Separate the subtle from the gross

A detachment always implies an attachment

December 13th 2026
‘You shall separate the subtle from the gross with great diligence’ said Hermes Trismegistus. Why separate them? And what should we do with them once they are separated? The answer is simple: we must sever the bonds that tie us to all that is coarse, dreary and obscure, in order to create a bond with all that is subtle and luminous. Detachment from one thing always implies an attachment to something else. If you distance yourself from God, you draw closer to the devil; if you move farther away from the light, you draw closer to darkness; if you cut your ties with Cosmic Intelligence, as certain scientists and thinkers have done, you establish ties with the absurd. This is an interpretation of Hermes Trismegistus’ words that may not have occurred to those who study alchemy.
‘You shall separate the subtle from the gross…’ It is important to understand that the process involves more than separation. By moving one object away from another, you necessarily move it closer to a third. And the same is true of human beings.
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