The Alchemy web site on Levity.com
An Interview with Vladislav Zadrobilek
Joseph Caezza
An Interview with Vladislav Zadrobilek
Joseph Caezza
During the 1997 conference on Prague, Alchemy and the Hermetic Tradition a
great expectation among Czech attendees concerned the public appearance of
the enigmatic Vladislav Zadrobilek. Bohemian hermeticists revere Zadrobilek
as one of the greatest living authorities on Czech alchemy. He served as
president of the esoteric organization Universalia, authored a number of
acclaimed works and edits the outstanding Hermetic journal, Logos. His
Trigon publishing company and bookstore make available fine editions of
obscure esoteric literature. Present offerings include Cyliani's Hermes
Unveiled, both Fulcanelli books and reprinted collections of classic
alchemical tomes.
The conference on alchemy accompanied a number of other events
commemorating 1997 as the 500th anniversary of the reign of Rudolf II. The
Rudolfian era enjoyed the living presence of John Dee, Edward Kelley,
Sendivogious, Michael Mair, Hinrich Kurnrath, Martin Ruland (Sr and Jr),
Sebald Schwarzer and dozens of other adepts and deceivers. The Opus Magnum
exhibit featured prominently among events celebrated during Prague's "Year
of Rudolf II". Located in the gothic "House of the Stone Bell" in Old Town
Square this event provided a multimedia alchemical initiation experience
wherein participants proceeded through four floors using a spiral staircase
to experience phases of the great work. Zadrobilek played a key role in
organizing this exhibit which displayed obscure books and artifacts. He
edited a large format quality bilingual volume monumentalizing this exhibit
entitled, OPUS MAGNUM: The Book of Sacred Geometry, Alchemy, Magic,
Astrology, The Kabbala, and Secret Societies of Bohemia.
J.C. Can you tell me about your personal background?
V.Z Like you I have enjoyed many diverse vocations. I have worked in
metallurgy and also as a gardener. At one time I was also involved with the
theater, economics and foreign commerce. I have also been employed in the
graphic arts, book restoration and publishing.
J.C. In this country, the original homeland of Budwieser and Pilsner where
beer culture achieves an unprecedented reverence you abstain from alcohol
and practice vegetarianism. Is this part of your hermetic practice?
V.Z. I stopped eating meat because I did not want to eat dead bodies.
Remember that before 1989 we suffered 40 years of communist repression here.
I initially avoided alcohol, tobacco and coffee because taxes on these
products were used to support international terrorism by the former
communists. I discovered many wonderful benefits from abstinence and
maintain the practice. There are obviously other motivations for this kind
of conduct.
J.C. Last summer during the conference many foreign authorities came here to
Prague, the silicone valley of alchemy to tell Czech people about
Hermeticism. Was this an awkward situation for some adept Czechs?
V.Z. It does not matter who speaks or where but rather what matters is what
is said. Even more than that what matters is what is done. There was a lot
of high minded academic talk at the conference and some fine rhetoric. How
much of it was new? How many of those speakers actually practice the wisdom
they talked about?
J.C. Did alchemy originally come to Prague with the Knights Templars?
V.Z. Prague lies in the heart of Central Europe at the intersection of many
crossroads. One theory about the origin of the name of our city concerns the
belief that seven holy men from India settled here. They named this place
after their sacred native city, Prayag, which is now known as Allahabad.
Later the gypsies came here from South India bringing a very strange
culture. Of course alchemy came to Prague with the Templars but also with
the Jews and foreigners of every variety. Alchemy also emerged here
spontaneously. There were alchemists in the court of Charles IV in the
fourteenth century but it achieved even greater popularity during the reign
of Rudolf II who sponsored over 200 alchemists. Nobles such as Vilem of
Rosenberg competed with Rudolf's preoccupation and sponsored many
alchemists.
