99 Degrees of Separation by Bill Sheraton 1 For many years, I have considered writing these words.

As far as I know nothing like this has been written before. When I say that nothing like this has been written before, this is not entirely true. Many documents treating the subject of immortality in the same manner as I shall do here already exist. However, they are so deeply veiled in allegory and ancient symbolism as to render them unintelligible to all but a tiny minority of adepts. If one was to read all the literature emanating from hermetic and alchemical traditions, one could be excused for asking the question why all the secrecy? What is this big secret that is too dangerous to be shared? If alchemy for example is just another spiritual tradition, why the need to encode techniques under layers of mumbo jumbo? Why are the hermetic secret societies so paranoid that someone may discover their secrets? It is well known that alchemy is a quest for regeneration and immortality. This quest is found at the heart of all hermetic and esoteric traditions. Of course it is understandable that man should seek to conquer death, but why should the means of doing so be kept so secret? What I shall say to the masters and the adepts is this: Contrary to many treatises, I will write nothing here of the precise techniques used to achieve the stone. Humanity has now evolved to a degree that even this text will not cause

many to bat an eyelid. What I will reveal here are the reasons for the secrecy and the nature of the Magnum Opus. This will be useful to many, including those who already hold the title of Master. 2 When I mention alchemy I am referring to the traditional quest for regeneration and immortality or the Magnum Opus. The first thing to know about alchemy is that it has absolutely nothing to do with test tubes, ovens, laboratories etc. Those who have studied alchemy in this manner have been misled, even though they are responsible for the modern science of chemistry and many useful discoveries. There is an enormous amount of alchemical literature. The vast majority of this literature was written by those involved in laboratory work. Although it may contain interesting, useful and healing secrets of nature, it is absolutely useless to those who seek regeneration and immortality. Alchemy is a black art. It is considered to mean from the land of the black earth referring to Egypt. This is why some hermetic orders are known as Egyptian orders while having nothing particularly Egyptian in their workings. The Egyptian word for separation is Kheper which means becoming. All humans have a part that is immortal. What is important to know is that although it is true that we have an immortal part, this does not mean that we have an immortal identity capable of being prolonged after death. All the religions are correct in their basic concepts of the afterlife, whether it be that we return to a union with the whole or that we reincarnate. Descriptions and moralizations of these processes are usually mere control mechanisms. In order to perform the Magnum Opus you need to understand the following brief and simple outline of existence. When we die the immortal part of ourselves is reabsorbed into a whole. Each newborn is a part of this whole. The whole is what we know as God. The whole is conscious. The universal physical, mental and spiritual experience exists perpetually within the whole.

In order to regenerate at will, prolong life, become spiritually immortal and reincarnate at will one must forge a spirit that is capable of remaining separate by avoiding absorption. This is the stone of the wise. The art of alchemy is quite simply remaining separate from the whole. This is easily said but not so easily done. 3 Two things are needed in order to achieve separation. The first is the knowledge of how to separate; the second is the knowledge of how to energize or feed. Most people will not care less that you wish to separate and would not care if you became immortal. This is why the goal has never been a big secret. Everybody knows that the goal of all alchemical traditions is to regenerate and obtain immortality and most peoples reaction to this is nothing more than an amused or cynical smile. What have always remained a secret are the techniques. The reason for this is that if these techniques became public knowledge there would be uproar! The alchemical texts are documents explaining how to separate and how to feed once you have done so. The so called mysterious prima materia of the work is quite simply life energy. First your own energy body in regards to how to form yourself for separation, and secondly of others in how it may be prepared for absorption and the manner and circumstances in which it may be better absorbed. Life energy has seven parts which are often referred to symbolically as planets or metals. It is not possible to regenerate, prolong life or to remain immortal in a separated state without absorbing the life energy from others. In order to do this you need to know how to receive the energy into yourself and how to prepare it for reception. The most effective techniques used to acquire life energy and regenerate are inacceptable to ordinary humans. This is the reason for all the secrecy around the alchemical and hermetic traditions. You will now have realized that alchemy, true hermetic traditions and orders are quite simply what in modern terms we call vampirism and that I could be referred to as a vampire. We prefer to call ourselves, adepts, masters, magi etc.

4 I mentioned that the whole is conscious. Therefore each immortal master is a miniature copy of the whole and remains conscious. He is a copy of the whole and is the same as that which we refer to as deity. The Hermetic tradition has the same quest at its inner core as alchemy. They are one and the same thing. One of the most important texts in the hermetic tradition is the Emerald Tablet. Because each separated and immortal master is a copy of the whole the Emerald Tablet tells us That which is below is like that which is above that which is above is like that which is below to do the miracles of one only thing. 5 One may ask the question If you are immortal, why bother teaching anyone else how to do it. This is a good question. The truth is that in order to feed you must hunt and it is easier to create sophisticated and elaborate hunting mechanisms when organized. The population of adepts is constantly growing and all need to feed. As well as that, it is agreeable to enjoy some fraternal relations as immortality is not an antidote for loneliness. The orders exist at the centre of civilization which is at the centre of all religions and states. As well as the old traditional orders at the centre of the priesthoods there are also breakaway orders who initiate. Society is organized in a pyramidal structure beneath the orders of adepts. Although the orders recognize each other for what they are, they do not accept masters from different orders into their ranks. Some hunting mechanisms may be run together through mutual consent but each order looks after its own immortal masters who it has also initiated. It is possible to become an adept without being a member of an order. However, as well as it being very difficult to gain the knowledge necessary, it is also more difficult to feed without being discovered while working alone. If you end up losing your freedom in any way, it can become impossible to feed and you will gradually become de-energized which is eventually death for the adept. If you are part of an order you may be protected or even rescued.

