Parable about the Grand Pharmacist and
the Philosopher’s Stone*
In the old days, now commonly known as the Middle Ages, in Europe there were legends of a Man Who lives forever. No one knew where He appeared from and where He disappeared to. Sometimes He became an adviser to monarchs; sometimes He presented Himself as a healer; sometimes His ideas inspired philosophers, poets, artists… But it was only the outward manifestation of the main thing that remained hidden and enigmatic…
Even now, in the old manuscripts, some information can be found about the Friend of God, from Whom, having met Him, people got to know about the Truth… Today many believe that it is only fiction. But He really lived for centuries so that understanding, awareness, love, self-knowledge and knowledge of God could grow in people.
* * *
At that time one boy lived. His name was Henry. He was the eleventh son of an owner of a slaughter-house. His older brothers helped his father, while Henry stayed with his mother and helped her with her housework.However, the moment came when the father told Henry to begin to master his profession: to kill animals and turn their bodies into meat, skins, and bones…
Henry resisted. He said that he would never kill!
The father struck him in the face and shouted:
“If so — then you will not eat until you understand how hard our work is and how hard it is to make money!”
“I will not kill even if I have to die!” — Henry replied.
This confrontation lasted several days, during which the father vented his anger on the mother of Henry who was trying to protect her son any way she could.
And then Henry ran away from home.
* * *
He walked from one small town to another until he reached the capital.Many times he could not get money for food because nobody wanted to hire him being weakened by hunger…
But once a gentleman in robes of fine velvet offered Henry to help him to carry some books in heavy copper covers for a little money.
Henry gladly accepted this offer.
When they came to the house of that gentleman, Henry read on the sign: “Maitre Francis — pharmacist”.
After entering the house, Maitre Francis was going to pay Henry. But he did not find any small coins in his wallet and went up the stairs leaving the wallet, as if by accident. Henry looked at the wallet with gold coins… but could not steal.
Maitre Francis returned soon, looked kindly at Henry, and, giving him his small but honestly earned money, said:
“Honesty is a good start for a good life!
“I need a boy to carry medicines. You could become my assistant and student…”
Thus Henry stayed in the house of Maitre Francis.
* * *
The house where Henry now lived was unusual. The rules established here by Maitre Francis were surprising at the beginning but gradually became usual and pleasant.The first rule was Cleanliness.
According to this rule, not only floors, tables, shelves, and clothes should be clean, but also food. It meant that no one in the house ate bodies of killed animals. Cleanliness also implied that one should wash one’s body every day and keep one’s thoughts and emotions clean. “Everyone must start purification and transformation of the world with oneself!” — Maitre Francis used to say.
The second rule was Work.
Each one in this house had his or her own task and fulfilled it gladly. Maitre Francis refused work of servants or slaves. He used to say:
“Slaves or servants do something only because they are forced to. A free person, on the contrary, works when he or she can and wants, understanding that it is necessary.
“One gains Freedom only when he or she overcomes the slave in oneself!”…
The third rule was Silence.
In the house of Maitre Francis there was a special atmosphere of calm that accustomed one to the tendency to see the fullness of the True Existence and to perceive oneself as its participant.
“You should not say aloud every thought that comes into your head! Stop your talking, submerge yourself in silence — and then in nine times out of ten, you will remain silent!
“In this case, everything that you will say will be really important, and you will stop talking in vain.
“Only under this condition, will your words become a part of the vital elixir for other souls!” — Maitre Francis taught the beginners.
The fourth rule was Learning.
Maitre Francis used to say:
“When someone stops developing oneself and learning new things, that person makes a step towards his or her death, because the life of a soul in this body… becomes useless.
“Knowledge is not as important as the ability to apply this knowledge! In fact, there are few things that should be known. And then one should learn to think operating with that obtained knowledge. This is the key to wisdom.”
The fifth rule was Love.
Love united into one all those who lived in this house.
And love was the foundation for the methods that they were creating to heal people.