J.C. Prague seems to be a textbook of alchemy written in the houses and
streets of the "Royal Route", the coronation path leading up to the hilltop
castle and cathedral. Strategic features near the origin of this route
include the house at 34 Celetna Street known as "At the Black Mother of God"
where the famous statue of the Black Virgin is displayed just opposite the
former headquarters of the Templar order.
Number 8 Celetna Street, known as "At the Black Sun" invokes the notion of
golden light hidden in dense dark matter. At the place where Celetna Street
opens up into Old Town Square lies two houses jointly known as "At the
White Unicorn". This animal often associates itself with the Virgin. What is
the significance of the Black Virgin of Prague and what is her role in
alchemical practice?
V.Z. I agree with Fulcanelli on this. The black Madonnas are manifestations
of the ancient goddesses in her form as Isis, Demeter and Cybele. She
represents the black poisonous prima materia. Cybele, the wife of Cronos,
mother of the gods of Olympus is also known as Rhea, who's name means fluid.
This too is a property of the prima materia.
During the Opus Magnum exhibit we placed the Black Virgin of Prague in the
basement of the House of the Stone Bell upon a large black cubic stone. This
cubic form is the root of the name "Cybele" or "Kubele" as we say it here.
Her normal residence on Celetna Street is in a house of cubist architectural
design.
The moon is associated with these goddesses just as it is with the mother
of Jesus. Mary crushes a serpent with her foot. This image indicates the
fixation of mercury.
People speculate on the alchemical symbolism hidden in the city of Prague.
Consider Prague's heraldic coat of arms. An arm comes out of the castle
doorway holding a sword. For many Czech hermeticists the sword represents
the secret fire of the alchemists. Look at the iron grill work coming down
from the top of the door. Does the net-like pattern remind you of anything?
Look at the shape of the top of the door where the point of the sword rests.
Have you seen this form before?
J.C. The French historian Rene Alleau has proposed that the richly
decorated Renaissance house, "At the Minute #3" also known as "At the White
Lion" where Frans Kafka once lived on the Royal Route just off Old Town
Square contains alchemical symbols relevant to the magnum opus. He compares
them to Fulcanelli's explication of encrypted decorations at the Lallement
mansion at Bouges in France. Is this an exaggeration?
V.Z. Many coded symbols from the Renaissance were used here by people who
did not truly understand them. They were interpreted as hermetic but they
are not necessarily alchemical. Self promoting people use alchemical
iconography even today without knowing the original intention. There is a
lot of misunderstanding. People are always eager to appropriate the wisdom
and authority of the great adepts.
J.C. A steady stream of pilgrims come to the Czech Republic from Italy,
Spain and Latin America to visit the church of Our Lady of Victory, the home
of the "Infant of Prague". This miraculous statue of the Little King holds
world class cult status. Are any of the symbols associated with this church
relevant to alchemical practice?
V.Z. I do not know. The Infant is a pure Christian symbol that arrived
here from Spain in the mid 17th century. These symbols do not necessarily
derive from alchemy but the can be interpreted that way. There is abundant
Templar iconography in that church. The Infant holds an orb surmounted by a
cross. It calls to mind a symbol for the prima materia, the world and the
earth. This orb is sometimes perceived as a pomegranate filled with seeds.
It implies the hermetic capacity for multiplication. All symbols are
ambivalent. Church art may have been modified to correspond with alchemical
symbols. In the gothic monastery of St. Agnus for example there are a lot of
six pointed stars in the arches similar to the large one on the front of Our
Lady of Victory. These are not necessarily alchemical symbols.
J.C. I was intrigued to see enormous stone monuments depicting the
fourteen Stations of the Cross in the park on Petrin Hill. The passion of
Christ constitutes a viable model for the great ordeal of matter. It
provides a perfect system of meditation. Do contemporary Czechs use these
symbols for their contemplative work or is the cabalistic Tree of Life a
more popular system here?
