John's light. This (the [Symbol:
mercury]) is the intelligence and the talent in men which creates all
science and shows us the truth. It is "the only authority that the
freemason has to recognize unconditionally, namely, the divine ordinance
in his own heart, the celestial fire in his ego."]

Several weeks later Leade hears again the voice of wisdom. It said to her:
"Separate thyself and withdraw from thy animal sensuous life, it is too
coarse. I cannot appear till that is completely lost and vanished." [The
alchemistic separation (separatio) and the masonic taking off of parts of
their clothing. I have already made the most necessary remarks about it.
We have to be freed from the things which, as in the eclectic ritual "much
retard the soaring of the spirit and chain man to the earth." It has an
expressly programmatical meaning (anticipating a later phase) when, e.g.,
the system of the Grand Lodge goes back, for the deprivation from the
metal, to "the temple of Solomon that was built of fully prepared stones,
just as they were brought, etc.," so that no metal work was needed.] A
short time after Leade is again driven to search after the secret being.
Wisdom requires it to know itself apart from its creature existence.
"Whereupon I was surrounded by gently burning flames that consumed and
burned all thistles, thorns and accursed fluxes [the 'superfluities' of
alchemy] which would put themselves forward.... Therefore Wisdom let her
voice be heard and said: 'O thou troubled spirit, I am now come to tell
thee what was required of thee, as I have not refrained from saying to
thee, even at the beginning of my discourse with thee, what it would cost
thee to attain this key. [First programmatically shown. The actual process
will then follow.] I say to thee, God requires a sacrifice of thee.
Understand me then, thou hast an earthly element that has spread and
covered [Like a garment.] thee, and consequently has got the upper hand
and mastery of thee; these thrones and powers [king or father figure]
must, however, be overthrown and their place found no more. Thou hast
deeply mourned that thou hadst to do without the ever near communion or
union with God thy Creator, [Only the masters sit near the sun.] but be
not surprised at that. The cause lies here in complete extinction because
you are not yet deceased and dead completely in the mystical manner.
[Complete extinction first results in the third degree.] This is the first
bapti