VITRIOL is the abbreviation for the sentence “Visita Interiora Terra Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem,” which may be translated into “travel to the interiors of the earth for there to discover the hidden stone.” This is the magical formula of the Ordines Minor and all mystical practices in general. Many have been misled by the belief that we are to seek the stone in the heavens, but verily it is not so. The heavens, eternal as they are, cannot be approached by climbing the ladder step by step; this because what we seek is not of this world. To put it in other words, you may walk the rest of your life but you will never reach the sun. 

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But what is this earth we here speak of? It is the mind of man. This is a secret key to understand the royal art of spiritual alchemy. As Rosicrucians we are instructed to seek the truth in our inner selves and to practice through our actions to manifest the same truth we have discovered. But how is this done? By detachment from the world. This does not mean that you should hate the world. Rather it means that whenever you partake in this world you should not grasp it with a firm hand, but hold your hands partly open, so that all that you encounter can flow freely in your presence. This may seem like folly unto you, but when you have extended your meditations you will see how this simple advice is the path to spiritual freedom, for that is what we seek – freedom, truth and happiness.