V.Z. Both ways are possible. Jaros Griemiller of Trebsko's 1578 Czech
version of The Rosary of the Philosophers omits all the Christian
iconography found in the 1550 Frankfort edition of this text. Yet the
Lapis-Christ parallel is generally understood here. A good example occurs
when the cock crows while Peter, who's name means stone, betrays Jesus. The
cock heralds the rising sun. It plays a significant role in alchemical
iconography. During Peter's betrayal the cock crows three times indicating
the three stages of the great work.
The mass is an interesting parody of laboratory work. But remember that it
evolved out of ancient gnostic practices that predate Christianity. One of
my favorite gnostic teachings is that the world was created out of God's
laughter and that everything inside us and out is divine laughter.
The Tree of Life has other significance. Jewish thought is different. It
does not accept Christ as the messiah. En Sof, the mystery of the cosmos is
irrational and unknowable. It is similar to a black hole in reverse. Victor
Hugo describes it nicely as a shining black hole radiating darkness This is
a great enigma. We do not know how darkness became light or how dull matter
can become gold.
J.C. Do you have any favorite alchemical texts?
V.Z. The Mutus Liber and the Turba Philosophorum are my two favorite books.
There are three basic versions of the Turba. I have an ancient Czech
version. It contains many profound insights. The ancients understood that
the Earth's atmosphere protects us from UV and cosmic radiation. We need the
sky and the clouds to protect the great work from being burned. One must
proceed slowly.There is some evidence in the Turba that the ancients
understood oxygen. They may also have understood that free electrons compose
the spiritual bodies of metals.
J.C. Your personal contribution to the Opus Magnum catalogue included a
commentary on the extraordinary Czech alchemical text, Symbola
Chiroglyphica. Does the actual practice of this process have any similarity
to the laboratory process suggested by The Hermetic Triumph also known as
The Ancient War of the Knights? In this regard is it possible for any two
alchemists to elaborate the stone exactly the same way?
V.Z. Yes, the first few steps are very similar. At this time I would wish
to avoid talking about the actual practical process. We hope to translate
this text in the future. Some of the materials are still unknown to us.
Yes, I believe any two alchemists could make the stone the same way. But we
admit that there are different and very strange paths. For example the
coction stage can be prolonged to arrive at platinum instead of gold.
J.C. What is the purpose of Alchemy?
V.Z. There are many post modern answers to this question. Much has been
written recently that is just mystification. Transmutation is an indication
of something higher. It is a sudden opening to cosmic consciousness and
natural harmony. It is similar to the mystical rapture of yoga for example.
Alchemy derives from an ancient science. It is an artifact of an advanced
civilization that perished long ago because of the mismanagement of matter.
Perhaps you've seen the movie, Planet of the Apes.
At times I've been obsessively preoccupied with alchemical literature. But
we have a saying here: "Luck goes to those who are prepared". Any good
alchemical book, for example, The Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine, is
extremely valuable. It is a spiritual essence radiating a thought field
until our intuition leads us to a similar field. Such books include crowds
of the dead and even those who have not yet been born. The future is present
in such books. Such books are living beings. Their words wait like cradles
that invite us to rest in them.
I was acquainted once with a practicing alchemist. This man was very
enigmatic. He talked about a 15 year cycle. Each year the cycle begins in
March. He was never able to finish the work in only one year. He was always
highly charged. After 14 attempts a shining Christ appeared to him and told
him something. He knew at this point that he would succeed. I got two
letters from him after that. Then he disappeared without a trace. He said at
some point we would meet again but up till now he hasn't showed up. I
believe he succeeded in elaborating the philosopher's stone.
J.C. The Opus Magnum exhibit and book which you edited constitute a major
accomplishment in the annals of Czech hermeticism. Do you have any plans for
similar projects in the future?
V.Z. We may do an exhibit soon about a German aristocrat who once lived in
Bohemia, Count Spork. He was a mystic. It is said that he founded the first
Freemason lodge in the Czech Republic. Mr. Rittman of Amsterdam and I are
organizing an exhibit on Rosicrucianism for the year 2000.
