What Is The Answer To This Riddle? As above, so below.

[SystemWisdom 0]

Do You Know the Answer to this Ancient Riddle?

"The key to life and death is everywhere to be found, but if you do not find it in your own house, you will find it nowhere. Yet, it is before everyone's eyes; no one can live without it; everyone has used it. The poor usually possess more of it than the rich; children play with it in the streets. The meek and uneducated esteem it highly, but the privileged and learned often throw it away. When rejected, it lies dormant in the bowels of the earth. It is the only thing from which the Philosopher's Stone can be prepared, and without it, no noble metal can ever be created."

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Please select your answer above!
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Although this Riddle is Ancient in Origins, the translation of this question was taken from The Alchemy Lab, though they provide no correct answer.
I personally believe that any answer you choose is the most correct for you, and indicates your level of progression within the spiritual world.

The link above leading to The Alchemy Lab contains the same Riddle, but with a Hint relating to the Emerald Tablet of the Egyptians!

Also, for those who are interested in Alchemy and/or Metaphysics, here is a free Personal Alchemy Quiz which may help to explain your level of progression within the spiritual world.


Note: Nicolas Flamel was a real person who lived during the 15th Century, and was accreddited with having created the Real Philosopher's Stone. He is not just a character from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series books!

[xdan 0]

I guessed soul but what is the real answer?

[SystemWisdom 0]

I personally believe that any answer you choose is the most correct for you, and indicates your level of progression within the spiritual world. 

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Basically, your answer could (should) change through time, and that change signifies your progression within the spiritual reality of the universe.

 

Most importantly, you should choose that answer which YOU feel is most correct for you, and not be influenced by the choices of others.

 

There is in the end however, 1 correct answer, and that, well, that is the Secret of Life! Isn't it?

(It's not a big secret though, when you find the answer you will understand!)

 

Remember: To be happy is to be successful in life!

 

[Ryoma Taka 0]

I think its matter but its sounds weird when its next to all those choices there. But when it says 'the poor possess it more than the rich', I think its Love. The rich grows selfish, as everyone knows because in thoes little kid's movie the rich guy always seems decieving and evil. But the last few lines got me confused....

[maresan 0]

Do You Know the Answer to this Ancient Riddle?
I personally believe that any answer you choose is the most correct for you, and indicates your level of progression within the spiritual world. 

I agree with above sentence, and I think it is the best answer to this riddle.

Well, my answer is laughter . Without it my life wouldn't exist as it does right now.

It is more important than gold, money or success.

Money makes us work.
Gold makes us greedy.
Success makes us (too) proud.

But laughter makes us alive.

[electriic ink 1]

The meek and uneducated esteem it highly, but the privileged and learned often throw it away.

This makes me think it's love because the people who are learned are stereotyped into them only caring for their work and nothing else (thus showing showing no love for others)

But that was the first thing that came answer that came to my head so I voted for that but if you think about it there are other things on the list which could well be the meaning.

The meaning is not known and forever should be kept that way (unless you believe it's 52 )

[SystemWisdom 0]

All very good answers! And yes, all answers on the list could potentially fit the riddle.. In fact, when I first saw the riddle (without having a list of choices) I assumed it was referring to Fire! (which is an Alchemical Substance nonetheless!)But I should note that the answer IS known, and I shall post it here in time, but for now I am interested in seeing the opinions of others!(cmat, I think the answer you were thinking of is 42, from "The Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy" am I correct?)

[Cain 0]

I would have to say that it would be love for multiple reasons.My first point comes from the very beginning of the riddle. It states that this object, whatever it is, is the key to life. To my understanding and belief, birth and children should be a product of love and affection and a child cannot be conceived without it. (Strictly from an idealist point of view, I know perfectly well that a child can be produced from something as horrible as rape, but in an ideal situation, a child comes from love.)The riddle continues to say that if you cannot find this in your own home, then you shall find it nowhere. I feel that if you do not experience and receive love as a child or even as a young adult, it is difficult to both understand and distribute it to other people from yourself, because you have no understanding of experience with it."...Children play with it in the streets." I understand this as growth and maturity in that as a child grows to a young adult, feelings, particularly love, become a very big and important part of his life. He begins experimenting (playing in the streets) with his own emotions and the emotions of others in an attempt to develop a strong relationship with someone.Where it says that the meek and uneducated esteem it highly and that the rich and learned throw it away I feel that the riddle is saying that because the learned have a different thought process and often wish to be in control of their lives, feelings become a very difficult issue for them. This is because feelings are difficult to control unlike the thought process and thus love becomes more of a hazard than a blessing to them.Finally, "When rejected, it lies dormant in the bowels of the earth." This to me is a direct relation to love and its nature. Simply, when a person experiences rejection or a lack of love, love (among other feelings) begins to represent something that they do not like and therefore to prevent further possibility of loss of love, they choose not to love and bury it within themselves (similar to lying dormant in the bowels of the earth).I don't know though. These were just some of the connections that I saw, but I doubt any one answer is perfectly correct. This is very interesting though, to see other people's ideas and beliefs.

[xdistrict 0]

I have to agree with the answer of Love though some of the other answers may work. I won't repeat what other people have said (or try not to repeat) though I felt the same way about the riddle when reading over it and reading the comments previous to mine.

[ManOfSTEEL 0]

"The key to life and death is everywhere to be found, but if you do not find it in your own house, you will find it nowhere. Yet, it is before everyone's eyes; no one can live without it; everyone has used it. The poor usually possess more of it than the rich; children play with it in the streets. The meek and uneducated esteem it highly, but the privileged and learned often throw it away. When rejected, it lies dormant in the bowels of the earth. It is the only thing from which the Philosopher's Stone can be prepared, and without it, no noble metal can ever be created."

