy is the various experiences of life. But before there can be transmuted gold, there first must be brought together, in their purified state, all seven of the essential metals.

The student must learn to discriminate between the real metal and the dross.

The real metal is the underlying reality of each experience, that is, its effect upon the soul; while the dross is the apparent condition, the material effect, which is the cloak of seeming with which every reality in existence is clothed.

All too often, for instance, we speak of a person as if he or she were merely an entity of flesh and blood, while in reality a person is soul and spirit. And the physical body is but the garment of manifestation which covers the character.

We commonly say that a person is sick, when in reality it is only the body that is ill. Thus we confuse the dross with the real metal.

It is true that a person may be sick, for one's soul may be prostrated with the lead (Saturn) poison of greed, or the impure tin (Jupiter) of self-indulgence, but to these it is less common to refer."

"Often we see only the perishable covering that hides the inwardly existing condition".