The Secret Work of the Hermetic Philosophy

106Because only three elements are extracted in the white work, three degrees of fire also suffice. The last, the optetic, is reserved for the fourth element, which completes the red work. Through the first degree comes the eclipse of the sun and moon; through the second the moon’s light begins to be restored; through the third the moon attains the fullness of its splendour; through the fourth the Sun is exalted to the highest summit of glory. In every part, however, fire is administered according to the rule of geometry, so that the agent answers to the disposition of what receives its action, and their powers are weighed against one another in a just balance.