I will bet for 'INNOCENT" for many reasons, being innocent can save life yet brings death to anyone.

Child and poor posses this morethan the rich one. It says that only those who lack of knowledge and understanding has more of it that the rich.

But the privileged and learned often throw it away. It says that when someone who's educate well, less posses this rather than those who lack of educations.

[Joshua 0]

"The key to life and death is everywhere to be found, but if you do not find it in your own house, you will find it nowhere. Yet, it is before everyone's eyes; no one can live without it; everyone has used it. The poor usually possess more of it than the rich; children play with it in the streets. The meek and uneducated esteem it highly, but the privileged and learned often throw it away. When rejected, it lies dormant in the bowels of the earth. It is the only thing from which the Philosopher's Stone can be prepared, and without it, no noble metal can ever be created."

I voted for love but actually the first thing that popped into my head would be wisdom, or a desire for truth. I was surprised it wasn't an option.

Here's my reasoning for wisdom: If you have wisdom or a desire for truth, you will seek out truth and find it. This is the key to life and death, finding truth. As the Bible says, you can be ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:7)

Truth and wisdom are there to be seen but if you don't have them or the desire for them within yourself you will be unable to find them. The poor often possess more wisdom and knowledge of truth precisely because they aren't blinded by material things, and vanity, and seek after the things which are unseen rather then those seen. The rich see how much they have and think themself something when they are nothing, they think they have it all yet can in reality not be as rich as someone with far less material goods.

God has chosen the weak of this world to show forth His wisdom and truth to bring to nothing the things which appear most mighty, for then it is most evident it is His hand at work and not the person's. Children can be more wise and find more truth then the aged for they seek with earnesty, not thinking they know everything. They can seek the things which truly matter, not yet having been caught up in the world and the things which are finite.

The humble follow it for they can admit when they are wrong, and seek truth rather then to be shown right. The uneducated seek it knowing they are in need of it rather then thinking they don't, like the privileged and learned. The privileged and learned find it to easy to grow vain and conceited, thinking they have so much and are in need of nothing. It can be most hard to find the things worthwhile if you come with the mindframe that you have already found them.

I don't know about it being in the bowels of the earth or it having anything to do with some philosopher's stone however. Obviously however it does have to do with philosophy and nobility.

Now why wasn't wisdom one of the answers?

[SystemWisdom 0]

"...Children play with it in the streets."  I understand this as growth and maturity in that as a child grows to a young adult, feelings, particularly love, become a very big and important part of his life.  He begins experimenting (playing in the streets) with his own emotions and the emotions of others in an attempt to develop a strong relationship with someone.

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That is a very good example, I never had thought of it that way! Thx for sharing that!

 

 

Oh, and I mis-quoted myself earlier too, don't ask me how.. I was thinking one thing and wrote another..

I meant to say

Remember: To be successful is to be happy in life!

 

Hopefully some of you caught that mistake, but anyhow...

 

 

And, as I mentioned earlier I would post the correct answer (courtesy of the AlchemyLab), and although they claim this is the Correct Answer, I believe it would be correct more for those who are at the highest level of spiritual being (something we are all capable of achieving) and at other levels other answers become more meaningful to us and further help our progression.

Thank you for answering the Alchemy Lab riddle!

 

 

The primary answer is the "FIRST MATTER." Synonyms for this mysterious substance would also be correct: LIGHT, CONSCIOUSNESS, IMAGINATION, SUN, MOON, TIME, GOD, JOY, LOVE, SPIRIT, SOUL, HEART, LIFE FORCE, BLOOD, CHAOS, and the ONE THING. Other correct answers include alchemical substances that are part of the First Matter: FIRE, WATER, AIR, EARTH, SULFUR, MERCURY, SALT, QUINTESSENCE, and the STONE. Words for culturally rejected objects are also correct: URINE, MANURE, and DIRT.

To learn more about the fascinating work of the alchemists, make use of the many resources available at the Alchemy Lab. To begin the Great Work yourself, enroll in the Alchemy Home Study Program at http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

 

 

Alchemy Lab http://www.alchemylab.com/

Crucible Catalog http://crucible.org/

Flamel College http://www.flamelcollege.org/

 

Thank you to all for sharing their insightful answers, it is very interesting to read about the ideas of others! And keep posting your opinions!

[SystemWisdom 0]

@jzyehoshua:You posted just as soon as i did! :PAnyway, I read your post and I do agree Wisdom is just as likely an answer as those listed.. And from the answer I posted above (courtesy of the AlchemyLab), Wisdom is related to the ONE THING as Intuition and Clarity of Being.Very insightful answer and I am glad to see others share ideas not in the list!

[iGuest 3]

Replying to SystemWisdomEarth! dirt! it's everywhere. As above so below (inner earth outer earth) from with in so with out. I can go foreever but I don't think anybody actually cares to hear the truth anymore, we are more curious of britney spears and American Idol than to hear what a homeless man has to say. We wrapped in a world of constant chaos in order to maintain the status quo but we are few who seek and know. Death is all around us every day and night. Seek the light and with the light comes the truth.. Conrad Garcia-reply by Conrad Garcia

[iGuest 3]

lovers love it, friends need it, relationships starts with it and life ends with it..It is __d_a__z.  FILL IN THE BLANKS

-reply by redds