Maitre Francis rarely talked about love, but when he talked, his words were remembered for a long time:
“Love is a necessary condition for the development of wisdom. Wisdom is impossible without heart love!
“Love is what can turn an ordinary person — into a Divine Person!”
* * *
Henry liked to study. He had an excellent memory and inquiring mind.And everything that his Master recommended him to learn was full of wisdom. Such were, for example, the Gospels.
Maitre Francis explained:
“In order to heal people, it’s necessary to know not only the anatomy of a human body! Man is a soul, and the body is just its temporary abode! Therefore, to heal a patient, one needs to have the knowledge not only about medicinal herbs and minerals, functions of organs, and processes occurring in the entire organism, but also about the soul.
“You can learn a lot about a soul and God — from the words of Jesus Christ.”
“But for those who do not have the rank of a priest, it is forbidden to read the Bible,” — Henry objected.
“Do not be afraid! Fear is a bad teacher!
“What fear suggests — leads only to servility, meanness, and develops the ability to betray!
“Never listen to those thoughts that are whispered by fear, laziness, or anger!
“And one more important rule: no one should stand between man and God! Each person is directly responsible before God for everything that he or she does or does not do in his or her life! And everyone — by oneself — should learn to feel God and understand Him!”
… In this way, gradually, Maitre Francis led Henry to the realization of what He called the alchemy of a soul:
“The real alchemy is the knowledge about how people can improve themselves.
“One should learn to distinguish in oneself between the higher — and the lower, the light — and the heavy, the good — and the bad.
“Vices tie a soul with heaviness and do not let it come out from lower, coarse states. So vices are the first thing that you must overcome in yourself!
“Only that one approaches the Perfection who trains oneself in such self-control daily and constantly, and not only sometimes!”
* * *
Maitre Francis explained everything — in a unique way! He took simple examples from a daily life — and used them to explain great truths:“There are common Laws of Existence that were created by God. Each of them functions and determines the course of life on the Earth and in the whole universe.
“Look: the stone that I hold now in my hand will fall down to the ground when I stop holding it. I can repeat this many times — and the result will always be the same. All the material that exists on the surface of the Earth or above it — is attracted to the planet. Matter attracts matter. This is the Law of attraction.
“But there is a similar phenomenon in the world of souls. Human souls (and not only human ones) are attracted to each other and connected by love.
“God — the Creator of all things — also loves His children.
“So if we love God — then a huge force of attraction arises! Its strength is superior — countless times — to anything that you know!
“This is how God leads souls into Him! This is how the Law of love works!
“I can also tell you about the law of hatred. If you hit your leg against a sharp stone and, in revenge for this, hit it again — you will get hurt once more. This is how the mechanisms of revenge, resentment, and anger function…
“And one will continue hurting oneself until this person understands and accepts — through one’s own pain — the Law of love.
“God doesn’t punish people! It is people who punish themselves breaking the Laws of Existence established by God!
“On the contrary, that person who lives according to God’s Laws of love and harmony is happy in this life and in the future existence.
“God hasn’t created anything bad. It is man who uses for evil purposes those things that were intended for good!
“Thus he or she is able to turn his or her own life into hell! And then that person starts to beg the Creator: ‘Save me!’ Isn’t it absurd?
“I’ll tell you a parable about two men and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
“These two men came to the tree, and both of them picked one apple.
“The first one ate his apple — and thanked God and the apple tree! And he even planted with love the seeds of that apple in his garden. And some apple trees grew. And harmony reigned in his house, and he, his wife, and their children were all happy.
“Another man, on the contrary, decided that the fruit was sour and threw it out. And — in anger — he broke a branch off this tree, made a bow from it, and began to kill animals with this bow… It was not possible for him to find happiness, since he himself was creating unhappiness in his life!…
“The tree was only one. And all its fruits were the same! Yet each person carries in oneself an opportunity to live in happiness or in affliction!”
* * *
One day a man ran up into the house of Maitre Francis:“Does Maitre Francis live in this house? I had traveled all over Italy and France looking for Him! And finally — I have found him!