J.C. I'd like to thank you not only for making time for me here today but
also for your life's work of keeping the dream alive. Thank you Vladislav
Zadrobilek.
This interview was conducted April 19th, 1998 at the Prague home of
Vladislav Zadrobilek located a stone's throw from his Trigon bookstore
located at: Umelecka 2, 170 00 Praha 7. Grateful thanks to Michal Pober for
arranging this interview and to Peter Buga'r for serving as
interpreter-translator. Grateful thanks also to my soror mystica, my beloved
Miss Natalie Collins who served as a constant inspiration during this
pilgrimage.
Note: A number of interactive CDs on historic aspects of Bohemia have
recently become available. Of particular interest are (1) Bird of Paradise,
which features Michael Mair's Atalanta Fugens (2) Prague: The Royal Route
and (3) Legends of Prague. Selected items will be reviewed in an upcoming
issue of The Stone.
The bookdealer, Todd Pratum presently offers, Rudolf II and Prague, edited
by Eliska Fucikova (1997) co-published by Prague Castle Administration,
Thames and Hudson and Skira, 392 p. This is a catalogue of the general
Prague exhibition of which the Opus Magnum exhibit was a part. Todd Pratum
will offer the Opus Magnum catalogue in the Fall of 1998.
OPUS MAGNUM: The Book of Sacred Geometry, Alchemy, Magic, Astrology, Kabbala
and Secret Societies of Bohemia, edited by Vladislav Zadrobilek, Trigon
(1997) bilingual (Czech-English) 328 p.(This book accompanied an exhibit by
the same name held during Prague's 1997 celebration of the "Year of Rudolf
II".)
"A wise man says that a long time ago, after the creation of this world, the
most beautiful angel longed to be more powerful than God. At that time the
archangel Gabriel punched this rebellious angel of light in the head and
knocked a shiny gem out of his crown. The stone of light flew and lit up the
stars, which created the Milky Way. The one who had lost his right to his
name because he was not carrying the light, now followed it. Down, close to
the earth he crashed in his anger, and like that he created the Bohemian
valley. A fragment of the stone of light was dropped in the hill where
Vysehrad stands today. There, at the secret place, unknown brothers pray on
a certain day of the year, and accept the hidden light."
D.Z. Bor On the Threshold of Nobility
This quote heralds the opening text of Opus Magnum, a bold and brilliant
exploration of Bohemian alchemy. The premiere chapter describes a geological
cataclysm which occurred more than 100 million years ago when an enormous
meteor formed "The Prague Impact Crater" 200 by 300 kilometers in size.
Green vitreous meteoric fragments known as moldivite or semiprecious
valtavine rich in iron hydroxides still abound in this region. The text goes
on to detail how the layout of Old Town Prague follows the design of
Jerusalem and how many of its churches were constructed at strategic
locations in accordance with the laws of sacred geometry to affect a mystic
enchantment. A penetrating analysis of cathedral architecture and the art of
master stone masons crowns this opening chapter on the sacred space of
Bohemia.
A probing inquiry into alchemy's Gnostic, Hermetic and Presocratic roots
examines the philosophy behind the practice. One reads on the subject of
Heraclitian Fire from which everything comes and returns to:
"This fire refines and reveals everything; its flaring up is the direction
toward the unity of everything in One, while its going out means the
differentiation of all the particulars of the world. The flaring up is every
individuals struggle for the real present and a transformation opposite to
dreamy or leisurely going along or flowing off."
Alchemy emerged from the tension between myth and reality, the senses and
meaning, perception and cognition. This same tension separates matter from
spirit. Fire serves to reintegrate this tension. For the ancients the
problem of oneness intrinsically follows awareness. The profoundness of such
discussions soars miles above the plethora of contemporary literature on
this subject.
