Welcome back student!

Now that you have broken the seal on the 4th chapter of the 7th volume of the Magnum Opus Alchemicae, you may continue your journey in learning of the great arts.

If you are on track, this should be your 11th month of study; any longer and you should revisit your commitment to the study of Alchemy.  The arts are no place for those who do no strive to achieve greatness.  Those with such levels of motivations are better suited to be wizards or other such slow minded careers.

Today’s lesson will focus upon preparation of a suitable environment for your experiments and the consequences of poor planning and inferior materials.

First and foremost, all experiments should have clearly defined goals. NEVER seek to explore without purpose nor allow others to influence the course and actions taken. Be wary of who you qualify as your peers when you consider which research to invest in; their mental inadequacies will be reflected in the advice they provide or recommendations they make. It may result in aimless wandering and catastrophic results causing harm to you or your equipment. Or maybe to others, if you deem such important.

Never allow others to influence the course of your inquiries if they do not merit your attention, or have a clear procedure in place.  Some may seek to tempt you with promises of fortune and fame; promises are ephemeral. You would not be the first alchemist to fall prey to promises of compensation upon successful completion of a task left with empty coffers when all is said and done.

Next, it is important to understand that all components have their place. It is essential to identify the purpose for involvement in the experiment.  You will need to test their mettle. Know how they will interact; where they will break; and what can corrupt their contribution to the activity. Some may be identified as volatile and must be handled with caution. Some may be singular in purpose, like a hammer, a giant hammer, – ideal for releasing flesh from a walnut shell but otherwise useless when dealing with more refined processes.  Some may involve a great deal of complexity beyond your control and thus be too unstable to work closely with. Some may hide greater secrets to be unlocked. Some may be still evolving and thus hold great potential. Some may simply be a pleasant luxury to expedite the long periods of waiting; others may be essential to the foundations to the success of the endeavor. Differentiating between these will take you years to master, or in my case, weeks. But in all cases, a hammer, is still just a hammer.

Testing the mettle of your ingredients may require you to expose yourself to situations of discomfort. This may include horrible smells, irritating rashes, periods of intestinal discomfort, or even mental distress or instability.  The importance of identifying components beneath your standards and finding ways to divest them from the experiment cannot be overstated.  At times it is best to allow a counter agent to be added to the mix and allow that reagent to remove the faulty components for you.

In the next chapter, we will discuss the importance of identifying the appropriate assistants to facilitate your experiments.