“Allow me, sir, to be your disciple!” — he said and fell to his knees before Maitre Francis. Then he continued speaking in a voice choked with excitement:
“You… You — don’t refuse! You — had found the philosopher's stone! You are able to turn lead into gold! I have read many treatises on sublimation! I have achieved great success! I am almost near the goal! But I still need something that makes the reaction go in a right way!…”
“Why do you need all this? How much gold do you want?” — Maitre Francis asked quietly.
“I… I’m going to have as much gold as I want to! I always will be able to make gold! I’ll be rich, that is — free! I’ll have whatever I want, anything! I’ll do whatever I want! No woman will reject me!…”
“And what will you do when you have all this: gold, power, and women? Are you sure that this is what you really want? Maybe you need only one woman, but that one whom you will love and who will love you too? Maybe for your happiness you need just one house with a garden where your children will run?”
“I came here to learn! I have money, I can pay you!…”
“You are wasting your life on those things that you don’t really need!
“You have got already that lesson which I could give you. If you learn it — then you will be happy! If not…
“I am not a magician, but a pharmacist. And I prescribe such a medicine that gives health both to the soul and to the body.
“You have got your recipe… I can’t help you more.
“Henry, please, accompany this gentleman to the door!”
* * *
“What is the philosopher’s stone?” — Henry asked shutting the door after the visitor.Maitre Francis replied:
“People who sometimes call themselves alchemists have a belief that there is a secret element, ‘the basis of life’ that allows one to transform everything. They call it the philosopher’s stone.
“And many — year after year — combine different elements in test tubes in order to create the philosopher's stone and be able to turn any metal into gold.
“But the truth is that the stages of transformation of a soul were hidden in ancient times behind the conversations about the transmutation of the elements. And the Divine key, the true philosopher’s stone, is love — love as the essence of a person, as the right state of a soul.
“… Everything in the universe may be considered alive.
“But plants, animals, people, and God have different levels of awareness.
“Yes, there are stages of development that a soul has to pass in order to learn to understand and to be aware. After them, a soul will be able to penetrate deeply into the different levels of living multidimensionality. Then such a person will be able to cognize his or her Divine Essence and achieve the Unity with God!
“And when such a person-soul becomes like God, we call this Person — Christ.
“The Great Harmony is possible! Its secret lies in man! In him or her — as in the multidimensional organism — the energies of all universal planes exist. And man can cognize all those planes — and become One with the subtlest of them!
“In the same way as a formerly small fragment can cognize its presence in the Great Whole — man, having gathered gradually, with oneself as a soul, all the planes of the universe, becomes One with the entire Creation and with its Source — the Creator.
“The Creator is similar to the Ocean of Light!
“His Splendor is like the splendor of countless Suns that permeate everything with their rays.
“He is Infinite, Everlasting!
“This is how man finds the philosopher's stone and cognizes the Creator!”
* * *
Maitre Francis balanced skillfully between fame and obscurity… He traveled throughout Europe with several companions… Then the companions stayed in some place and continued to do what they had learned… And He — elusive, imperceptible — went further and sought new companions. Thus He raised quietly each following wave of wisdom and Divine Light…
Once He said:
“I do the cleaning on the Earth. I make My effort to transform mud into the good and fertile soil… And in this soil I sow the seeds of Love, Goodness, and great Wisdom. Then — with Rays of Light — I encourage these seeds to sprout and grow.
“Yes, I have the philosopher's stone! I help the souls to reach new levels of understanding, starting in them the processes of growth.
“However, in order to return the True Knowledge to humankind, we all, you and Me, need to work quite a lot.
“In any case, everyone should start from oneself to become the Source of Love and Light on the Earth!”
* This parable is autobiographical. In it Radek relates His own spiritual apprenticeship during His penultimate incarnation. Radek told us about the desire to write this story and publish it more than a year ago ('Classics of Spiritual Philosophy and the Present').
** Master.
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