A section on doctrine presents alchemical fundamentals with an intriguing
twist. Salt appears as the central mediator between mercury and sulfur in a
rotating mandala scheme. This contrasts with the more familiar less dynamic
linear hierarchy that situates mercury between sulfur and salt. The bullet
point format of the text describing this model calls to mind an abbreviated
version of Paracelsus' Alchemical Catechism.
An exhaustive historical survey presents details on the men and events that
shaped mystic Bohemia. A growing tradition achieved its highest level during
the reign of Rudolf II. He sponsored over 200 court alchemists and inspired
competitiveness among nobles to promote the royal art. The contemporary
hermeticist, Dr. Benedict Janes contributed a chapter outlining the more
recent history of Martinism, Freemasonry and related secret societies. Dr.
Janes, one of the founders of the organization, Universalia, presents
compelling details on the presence of the perennial philosophy which has
survived Nazi persecution, Communist repression and even the crowds of
hedonistic tourists that today run rampant through the sacred streets of
Prague.
The unique feature of Opus Magnum entails never before published
illustrations from several classic Czech alchemical tomes. Foremost among
these rank Symbola Chirogyphica which bears vague resemblance to The
Hermaphroditic Marriage of the Sun and the Moon, Sabaoth, a highly original
German manuscript and two idiosyncratic Czech versions of The Rosarium
Philosophorum. Outstanding commentaries to John Dee's Hieroglyphic Monad,
The Keys of Solomon grimoires and the VIth and VIIth Books of Moses add yet
more value to this volume.
Chapters on Doctor Faust in Prague, Kabbala, the Golem myth, astrological
aspects of Prague and the Fraternity of the Rosy Cross attend to the myriad
peripheral aspects of alchemy. Valiant scholarship attempts to distill the
reality behind these myths. For example inflated stories about the magician,
Zito, who performed in the court of Charles IVth transplanted themselves
upon Dr. Faust. The legend of the Golem monster created by the Polish Rabbi,
Eliahu Baalshem of Chem migrated to the great Kabbalist mystic, Rabbi Low,
of Prague. The well known myth about revelations from the illuminated tomb
of Father Rosenkreutz, at the heart of Rosicrusian tradition, may be an
incarnation of the older myth wherein Apollonius of Tyana discovers the
Emerald Tablet in the tomb of Hermes. One recalls the belief that both the
Emerald Tablet and the Holy Grail were carved out of the gem fallen from the
crown of Lucifer. Yet another echo of this initiatory egregory comes from
17th century England where a peasant discovered a deep illuminated crypt
inhabited by a sage. The location of this happening became known as "the
grave of the Rosicrucian".
Are these myths related to contemporary folklore that describe how the
pagan prophetess princess, Libuse, sleeps with her army of knights in
catacombs beneath Vysehrad, Prague's hilltop fortress, quietly waiting for
Bohemia's hour of need? This too appears as a modern metamorphosis of older
Czech legends connected to St. Wenceslas, Mt. Blanik and the castle fortress
Melnik. Like the green glassy meteorites strewn about the Bohemian landscape
these myths resonate with the alchemical admonition from the acrostic,
VITRIOL. Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem
translates to: "Visit the interior of the earth by rectification you will
find the hidden stone".
The editor stresses in the introduction the novel nature of the
illustrations and the highly original text. These erudite articles as
ingenious as they are only serve as footnotes to numerous never before
published pictures that bear the full force of the revelation. One can take
any given page of this book, meditate for hours and be driven to rapture by
the infectious intensity of its insights.
During the summer of 1997 over 70'000 people visited the Opus Magnum
exhibit at the House of the Stone Bell in Prague's Old Town Square. Such
popularity testifies to the value of the material monumentalized in this
book. Destined to become a collector's item only a few copies remain of the
original 2000 printed. It takes its place next to Roob's recent Hermetic
Museum, Fabricus's Alchemy: The Royal Art and Klossowski de Rola's Golden
Game but offers the unique Bohemian vision.
|