6 Why all the fuss about reptiles? Snakes, dragons and lizards are everywhere in religious writings and the art emanating from all human civilizations. Dragons are found throughout mythology as malevolent or benevolent creatures. Snakes are too. Some say the snake is evil, others say he is good. Some say he tempted man, others believe he freed man, or at least tried. Jesus told his disciples to be "wise as snakes, Druids were known as snakes, the emperors of China as dragons. European royalty is steeped in the Draconis cult and many princes belong to the Dragon Court orders. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics show snakes on the forehead of Pharaoh. Reptiles are all over the South American Indian culture. North American Indians were snake worshippers. Since spiritual and kingly knowledge is so often attributed to reptiles we have to ask ourselves why this is. The answer to the question is actually very simple, yet constitutes one of the greatest secrets known to man, the way to separation. The brain stem is the oldest and smallest region in the human brain. It is hundreds of millions of years old and is also referred to as the Reptilian Brain. The basic ruling emotions of love, hate, fear, lust, and contentment emanate from this part of the brain. If you work your biceps or do exercises to improve your memory what happens? In the case of your biceps, they will get bigger. With memory you will gain in capacity. The secret that is hidden behind all the symbolism and allegory about reptiles and snakes is the method to increase reptilian brain capacity. Rituals and activities that improve the functioning of the reptilian brain are the key to the beginning of separation. So what can one expect if one increases the power of the reptilian brain? 1. Second sight and heightened awareness.

2. All so called occult powers recorded throughout history are available when the reptilian brain has been fully developed including telekinesis, remote viewing etc. 3. Access to collective consciousness and spiritual realms is achieved through reptilian brain function. The staffs with a curly part on the top used by Christian bishops are a symbol of this knowledge. The curly snake part represents the fully developed reptilian brain on top of the spinal cord. The reptilian brain is the serpent in the garden. It must be developed before a transformation in the energy body permits access to separation. 7 In order to begin to absorb you must become black which in Alchemy is known as Nigredo which means the blackening. Black is the absence of color and in order to absorb the planets of another you must know how to emulate the blackness. When I say planets I mean the seven different types of energy that make up the life force. As in light you will find the planets / metals as the seven colors of the rainbow so you will find them in life energy. You will notice that if you wear a black t-shirt on a sunny day it will heat up, whereas a white one will not. This is because blackness absorbs energy. There are four stages to go through before you become a fully functioning immortal adept. The first is Nigredo which is followed by Albedo, Citrinitas and Rubedo. 8 What makes this text unique is that I will explain to you how energy absorption is carried out. However, although you may be able to energize yourself using this information, you will not be able to absorb the amounts of energy needed in order to begin regeneration. For this you need to prepare your energy body in a certain way. There are two things needed for good energy absorption. The first is a vessel in which the energy is as pure as possible and the second is to create excitement within the vessel so as it releases the planets in the form of emotions.

It is important to understand the symbolism of the lamb and the snake. These two are at polar opposites and represent states of pure innocence and pure wisdom. In order to possess the stone of the wise, one must be in a state of pure wisdom. This is a state in which one has the full knowledge of good and evil. In the biblical text Genesis this is known as the fruit of the tree of good and evil which is offered by the serpent. Pure innocence or the lamb is an absolute lack of knowledge of good and evil. Life energy is most abundant in those vessels that have a strong proportion of innocence. By exciting these vessels and causing them to throw off energy, one who has achieved the blackness can then absorb the energy and use it to regenerate. Life can thus be prolonged at will. Once you have learnt how to do this during your lifetime, you will also be able to feed in the same way after death, maintain yourself and reincarnate at will with full consciousness of previous lives. 9 This is the reason that humans enjoy the destruction of innocence. We have an innate knowledge that this is a way to energize. Although very few are able to absorb enough energy to regenerate, all humans instinctively crave power in order to feed from others. You will be able to deduct from this that the destruction of innocence endemic within some priesthoods is a little more sophisticated than the mere satisfaction of sexual perversions. This is the case for all torturers and abusers who are consciously or unconsciously striving to energize. It is also the reason that some conscious sacrifices of innocence may be carried out during wartime or under harsh regimes. If a large part of innocence is required within a vessel in order to extract large amounts of life force, a strong emotional state is also necessary. Terror, fear and embarrassment are extremely effective as well as love. In order to obtain love one must be strongly admired. Some adepts can achieve this but it is not easy to find an endless supply of devotees who will allow you to bask in their adoration. It is for this reason that sadism is the preferred technique of adepts for the extraction of life energy.

Strong terror, fear or embarrassment is fairly easy to achieve through the use of domination techniques by one or more adepts. There is no need to prepare the vessel in the same way as they would need to be prepared to provide strong admiration or love. It is because sadism is so effective in the extraction of life energy or prima materia that the alchemical and hermetic traditions are so steeped in secrecy. Bill Sheraton ordoscio @hotmail.com